同是上帝的仆人

弟兄姊妹,以前我对你们讲话的时候,还不能把你们看作属灵的人,只能把你们看作属肉体的人,是在基督里的婴孩。 我只能用奶而不能用饭来喂养你们,因为你们当时不能消化,甚至现在也不能。 你们仍然是属肉体的人,因为你们中间有嫉妒、争斗。这岂不证明你们是属肉体的,行事为人和世人一样吗? 你们有的说:“我是跟随保罗的”,有的说:“我是跟随亚波罗的”,这岂不证明你们和世人一样吗?

亚波罗算什么?保罗算什么?我们不过是上帝的仆人,各人照着主所赐的才干引导你们信靠上帝。 我栽种,亚波罗灌溉,但使之生长的是上帝。 所以栽种的和灌溉的都算不得什么,一切都在于使之生长的上帝。 其实栽种的人和浇灌的人目标都一样,各人将按照自己的付出得报酬。 因为我们是上帝的同工,你们是上帝的园地和建筑。

10 我照着上帝赐给我的恩典,好像一位有智慧的建筑师打稳了根基,然后让其他的工人在上面建造。但每个人建造的时候要小心, 11 因为除了那已经奠定的根基——耶稣基督以外,没有人能另立根基。 12 人们用金、银、宝石、草、木或禾秸在这根基上建造, 13 每个人的工程将来都会显明出来,因为到了审判的日子,必用火试验各人工程的品质。 14 人在这根基上所建造的工程若经得起考验,他必获得奖赏。 15 人的工程若被烧毁了,他必遭受损失,自己虽然可以得救,却像火里逃生一样。

16 岂不知你们就是上帝的殿,上帝的灵住在你们里面吗? 17 若有人摧毁上帝的殿,上帝必摧毁那人,因为上帝的殿是神圣的,你们就是这殿。

18 你们不要自欺。如果你们有人自以为在世上有智慧,他应当变成愚人,好成为真正的智者。 19 因为这世上的智慧在上帝的眼中都是愚昧的,正如圣经上说:“上帝使智者中了自己的诡计。” 20 又说:“主知道智者的思想虚妄。” 21 因此,谁都不要仗着人夸耀,因为万物都属于你们, 22 无论是保罗、亚波罗、彼得、世界、生命、死亡、现在的事或将来的事都属于你们, 23 你们属于基督,基督属于上帝。

The Problem of Immaturity

Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.(A) I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy(B) and strife[a](C) among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers?[b] For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,”(D) are you not unspiritual people?[c][d]

The Role of God’s Servants

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted,(E) Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers.[e] You are God’s field, God’s building.(F) 10 According 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. 11 For no one can lay any other foundation(G) than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver,(H) costly stones,(I) wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become obvious, for the day[f] will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire;(J) the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.(K) 14 If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved;(L) yet it will be like an escape through fire.[g](M)

16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary(N) and that the Spirit of God lives in you?(O) 17 If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him;(P) for God’s sanctuary is holy,(Q) and that is what you are.

The Folly of Human Wisdom

18 No one should deceive(R) himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age,(S) he must become foolish(T) so that he can become wise.(U) 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness(V) with God, since it is written:(W) He catches the wise in their craftiness;(X)[h] 20 and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings(Y) of the wise are meaningless.(Z)[i] 21 So no one should boast in human leaders, for everything is yours(AA) 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas(AB) or the world or life(AC) or death(AD) or things present or things to come(AE)—everything is yours, 23 and you belong to Christ,(AF) and Christ belongs to God.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:3 Other mss add and divisions
  2. 1 Corinthians 3:3 Lit and walking according to man
  3. 1 Corinthians 3:4 Other mss read are you not carnal
  4. 1 Corinthians 3:4 Lit not [just] human
  5. 1 Corinthians 3:9 Or are coworkers belonging to God
  6. 1 Corinthians 3:13 The day of Christ’s judgment of believers
  7. 1 Corinthians 3:15 Lit yet so as through fire
  8. 1 Corinthians 3:19 Jb 5:13
  9. 1 Corinthians 3:20 Ps 94:11

Following Men Is Wrong

Brothers, in the past I could not talk to you as I talk to spiritual people. I had to talk to you as I would to people of the world—babies in Christ. 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. You are still not spiritual. You have jealousy and arguing among you. This shows that you are not spiritual. You are acting like people of the world. One of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos.” When you say things like this, you are acting like worldly people.

Is Apollos important? No! Is Paul important? No! We are only servants of God who helped you believe. Each one of us did the work God gave us to do. I planted the seed of the teaching in you, and Apollos watered it. But God is the One who made the seed grow. So 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. The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose. And each will be rewarded for his own work. We are workers together for God. And you are like a farm that belongs to God.

And you are a house that belongs to God. 10 Like an expert builder I built the foundation of that house. I used the gift that God gave me to do this. Others are building on that foundation. But everyone should be careful how he builds. 11 The foundation has already been built. No one can build any other foundation. The foundation that has already been laid is Jesus Christ. 12 Anyone can build on that foundation, using gold, silver, jewels, wood, grass, or straw. 13 But the work that each person does will be clearly seen, because the Day[a] will make it plain. That Day will appear with fire, and the fire will test every man’s work. 14 If the building that a man puts on the foundation still stands, he will get his reward. 15 But if his building is burned up, he will suffer loss. The man will be saved, but it will be as if he escaped from a fire.

16 You should know that you yourselves are God’s temple. God’s Spirit lives in you. 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him, because God’s temple is holy. You yourselves are God’s temple.

18 Do not fool yourselves. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this world, he should become a fool. Then he can become truly wise, 19 because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. It is written in the Scriptures, “He catches wise men in their own clever traps.”[b] 20 It is also written in the Scriptures, “The Lord knows what people think. He knows they are just a puff of wind.”[c] 21 So you should not brag about men. All things are yours: 22 Paul, Apollos and Peter; the world, life, death, the present, and the future—all these things are yours. 23 And you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Footnotes

  1. 3:13 Day The day Christ will come to judge all people and take his people home to live with him.
  2. 3:19 “He . . . traps.” Quotation from Job 5:13.
  3. 3:20 “The Lord . . . wind.” Quotation from Psalm 94:11.