I Corinthians 3-4

I Corinthians 3

¹And the teaching I gave you, my brothers, was such as I was able to give, not to those who have the Spirit, but to those who are still in the flesh, even to children in Christ.

²I gave you milk and not meat, because you were, then, unable to take it, and even now you are not able;

³Because you are still in the flesh: for when there is envy and division among you, are you not still walking after the way of the flesh, even as natural men?

⁴For when one says, I am of Paul; and another says, I am of Apollos; are you not talking like natural men?

⁵What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? They are but servants who gave you the good news as God gave it to them.

⁶I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God gave the increase.

⁷So then the planter is nothing, and the waterer is nothing; but God who gives the increase.

⁸Now the planter and the waterer are working for the same end: but they will have their separate rewards in the measure of their work.

⁹For we are workers with God: you are God's planting, God's building.

¹⁰In the measure of the grace given to me, I, as a wise master-builder, have put the base in position, and another goes on building on it. But let every man take care what he puts on it.

¹¹For there is no other base for the building but that which has been put down, which is Jesus Christ.

¹²But on the base a man may put gold, silver, stones of great price, wood, dry grass, cut stems;

¹³Every man's work will be made clear in that day, because it will be tested by fire; and the fire itself will make clear the quality of every man's work.

¹⁴If any man's work comes through the test, he will have a reward.

¹⁵If the fire puts an end to any man's work, it will be his loss: but he will get salvation himself, though as by fire.

¹⁶Do you not see that you are God's holy house, and that the Spirit of God has his place in you?

¹⁷If anyone makes the house of God unclean, God will put an end to him; for the house of God is holy, and you are his house.

¹⁸Let no man have a false idea. If any man seems to himself to be wise among you, let him become foolish, so that he may be wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolish before God. As it is said in the holy Writings, He who takes the wise in their secret designs:

²⁰And again, The Lord has knowledge of the reasonings of the wise, that they are nothing.

²¹So let no one take pride in men. For all things are yours;

²²Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

²³And you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

I Corinthians 4

¹Let us be judged as servants of Christ, and as those who are responsible for the secret things of God.

²And it is right for such servants to be safe persons.

³But it is a small thing to me that I am judged by you or by man's judging; I am not even a judge of myself.

⁴For I am not conscious of any wrong in myself; but this does not make me clear, for it is the Lord who is my judge.

⁵For this reason let there be no judging before the time, till the Lord comes, who will make clear the secret things of the dark, and the designs of the heart; and then will every man have his praise from God.

⁶My brothers, it is because of you that I have taken Apollos and myself as examples of these things, so that in us you might see that it is not wise to go farther than what is in the holy Writings, so that no one of you may be lifted up against his brother.

⁷For who made you better than your brother? or what have you that has not been given to you? but if it has been given to you, what cause have you for pride, as if it had not been given to you?

⁸For even now you are full, even now you have wealth, you have been made kings without us: truly, I would be glad if you were kings, so that we might be kings with you.

⁹For it seems to me that God has put us the Apostles last of all, as men whose fate is death: for we are put on view to the world, and to angels, and to men.

¹⁰We are made to seem foolish for Christ, but you are wise in Christ; we are feeble, but you are strong; you have glory, but we have shame.

¹¹Even to this hour we are without food, drink, and clothing, we are given blows and have no certain resting-place;

¹²And with our hands we do the hardest work: when they give us curses we give blessings, when we undergo punishment we take it quietly;

¹³When evil things are said about us we give gentle answers: we are made as the unclean things of the world, as that for which no one has any use, even till now.

¹⁴I am not saying these things to put you to shame, but so that, as my dear children, you may see what is right.

¹⁵For even if you had ten thousand teachers in Christ, you have not more than one father: for in Christ Jesus I have given birth to you through the good news.

¹⁶So my desire is that you take me as your example.

¹⁷For this cause I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and true child in the Lord; he will make clear to you my ways in Christ, even as I am teaching everywhere in every church.

¹⁸Now some are full of pride, as if I was not coming to you.

¹⁹But I will come to you in a short time, if it is pleasing to the Lord, and I will take note, not of the word of those who are full of pride, but of the power.

²⁰For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

²¹What is your desire? is my coming to be with punishment, or is it to be in love and a gentle spirit?