1 Corinthians 3
New King James Version
Sectarianism Is Carnal
3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to (A)babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with (B)milk and not with solid food; (C)for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and [a]behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
Watering, Working, Warning
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but (D)ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 (E)I planted, (F)Apollos watered, (G)but God gave the increase. 7 So then (H)neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, (I)and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For (J)we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are (K)God’s building. 10 (L)According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid (M)the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than (N)that which is laid, (O)which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day (P)will declare it, because (Q)it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
16 (R)Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone [b]defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Avoid Worldly Wisdom
18 (S)Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, 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, (T)“He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20 and again, (U)“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For (V)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 (W)you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 3:3 Lit. walking according to man
- 1 Corinthians 3:17 destroys
Kehillah in Corinth I 3
Orthodox Jewish Bible
3 Achim b’Moshiach, I was not able to speak to you as to men of hitkhadshut and ruchaniyut; I had to speak to you as bnei basar, as olalim b’Moshiach.
2 Cholov I gave you to drink, not solid okhel (food), for you were not yet able to receive it, but neither yet are you able now.
3 For still you are bnei basar (carnally-minded believers). For als (since) there is still kinah and merivah (strife) among you [1:11], are you not bnei basar, by the standards of Bnei Adam?
4 For, whenever anyone says, "I am of Sha’ul," but another, "I am of Apollos," are you not as anshei shechichim (ordinary men)?
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Sha’ul? Klei kodesh ministers of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, through whom you came to emunah, even as to each one a task was given by Adoneinu.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but Hashem gave the increase.
7 Therefore, neither is the one planting anything nor the one watering, but it is the One giving the increase—Hashem!
8 Now the one planting and the one watering are be’ichud (united), and, each one will receive his own sachar (reward) according to his own amal (toil). [TEHILLIM 18:20; 62:12]
9 For we are fellow po’alim (workers) of Hashem, you are the sadeh Hashem (field of G-d), you are Hashem’s binyan (building). [YESHAYAH 61:3]
10 According to the Chen v’Chesed Hashem having been given to me as a bannai chacham (wise builder), I laid a yesod (foundation), and another builds on it. But, let each one beware how he builds on it.
11 For no other yesod other than the one that has been laid can be laid: Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. [YESHAYAH 28:16]
12 Now if anyone builds on the yesod with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble
13 The ma’aseh (work) of each bannai will become evident, for, haYom [Yom haDin] will make it have its hisgalus, because by Eish (Fire) it is revealed; and the Eish (Fire) itself will test the quality of each one’s ma’aseh. [BAMIDBAR 31:22,23; YIRMEYAH 23:28,29; MALACHI 3:3]
14 If anyone’s ma’aseh he built on the yesod will survive (Yn 15:16), a sachar (reward BERESHIS 15:1) he will receive;
15 If anyone’s ma’aseh will be consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved (Ep 2:8-9), yet so as through Eish (fire).
16 Do you not have da’as that you are a Heikhal Hashem and the Ruach Hakodesh of Hashem dwells in you?
17 If anyone attempts to cause churban to the Heikhal Hashem, G-d will destroy this man, for the Heikhal Hashem is kadosh, and you (pl.) are that Heikhal.
18 Let no one deceive himself: if anyone presumes to be chacham among you in the Olam Hazeh, let him become a kesil (fool), that he may become chacham. [YESHAYAH 5:21]
19 For the chochmah (wisdom) of Olam Hazeh is narrishkait (foolishness) with Hashem. For it has been written, LOCHED CHACHAMIM BE’ARMAM ("He catches the wise in their own craftiness" IYOV 5:13).
20 And again, HASHEM YODE’A MACHSH’VOT ADAM KI HEMAH HEVEL ("The L-rd knows the thoughts of the wise that they are empty vanity"‖TEHILLIM 94:11).
21 So let no one boast in Bnei Adam, for all things belong to you,
22 Whether Sha’ul or Apollos or Kefa or HaOlam (the world) or Chayyim (Life) or Mavet (Death) or things present or things to come; all things are yours,
23 And you are Moshiach’s and Moshiach is G-d’s.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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