Servants of God
1 As a matter of fact, my friends, I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit; I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world, as children in the Christian faith. 2 I had to feed you milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready for it, 3 because you still live as the people of this world live. When there is jealousy among you and you quarrel with one another, doesn't this prove that you belong to this world, living by its standards? 4 When one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos”—aren't you acting like worldly people?
5 After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are simply God's servants, by whom you were led to believe. Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do: 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow. 7 The one who plants and the one who waters really do not matter. It is God who matters, because he makes the plant grow. 8 There is no difference between the one who plants and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done. 9 For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field.
You are also God's building. 10 Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each of you must be careful how you build. 11 For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid. 12 Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw. 13 And the quality of each person's work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone's work; the fire will test it and show its real quality. 14 If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. 15 But if your work is burnt up, then you will lose it; but you yourself will be saved, as if you had escaped through the fire.
16 Surely you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you! 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys God's temple. For God's temple is holy, and you yourselves are his temple.
18 You should not fool yourself. If any of you think that you are wise by this world's standards, you should become a fool, in order to be really wise. 19 For what this world considers to be wisdom is nonsense in God's sight. As the scripture says, “God traps the wise in their cleverness”; 20 and another scripture says, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless.” 21 No one, then, should boast about what human beings can do. Actually everything belongs to you: 22 Paul, Apollos, and Peter; this world, life and death, the present and the future—all these are yours, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
1 Ar jums, brāļi, es nevarēju runāt kā ar garīgiem, bet kā ar miesīgiem cilvēkiem, kā ar bērniem Kristū. 2 Es jums devu pienu un ne smagu barību. To jūs nevarējāt panest, arī vēl tagad nevarat. 3 Jo jūs vēl esat miesīgi. Kamēr jūsu starpā naids un ķildas, vai tad neesat miesīgi un vai nedzīvojat kā šīs pasaules cilvēki? 4 Jo, kad viens saka: es turos pie Pāvila, bet otrs: es pie Apolla, - vai tad neesat miesīgi? 5 Kas tad ir Apolls, un kas ir Pāvils? Tik kalpi, ar kuru palīdzību jūs kļuvāt ticīgi, ikviens tā, kā Tas Kungs viņam devis. 6 Es dēstīju, Apolls aplaistīja, bet Dievs deva spēku augšanai. 7 Tamdēļ nav cildināms ne dēstītājs, ne laistītājs, bet Dievs, kas audzē. 8 Dēstītājs un laistītājs - abi sader kopā un katrs dabūs savu algu, pēc sava darba. 9 Jo mēs esam Dieva darba biedri, jūs esat Dieva aramais tīrums, Dieva celtne. 10 Pēc Dieva dotās žēlastības es kā gudrs namdaris liku pamatu, bet cits ceļ uz tā ēku. Bet katrs lai pielūko, kā viņš to ceļ. 11 Jo citu pamatu neviens nevar likt kā to, kas jau ir likts, proti, Jēzus Kristus. 12 Bet, ja kas ceļ uz šā pamata zeltu, sudrabu, dārgakmeņus, koku, sienu vai salmus, 13 katra darbs tiks redzams: tiesas diena to atklās, jo tā parādīsies ar uguni, un, kāds kura darbs ir, to uguns pārbaudīs. 14 Ja kāda darbs, ko tas uzcēlis, paliks, tas dabūs algu; 15 ja kāda darbs sadegs, tam būs jācieš, bet viņš pats tiks izglābts, bet tā kā caur uguni. 16 Vai jūs nezināt, ka jūs esat Dieva nams un ka Dieva Gars jūsos mājo? 17 Ja kas Dieva namu samaitā, to Dievs samaitās; jo Dieva nams ir svēts, tas jūs esat. 18 Lai neviens sevi nepieviļ! Ja kas jūsu starpā tur sevi par gudru šīs pasaules lietās, tam jātop ģeķim, lai tas kļūtu gudrs. 19 Jo šīs pasaules gudrība ir Dieva priekšā ģeķība. Jo ir rakstīts: Viņš satver gudros viņu viltībā, 20 un atkal: Tas Kungs pazīst gudro domas, ka tās ir tukšas. - 21 Tamdēļ neviens lai nelielās ar cilvēkiem. Jo viss ir jūsu. 22 Vai tas būtu Pāvils, vai Apolls, vai Kēfa, vai pasaule, vai dzīvība, vai nāve, vai tagadējās vai nākamās lietas, viss jums pieder. 23 Bet jūs piederat Kristum un Kristus Dievam.
