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Verse

1 Corinthians 3:7

ESV So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
NIV So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
NASB So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
CSB So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
NLT It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
KJV So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
NKJV So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

What does 1 Corinthians 3:7 mean?

The Corinthians were embroiled in conflict and strife over what may seem to us now a very silly issue. They had divided themselves into factions over which Christian leader they were loyal to. We must be careful, however. Most of us fail to see how senseless our own conflicts with other Christians really are in the heat of the moment. And, believers can easily dismiss others based on their opinion of famous names in the religious community. Doctrine and teaching are important (Titus 2:1), but even today, some "divisions" are as absurd as the ones being condemned by Paul (Titus 3:9).

Paul is tackling this misunderstanding head on. He has equated himself and Apollos as servants of Christ: each completing the task given to them in Corinth. Using a gardening metaphor, Paul said that he planted the seed of the gospel and Apollos watered it. God, though, is the one who caused it to grow. Different emphasis, or different style, does not mean one is more godly or more important than the other.

Paul now connects the dots. Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters have any real power. The field hand doesn't do magic, he does his assigned job. That work matters, but the work in and of itself cannot make seeds grow. Only God can give growth to the seed. That's real power. God, then, is the only one worth following. As much as we might prefer certain jobs—or certain teachers—we can't divide the body of Christ over such preferences.
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