1 Corinthians / Chapter 3

1 Corinthians 3

23 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Paul confronts the Corinthians directly: despite their claims to spiritual maturity, their factionalism proves they are still infants in Christ, operating by merely human standards. He reframes the relationship between himself and Apollos as fellow workers in God's field, God's building. Paul then introduces the metaphor of building on the foundation of Jesus Christ — some build with gold and silver, others with wood and straw, and the fire of judgment day will test each person's work. The chapter closes with a warning against destroying God's temple (the community itself) and a final appeal to stop boasting about human leaders.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The agricultural and architectural metaphors in this chapter establish Paul's theology of ministry: ministers are servants, not celebrities. The temple imagery (vv. 16-17) is corporate, not individual — the Corinthian community as a whole is God's temple, and those who destroy the community through division are desecrating sacred space. The judgment-by-fire passage (vv. 12-15) has generated extensive debate about purgatory, rewards, and the nature of post-mortem judgment.

Translation Friction

The phrase 'as to people of the flesh' (hōs sarkinois, v. 1) is distinct from sarkikoi (v. 3) — sarkinoi means 'made of flesh' (a description of human nature) while sarkikoi means 'characterized by flesh' (a moral critique). This nuance is difficult to capture in English. The 'fire' of verse 13 has been variously interpreted as literal eschatological fire, metaphorical testing, or purgatorial purification; we render the Greek straightforwardly without importing any particular tradition.

Connections

The temple imagery connects to Exodus 25-40 (tabernacle construction), 1 Kings 6-8 (Solomon's temple), and Ezekiel 40-48 (eschatological temple). The 'fire will test' language echoes Malachi 3:2-3. The agricultural metaphor draws on Jesus's parables of sowing and growth (Mark 4). The closing quotation combines Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11.

1 Corinthians 3:1

Κἀγώ, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἠδυνήθην λαλῆσαι ὑμῖν ὡς πνευματικοῖς ἀλλ' ὡς σαρκίνοις, ὡς νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ.

And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh — as infants in Christ.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek sarkinois ('made of flesh, fleshly') describes their condition at the time of Paul's first visit — they were new believers, still operating from natural capacities. The word nēpiois ('infants, babies') is not pejorative in itself — newborn faith is expected — but the problem, as verse 2 will reveal, is that they have not grown. Paul had addressed them as 'saints' in 1:2; now he calls them babies. The tension is deliberate.
1 Corinthians 3:2

γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα· οὔπω γὰρ ἐδύνασθε. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε,

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. And even now you are still not ready,

KJV I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The milk/solid food metaphor appears also in Hebrews 5:12-14. Gala ('milk') represents foundational teaching, brōma ('food') represents mature doctrine. The sting is in the final clause: 'even now you are still not ready' (all' oude eti nyn dynasthe). Years have passed since Paul's initial visit, but the Corinthians remain spiritual infants.
1 Corinthians 3:3

ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε. ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε;

For you are yet carnal — for whereas there is in the midst of you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?

KJV For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul shifts from sarkinois (v. 1, 'made of flesh' — a description) to sarkikoi ('characterized by flesh' — a critique). The evidence of their immaturity is not theological ignorance but relational failure: zēlos ('jealousy') and eris ('strife'). The phrase kata anthrōpon peripateit ('walking according to human standards') means behaving no differently from those without the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:4

ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ τις· ἐγὼ μέν εἰμι Παύλου, ἕτερος δέ· ἐγὼ Ἀπολλῶ, οὐκ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε;

For when someone says, "I follow Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," are you not merely human?

KJV For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul reduces the four slogans of 1:12 to two — focusing on himself and Apollos, the figures he can address without causing offense. The question ouk anthrōpoi este ('are you not merely human?') equates factionalism with sub-Christian behavior. To be 'merely human' for Paul is to fall short of what the Spirit makes possible.
1 Corinthians 3:5

τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς; τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος; διάκονοι δι' ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε, καὶ ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν.

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.

KJV Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek ti ('what') rather than tis ('who') is deliberate — Paul does not ask about their personal identity but their functional role. They are diakonoi ('servants, ministers') — the word from which 'deacon' derives, originally meaning table waiters. This radically deflates the Corinthians' celebrity culture around leaders. The phrase hekastō hōs ho kyrios edōken ('as the Lord gave to each') attributes all ministry effectiveness to divine assignment.
1 Corinthians 3:6

ἐγὼ ἐφύτευσα, Ἀπολλῶς ἐπότισεν, ἀλλὰ ὁ θεὸς ηὔξανεν·

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The agricultural metaphor assigns complementary roles: Paul as church planter and Apollos as nurturer. The imperfect tense ēuxanen ('was causing growth') for God's action — versus the aorist (punctiliar) for human actions — suggests that God's growth-giving is continuous and ongoing while human contributions are discrete, limited events.
1 Corinthians 3:7

ὥστε οὔτε ὁ φυτεύων ἐστίν τι οὔτε ὁ ποτίζων ἀλλ' ὁ αὐξάνων θεός.

