1 CorinthiansChapter 3

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¹Brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as people who live by the Spirit. I had to talk to you as people of the world. You were like babies in Christ. ²I gave you milk, not solid food. You were not ready for solid food yet. And you are still not ready. ³You are still living like people of the world. There is jealousy and fighting among you. Doesn't that show you are worldly? Aren't you living just like everyone else? ⁴One of you says, "I follow Paul." Another says, "I follow Apollos." Aren't you acting like mere humans? ⁵After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are only servants who helped you believe. The Lord gave each of us our job. ⁶I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God made it grow. ⁷So the one who plants is not important, and neither is the one who waters. Only God matters, because he makes things grow. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters work for the same goal. And each will be paid for his own work. ⁹We work together with God. You are God's field. You are God's building. ¹⁰God gave me grace to lay a foundation like a skilled builder. Now someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. ¹¹No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid. That foundation is Jesus Christ. ¹²Suppose someone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, or precious stones. Or suppose he uses wood, hay, or straw. ¹³Then his work will be seen for what it is, because the Day will bring it into the light. It will be shown by fire. The fire will test how good each person's work is. ¹⁴If what he built lasts, he will get a reward. ¹⁵If it burns up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only like someone escaping through the flames. ¹⁶Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple? Don't you know that God's Spirit lives in you? ¹⁷If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. ¹⁸Do not fool yourselves. Do any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age? Then you should become a fool, so that you can become truly wise. ¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolish in God's eyes. As it is written, "He catches the wise in their own tricks." ²⁰And again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are useless." ²¹So stop bragging about people. Everything belongs to you. ²²Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present, and the future are all yours. All of them belong to you. ²³And you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.