1Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t talk to you as spiritual people, but as people focused on worldly things, like babies in Christ.
2I gave you milk, not solid food, because you weren’t ready for it yet. And you still aren’t ready now,
3because you are still focused on worldly things. As long as there is jealousy, conflict, and division among you, aren't you focused on worldly things and behaving like ordinary people?
4When one person says, “I follow Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting like ordinary people?
5Who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are just servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us did what the Lord assigned.
6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
7So, the one who plants and the one who waters are not important; only God, who makes things grow, is important.
8Now, the one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose, but each will be rewarded according to their own work.
9We are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10Because of God’s grace given to me, I laid a foundation like a skilled builder, and someone else is building on it. But everyone should be careful how they build.
11No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,
13their work will be revealed for what it is. The Day of Judgment will show it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test the quality of everyone’s work.
14If what someone has built on the foundation remains, they will receive a reward.
15If someone’s work is burned up, they will suffer loss, but they themselves will be saved, though it will be like escaping through fire.
16Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy them; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18Don’t deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you should become 'foolish' in order to become truly wise.
19The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scripture says, “God catches the wise in their own cleverness.”
20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are useless.”
21So no one should brag about following mere people. Everything belongs to you,
22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things happening now, or things to come—all belong to you.
23And you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.