1 My fellow believers, when I was with you previously, I was not able to teach you as I would teach people who are controlled by the Holy Spirit {whom the Holy Spirit controls}. Instead, I had to teach you as I would teach people whom their self-directed nature controls. I taught very simple concepts to you who had recently believed in Christ, as a parent would speak very simple words to a baby. 2 I did not teach you things that were difficult for you to understand, just like a woman does not give her baby solid food that the baby cannot chew and digest. And just like a woman ◄gives her baby milk/breast-feeds her baby►, I taught you simple spiritual concepts, because at that time you were not able to understand difficult things. And you are still not able to understand difficult concepts, 3 because you are still controlled by your self-directed nature. Some of you are jealous and quarreling. ◄That shows that your self-directed nature is controlling you!/Does not that prove your self-directed nature is controlling you?► [RHQ] It shows that you are acting like unbelievers act. 4 By some of you saying, “I am loyal to Paul,” and others saying, “I am loyal to Apollos,” ◄you show that you are acting like unbelievers./does not it show that you are acting like unbelievers?► [RHQ]

5 So what you really ought to think about Apollos and me [RHQ] is that we(dl) are merely men who serve God. As a result of our telling you the message about Christ, you trusted in him. Both of us (dl) are merely doing the work that the Lord appointed us to do. 6 I was the first one who preached God’s message to you. I was like [MET] someone who plants seeds. Later, Apollos taught you more of God’s message. That was like [MET] someone who waters plants after they start to grow. But it is God who enables people to grow spiritually, just like he is the one who causes plants to grow. 7 So the person who first preaches God’s message to people is not important, and the person who later teaches people more of God’s message is not important, just like [MET] it is not the person who plants the seeds or the person who waters the plants who is important. Instead, it is God, who causes plants to grow and who causes people to grow spiritually, who is important. 8 The person who first preaches God’s message to people and the one who later teaches them more of God’s message [MET] both ◄are trying to reach the same goal/have the same purpose►. And God will reward each of them according to how they served him. 9 Remember that Apollos and I are both working together for God. You do not belong to us. Just like a field belongs to its owner, not to those who work in it, you belong to God, not to us who work for him.

16 You need to remember that God is present among you (pl) as he was present in the Temple in Jerusalem. [RHQ] God’s Spirit lives within you. 17 So, just like God will destroy anyone who tries to destroy his Temple, he will destroy anyone who destroys the unity of a congregation. He will do that because he has set you, his people, apart for himself, just like he set his Temple apart for himself.

18 Some among you think that you are wise because unbelievers thought you were wise previously. Stop deceiving yourselves. If you really want to be wise, by accepting what God considers to be wise you should be willing to let unbelievers consider that you are foolish [IRO]. 19 You should do that because things that unbelievers consider to be [IRO] wise, God considers to be foolish. We can learn from the Scriptures what God says about that: