(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Spirit and Flesh
- And brothers, I couldn’t talk to you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh; like infants in the Anointed.
- I gave you milk to drink not solid food, for you couldn’t receive it yet. But you still can’t even now,
- for you’re still fleshly. For where jealousy and quarreling are among you, aren’t you fleshly? And don’t you walk according to man?
- For when someone says, “I’m indeed following Paul.” but another says, “I’m following Apollos.” aren’t you fleshly men?
- Therefore, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, and each one just as the Lord gave.
- I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
- So neither the man who plants nor the man who waters is anyone, but only the One who causes the growth: God.
- Now, the man who plants and the man who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
- For we are fellow workers of God – of God’s field – and you are God’s building.
Christ is the Foundation, and Testing by Fire
- According to the grace of God which was given to me, I laid the foundation like a wise master craftsman, but another builds on it. And each man must carefully examine how he builds on it.
- For no one can lay another foundation besides the one already laid, which is Jesus the Anointed.
- Now if anyone builds gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw on the foundation, then
- the work of each will become obvious. For the day will make it clear because it’s revealed in fire, and the fire itself will test what sort of work each is.
- If anyone’s work which he built will remain, he will receive his wages.1wages is literal. It’s traditionally translated “reward” here, which isn’t wrong, but that’s less literal.
- If anyone’s work will burn up, he will suffer loss. However he himself will be saved, but like as through a fire.
- Don’t you *know that you are God’s temple, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?
- If someone ruinously corrupts2“ruinously corrupts” is one word in Greek, typically translated “destroy” here. It literally means to corrupt, rot, or spoil something so that it wastes away to ruin. It’s typically associated with moral corruption/decay leading to ruin. the temple of God, God will ruinously corrupt him; for God’s temple is holy, whoever you are.
- Let no one utterly deceive himself: if someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so he might become wise.
- For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is *written; “He’s the One who traps the wise in their craftiness.”3quotation/allusion to Job 5:13
- And again, “the Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are futile.“4quotation/allusion to Psalm 94:11
- So then, let no one boast in men, for all things are yours.
- Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas,5“Cephas” is Aramaic for “a rock”, and is another name for the disciple/apostle Peter. or the world, or life, or death, or things *present, or things about to come; all are yours.
- But you belong to the Anointed, and the Anointed belongs to God.
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