1 Corinthians 3–4

The Church and Its Leaders

3Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit^o but as people who are still worldly^p—mere infants^q in Christ. ²I gave you milk, not solid food,^r for you were not yet ready for it.^s Indeed, you are still not ready. ³You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling^t among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? ⁴For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,”^u are you not mere human beings?

⁵What, after all, is Apollos?^v And what is Paul? Only servants,^w through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶I planted the seed,^x Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.^{y 9}For we are co-workers in God’s service;^z you are God’s field,^a God’s building.^b

¹⁰By the grace God has given me,^c I laid a foundation^d as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.^{e 12}If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³their work will be shown for what it is,^f because the Day^g will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.^{h 14}If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.^{i 15}If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.^j

¹⁶Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple^k and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?^{l 17}If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

¹⁸Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise^m by the standards of this age,ⁿ you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. ¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness^o in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”^a;^{p 20}and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”^{bq 21}So then, no more boasting about human leaders!^r All things are yours,^{s 22}whether Paul or Apollos^t or Cephas^cu or the world or life or death or the present or the future^v—all are yours, ²³and you are of Christ,^w and Christ is of God.

The Nature of True Apostleship

4This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants^x of Christ and as those entrusted^y with the mysteries^z God has revealed. ²Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. ³I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ⁴My conscience^a is clear, but that does not make me innocent.^b It is the Lord who judges me.^{c 5}Therefore judge nothing^d before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.^e He will bring to light^f what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.^g

⁶Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.”^h Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.^{i 7}For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?^j And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

⁸Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich!^k You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! ⁹For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die^l in the arena. We have been made a spectacle^m to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. ¹⁰We are fools for Christ,ⁿ but you are so wise in Christ!^o We are weak, but you are strong!^p You are honored, we are dishonored! ¹¹To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.^{q 12}We work hard with our own hands.^r When we are cursed, we bless;^s when we are persecuted,^t we endure it; ¹³when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage^u of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

¹⁴I am writing this not to shame you^v but to warn you as my dear children.^{w 15}Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father^x through the gospel.^{y 16}Therefore I urge you to imitate me.^{z 17}For this reason I have sent to you^a Timothy,^b my son^c whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.^d

¹⁸Some of you have become arrogant,^e as if I were not coming to you.^{f 19}But I will come to you very soon,^g if the Lord is willing,^h and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. ²⁰For the kingdom of God is not a matter ofⁱ talk but of power.^{j 21}What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,^k or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?