The church and its leaders
1Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly – mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings?
5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour. 9For we are fellow workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11For no-one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
18Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become ‘fools’ so that you may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’3:19 Job 5:13; 20and again, ‘The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.’3:20 Psalm 94:11 21So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas3:22 That is, Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Onyankopɔn Asomfo
1Nokware, anuanom, mantumi ankasa ankyerɛ mo sɛ nnipa a wɔwɔ Honhom no. Na ɛsɛ sɛ mekasa kyerɛ mo sɛ wiasefo a wɔte sɛ mmofra a wɔwɔ Kristo mu gyidi. 2Memaa mo nufusu. Mamma mo aduan a ɛyɛ den, efisɛ na enye mma mo. Na mprempren ara mpo enye mma mo, 3efisɛ moda so te hɔ sɛ wiasefo. Sɛ anibere wɔ mo mu na mutwa mo ho ne mo ho mo ho nya akasakasa a, so ɛnna no adi sɛ moyɛ wiasefo a mote hɔ ma wiase? 4Sɛ obi ka se, “Me de, midi Paulo akyi” na ɔfoforo nso ka se, “Me nso mewɔ Apolo afa” a, ɛnkyerɛ sɛ moyɛ wiasefo ana?
5Mibisa se Apolo yɛ hena? Na Paulo nso yɛ hena? Yɛyɛ Onyankopɔn asomfo kwa a ɛnam yɛn so na munya gyidi. Adwuma a Onyankopɔn de ama yɛn mu biara sɛ yɛnyɛ no na yɛyɛ. 6Miduaa aba no na Apolo guguu so nsu, nanso Onyankopɔn na ɔmaa afifide no nyinii. 7Obi a oduae ne obi a oguguu so nsu no ho nhia. Onyankopɔn na ne ho hia, efisɛ ɔno na ɔmaa afifide no nyinii. 8Nsonoe biara nni onipa a odua ne nea ogugu so nsu no ntam. Onyankopɔn bɛhwɛ dwuma a wɔn mu biara dii so na wama wɔn so ade. 9Yɛn de, yɛyɛ aboafo a yɛne Onyankopɔn reyɛ adwuma na mo nso moyɛ Onyankopɔn afuw. Bio, moyɛ Onyankopɔn dan.
10Menam adom a Onyankopɔn de maa me no so yɛɛ ɔdanseni pa adwuma. Metoo fapem na onipa foforo nso resi atoa so. Nanso ɛsɛ sɛ wɔn mu biara fa ɔkwan pa so si. 11Efisɛ Onyankopɔn ayɛ Yesu Kristo nko ɔdan no fapem enti wɔrentumi nto fapem foforo biara bio. 12Ebinom de sikakɔkɔɔ, anaa dwetɛ anaa aboɔden abo na ebesi wɔn dan wɔ fapem no so; afoforo nso de nnua anaa sare anaa baamu. 13Obiara dwuma a odii no bɛda adi da no; da no gya no bɛda obiara adwuma adi. Ogya no bɛsɔ ahwɛ, ahu dwuma ko no ye a eye. 14Sɛ nea onipa ko no de sii fapem no so no tumi gyina ogya no ano a, ebenya akatua. 15Na sɛ obi adwuma hyew wɔ ogya no ano a, akatua no bɛbɔ no, nanso ɔno de, obenya nkwa sɛ obi a waguan afi gyaframa mu.
16Munnim sɛ moyɛ Onyankopɔn asɔredan na Onyankopɔn Honhom no te mo mu ana? 17Enti obiara a ɔbɛsɛe Onyankopɔn asɔredan no, Onyankopɔn bɛsɛe no. Efisɛ Onyankopɔn asɔredan yɛ kronkron, na mo na moyɛ nʼasɔredan no.
18Ɛnsɛ sɛ obiara daadaa ne ho. Sɛ obi a ɔka mo ho fa ne ho sɛ ɔyɛ wiase yi mu onyansafo a, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ ɔkwasea ansa na wabɛyɛ onyansafo. 19Efisɛ nea wiase bu no nyansa no yɛ asɛm a aba nni mu wɔ Onyankopɔn ani so. Kyerɛwsɛm no ka se, “Ɔkyere anyansafo wɔ wɔn anitew mu.” 20Bio, Kyerɛwsɛm no ka se, “Awurade nim onipa nsusuwii. Onim sɛ enkosi hwee.” 21Enti ɛnsɛ sɛ obiara de nea onipa tumi yɛ hoahoa ne ho na biribiara yɛ mo dea. 22Paulo, Apolo ne Petro, saa wiase yi, nkwa ne owu, nnɛ ne daakye nyinaa yɛ mo dea, 23na moyɛ Kristo dea na Kristo nso yɛ Onyankopɔn dea.
