1Corinthians 3: 1 – 17

March 7, 2022

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

2 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

10 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.

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

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

13 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.

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

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

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

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

The milk and the meat. We read our Bibles and the stories strike us in different ways and for different reasons but it’s in Bible study that we start to dig into the meat. Ever watch someone new to Bible study? Without fail, they’ll hear something that never occurred to them or something that doesn’t align with how they understood certain passages. It’s challenging because you’re getting into the meat. Bible stories are lovely stories but they aren’t stories in a children’s book.

A good priest will open your eyes to deeper meaning, to how something in the Old Testament prompts or informs something in the New Testament. Two covenants, one story of God’s revelation of Himself to the world and the Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of His dearly beloved Son.

My suggestion is you get your cutlery gathered together and attend Bible study with a priest. You don’t need to bring your own salt and pepper – there’s plenty of seasoning in the meat of the Word.