The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 3 -

(Hebrews 5:11–14)

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

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

for 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christ Our Foundation

(Isaiah 28:14–22; Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:1–8)

By 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.

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

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

his 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.

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

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

God’s Temple and God’s Wisdom

(Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20)

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

(b)

you?

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

Let 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.

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

And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”(d)

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

whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas

(e)

or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you,

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

Footnotes

(a)3:8 Literally are one

(b)3:16 Or among

(d)3:20 Psalms 94:11

(e)3:22 That is, Peter

(Hebrews 5:11–14)

Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ.

I fed you with milk, not with solid food, for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, you aren’t ready even now,

for 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?

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?

Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed, and each as the Lord gave to him?

I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s farming, God’s building.

Christ Our Foundation

(Isaiah 28:14–22; Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:1–8)

According 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.

For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.

But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw,

each 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.

If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward.

If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.

God’s Temple and God’s Wisdom

(Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20)

Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

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

Let 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.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.”(a)

And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”(b)

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

whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,

and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Footnotes

(a)3:19 ℘ Job 5:13

(b)3:20 ℘ Psalms 94:11