1 My brothers and sisters, I couldn't talk* with you as spiritual believers, but as worldly people—like baby Christians. 2 I gave you milk—I couldn't give you solid food to eat, because you weren't ready for it. 3 Even now you're not ready for it, because you're still worldly. Since you're still jealous and argumentative, doesn't that show you're worldly, behaving just like ordinary people do? 4 When one of you says, “I follow Paul,” while another says, “I follow Apollos,” doesn't that show you're being so very human?

5 Who is Apollos, anyway? And who is Paul? We're just servants through whom you believed. Each of us does the work God gave us to do. 6 I did the planting, Apollos did the watering—but it was God who made you grow!

7 So the one who does the planting doesn't count for anything, any more than the one who does the watering. The only one who matters is God who is growing you! 8 The one planting and the one watering have the same goal, and both will be rewarded according to what they've done.

9 We are workers together with God—and you are God's field, his building. 10 Through the grace of God that he gave to me, I laid down the foundation like a skilled building supervisor. Now someone else is building on it. Whoever does the building needs to watch what they're doing. 11 For no one can lay any other foundation than what's already laid—that is Jesus Christ. 12 Those who build on that foundation may use gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, or straw— 13 but whatever is used to build with will be exposed. For on the Day of Judgment fire will reveal it and test it. Everyone's work will be shown for what it is. 14 Those whose building survives will be rewarded. 15 Those whose building is burned up will lose out. They will still be saved, but it will be like passing through fire! 16 Don't you know you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 Anyone who destroys God's temple will be destroyed by God, for God's temple is holy, and you are the temple.

18 Don't deceive yourselves. If there's anyone of you who thinks they're worldly wise, they should become fools so they can become truly wise! 19 This world's wisdom is plain foolishness to God. As Scripture says, “He uses the cleverness of the wise to catch them out,”† 20 and “The Lord knows the arguments of the wise are pointless.”‡ 21 So don't boast about people. For you have everything, 22 whether it's Paul or Apollos or Peter—or the world, or life, or death, or the present, or the future. You have everything— 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.