1 Corinthians 3
3
The Problem of Immaturity
1Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. # 1Co 14:20; Heb 5:13; 1Pt 2:2 2I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, 3because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy # Jms 3:14,16 and strife # Other mss add and divisions # Ti 3:9 among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? # Lit and walking according to man 4For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” # Ti 3:13 are you not unspiritual people? # Other mss read are you not carnal # Lit not just human
The Role of God’s Servants
5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. 6I planted, # Ac 18:4-11; 1Co 4:15; 9:1; 15:1 Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s coworkers. # Or are coworkers belonging to God You are God’s field, God’s building. # 1Pt 2:5 10According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. 11For no one can lay any other foundation # Is 28:16; Rm 15:20; 2Co 10:16; 11:4; Gl 1:6-9 than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, # Jms 5:3 costly stones, # Rv 17:4 wood, hay, or straw, 13each one’s work will become obvious, for the day # The day of Christ’s judgment of believers will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; # 2Th 1:8; 1Pt 1:7 the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. # Ps 62:12; Pr 24:12; Mt 16:27; 2Co 5:10; 1Pt 1:17 14If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; # Mt 9:22; Ac 16:30; Eph 2:8 yet it will be like an escape through fire. # Lit yet so as through fire # Jd 23
16Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary # Lk 1:21 and that the Spirit of God lives in you? # Lv 26:11; Jms 4:5 17If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him; # Heb 6:8 for God’s sanctuary is holy, # Ps 20:6; 1Co 7:14 and that is what you are.
The Folly of Human Wisdom
18No one should deceive # 2Co 11:3 himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, # Lk 16:8 he must become foolish # Mt 5:22 so that he can become wise. # Is 5:21; Jr 8:8-9; Gl 6:3 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness # 1Co 1:18 with God, since it is written: # Ac 15:15; Gl 4:22 He catches the wise in their craftiness; # Jb 5:13; Lk 20:23 # Jb 5:13 20and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings # Mt 15:19; 1Tm 2:8 of the wise are meaningless. # Ps 94:11 # Ps 94:11 21So no one should boast in human leaders, for everything is yours # Rm 8:32 — 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas # Jn 1:42 or the world or life # 1Jn 5:12 or death # Mt 10:21; Jn 8:51; Php 3:10 or things present or things to come # Rm 8:38 — everything is yours, 23and you belong to Christ, # Nm 3:12 and Christ belongs to God.
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© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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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