1 Corinthians 3
3
Teachers Are Only God’s Servants
1Brothers and sisters, when I was there, I could not talk to you the way I talk to people who are led by the Spirit. I had to talk to you like ordinary people of the world. You were like babies in Christ. 2And the teaching I gave you was like milk, not solid food. I did this because you were not ready for solid food. And even now you are not ready. 3You are still not following the Spirit. You are jealous of each other, and you are always arguing with each other. This shows that you are still following your own selfish desires. You are acting like ordinary people of the world. 4One of you says, “I follow Paul,” and someone else says, “I follow Apollos.” When you say things like that, you are acting like people of the world.
5Is Apollos so important? Is Paul so important? We are only servants of God who helped you believe. Each one of us did the work God gave us to do. 6I planted the seed and Apollos watered it. But God is the one who made the seed grow. 7So the one who plants is not important, and the one who waters is not important. Only God is important, because he is the one who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose. And each one will be rewarded for his own work. 9We are workers together for God, and you are like a farm that belongs to God.
And you are a house that belongs to God. 10Like an expert builder I built the foundation of that house. I used the gift that God gave me to do this. Other people are building on that foundation. But everyone should be careful how they build. 11The foundation that has already been built is Jesus Christ, and no one can build any other foundation. 12People can build on that foundation using gold, silver, jewels, wood, grass, or straw. 13But the work that each person does will be clearly seen, because the Day will make it plain. That Day will appear with fire, and the fire will test everyone’s work. 14If the building they put on the foundation still stands, they will get their reward. 15But if their building is burned up, they will suffer loss. They will be saved, but it will be like someone escaping from a fire.
16You should know that you yourselves are God’s temple.#3:16 temple God’s house—the place where God’s people worship him. Here, it means that believers are the spiritual temple where God lives. God’s Spirit lives in you. 17If you destroy God’s temple, God will destroy you, because God’s temple is holy. You yourselves are God’s temple.
18Don’t fool yourselves. Whoever thinks they are wise in this world should become a fool. That’s the only way they can be wise. 19I say this because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He catches those who think they are wise in their own clever traps.”#Quote from Job 5:13. 20The Scriptures also say, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise. He knows that their thoughts are worth nothing.”#Quote from Ps. 94:11. 21So there is not a person on earth that any of you should be boasting about. Everything is yours: 22Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, and the future—all these are yours. 23And you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
1 Corinthians 3
3
Fellow Servants of God
1#Ro 7:14; 1Co 2:14–15Brothers, I could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to worldly, even as to babes in Christ. 2#Jn 16:12; 1Pe 2:2I have fed you with milk and not with solid food. For to this day you were not able to endure it. Nor are you able now, 3#1Co 1:11; 11:18for you are still worldly. Since there is envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not worldly and behaving as mere men? 4#1Co 1:12For while one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not worldly?
5#2Co 6:4; 1Co 3:10Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each one? 6#Ac 18:4–11; 1Co 9:1I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7#Gal 6:3So then neither is he who plants nor he who waters anything, but God who gives the increase. 8#Ps 62:12; Mt 16:27Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9#2Co 6:1; Eph 2:20–22For we are laborers together with God: You are God’s vineyard; you are God’s building.
10#Ro 12:3; 15:20According to the grace of God which has been given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, but another builds on it. Now let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11#Eph 2:20; Isa 28:16; Mt 16:18For no one can lay another foundation than that which was laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble, 13#1Co 4:5; 2Th 1:7–10each one’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14#1Co 3:8; 4:5If anyone’s work which he has built on the foundation endures, he will receive a reward. 15#Jude 1:23If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss. But he himself will be saved, still going through the fire.
16#1Co 6:19; 2Co 6:16Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy. And you are His temple.
18#Isa 5:21; Gal 6:3Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. 19#Job 5:13For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness,”#Job 5:13. 20#Ps 94:11and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”#Ps 94:11. 21#1Co 4:6; Ro 8:32Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours, 23#2Co 10:7; Gal 3:29and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
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