1 Corinthians 3:5–15

⁵After all, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? We are only people who serve. We helped you to believe. The Lord has given each of us our own work to do. ⁶I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God made it grow.

⁷So the one who plants is not important. The one who waters is not important. It is God who makes things grow. He is the One who is important. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose. The Lord will give each of us a reward for our work. ⁹We work together with God. You are like God’s field. You are like his building.

¹⁰God has given me the grace to lay a foundation as a master builder. Now someone else is building on it. But each one should build carefully. ¹¹No one can lay any other foundation than the one that has already been laid. That foundation is Jesus Christ.

¹²A person may build on it using gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw. ¹³But each person’s work will be shown for what it is. On judgment day it will be brought to light. It will be put through fire. The fire will test how good everyone’s work is. ¹⁴If the building doesn’t burn up, God will give the builder a reward for his work. ¹⁵If the building burns up, the builder will lose everything. The builder will be saved, but only like one escaping through the flames.