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The Problem of Immaturity

¹ For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.^{(C1) 2} I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, ³ because you are still worldly. For since there is envy^(C1) and strife^(F1)(C2) among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans? ⁴ For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,”^(C1) are you not acting like mere humans?

The Role of God’s Servants

⁵ What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. ⁶ I planted,^(C1) 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 he who plants and he who waters are one,^(F1) and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s coworkers.^(F1) You are God’s field, God’s building.^(C1)

¹⁰ According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder,^(F1) and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no one can lay any other foundation^(C1) than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver,^(C1) costly stones,^(C2) wood, hay, or straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire;^(C1) the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.^{(C2) 14} If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience^(F1) loss, but he himself will be saved^(C1)—but only as through fire.^(C2)

¹⁶ Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple^(C1) and that the Spirit of God lives in you?^{(C2) 17} If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him;^(C1) for God’s temple is holy,^(C2) and that is what you are.

The Folly of Human Wisdom

¹⁸ Let no one deceive^(C1) himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age,^(C2) let him become a fool^(C3) so that he can become wise.^{(C4) 19} For the wisdom of this world is foolishness^(C1) with God, since it is written,^(C2) He catches the wise in their craftiness;^{(F1)(C3) 20} and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings^(C1) of the wise are futile.^{(F1)(C2) 21} So let no one boast in human leaders, for everything is yours^(C1)— ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas^(C1) or the world or life^(C2) or death^(C3) or things present or things to come^(C4)—everything is yours, ²³ and you belong to Christ,^(C1) and Christ belongs to God.