This page gives you ready-to-use questions and leader’s notes for 1 Corinthians 3, Paul’s letter to a divided church in Corinth. It suits a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and each question points to specific verses so you can return to the text together.
1 Corinthians 3 at a Glance
Paul begins by explaining that the Corinthians are still acting like infants in their faith, quarreling over which leader they follow. He reframes the leaders as servants who planted and watered, while God alone gives the growth. The chapter then shifts to the image of a building, with Jesus Christ as the only foundation and each believer’s work tested by fire.
Paul closes by reminding the church that they are God’s temple, that the Spirit dwells among them, and that their identity rests in Christ rather than in human teachers or worldly wisdom.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask group members to point to the exact words of the text, and gently redirect when someone begins explaining rather than observing.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7
6 I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
(WEB)
Reading Paul’s planting and watering image aloud helps the group hear the humility in his words. It is a useful starting point for any conversation about ministry roles and recognition.
1 Corinthians 3:11
For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.
(WEB)
This single verse anchors the whole chapter. Reading it slowly reminds the group that Christ is the one foundation on which every other good work must stand.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
16 Don’t you know that you are a temple of God, and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, which you are.
(WEB)
These verses reveal the church as God’s dwelling place. Reading them together invites the group to consider how they care for one another as a shared temple of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.” 20 And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”
(WEB)
This passage warns against pride in human wisdom and calls for humility. Reading it aloud can help the group approach their studies and debates with a teachable spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:21-23
21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours, 23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
(WEB)
Ending the chapter with these verses gives the group a strong sense of identity. Reading them together reminds everyone that they belong fully to Christ.
Memory Verse for 1 Corinthians 3
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you have called us into fellowship with your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the only foundation of our lives and our church. Forgive us when we quarrel over leaders, measure ourselves against one another, or trust our own wisdom more than your truth. Give us humble hearts that plant and water faithfully, knowing that you alone give the growth. Help us build with care, so that our work reflects the grace you have shown us. Thank you that we belong to you and to each other. Amen.
