1 Corinthians 3 (NIV) (2024)

The Church and Its Leaders

3Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit^(A) but as people who are still worldly^(B)—mere infants^(C) in Christ. ²I gave you milk, not solid food,^(D) for you were not yet ready for it.^(E) Indeed, you are still not ready. ³You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling^(F) among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? ⁴For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,”^(G) are you not mere human beings?

⁵What, after all, is Apollos?^(H) And what is Paul? Only servants,^(I) through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶I planted the seed,^(J) Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.^{(K) 9}For we are co-workers in God’s service;^(L) you are God’s field,^(M) God’s building.^(N)

¹⁰By the grace God has given me,^(O) I laid a foundation^(P) as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.^{(Q) 12}If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³their work will be shown for what it is,^(R) because the Day^(S) will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.^{(T) 14}If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.^{(U) 15}If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.^(V)

¹⁶Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple^(W) and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?^{(X) 17}If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

¹⁸Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise^(Y) by the standards of this age,^(Z) you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. ¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness^(AA) in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”^[a];^{(AB) 20}and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”^{[b](AC) 21}So then, no more boasting about human leaders!^(AD) All things are yours,^{(AE) 22}whether Paul or Apollos^(AF) or Cephas^[c](AG) or the world or life or death or the present or the future^(AH)—all are yours, ²³and you are of Christ,^(AI) and Christ is of God.

Footnotes

1. 1 Corinthians 3:19 Job 5:13
2. 1 Corinthians 3:20 Psalm 94:11
3. 1 Corinthians 3:22 That is, Peter

Cross references

1. 1 Corinthians 3:1 : 1Co 2:15
2. 1 Corinthians 3:1 : Ro 7:14; 1Co 2:14
3. 1 Corinthians 3:1 : 1Co 14:20
4. 1 Corinthians 3:2 : Heb 5:12-14; 1Pe 2:2
5. 1 Corinthians 3:2 : Jn 16:12
6. 1 Corinthians 3:3 : Ro 13:13; 1Co 1:11; Gal 5:20
7. 1 Corinthians 3:4 : 1Co 1:12
8. 1 Corinthians 3:5 : S Ac 18:24
9. 1 Corinthians 3:5 : 1Co 4:1; 2Co 6:4; Eph 3:7; Col 1:23, 25
10. 1 Corinthians 3:6 : Ac 18:4-11; 1Co 4:15; 9:1; 15:1
11. 1 Corinthians 3:8 : ver 14; Ps 18:20; 62:12; Mt 25:21; 1Co 9:17
12. 1 Corinthians 3:9 : Mk 16:20; 2Co 6:1; 1Th 3:2
13. 1 Corinthians 3:9 : Isa 61:3
14. 1 Corinthians 3:9 : Eph 2:20-22; 1Pe 2:5
15. 1 Corinthians 3:10 : S Ro 12:3
16. 1 Corinthians 3:10 : Ro 15:20; S Eph 2:20
17. 1 Corinthians 3:11 : Isa 28:16; Eph 2:20
18. 1 Corinthians 3:13 : 1Co 4:5
19. 1 Corinthians 3:13 : S 1Co 1:8; 2Th 1:7-10; 2Ti 1:12, 18; 4:8
20. 1 Corinthians 3:13 : Nu 31:22, 23; Jer 23:28, 29; Mal 3:3; S 2Th 1:7
21. 1 Corinthians 3:14 : S ver 8
22. 1 Corinthians 3:15 : Jude 23
23. 1 Corinthians 3:16 : 1Co 6:19; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:21, 22; Heb 3:6
24. 1 Corinthians 3:16 : S Ro 8:9
25. 1 Corinthians 3:18 : Isa 5:21; 1Co 8:2; Gal 6:3
26. 1 Corinthians 3:18 : S 1Co 1:20
27. 1 Corinthians 3:19 : ver 18; Ro 1:22; 1Co 1:20, 27
28. 1 Corinthians 3:19 : Job 5:13
29. 1 Corinthians 3:20 : Ps 94:11
30. 1 Corinthians 3:21 : 1Co 4:6
31. 1 Corinthians 3:21 : Ro 8:32
32. 1 Corinthians 3:22 : ver 5, 6
33. 1 Corinthians 3:22 : S 1Co 1:12
34. 1 Corinthians 3:22 : Ro 8:38
35. 1 Corinthians 3:23 : 1Co 15:23; 2Co 10:7; Gal 3:29