The Problem of Immaturity

1•Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.a 2I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, 3because you are still fleshly. For since there is envyb and strifec, d among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers?e 4For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,”f are you not unspiritual people?g, h

The Role of God’s Servants

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

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

The Folly of Human Wisdom

18No one should deceivey himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age,z he must become foolishaa so that he can become wise.ab 19For the wisdom of this •world is foolishnessac with God, since it is written:ad He catches the wise in their craftiness;ae, af 20and again, The Lord knows that the reasoningsag of the wise are meaningless.ah, ai 21So no one should boast in human leaders, for everything is yoursaj — 22whether Paul or Apollos or •Cephasak or the world or lifeal or deatham or things present or things to comean — everything is yours, 23and you belong to Christ,ao and Christ belongs to God.