1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Chapter 3
18
Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you thinks he’s wise in the ways of the world, let him become a fool so he can be truly wise.
19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As Scripture says: God traps the wise in their own wisdom.
20
It also states: The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is futile.
21
Because of this, let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you;
22
Paul, Apollos, Cephas—life, death, the present, and the future. Everything is yours,
23
and you belong to Christ, and Christ is of God.
Commentaries
The Immaturity of the Corinthians.
After establishing the essential Christian principles that every community of believers should be built upon, Paul addresses the specific issues faced by his beloved Corinthians, starting with the main one: the envy and discord that had divided the community into factions (4). He then works to dismantle these factions rooted in personality cults: “Who is Apollos? Who is Paul?” (5). Ministers and servants of faith are not the owners of the community. They plant, water, build, and encourage growth; that is, “we are God’s fellow workers” (9), but only God causes the growth, and “no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (11), cf. Ephesians 2:20-22. Paul’s insightful perspective offers us a powerful conclusion: “All things are yours, you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (22f).