📖WEB · 1 Corinthians 3:7
What does 1 Corinthians 3:7 mean?
"So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."
— 1 Corinthians 3:7 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?
Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him?
I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.
So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s farming, God’s building.
According 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.
Explanation
1 Corinthians 3:7 reads, "So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase." In plain language, Paul is saying that the people who do the visible work of ministry—planting seed, watering it—are not the ultimate source of results. Growth itself comes from God alone. The human roles matter, but they are not where the credit or power actually lies.
The context is important for grasping the verse fully. Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth, a congregation deeply troubled by factionalism. Believers there had begun aligning themselves into rival camps, some declaring loyalty to Paul, others to Apollos, and still others to Cephas (Peter), essentially turning gospel ministers into celebrities or party leaders (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4). Paul addresses this directly in chapter 3 by using an agricultural metaphor: he says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase" (3:6). Paul had first preached the gospel in Corinth, founding the church, and Apollos had come later to teach and strengthen the believers. Both men served real, necessary functions, but Paul insists neither of them caused the church to grow spiritually. That was God's work entirely.
Theologically, this verse guards against two errors: overvaluing human leaders and undervaluing human service. On one hand, it corrects the Corinthians' tendency to elevate Paul or Apollos into rivals worthy of allegiance, as if the gospel's success depended on which teacher's methods
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.