Divisions in the Church

But I, brothers,[a] could not address you as (A)spiritual people, but as (B)people of the flesh, as (C)infants in Christ. (D)I fed you with milk, not solid food, for (E)you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is (F)jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For (G)when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” (H)are you not being merely human?

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? (I)Servants through whom you believed, (J)as the Lord assigned to each. (K)I planted, (L)Apollos watered, (M)but God gave the growth. So (N)neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each (O)will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are (P)God's fellow workers. You are God's field, (Q)God's building.

10 (R)According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled[b] master builder I laid a (S)foundation, and (T)someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a (U)foundation other (V)than that which is laid, (W)which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 (X)each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed (Y)by fire, and (Z)the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, (AA)he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, (AB)but only as through fire.

16 (AC)Do you not know that you[c] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For (AD)God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

18 (AE)Let no one deceive himself. (AF)If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For (AG)the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, (AH)“He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, (AI)“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So (AJ)let no one boast in men. For (AK)all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and (AL)you are Christ's, and (AM)Christ is God's.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:1 Or brothers and sisters
  2. 1 Corinthians 3:10 Or wise
  3. 1 Corinthians 3:16 The Greek for you is plural in verses 16 and 17

Divisiveness and Immaturity

And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to fleshly people, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to eat it. But now you are still not able, for you are still fleshly. For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and do you not live like unregenerate people?[a] For whenever anyone says, “I am with Paul,” and another, “I am with Apollos,” are you not merely human?

Therefore, what is Apollos and what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, and to each as the Lord gave. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing it to grow. So then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who is causing it to grow. Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one, but each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; 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, and another is building upon it. But each one must direct his attention to how he is building upon it. 11 For no one is able to lay another foundation than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, 13 the work of each one will become evident. For the day will reveal it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the work of each one, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work that he has built upon it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but so as through fire.

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy this one. For God’s temple is holy, which you are.

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks himself to be wise among you in this age, let him become a fool, in order that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, “The one who catches the wise in their craftiness,”[b] 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”[c] 21 So then, let no one boast in people. 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 things are yours, 23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:3 That is, like people who do not possess the Spirit at all
  2. 1 Corinthians 3:19 A quotation from Job 5:13
  3. 1 Corinthians 3:20 A quotation from Ps 94:11