1 Corinthians 3
3
Wisdom applied to divisions in the church
1Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t talk to you like spiritual people but like unspiritual people, like babies in Christ. 2I gave you milk to drink instead of solid food, because you weren’t up to it yet. 3Now you are still not up to it because you are still unspiritual. When jealousy and fighting exist between you, aren’t you unspiritual and living by human standards? 4When someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and someone else says, “I belong to Apollos,” aren’t you acting like people without the Spirit? 5After all, what is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants who helped you to believe. Each one had a role given to them by the Lord: 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. 7Because of this, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but the only one who is anything is God who makes it grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters work together, but each one will receive their own reward for their own labor. 9We are God’s coworkers, and you are God’s field, God’s building.
10I laid a foundation like a wise master builder according to God’s grace that was given to me, but someone else is building on top of it. Each person needs to pay attention to the way they build on it. 11No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12So, whether someone builds on top of the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, or hay, 13each one’s work will be clearly shown. The day will make it clear, because it will be revealed with fire—the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14If anyone’s work survives, they’ll get a reward. 15But if anyone’s work goes up in flames, they’ll lose it. However, they themselves will be saved as if they had gone through a fire. 16Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you? 17If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.
18Don’t fool yourself. If some of you think they are worldly-wise, then they should become foolish so that they can become wise. 19This world’s wisdom is foolishness to God. As it’s written, “He catches the wise in their cleverness.”#3.19 Job 5:13 20And also, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are silly”.#3.20 Ps 94:11 21So then, no one should brag about human beings. Everything belongs to you— 22Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things in the present, things in the future—everything belongs to you, 23but you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 3
3
The church and its leaders
1Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly – mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings?
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour. 9For we are fellow workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
18Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become ‘fools’ so that you may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’#3:19 Job 5:13; 20and again, ‘The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.’#3:20 Psalm 94:11 21So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas#3:22 That is, Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
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