1 Corinthians3

Paul addresses the Corinthians as carnal, not spiritual, due to their divisions and factionalism, emphasizing that he and Apollos are merely ministers through whom God gives the increase. He declares that Jesus Christ is the sole foundation, and all subsequent work will be tested by fire. Furthermore, believers are the temple of God, and worldly wisdom is foolishness in God's sight, urging them not to glory in men but to recognize that all things are theirs in Christ.
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Carnality and Immaturity in the Church

1
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. ​
2
I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, ​
3
for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man? ​
4
For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

Ministers are God's Fellow Workers

5
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. ​
6
I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ​
7
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
8
He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ​
9
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. ​

Building on the Foundation of Christ

10
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. ​
11
For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ​
12
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, ​
13
his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. ​
14
If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward.
15
If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. ​

The Community is God's Temple

16
Do you not know that you yourselves 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 you are that temple. ​

True Wisdom and Divine Ownership

18
Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise. ​
19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” ​
20
And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
21
Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours, ​
22
whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you, ​
23
and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. ​

Study Notes for 1 Corinthians 3

Verse 1

Paul contrasts the 'spiritual' Christian (one guided by the Spirit) with the 'carnal' or 'fleshly' Christian (one still dominated by fallen human nature), identifying the Corinthians as the latter.

Verse 2

The metaphor of 'milk' represents simple, foundational teachings, while 'meat' represents deeper theological or ethical truths. Their inability to handle 'meat' shows their spiritual immaturity.

Verse 3

The practical evidence of their carnality is factionalism ('envying, and strife, and divisions'), which mimics the behavior of the non-believing world ('walk as men').

Verse 5

Paul minimizes the roles of himself and Apollos, emphasizing that they are merely 'ministers' (servants) used by God to facilitate belief.

Verse 6

Using the agricultural metaphor, Paul 'planted' (founded the church), Apollos 'watered' (nurtured the converts), but the growth and results belong solely to God.

Verse 8

The workers are 'one' in purpose and service, yet each will be judged individually and rewarded for the quality and faithfulness of their own labor.

Verse 9

The church is described using two key metaphors: 'God’s husbandry' (a field being cultivated) and 'God’s building' (a structure under construction), highlighting divine ownership and purpose.

Verse 10

Paul identifies himself as a 'wise masterbuilder' (*architekton*), indicating his role in laying the essential foundation of the Gospel in Corinth. Subsequent teachers must be careful how they build upon it.

Verse 11

Jesus Christ is the non-negotiable, singular foundation for the church and all Christian teaching. No genuine spiritual work can be built on any other basis.

Verse 12

These materials represent the quality of ministry, teaching, or works: gold, silver, and precious stones represent enduring, godly work; wood, hay, and stubble represent worthless, superficial, or self-centered work.

Verse 13

The 'day' refers to the future judgment (often understood as the Bema Seat judgment for believers), where the quality of every person’s work will be tested by the purifying 'fire' of God's scrutiny.

Verse 15

The individual whose work fails the test will 'suffer loss' (of reward), but their salvation remains secure, emphasizing the distinction between eternal life and rewards for service.

Verse 16

Paul shifts the metaphor: the collective body of Corinthian believers (plural 'ye') is the holy dwelling place (*naos*) of God’s Spirit, replacing the physical temple in Jerusalem.

Verse 17

This is a severe warning against those who introduce destructive teaching or cause division, thereby 'defiling' or ruining the corporate temple (the church).

Verse 18

Paul returns to the theme of worldly wisdom (2:6), urging believers to reject human intellectual arrogance and embrace the 'foolishness' of the gospel in order to gain true divine wisdom.

Verse 19

Paul quotes Job 5:13 to demonstrate that God actively frustrates the schemes and cleverness of those who rely on their own earthly wisdom.

Verse 21

The conclusion to the factional argument: since all things ultimately belong to the believer through Christ, they have no reason to boast or 'glory' in temporary human leaders.

Verse 22

This radical list affirms the believer's comprehensive ownership of reality—including leaders, the physical world, and even the events of life and death—as a result of their union with Christ.

Verse 23

This verse establishes the ultimate theological hierarchy: everything belongs to the believer, but the believer belongs to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

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