1 Corinthians 3 - 4
Jesus Christ, Our Foundation
3And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to aspiritual men, but as to bfleshly men, as to cinfants in Christ. 2I gave you amilk to drink, not solid food, for you bwere not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are still not able, 3for you are still fleshly. For since there is ajealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking 1,blike mere men? 4For when aone says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere bmen?
5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? aServants through whom you believed, even bas the Lord gave to each one. 6aI planted, bApollos watered, but cGod was causing the growth. 7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will areceive his own 1reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s afellow workers; you are God’s 1,bfield, God’s cbuilding.
10According to athe grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder bI laid a foundation, and canother is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11For no one can lay a afoundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, 1precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13aeach man’s work will become evident, for bthe day will indicate it because it is revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test 1the quality of each man’s work. 14If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will areceive a reward. 15If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet aso as through fire.
16aDo you not know that byou are a 1sanctuary of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17If any man destroys the 1sanctuary of God, God will destroy him, for the 2sanctuary of God is holy, and 3that is what you are.
18aLet no man deceive himself. bIf any man among you thinks that he is wise in cthis age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19For athe wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is bthe one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20and again, “aThe Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.” 21So then alet no one boast in men. For ball things belong to you, 22awhether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or blife or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23and ayou belong to Christ, and bChrist belongs to God.
Servants of Christ
4Let a man consider us in this manner, as aservants of Christ and bstewards of cthe mysteries of God. 2In this case, moreover, it is required 1of stewards that one be found faithful. 3But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human 1court. In fact, I do not even examine myself. 4For I aam conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this bacquitted. But the one who examines me is the Lord. 5Therefore ado not go on 1passing judgment before 2the time, but wait buntil the Lord comes who will both cbring to light the things hidden in the darkness and make manifest the motives of hearts. And then each one’s dpraise will come to him from God.
6Now these things, brothers, I have applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to go beyond awhat is written, so that no one of you will bbecome puffed up con behalf of one against the other. 7For who regards you as superior? aWhat do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8You are aalready filled, you have already become rich, you have ruled without us—and how I wish that you had ruled indeed so that we also might rule with you. 9For, I think that God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men acondemned to death, because we bhave become a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. 10We are afools for the sake of Christ, but byou are prudent in Christ! cWe are weak, but you are strong! You are glorious, but we are without honor! 11To this present hour we ahunger and thirst, and are poorly clothed, and roughly treated, and homeless; 12and we labor, aworking with our own hands; when we are breviled, we bless; when we are cpersecuted, we endure; 13when we are slandered, we try to plead; we have abecome as the scum of the world, the grime of all things, even until now.
14I do not write these things to ashame you, but to admonish you as my beloved bchildren. 15For if you were to have countless atutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in bChrist Jesus I cbecame your father through the dgospel. 16Therefore I exhort you, be aimitators of me. 17For this reason I ahave sent to you bTimothy, who is my cbeloved and faithful child in the Lord, and who will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, djust as I teach everywhere in every church. 18Now some have become apuffed up, as though I were not bcoming to you. 19But I awill come to you soon, bif the Lord wills, and I shall know, not the 1words of those who are cpuffed up but their power. 20For the kingdom of God does anot consist in 1words but in power. 21What do you desire? aShall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?