I Corinthians 3-4

I Corinthians 3

¹And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.

²I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able;

³for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and walk after the manner of men?

⁴For when one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not men?

⁵What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him.

⁶I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

⁷So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

⁸Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

⁹For we are God’s fellow-workers: ye are God’s husbandry, God’s building.

¹⁰According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon.

¹¹For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹²But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble;

¹³each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.

¹⁴If any man’s work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward.

¹⁵If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.

¹⁶Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

¹⁷If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

¹⁸Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that taketh the wise in their craftiness:

²⁰and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.

²¹Wherefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours;

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

²³and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

I Corinthians 4

¹Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

²Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

³But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

⁴For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

⁵Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God.

⁶Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.

⁷For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

⁸Already are ye filled, already ye are become rich, ye have reigned without us: yea and I would that ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

⁹For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

¹⁰We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dishonour.

¹¹Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place;

¹²and we toil, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;

¹³being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.

¹⁴I write not these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

¹⁵For though ye should have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel.

¹⁶I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me.

¹⁷For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you in remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church.

¹⁸Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.

¹⁹But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will; and I will know, not the word of them which are puffed up, but the power.

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

²¹What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of meekness?