1 Corinthians 3

Introduction

In chapter 3, Paul brings the argument of chapters 1-2 directly to bear on the Corinthians themselves. He has established that God's wisdom is revealed through the cross and the Spirit, not through human eloquence. Now he confronts them: despite having the Spirit, they are still behaving like people who do not. Their jealousy and quarreling over teachers proves that they are "fleshly" — spiritual infants who need milk, not the solid food of mature believers. This is a sharp rebuke to a church that prided itself on its spiritual sophistication.

Paul then reframes the entire relationship between the Corinthians and their teachers using two vivid metaphors. First, the church is God's field — Paul planted, Apollos watered, but only God gives the growth. The workers are nothing compared to God. Second, the church is God's building — Paul laid the foundation (Christ), and others build on it, but each builder's work will be tested by fire on the Day of judgment. The chapter closes with a sobering warning: the church is God's temple, and anyone who destroys it will themselves be destroyed. The Corinthians must stop boasting in human leaders, because in Christ, all things already belong to them.

Spiritual Infants (vv. 1–4)

BSB

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly — as infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 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? For when one of you says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

Translation

And I, brothers and sisters, was not able to speak to you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh — as infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. And even now you are still not able, for you are still of the flesh. For where there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh? Are you not behaving in a merely human way? For when someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos" — are you not merely human?

Notes

• σαρκίνοις ... σαρκικοί (sarkinois ... sarkikoi) — Paul uses two closely related but distinct words here, both derived from sarx ("flesh"). In verse 1, sarkinos ("made of flesh, fleshly") describes their nature — they were still dominated by their natural, unregenerate way of thinking. In verse 3, sarkikos ("characterized by flesh, fleshly in behavior") describes their conduct. The subtle shift moves from what they were to how they are still acting. Both words contrast with pneumatikos ("spiritual"), the category Paul described in 2:15. The BSB translates both as "worldly," which captures the practical meaning but loses the flesh/Spirit contrast that is central to Pauline theology.

• νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ (nēpiois en Christō, "infants in Christ") — The word nēpios means "infant, baby, young child." They are genuine believers ("in Christ"), but they are undeveloped. Paul's metaphor of milk versus solid food appears also in Hebrews 5:12-14, where the writer similarly rebukes an audience that should have matured but has not. Milk is not bad — it is necessary for infants. But to still require milk when you should be eating solid food indicates arrested development.

• γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα (gala hymas epotisa, "I gave you milk to drink") — The verb potizō ("to give to drink, to water") will reappear in verse 6 in the agricultural metaphor ("Apollos watered"). Paul is building a chain of images: feeding, watering, growing — all activities that depend on God.

• ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις (zēlos kai eris, "jealousy and quarreling") — Zēlos can mean either positive "zeal" or negative "jealousy/envy" depending on context. Here it is clearly negative. Eris means "strife, contention, quarreling." These are the evidences of fleshliness. Paul lists them among the "works of the flesh" in Galatians 5:20. The Corinthians' divisions are not merely an organizational problem — they are a spiritual symptom.

• κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε (kata anthrōpon peripateite, "you are walking according to a human standard") — The verb peripateō ("to walk") is Paul's standard metaphor for how one conducts one's life (cf. Rom 6:4, 8:4; Gal 5:16; Eph 4:1). To walk kata anthrōpon ("according to man/in a merely human way") means to live by the values and patterns of unregenerate humanity rather than by the Spirit. I translated the concluding question as "are you not merely human?" to capture the sting — they are believers with the Spirit, yet they are behaving as if they have nothing more than natural human resources.

God's Field, God's Building (vv. 5–9)

BSB

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

Translation

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and to each as the Lord gave opportunity. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who causes the growth. Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building.

Notes

• τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς; τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος; (ti oun estin Apollōs; ti de estin Paulos;, "What then is Apollos? What is Paul?") — Paul uses the neuter interrogative ti ("what"), not the personal tis ("who"). He is asking not "who are they?" but "what are they?" — what is their function, their role? The answer deflates all personality cults: they are diakonoi ("servants"), not masters. The word diakonos denotes a servant or minister who carries out another's will — it is the root of English "deacon."

• ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλῶς ἐπότισεν (egō ephyteusa, Apollōs epotisen, "I planted, Apollos watered") — The agricultural metaphor is drawn from Paul's actual experience: he founded the Corinthian church (Acts 18), and Apollos came after him and built on his work (Acts 18:27-19:1). But the key verb is the imperfect ηὔξανεν (ēuxanen, "was causing to grow") — God's growing activity was continuous and ongoing, while the planting and watering were one-time acts (aorist tense). The grammar itself emphasizes God's sustained, primary role.

• οὐδέν (ouden, "nothing") — "Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything" — Paul uses the strongest possible language to relativize the role of human ministers. This is not false modesty but theological conviction: in agriculture, the farmer is essential but ultimately powerless without sun, rain, and the mysterious force of life in the seed. The workers matter (v. 8 says each will be rewarded), but they are nothing compared to God.

• ἕν εἰσιν (hen eisin, "are one") — The planter and the waterer "are one" — not identical in function (each has a distinct role) but united in purpose and equal in status. This directly undermines the Corinthians' attempt to rank their teachers. Paul and Apollos are on the same team.

• μισθὸν (misthon, "reward/wage") — Each worker will receive his own misthos according to his own kopos ("labor, toil"). The reward is proportional to the effort, not to the results (since results belong to God). This principle will be developed further in the building metaphor that follows.

• Θεοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν συνεργοί· Θεοῦ γεώργιον, Θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε (Theou gar esmen synergoi; Theou geōrgion, Theou oikodomē este) — Three times in one verse Paul uses the emphatic genitive Θεοῦ ("of God"), placed first for emphasis: "God's co-workers," "God's field," "God's building." Everything belongs to God — the workers, the field, the building. The word synergos ("co-worker, fellow worker") indicates that human ministers genuinely participate in God's work but always as His subordinates. The word geōrgion ("cultivated field, farm") appears only here in the New Testament. Oikodomē ("building, construction") transitions Paul to his next metaphor.

Building on the Foundation (vv. 10–15)

BSB

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. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 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. If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames.

Translation

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But let each one be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw — each one's work will become evident, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one's work. If anyone's work that he has built on it survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved — but only as through fire.

Notes

• σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων (sophos architektōn, "skilled master builder") — The word architektōn (from which we get "architect") literally means "chief craftsman" or "master builder" — the one who designs and oversees the construction, not merely a laborer. Paul uses sophos ("wise, skilled") — the very word that has been so contested in chapters 1-2 — to describe his role. There is a legitimate, God-given wisdom in how the church is built. The "grace of God" (charis) grounds even this skill as a gift, not a personal achievement.

• θεμέλιον (themelion, "foundation") — Paul laid the foundation in Corinth through his initial preaching of the gospel. That foundation is Jesus Christ Himself — not a set of doctrines about Christ but Christ as a person. The metaphor is emphatic: ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι ("no one is able to lay another [foundation]"). There is no alternative foundation for the church. Any construction not built on Christ is building on air.

• χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιμίους, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην (chryson, argyron, lithous timious, xyla, chorton, kalamēn, "gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw") — Six building materials in descending order of value and durability. The first three survive fire; the last three are consumed by it. The metaphor is about the quality of ministry and teaching built on the foundation of Christ. Gold, silver, and precious stones represent work that is faithful, true, and enduring. Wood, hay, and straw represent work that is superficial, self-serving, or doctrinally shoddy.

• ἡ ἡμέρα (hē hēmera, "the Day") — The definite article marks this as the Day — the Day of the Lord, the day of Christ's return and final judgment (cf. 1:8, "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ"). Paul is not speaking of some intermediate evaluation but of the eschatological moment when everything is laid bare.

• ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται (en pyri apokalyptetai, "it is revealed by fire") — Fire in Scripture is a standard image for divine testing and purification (Mal 3:2-3, 1 Pet 1:7). The fire does not test the builder (the person) but the work (the quality of what was built). The verb dokimazō ("to test, prove, assay") in verse 13 was used of testing metals for purity — you heat the metal and see what remains.

• αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται, οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός (autos de sōthēsetai, houtōs de hōs dia pyros, "he himself will be saved, but as through fire") — This is a crucial verse. The builder whose work burns up suffers loss (zēmia — the destruction of his life's work), but he himself is saved. The image is of a person escaping from a burning building — alive but with nothing to show for it. This passage has been used in Roman Catholic theology as a basis for the doctrine of purgatory, but the Protestant reading understands it as a metaphor for the sobering reality that a believer's eternal salvation does not guarantee that their earthly work will endure divine scrutiny. It is possible to be saved yet to have built nothing of lasting value.

