1 Corinthians 3

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God’s Fellow Workers

¹Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.

¹And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual but as to fleshly—as to infants in Christ.

²I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready,

²I gave you milk to drink, not food, for you were not yet able. But now you are still not able,

³for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?

³for you are still fleshly. For where jealousy and strife are among you, are you not fleshly and walking according to man?

⁴For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

⁴For when one may say, “I am indeed of Paul,” and another, “I of Apollos,” are you not men?

⁵What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role.

⁵Who then is Apollos? And who is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each.

⁶I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God was giving growth.

⁷So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

⁷So neither the one planting nor the one watering is anything, but only God, the One giving growth.

⁸He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose,^a and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

⁸Now the one planting and the one watering are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Christ Our Foundation

¹⁰By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds.

¹⁰According to the grace of God having been given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, but another is building upon it. But let each one take heed how he builds upon it.

¹¹For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹¹For no one is able to lay another foundation besides the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹²If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,

¹²Now if anyone builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,

¹³his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.

¹³the work of each will become manifest, for the day will make it evident, because it is revealed in fire, and the fire itself will prove the work of each, what sort it is.

¹⁴If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward.

¹⁴If the work of anyone that he built up will remain, he will receive a reward.

¹⁵If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames.

¹⁵If the work of anyone will be burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

God’s Temple and God’s Wisdom

¹⁶Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in^a you?

¹⁶Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?

¹⁷If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

¹⁷If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, which you are.

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself: If anyone thinks himself to be wise among you in this age, let him become foolish, so that he may become wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”^a

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it has been written: “He is the One catching the wise in their craftiness,”

²⁰And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”^a

²⁰and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are futile.”

²¹Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,

²¹Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,

²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas^a or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you,

²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things about to be—all are yours,

²³and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

²³and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.