The Problem of Immaturity

3 * Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. j 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, 3 because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy k and strife l m among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? n 4 For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” o are you not unspiritual people? p q

The Role of God’s Servants

5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. 6 I planted, r Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s coworkers. s You are God’s field, God’s building. t 10 According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay any other foundation u than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, v costly stones, w wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become obvious, for the day x will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; y the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. z 14 If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; a yet it will be like an escape through fire. b c

16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary d and that the Spirit of God lives in you? e 17 If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him; f for God’s sanctuary is holy, g and that is what you are.

The Folly of Human Wisdom

18 No one should deceive h himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, i he must become foolish j so that he can become wise. k 19 For the wisdom of this * world is foolishness l with God, since it is written: m He catches the wise in their craftiness; n o 20 and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings p of the wise are meaningless. q r 21 So no one should boast in human leaders, for everything is yours s— 22 whether Paul or Apollos or * Cephas t or the world or life u or death v or things present or things to come w—everything is yours, 23 and you belong to Christ, x and Christ belongs to God.