1 Corinthians 3:1-23 Lesson 317

1 Corinthians 3:1-23
Lesson 317

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Milk is for children (3:1-2).
We are God's workers (3:9-15).
We are the temples of God (3:16-17).
Put your faith in God, not man (3:18-23).

By Simon Dewey.

Study Tip:

It helps to study more than one Bible translation. As you read each lesson scroll
back and forth between the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation" below.

Also, check the margin notes in blue and click on the links.

The First Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Corinthians

The King James Bible

1 Corinthians 3:1-23
Paul condemns church divisions

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's;

22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's;

23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's

Margin notes:

"Could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal." (3:1) - "Could not speak to you as spiritual people, but worldly, not spiritual people."

"I have fed you with milk, and not with meat." (3:2) - Like infants, new believers are given milk (basic spiritual doctrine) until they are able to handle solid food (deeper spiritual doctrine). Every Christian should strive to grow in faith (Ephesians 4:14), and to teach new believers (Hebrews 5:12).

"Walk as men." (3:3) - Means "behaving as men" more interested in worldly rather than spiritual things. See Romans 13:13.

"I am of Paul." (3:4) - "I follow Paul." The only difference between Paul and Apollos was their style, not their message. Christians in Corinth were divided over which preacher to follow when they should have been following Christ.

"God gave the increase." (3:6) - It did not matter that Paul planted the seed or that Apollos watered it; without God, it could never grow. See also "Todays Question" below.

"Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour." (3:8) - From Psalm 62:12.

"We are labourers together with God." (3:9) - All believers should work for God.

"Ye are God's husbandry." (3:9) - "You are God's farm field."

"Foundation." (3:11) - Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian church.

"Every man's work shall be made manifest." (3:13) - "Everyone's work (on earth) will be revealed."

"The day shall declare it." (3:13) - "The day of the Lord (judgment day) will reveal it."

"Revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work." (3:13) - "Tested by fire, the fire will test everyone's work." Paul is speaking metaphorically; he is not referring to the fires of hell.

"Ye are the temple of God." (3:16) - God lives in us, not in manmade temples or churches. Luke expands on this idea in Acts 7:48 and 17:24. Paul mentions it again in 1 Corinthians 6:19).

"Let him become a fool, that he may be wise." (3:18) - This means be a fool to the ways of the world, so that he may become wise to the ways of God.

"For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." (3:19) - This is a quote from Job 5:13. It means that God uses man's so-called "wisdom" to trap him.

"The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." (3:20) - Paraphrased from Psalm 94:11. Do not depend on the wisdom of man. Man's thoughts are vain (foolish).

"Let no man glory in men." (3:21) - "Let no one brag about following men."

"Ye are Christ's." (3:23) - "You belong to Christ" (Romans 14:8; 1 Corinthians 6:17).

New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 3:1-23
Paul and Apollos, Servants of Christ

1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn't talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life.

2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren't ready for anything stronger. And you still aren't ready,

3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn't that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren't you living like people of the world?

4 When one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," aren't you acting just like people of the world?

5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.

6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.

7 It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow.

8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.

9 For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field. You are God's building.

10 Because of God's grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.

11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have-Jesus Christ.

12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials-gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.

13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value.

14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.

15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

16 Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world's standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,

  "He traps the wise
      in the snare of their own cleverness."

20 And again,

  "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise;
      he knows they are worthless."

21 So don't boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you-

22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you,

23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. What does "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" mean? (3:6)

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Paul planted the seed of Christianity in Corinth when he founded the church. Apollos watered the seed and helped the church grow with his leadership and preaching. But it is God who enters into the hearts of Christians and grants them salvation. It is God who watches over our spiritual growth and saves us from our sins. Church leaders, ministers, preachers, and fellow believers all perform valuable tasks, but they should not be worshipped (3:7; 3:21).

Application thought for the day:

Which rules your life, your spiritual or worldly side?
How can you become more spiritual?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2022 evolke

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