1 Corinthians 3

1-4 But for right now, friends, I'm completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You're acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I'll nurse you since you don't seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything's going your way? When one of you says, "I'm on Paul's side," and another says, "I'm for Apollos," aren't you being totally infantile?

5-9 Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God's field in which we are working.

10-15 Or, to put it another way, you are God's house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive—but just barely.

16-17 You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.

18-20 Don't fool yourself. Don't think that you can be wise merely by being up-to-date with the times. Be God's fool—that's the path to true wisdom. What the world calls smart, God calls stupid. It's written in Scripture,
He exposes the chicanery of the chic. The Master sees through the smoke screens of the know-it-alls.

21-23 I don't want to hear any of you bragging about yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as a gift—Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future—all of it is yours, and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God.

1 Corinthians 3

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.2 I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able;3 for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?4 For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men?5 What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him.6 I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.7 So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.9 For we are God’s fellow-workers: ye are God’s husbandry, God’s building.10 According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon.11 For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble;13 each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.14 If any man’s work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward.15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.16 Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?17 If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye.18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that taketh the wise in their craftiness:20 and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise that they are vain.21 Wherefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours;22 whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;23 and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.