1 Corinthians 3
“"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."”
1 Corinthians 3:7
Summary
In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul addresses the Corinthian believers, pointing out their spiritual immaturity as they engage in divisions and quarrels, aligning themselves with different church leaders. Paul emphasizes that he and Apollos are merely servants through whom they came to believe. He uses the metaphor of planting and watering to illustrate that it is God who gives growth, urging them to see beyond human leadership and focus on God's work. He also compares the church to both a field and a building, stressing that each builder should take care in how they build on the foundation, which is Jesus Christ. Theological themes of unity, spiritual growth, and divine judgment emerge as Paul warns that everyone's work will be revealed by fire on the Day of the Lord to test its true quality. He concludes by affirming that all things belong to the believers, and they belong to Christ, who belongs to God.