EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Corinthians 3:1
1My Christian friends, I could not teach you as I would teach people who have God's Spirit. I had to teach you as people who belong only to this world. You were like little children who could not understand the message about Christ very well.
1 Corinthians 3:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
- New International Version (NIV)Brothers 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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
Context of 1 Corinthians 3:1
My Christian friends, I could not teach you as I would teach people who have God's Spirit. I had to teach you as people who belong only to this world. You were like little children who could not understand the message about Christ very well. 2I had to teach you things that were easy to understand, like a mother gives milk to a baby. You were not yet ready to receive proper food. And you are still not ready to receive God's complete message! 3You still do what your human nature wants to do. You are jealous of each other, and you quarrel with each other. Yes! This shows that you do what your human nature wants to do. You live like people who do not know God.
Read all of 1 Corinthians 31 Corinthians 3:1 word by word
Κἀγώ, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἠδυνήθην λαλῆσαι ὑμῖν ὡς πνευματικοῖς ἀλλ᾽ ὡς σαρκίνοις, ὡς νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
- couldδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
- notοὐou · noG3756
- speakλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
- unto youσύsu · youG4771
- asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- unto spiritualπνευματικόςpneumatikos · spiritualG4152
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- carnalσαρκικόςsarkikos · fleshlyG4559
- unto babesνήπιοςnēpios · childG3516
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 3:1
- 1 Corinthians 2:6But we do speak about wise thoughts to those of you who know Christ very well. But those wise thoughts do not belong to this world. They are not the ideas that the rulers of this world think are important. Those rulers will not be powerful for long.
- Galatians 6:1My friends, if you see that someone among you is doing a wrong thing, you must warn that person. Those of you who have help from God's Spirit should tell that person how to live in a good way. But you must be patient and respect him. Be very careful yourselves, so that you do not also want to do wrong things.
- 1 Corinthians 3:3You still do what your human nature wants to do. You are jealous of each other, and you quarrel with each other. Yes! This shows that you do what your human nature wants to do. You live like people who do not know God.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14If someone does not believe in God, they cannot accept the message that comes from God's Spirit. They think that God's message is silly. They cannot even understand those things. Only God's Spirit can explain them to people.
- Matthew 16:23Jesus turned round and said to Peter, ‘Satan, go away from me! I must obey God. But you are trying to stop me. Your thoughts do not come from God. Instead, you are thinking like men think.’
- Romans 7:14We understand that God's Law is spiritual. But I am weak and human. I am like a slave that has sin as my master.
- 1 Corinthians 14:20My Christian friends, do not continue to think like children think. Instead, think properly like men and women should think. The only way you should be like babies is to keep away from evil things.
- Ephesians 4:13In that way, all of us will become united, like one person. We will all believe in Jesus as the Son of God. We will all know him. We will become like a man who has grown up well. We will be completely as God wants us to be, just like Christ himself.
- 1 John 2:12My little children, I am writing to you because God has forgiven your sins. He has done this because of Christ.
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 3:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual - This is a continuation of the preceding discourse. See the notes on 1 Corinthians 2:14, 1 Corinthians 2:15; (note), and 1 Corinthians 2:16; (note). But as unto carnal - , Persons under the influence of fleshly appetites; coveting and living for the things of this life. Babes in Christ - Just beginning to acquire some notion of the Christian religion, hut as yet very incapable of judging what is…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1And I, brethren - See 1 Corinthians 2:1. This is designed to meet an implied objection. He had said 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 that Christians were able to understand all things. Yet, they would recollect that he had not addressed them as such, but had confined himself to the more elementary parts of religion when he came among them. He had not entered upon the abstruse and difficult points of theology - the points of speculation in which the subtle Greeks so…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Chapter Outline The Corinthians reproved for their contentions. (1-4) The true servants of Christ can do nothing without him. (5-9) He is the only foundation, and every one should take heed what he builds thereon. (10-15) The churches of Christ ought to be kept pure, and to be humble. (16-17) And they should not glory in men, because ministers and all things else are theirs through Christ. (18-23) Verses 1-4 The most simple truths of the gospel, as to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1The Corinthians did not act like the spiritual people Paul described in 1 Corinthians 2:15. Instead, they behaved like unbelievers drawn to worldly wisdom and values. as infants in Christ: Although they converted, their lives and thoughts did not show maturity in Christ or the transformative perspective of his Spirit.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-231Co 3:1-23. Paul Could Not Speak to Them of Deep Spiritual Truths, as They Were Carnal, Contending for Their Several Teachers; These Are Nothing but Workers for God, to Whom They Must Give Account in the Day of Fiery Judgment. The Hearers Are God's Temple, Which They Must Not Defile by Contentions for Teachers, Who, as Well as All Things, Are Theirs, Being Christ's. 1. And I--that is, as the natural (animal) man cannot receive, so I also could not speak…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Corinthians 3:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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