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

KJV So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase oute...estin ti ('is not anything') is deliberately stark — Paul and Apollos are 'nothing' in comparison to God's agency. This is not false humility but theological precision: in agriculture, the farmer contributes labor but cannot make a seed grow. The parallel to ministry is exact.
1 Corinthians 3:8

ὁ φυτεύων δὲ καὶ ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσιν, ἕκαστος δὲ τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήμψεται κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον.

The one who plants and the one who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

KJV Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek hen eisin ('are one') means 'are one thing' — they share a single purpose and status. This undercuts any ranking system the Corinthians have constructed. Yet individuality is preserved: each receives misthos ('reward, wages') according to their own kopos ('labor, toil'). Unity of purpose does not erase individual accountability.
1 Corinthians 3:9

θεοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν συνεργοί, θεοῦ γεώργιον, θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐστε.

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

KJV For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Three possessive genitives — theou synergoi ('God's co-workers'), theou geōrgion ('God's field'), theou oikodomē ('God's building') — all emphasize that God is the owner and ultimate agent. Synergoi does not mean Paul and Apollos are God's equals but that they work alongside each other in God's service. The shift from agricultural to architectural metaphor (geōrgion to oikodomē) transitions to the next section.
1 Corinthians 3:10

κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον ἔθηκα, ἄλλος δὲ ἐποικοδομεῖ. ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτω πῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it.

KJV According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek architekton ('master builder, architect') is the origin of the English word. Paul claims the role not by self-promotion but kata tēn charin ('according to the grace') — his skill is a gift. The warning blepetō pōs ('let him watch how') shifts responsibility to subsequent builders. The foundation is already laid (aorist ethēka); the construction continues (present epoikodomei).
1 Corinthians 3:11

θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός.

For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is a categorical statement: the foundation is non-negotiable and irreplaceable. The present participle keimenon ('the one lying, the one that has been laid') indicates a foundation already in place — Jesus Christ is not one option among many but the only possible basis for the community's life.
1 Corinthians 3:12

εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον χρυσόν, ἄργυρον, λίθους τιμίους, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην,

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,

KJV Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Six building materials descend in value and fire-resistance: gold, silver, and precious stones survive fire; wood (xyla), hay (chorton), and straw (kalamēn) do not. The metaphor concerns the quality of ministry work built upon the Christ-foundation, not the personal salvation of the builders. Kalamē ('straw, stubble') was used for cheap construction and burns almost instantly.
1 Corinthians 3:13

ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον φανερὸν γενήσεται· ἡ γὰρ ἡμέρα δηλώσει, ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται· καὶ ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον ὁποῖον ἐστιν τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸ δοκιμάσει.

Indeed, every man's work will be made manifest — for the day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will try every man's work of what sort it is.

KJV Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The definite article hē hēmera ('the Day') refers to the eschatological day of judgment without needing further specification — a concept well established in both Old Testament prophetic literature (the 'day of the LORD') and early Christian expectation. The verb dokimasei ('will test, will prove') is used for testing metals by fire — the metaphor is of assaying, not punishment. The fire reveals quality, not guilt.
1 Corinthians 3:14

εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον μενεῖ ὃ ἐποικοδόμησεν, μισθὸν λήμψεται·

If what anyone has built on the foundation survives, that person will receive a reward.

KJV If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb menei ('remains, survives, endures') is the test — will the work still be standing after the fire? The misthos ('reward') is distinct from salvation itself; it concerns the recognition of effective, lasting ministry. The nature of this reward is not specified.
1 Corinthians 3:15

εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαήσεται, ζημιωθήσεται, αὐτὸς δὲ σωθήσεται, οὕτως δὲ ὡς διὰ πυρός.

If anyone's work is burned up, that person will suffer loss, though the person will be saved — but only as through fire.

