2 KORINTIËRS 3

Die oorsaak van die verdeeldheid

1 Broers, ek kon met julle nie praat soos met mense wat hulle deur die Gees van God laat lei nie; ek moes praat soos met wêreldse mense, soos met kindertjies in die geloof in Christus. 2 Ek het julle met melk gevoed, nie met vaste kos nie, want julle kon dit nog nie verteer nie. En julle kan dit ook nou nog nie verteer nie, 3 want julle is nog wêreldse mense. Daar kom jaloesie en twis onder julle voor. Is dit nie omdat julle nog wêrelds is en julle wêrelds gedra nie? 4 As een van julle sê: “Ek is vir Paulus,” en 'n ander: “Ek is vir Apollos,” is julle dan nie nog wêrelds nie?

5 Wat is Apollos dan? Wat is Paulus? Hulle is maar net dienaars deur wie julle tot geloof gekom het, en elkeen doen die werk soos die Here dit vir hom gegee het. 6 Ek het geplant, Apollos het natgegooi, maar dit is God wat laat groei het. 7 Dit gaan dus nie om die een wat plant of die een wat natgooi nie, maar om God wat laat groei. 8 Die een wat plant en die een wat natgooi, staan op gelyke voet: God sal elkeen beloon volgens sy werk.

9 Ons is medewerkers in diens van God, en julle is die saailand van God.

Die gelowiges as die gebou van God

10 Volgens die genade wat God my gegee het, het ek soos 'n goeie bouer die fondament gelê, en 'n ander bou daarop. Maar hy moet mooi kyk hoe hy verder bou, 11 want niemand kan 'n ander fondament lê as wat reeds gelê is nie. Die fondament is Jesus Christus. 12 Of dit goud, silwer, edelstene, hout, gras of strooi is waarmee iemand op die fondament bou, 13 elkeen se werk sal aan die lig kom. Die dag wanneer Christus kom, sal dit duidelik word. Die dag kom met vuur, en die vuur sal die gehalte van elkeen se werk toets. 14 As iemand se bouwerk bly staan, sal hy beloon word; 15 as iemand se werk verbrand, sal hy nie beloon word nie, en tog sal hy self gered word, maar soos iemand wat uit die vuur geruk is.

16 Weet julle nie dat julle die tempel van God is en dat die Gees van God in julle woon nie? 17 As iemand die tempel van God beskadig, sal God hom straf, want die tempel van God is heilig, en die tempel is julle.

18 Niemand moet homself mislei nie. As een van julle dink dat hy volgens die maatstaf van hierdie wêreld 'n wyse man is, moet hy dwaas word sodat hy werklik 'n wyse mens kan word, 19 want die wysheid van hierdie wêreld is dwaasheid by God. Daar staan tog geskrywe: “Hy vang die slimmes met hulle eie slinkse planne,”t

20 en op 'n ander plek: “Die Here ken die gedagtes van die wyse mense en weet dit beteken niks.”t

21 Daarom moet niemand op mense roem nie. Alles behoort aan julle: 22 of dit Paulus of Apollos of Sefas of die wêreld of lewe of dood of hede of toekoms is, alles behoort aan julle, 23 maar julle behoort aan Christus en Christus aan God.

1 Corinthians 3

1  HOWEVER, BRETHREN, I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ [unable to talk yet!]2  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it],3  For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?4  For when one says, I belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are you not [proving yourselves] ordinary (unchanged) men?5  What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Ministering servants [not heads of parties] through whom you believed, even as the Lord appointed to each his task:6  I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase.7  So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and become greater.8  He who plants and he who waters are equal (one in aim, of the same importance and esteem), yet each shall receive his own reward (wages), according to his own labor.9  For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God’s garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God’s building. 10  According to the grace (the special endowment for my task) of God bestowed on me, like a skillful architect and master builder I laid [the] foundation, and now another [man] is building upon it. But let each [man] be careful how he builds upon it,11  For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).12  But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,13  The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done.14  If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward.15  But if any person’s work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. 16  Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?17  If anyone does hurt to God’s temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are.18  Let no person deceive himself. If anyone among you supposes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [let him discard his worldly discernment and recognize himself as dull, stupid, and foolish, without true learning and scholarship], that he may become [really] wise. 19  For this world’s wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness; 20  And again, The Lord knows the thoughts and reasonings of the [humanly] wise and recognizes how futile they are. 21  So let no one exult proudly concerning men [boasting of having this or that man as a leader], for all things are yours,22  Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter), or the universe or life or death, or the immediate and threatening present or the [subsequent and uncertain] future--all are yours,23  And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.