1 Corinthians 3

Wisdom applied to divisions in the church

1 Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t talk to you like spiritual people but like unspiritual people, like babies in Christ.2 I gave you milk to drink instead of solid food, because you weren’t up to it yet.3 Now 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?4 When someone says, "I belong to Paul," and someone else says, "I belong to Apollos," aren’t you acting like people without the Spirit?5 After 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:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow.7 Because 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.8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together, but each one will receive their own reward for their own labor.

9 We are God’s coworkers, and you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 I 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.11 No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.12 So, whether someone builds on top of the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, or hay,13 each 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.14 If anyone’s work survives, they’ll get a reward.15 But 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.16 Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you?

17 If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, because God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.
18 Don’t fool yourself. If some of you think they are worldly-wise, then they should become foolish so that they can become wise.19 This world’s wisdom is foolishness to God. As it’s written, He catches the wise in their cleverness. t20 And also, The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are silly .t21 So then, no one should brag about human beings. Everything belongs to you—22 Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things in the present, things in the future—everything belongs to you,

23 but you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

1 Corinthians 3

Immaturity and Self-deception

1 So, brothers and sisters,t I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh,t as infants in Christ.2 I fed you milk,s not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are still not ready,3 for you are still influenced by the flesh.t For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people?t

4 For whenever someone says, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” are you not merely human?t
5 What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us.t6 I planted,s Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow.7 So neither the one who plants counts for anything,t nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth.8 The one who plants and the one who waters work as one,t but each will receive his reward according to his work.9 We are coworkers belonging to God.t You are God’s field, God’s building.10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds.11 For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,s13 each builder’st work will be plainly seen, for the Dayts will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the firess will test what kind of work each has done.14 If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward.

15 If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss.t He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temples and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

17 If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.
18 Guard against self-deception, each of you.t If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.19 For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”s20 And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”s21 So then, no more boasting about mere mortals!t For everything belongs to you,22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. Everything belongs to you,

23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.