Still Growing up in the Father
The Corinthians are splitting into fan clubs — I follow Paul, I follow Apollos — and Paul calls it infancy. Planter and waterer are nothing; our Father makes things grow. What each man builds on the one foundation will be shown up by fire.
3 1Brothers and sisters, I couldn't speak to you as people of the Spirit, but as people of the flesh—infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, since you weren't yet ready. Even now you still aren't ready. 3You're still fleshly. Since jealousy and rivalry are among you, aren't you fleshly, living by human standards? 4For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," aren't you acting like mere humans?
5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, each as the Lord gave him. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but our Father made it grow. 7So neither planter nor waterer is anything—only our Father, who makes it grow. 8The planter and the waterer are one; each will get his own reward for his own labor. 9For we are our Father's fellow workers; you are his field, his building.
10By the grace our Father gave me, I laid a foundation like a wise master builder, and another builds on it. Let each watch how he builds on it. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13each one's work will become clear, for the Day will reveal it, because fire exposes it, and that same fire will test what sort each one's work is. 14If the work that anyone has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone's work burns up, he'll suffer loss—yet be saved himself, but only as through fire.
16Don't you know you are our Father's temple, and our Father's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys the temple of our Father, our Father will destroy him. For the temple of our Father is holy, and that temple is you.
18Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish, so he may become wise. 19For this world's wisdom is foolishness to our Father. For Scripture says, "He traps the wise in their cunning," 20and again, "Our Father knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." 21So let no one boast about people. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or world or life or death, or present or future—all are yours, 23and you are Christ's, and Christ is our Father's.
