I Corinthians 3:23
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
ye are Christ's--not Paul's, or Apollos,' or Cephas' (Co1 11:3; Mat 23:8-10). "Neither be ye called masters; for one is your Master, even Christ" (Rom 14:8). Not merely a particular section of you, but ye all are Christ's (Co1 1:12). Christ is God's-- (Co1 11:3). God is the ultimate end of all, even of Christ, His co-equal Son (Co1 15:28; Phi 2:6-11). Next: 1 Corinthians Chapter 4
Open source ↗In this chapter the apostle, I. Blames the Corinthians for their carnality and divisions (Co1 3:1-4). II. He instructs them how what was amiss among them might be rectified, by remembering, 1. That their ministers were no more than ministers (Co1 3:5). 2. That they were unanimous, and carried on the same design (Co1 3:6-10). 3. That they built on one and the same foundation (Co1 3:11-15). III. He exhorts them to give due honour to their bodies, by keeping them pure (Co1 3:16, Co1 3:17), and to humility and self-diffidence (Co1 3:18-21). IV. And dehorts them from glorying in particular ministers, because of the equal interest they had in all (Co1 3:22 to the end).
Open source ↗3:23 Just as they may now claim everything as their own, so Christ has claimed them for himself (see Rom 14:7-9), and in Christ they are ultimately claimed by God (see 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:23).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.
As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does.
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.
For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.