God's Temple (vv. 16–17)

BSB

Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple, and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Translation

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy — and that is what you are.

Notes

• ναὸς Θεοῦ (naos Theou, "temple of God") — Paul uses naos, not hieron. In the Greek-speaking world, hieron referred to the entire temple complex including the outer courts, while naos referred specifically to the inner sanctuary — the holy place where the deity dwelt. The Corinthian church is not just a religious institution; it is the very dwelling place of God's presence. This is a corporate image: the "you" (hymeis) is plural throughout — the church together is God's temple (Paul will apply the temple image individually in 6:19).

• οἰκεῖ (oikei, "dwells/lives") — From oikeō ("to dwell, inhabit, make one's home"). God's Spirit does not merely visit the church — He takes up residence there. The present tense indicates ongoing habitation.

• φθείρει ... φθερεῖ (phtheirei ... phtherei, "destroys ... will destroy") — Paul uses the same verb phtheirō in both clauses, creating a grim wordplay: "If anyone ruins God's temple, God will ruin that person." The verb phtheirō can mean "to corrupt, ruin, destroy, spoil." In context, "destroying" God's temple refers to causing division and corruption within the church community — precisely what the faction-makers in Corinth are doing. The warning is severe: God takes the unity and holiness of His church with deadly seriousness.

• ἅγιος (hagios, "holy") — The temple is hagios — set apart, sacred, belonging to God. This is the theological basis for the warning: to damage what is holy is to violate God's own domain. The sentence structure in Greek ends emphatically: hoitines este hymeis — "which is what you are." The emphasis falls on you, driving the point home personally.

True Wisdom and the End of Boasting (vv. 18–23)

BSB

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. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness." And again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."

Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours, 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, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Translation

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he may become truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness." And again: "The Lord knows that the reasonings of the wise are futile."

So let no one boast in human leaders, for all things belong to you — whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come — all things are yours, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Notes

• μωρὸς γενέσθω (mōros genesthō, "let him become a fool") — The paradox that has been building since 1:18 reaches its sharpest formulation. To become wise in God's terms, you must first become a mōros — a fool — in the world's terms. This means abandoning the whole system of self-reliant human reasoning and submitting to the apparent foolishness of the cross. It is not anti-intellectualism but a radical reorientation of what counts as wisdom.

• δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν (drassomenos tous sophous en tē panourgia autōn, "He catches the wise in their craftiness") — This quotation is from Job 5:13, spoken by Eliphaz. The verb drassomai ("to grasp, seize, catch") appears only here in the New Testament. Panourgia ("craftiness, cunning") is a negative word — it describes the devious cleverness of those who think they can outsmart everyone, including God. God turns their own schemes into the trap that catches them.

• διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν (dialogismous tōn sophōn, "the reasonings of the wise") — The second quotation is from Psalm 94:11. The word dialogismos means "reasoning, thought, deliberation" — it can also carry the negative sense of "scheming" or "disputation" (cf. Phil 2:14, "without grumbling or dialogismoi"). The BSB renders it "thoughts," but I chose "reasonings" to capture the deliberative, calculated quality of the word. The adjective μάταιοι (mataioi, "futile, empty, worthless") — from mataios — is the same word used in Romans 8:20 for creation being subjected to "futility." The best human reasoning, apart from God, amounts to nothing.

• πάντα ὑμῶν (panta hymōn, "all things are yours") — This is one of the most stunning declarations in Paul's letters. The Corinthians were squabbling over which teacher to follow, limiting themselves to one faction. Paul explodes the whole framework: you do not belong to Paul or Apollos or Cephas — they belong to you. In fact, everything belongs to you: the world (kosmos), life, death, present realities, future realities. The chain of possession is breathtaking in scope.

• ὑμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ, Χριστὸς δὲ Θεοῦ (hymeis de Christou, Christos de Theou, "you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God") — Paul adds a crucial qualifier: all things are yours, but you are not autonomous — you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. This is not a hierarchy of diminishing importance but a chain of belonging that grounds everything in God. The Corinthians' error was claiming ownership of teachers; the truth is that they are owned by Christ, who is Himself in perfect relationship with the Father. The structure moves from the broadest possible scope ("all things") through Christ to God, placing every human faction, every earthly reality, and every teacher within the single, all-encompassing lordship of God through Christ.