1 Corinthians 3

English HCSB 2004 - Copyrighted Only For Website

← Chapter 2 Jump to: Chapter 4 →

1Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.

2I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were not yet able to receive it. In fact, you are still not able,

3because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like ordinary people?

4For whenever someone says, "I'm with Paul," and another, "I'm with Apollos," are you not [typical] men?

5So, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.

6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

8Now the one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

9For we are God's co-workers. You are God's field, God's building.

10According to God's grace that was given to me, as a skilled master builder I have laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it,

11because no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid-- that is, Jesus Christ.

12If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw,

13each one's work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one's work.

14If anyone's work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward.

15If anyone's work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.

16Don't you know that you are God's sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

17If anyone ruins God's sanctuary, God will ruin him; for God's sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are.

18No one should deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, he must become foolish so that he can become wise.

19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since it is written: He catches the wise in their craftiness--

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

21So no one should 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 belong to Christ, and Christ to God.

← Chapter 2 Jump to: Chapter 4 →