1 Corinthians 3:1-4

Immaturity and Self-deception

3:1 So, brothers and sisters, ¹  I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh, ²  as infants in Christ. 3:2 I fed you milk, ³  not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are still not ready, 3:3 for you are still influenced by the flesh. ⁴  For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people? ⁵  3:4 For whenever someone says, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” are you not merely human? ⁶ 

[3:1]  ¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.

[3:1]  ² tn Grk “fleshly [people]”; the Greek term here is σαρκινός (BDAG 914 s.v. 1).

[3:2]  ³ sn Milk refers figuratively to basic or elementary Christian teaching. Paul’s point was that the Corinthian believers he was writing to here were not mature enough to receive more advanced teaching. This was not a problem at the time, when they were recent converts, but the problem now is that they are still not ready.

[3:3]  ⁴ tn Or “are still merely human”; Grk “fleshly.” Cf. BDAG 914 s.v. σαρκικός 2, “pert. to being human at a disappointing level of behavior or characteristics, (merely) human.” The same phrase occurs again later in this verse.

[3:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “and walking in accordance with man,” i.e., living like (fallen) humanity without the Spirit’s influence; hence, “unregenerate people.”

[3:4]  ⁶ tn Grk “are you not men,” i.e., (fallen) humanity without the Spirit’s influence. Here Paul does not say “walking in accordance with” as in the previous verse; he actually states the Corinthians are this. However, this is almost certainly rhetorical hyperbole.