Book of Common Prayer

Spiritual or merely human?

¹⁴ Someone living at the merely human level doesn’t accept the things of God’s spirit. They are foolishness to such people, you see, and they can’t understand them because they need to be discerned spiritually. ¹⁵ But spiritual people discern everything, while nobody else can discern the truth about them! ¹⁶ For “Who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of the Messiah.

3 In my own case, my dear family, I couldn’t speak to you as spiritual people, but as people who were all too obviously merely human, little babies in the Messiah. ² I fed you with milk, not solid food, because you weren’t able to take it—and you still can’t, even now! ³ You’re still determined to live in the old way! Yes, wherever there is jealousy and quarrelling, doesn’t that mean you’re living in the old way, behaving as any merely human being might do? ⁴ When someone says “I’m with Paul!” and someone else says “I’m with Apollos!” are you not mere humans?

God’s farm, God’s building

⁵ So what d’you suppose Apollos actually is? What d’you think Paul is? I’ll tell you: servants, through whom you came to faith, each one as the Lord gave. ⁶ I planted and Apollos watered, but it was God who gave the growth. ⁷ It follows that the person who plants isn’t anything special, and the person who waters isn’t anything special; what matters is God who gives the growth. ⁸ The person who plants and the person who waters are just the same, and each will receive his own reward according to his own work. ⁹ We are God’s fellow workers, you see: you are God’s farm, God’s building.

¹⁰ According to God’s grace, I laid the foundation like a wise master builder, and someone else is building on it. Everyone should take care how they build on it. ¹¹ Nobody can lay any foundation, you see, except the one which is laid, which is Jesus the Messiah!

The coming day, the coming fire

¹² If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass or straw— ¹³ well, everyone’s work will become visible, because the Day will show it up, since it will be revealed in fire. Then the fire will test what sort of work everyone has done. ¹⁴ If the building work that someone has done stands the test, they will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If someone’s work is burned up, they will be punished by bearing the loss; they themselves will be saved, however, but only as though through a fire.

The Beatitudes

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the hillside, and sat down. His disciples came to him. ² He took a deep breath, and began his teaching:

³ “Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours.

⁴ “Blessings on the mourners! You’re going to be comforted.

⁵ “Blessings on the meek! You’re going to inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessings on people who hunger and thirst for God’s justice! You’re going to be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessings on the merciful! You’ll receive mercy yourselves.

⁸ “Blessings on the pure in heart! You will see God.

⁹ “Blessings on the peacemakers! You’ll be called God’s children.

¹⁰ “Blessings on people who are persecuted because of God’s saving plan! The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.