1 And I, brethren,
could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in
Christ.
Paul cannot speak to these men in Corinth as spiritual
people but rather carnal minded, such as babies just beginning to learn the
things of Christ.
2 I fed you with milk
and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and
even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are
envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like
mere men?
Paul did not get too deep into the understanding of spirituality
with these men because they would not have been able to understand it. They are
all still carnal minded men. We need to understand that these people are
believers and teachers of the Gospel. But they were envious, causing conflicts,
and dividing among each other.
4 For when one says,
“I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
Paul is still addressing the issue from chapter one, so let’s
keep in mind this is a letter and meant to be read as such. He calls all these
men carnal, as in still living in the flesh.
5 Who then is Paul,
and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave
to each one?
These men, Paul and Apollos, are nothing more than preachers
or ministers of the word of God that was given to them from the Spirit of God.
6 I planted, Apollos
watered, but God gave the increase.
Paul breaks down the situation. Paul says he planted the
original info of God, then Apollos gave them more, but it was God who made it
grow within them.
7 So then neither he
who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
Now he goes on to say neither he, nor Apollos is anything.
It is only God who can make a real impact within your life to bring you closer
to Him. Paul is simply a man spreading the Word, it is the Spirit of God who
takes control after you have heard.
8 Now he who plants
and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according
to his own labor.
The one who spreads the word and the one who nourishes the
word are the same as far as both men, and anyone doing so will be rewarded for their
labor.
9 For we are God’s
fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.
The Apostles are workers for God, and men are the field and
the building of God’s.
10 According to the
grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the
foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds
on it.
God has given Paul grace and understanding to be a wise
builder of men in which he lays the foundation for their faith and salvation,
others come along and build upon what Paul has started. But, those building on
the foundation must be careful of how they build up others.
11 For no other
foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
No one can lay another foundation on top of the foundation
of Yeshua. Doing so will cause many issues of faith and understanding.
12 Now if anyone
builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will
be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it
is.
However you choose to build on that foundation of Christ
will be shown in the last days because it will be tested by fire.
14 If anyone’s work
which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
If the work you have done to build on the foundation withstands
the fire, there will be a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is
burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through
fire.
If the work you have done to build on the foundation is
burned up, there will not only be no reward but also the suffering of loss, but
because of the foundation the man himself will be saved, purified through the
fire.
16 Do you not know
that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
The foundation is the foundation to the temple of God and
you are that foundation. This allows the Holy Spirit to live within you.
17 If anyone defiles
the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which
temple you are.
If you defile your own body, you are defiling the temple of
God, and God will destroy you. God’s temple is holy, making you holy.
Leviticus 18: 24
Do not defile
yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am
going to drive out before you became defiled.
18 Let no one deceive
himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a
fool that he may become wise.
Do not allow anyone to deceive you, nor deceive yourself. If
anyone in that age seemed to be wise, he should throw out all he knows because he
should become a fool in order to become wise. Because men claiming a man is
wise is only wise in the eyes of the world. They are wise of foolery.
19 For the wisdom of
this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in
their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are futile.”
Job 5:13
He catches the wise in
their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
Psalm 94:11
The Lord knows the
thoughts of the wise, that they are futile
Paul repeats what he said in an earlier portion of the
letter, what men consider to be wise is utter stupidity to God. Then Paul goes
on to quote from the Tanakh, which is what he knows better than any other man.
21 Therefore let no
one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are
yours.
Do not listen to anyone claiming that man is wiser than
another. All things are yours.
23 And you are
Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
They are all yours because you are of Christ and Christ is
of God.
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