KJV If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse has been central in debates about purgatory. The Greek zēmiōthēsetai ('will suffer loss') refers to the loss of the work and its reward, not the loss of salvation — as the next clause clarifies: autos de sōthēsetai ('the person will be saved'). The phrase houtōs de hōs dia pyros ('but as through fire') suggests a barely-escaped salvation, like someone fleeing a burning building with nothing but their life. The emphasis is on the waste of poor-quality ministry, not on post-mortem purification.
1 Corinthians 3:16

οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ναὸς θεοῦ ἐστε καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν;

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

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

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

ναός naos
"temple" — temple, sanctuary, inner shrine, dwelling place of deity

Distinguished from hieron (the entire temple complex). Naos is the holy place itself where God's presence was understood to dwell. Paul applies this charged term to the Christian community.

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek naos ('temple, sanctuary') refers specifically to the inner sanctuary where God's presence dwelt — not the broader temple complex (hieron). The pronoun 'you' (este, oikei en hymin) is plural throughout — this is not about individual bodies (as in 6:19) but about the community as a whole being God's dwelling place. The question ouk oidate ('do you not know') implies this should be obvious.
1 Corinthians 3:17

εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός· ὁ γὰρ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιός ἐστιν, οἵτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς.

If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb phtheirō means 'to corrupt, to ruin, to destroy' — Paul uses the same verb in both clauses, creating a precise retributive parallel: the one who destroys will be destroyed. In context, 'destroying the temple' means tearing apart the community through factionalism. The word hagios ('holy') echoes the Hebrew qadosh — the temple is set apart, consecrated. To violate it is to invite divine judgment.
1 Corinthians 3:18

Μηδεὶς ἑαυτὸν ἐξαπατάτω· εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, μωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, let him become a fool so that he may become truly wise.

KJV Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The imperative mōros genesthō ('let him become a fool') demands a voluntary surrender of worldly-wisdom status. This is not anti-intellectualism but a call to abandon the specific kind of rhetorical-philosophical posturing that was fracturing the Corinthian church. True wisdom, in Paul's paradoxical theology, begins with accepting the 'foolishness' of the cross.
1 Corinthians 3:19

ἡ γὰρ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου μωρία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἐστιν. γέγραπται γάρ· ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν·

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul quotes Job 5:13 — the only direct quotation from Job in the New Testament. The original speaker is Eliphaz, whose theology is partly refuted by the end of Job, yet Paul adopts this particular statement as valid. The verb drassomenos ('catching, seizing') pictures God grabbing the wise in the very trap of their own cunning (panourgia, 'craftiness, shrewdness').
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Job 5:13. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
1 Corinthians 3:20

καὶ πάλιν· κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν σοφῶν ὅτι εἰσὶν μάταιοι.

And again the Scripture says, "The Lord knows that the reasoning of the wise is worthless."

KJV And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul quotes Psalm 94:11 (93:11 LXX), slightly modifying it — the psalm has 'the thoughts of humans' (anthrōpōn) while Paul substitutes 'the wise' (sophōn), sharpening the application to the Corinthian situation. The word mataioi ('futile, empty, vain') denotes not just incorrectness but ultimate pointlessness.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalms 94:11 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
1 Corinthians 3:21

ὥστε μηδεὶς καυχάσθω ἐν ἀνθρώποις· πάντα γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστιν,

So let no one boast in human leaders. For all things belong to you:

KJV Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The conclusion mēdeis kauchasthō en anthrōpois ('let no one boast in human beings') directly addresses the faction problem. Paul's reasoning is paradoxically generous: you do not need to choose between leaders because all of them — and everything else — already belong to you in Christ. Factional loyalty actually diminishes what the Corinthians already possess.
1 Corinthians 3:22

εἴτε Παῦλος εἴτε Ἀπολλῶς εἴτε Κηφᾶς εἴτε κόσμος εἴτε ζωὴ εἴτε θάνατος εἴτε ἐνεστῶτα εἴτε μέλλοντα, πάντα ὑμῶν,

Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the present age, or life, or death, or matters present, or things to come. All are yours;.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The list expands breathtakingly from named individuals to cosmic categories. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas are placed alongside life, death, present, and future — all belong to the believers. This is not a claim to ownership but to inheritance: in Christ, believers have access to everything God has provided through every servant and every circumstance.
1 Corinthians 3:23

ὑμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ.

You are Christ's. And Christ is God's.

KJV And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The chain of belonging — all things → you → Christ → God — establishes a hierarchy that dissolves factionalism. You cannot say 'I belong to Paul' when you belong to Christ. The final link, Christos de theou ('Christ belongs to God'), is not a subordinationist statement but a declaration of the Son's perfect alignment with the Father's purposes. The entire argument circles back to 1:31: the only legitimate boast is in the Lord.
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