Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 3:5
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian church to correct factionalism, directly responding to believers who were aligning themselves with specific human leaders. He speaks at a moment when loyalty to apostolic figures is fracturing the community's unity.
The words — The Greek construction Τί ἐστιν Ἀπολλῶς (Ti estin Apollōs) uses Τί (ti) for "what," requiring the verb ἐστιν (estin) and the name Ἀπολλῶς (Apollōs) to complete the inquiry. The conjunction οὖν (oun) then connects this question to the preceding argument about human allegiance.
The thread — The passage aligns with the ministry framework in 2 Corinthians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 6:1, and 1 Peter 4:10. These texts collectively define apostolic work as delegated stewardship rather than a basis for personal prestige.
Why it lands — The text states that Paul and Apollos function only as servants through whom the Corinthians came to faith, with each assigned role determined by the Lord. Readers are asked to evaluate spiritual leadership by its source of authority and its fruit, rather than by the messenger's status.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 6:4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;
- 2 Corinthians 6:1 As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
- 1 Peter 4:10 As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.
- 2 Corinthians 3:6 And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
- 1 Corinthians 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds.
- 2 Corinthians 3:3 It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
- 2 Corinthians 4:5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7 Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
- 2 Corinthians 11:23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am speaking as if I were out of my mind.) I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.
- Matthew 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.