1 Corinthians — Chapter 3
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1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as 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,
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?
4For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere 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.
6I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
8He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.
9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
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.
11For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12If anyone builds on this foundation using 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.
14If what he has built survives, 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.
16Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
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.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
21Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,
22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you,
23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
1And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
6I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
1And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.
2I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able [to bear it]: nay, not even now are ye able;
3for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?
4For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men?
5What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him.
6I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9For we are God`s fellow-workers: ye are God`s husbandry, God`s building.
10According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon.
11For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13each man`s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man`s work of what sort it is.
14If any man`s work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward.
15If any man`s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.
16Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye.
18Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that taketh the wise in their craftiness:
20and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise that they are vain.
21Wherefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours;
22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23and ye are Christ`s; and Christ is God`s.
1So, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
2I fed you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are still not ready,
3for you are still influenced by the flesh. For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people?
4For whenever someone says, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” are you not merely human?
5What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us.
6I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow.
7So neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth.
8The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will receive his reward according to his work.
9We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building.
10According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds.
11For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,
13each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done.
14If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward.
15If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
17If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.
18Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise.
19For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
21So then, no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you,
22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. Everything belongs to you,
23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
1Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ.
2I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready,
3for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men?
4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?
5Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him?
6I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.
7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
8Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s farming, God’s building.
10According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it.
11For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble;
13each man’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man’s work is.
14If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward.
15If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.
16Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
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 anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.”
20And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”
21Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,
23and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
Summary
Paul says he could not address the Corinthians as spiritually mature but had to treat them as infants in Christ, feeding them milk rather than solid food because they were still unready, as shown by their ongoing jealousy and quarreling (vv. 1-3). Their slogans of loyalty to Paul or Apollos prove they are thinking in merely human terms, when in truth he and Apollos are only servants through whom the Corinthians believed — one planted, another watered, but God alone gave the growth (vv. 4-7). Paul describes himself as a skilled builder who laid the foundation of Jesus Christ, on which others now build, and warns that each person's work will be tested by fire on the day of judgment — some will be rewarded, others will suffer loss though still be saved (vv. 8-15). He reminds them that together they are God's temple, indwelt by his Spirit, and that anyone who destroys that temple will himself be destroyed (vv. 16-17). He closes by urging them not to boast in human leaders, since all things — Paul, Apollos, the world, life, death, the present, and the future — belong to them, and they belong to Christ, who belongs to God (vv. 18-23).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines spiritual infancy, the garden metaphor, the building metaphor, the judgment of works, and the church as temple.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Corinthians -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Division as a Sign of Immaturity (v.3) — Paul says envy and strife among the Corinthians prove they are still spiritual infants, not sophisticated believers. Where does envy or strife show up in your relationships with other Christians, and what would it look like to grow past it?
- God Alone Gives the Growth (vv.6-7) — Paul planted and Apollos watered, but Paul insists neither of them mattered — only God gives the increase. Are you trying to manufacture spiritual results through your own effort, or can you trust God with outcomes you can't control?
- Christ, the Only Foundation (v.11) — Paul declares that no one can lay any foundation other than Jesus Christ. What is your life actually built on, and would it collapse if Christ were removed from it?
- Work That Survives the Fire (v.13) — Paul says a coming fire will test the quality of each believer's work, not just its quantity. Are you more focused on doing a lot, or on doing what will actually last?
- The Church as God's Dwelling Place (v.16) — Paul reminds the Corinthians that they, together, are God's temple where His Spirit dwells. How seriously do you take the health and unity of your church community — are you building it up or contributing to its division?
- Everything Already Belongs to You in Christ (vv.21-23) — Paul tells the Corinthians that leaders, the world, life, death, the present, and the future all belong to them because they belong to Christ. How would that kind of abundance change the way you relate to other believers instead of competing with them?