1Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not with solid food, for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, you aren’t ready even now, 3for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?
5Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed, and each as the Lord gave to him? 6I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase. 7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s farming, God’s building.
10According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it. 11For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13each man’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man’s work is. 14If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. 15If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.
16Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, which you are.
18Let 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. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.” 20And again, “The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.” 21Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours, 23and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
Timothy was born to a pagan Greek father and Jewish Christian mother, Eunice (Acts 16:1). His mother, along with his grandmother Lois, taught him about faith in God and the Scriptures (2 Tim 1:5). Timothy proved to be very helpful to Paul, whom Paul calls "my own son." The Apostle's "son" Timothy joined Paul and Silas on Paul's second missionary journey. The Apostle sent Timothy to the Philippians to inquire about how they were doing (Phil 2:19-23). Paul also sent Timothy as a representative to Macedonia (Acts 19:22), Corinth (1 Cor 4:17), Thessalonica (1 Thes 3:2), and Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3). In the letters that Paul sent to Timothy it appears that Timothy was timid and fearful, perhaps because of his young age (1 Tim 4:12), but Paul calls him to be bold in standing for the truth. Knowing he was coming to the end of his life, Paul’s second letter is intensely personal and his love for his “son” in the faith comes through in vivid detail. He exhorts Timothy to stand firm, tells Timothy how he has been all but abandoned, and asks him to bring personal items before winter. (2 Tim 4:13)