1
And I, brothers and sisters, at that time could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but only as to worldly people, as to those who were still immature in Christ.

2
I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. And even now you are not yet able to receive it.

3
For you are still worldly. For if there is envy and strife among you, does this not show that you are worldly and that you are living in a merely human way?

4
For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another says, “I am of Apollos,” does this not show that you are worldly and not spiritual?

5
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants of God through whom you came to believe, each according to the way the Lord gave him.

6
I planted, 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
The one who plants and the one who waters are one; and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

9
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10
According to the grace of God that was given to me, as a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it.

11
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12
Whether someone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,

13
each one’s work will become evident in time. For the day of the Lord will reveal it, because it will be made known by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

14
If what someone has built remains, he will receive a reward.

15
If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet as through fire.

16
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

17
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple is you.

18
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so that he may become wise.

19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

20
And elsewhere: “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; indeed, they are all in vain.”

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Therefore let no one boast in men, for all things are yours:

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whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, whether the world, or life, or death, whether things present, or things to come. All are yours.

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But you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

📖 1 Corinthians 3 – God Who Gives the Growth

🧾 Summary of the Content

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church because their spiritual maturity was still low. They were still living according to the flesh, boasting in spiritual leaders (Paul, Apollos), and not realizing that all servants are only instruments of God. Paul emphasizes that God alone gives the growth, and that the church is the holy temple of God.

✨ Explanation by Section

1. Spiritual Maturity and the Flesh (verses 1–4)

“For you are still worldly… there is envy, strife, and division.” (verse 3)

• The church was not yet spiritually mature; it still needed “spiritual milk.”
• Envy and strife show that they were living according to the flesh.
• Making idols of leaders (Paul or Apollos) is a sign of spiritual immaturity.

💡 Lesson: Spiritual maturity is seen in the attitude of the heart, not in knowledge alone.

2. God Gives the Growth (verses 5–9)

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (verse 6)

• Paul and Apollos are servants of God, not the center of the church’s faith.
• They each carried out their own role, but only God makes the church grow.
• The church and the servants of the Lord work together, for they are God’s fellow workers.

💡 Lesson: Ministry is only an instrument — spiritual growth is wholly God’s work.

3. The Foundation of the Building: Christ (verses 10–15)

“No one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (verse 11)

• Paul describes the church as a building, and everyone who serves is a “builder”.
• Christ is the only true foundation.
• The work of each servant will be tested by fire (judgment). Only what stands the test will receive a reward.

💡 Lesson: All ministry must be built on Christ, not on ambition or personal reputation.

4. The congregation is God’s temple (verses 16–23)

“You are God’s temple… the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (verse 16)

• Every believer and the whole congregation are the house of the Holy Spirit.
• To damage the congregation is to damage God’s temple, and that is a serious sin.
• We must not boast in human beings, because all things belong to God — and we belong to Christ.

💡 Lesson: Honor and care for the church (the body of Christ), because God Himself is present in it.

📘 Main Teaching of 1 Corinthians 3

1. Spiritual maturity is shown through humility and love, not by idolizing leaders.
2. Only God can cause faith and the church to grow.
3. Christ is the only lasting foundation.
4. The congregation is God’s temple — holy and precious.

✨ Spiritual Meaning of 1 Corinthians 3

This chapter invites us to:

• Stop comparing spiritual leaders, and focus on Christ.
• Realize that all spiritual success comes from God, not from humans.
• Guard the church and the community of faith as a holy place where the Holy Spirit dwells.
• Build life and ministry on the foundation of Christ, not merely on activity or a great name.