Question 1

In verse 5, what question does Paul ask about Apollos and himself, and what answer does he give?

Accepted Answer

Paul asks, “Who is Apollos?” and “Who is Paul?” The wording itself pushes against using their names as banners for rival groups. His answer reframes them as “servants,” not as the owners of the community or the basis for a party identity. He adds that the Corinthians “believed” through their ministry, which presents them as instruments or channels rather than the source of faith. Finally, he says each one’s role is something “the Lord gave,” placing their ministries under God’s assignment rather than personal status.

Question 2

What does the phrase “through whom you believed” say about the relationship between human ministers and the Corinthians’ faith?

Accepted Answer

The phrase credits Paul and Apollos with a real role: the Corinthians’ coming to faith happened “through” their service. That implies their preaching and teaching were meaningful means by which belief took shape. At the same time, “through” signals instrumentality: they are not described as the origin or owner of the Corinthians’ faith. Paul immediately supports this by adding that each servant’s part is something “the Lord gave,” which keeps the focus on God’s initiative and prevents the ministers’ influence from becoming the basis for competing loyalties.

Question 3

How does the planting and watering image in verse 6 help Paul’s argument about divisions?

Accepted Answer

The image allows Paul to acknowledge different contributions without ranking them as rival identities. Planting and watering are distinct tasks, and both are normal parts of one process. That supports his earlier point that Paul and Apollos are servants with assigned roles, not competing figureheads. The image also sets up the contrast that controls the passage: “But God gave the increase.” The metaphor makes it intuitive that even when workers do necessary labor, the growth itself is not something they can produce or claim as personal credit.

Question 4

What is the key contrast in verse 6, and how does it shape the conclusion in verse 7?

Accepted Answer

Verse 6 contrasts human action (“I planted,” “Apollos watered”) with divine action (“God gave the increase”). The human verbs describe real work, but the decisive verb belongs to God: growth comes from God’s giving. Verse 7 then draws the conclusion from that contrast: since God is the one who produces the increase, neither the planter nor the waterer is “anything” in the sense of being the ultimate cause or the proper focal point. The logic moves from roles, to illustration, to principle.

Question 5

In verse 7, what might Paul mean by saying the planter and waterer are “not anything”? What does the verse itself clearly emphasize?

Accepted Answer

The verse clearly emphasizes God’s unique role: “God who gives the increase.” Within that frame, “not anything” most naturally means the workers are not the decisive source of results and are not the right center for loyalty. The passage has already acknowledged their real labor (planting and watering), so the statement is not denying they did anything at all. It is a way of stripping them of status as rival leaders and locating significance where it belongs in the argument: with God’s action in producing growth.

Question 6

How does “as the Lord gave to him” in verse 5 connect with “God gave the increase” in verses 6–7?

Accepted Answer

Both lines present ministry as dependent on God’s giving. In verse 5, Paul says each servant operates “as the Lord gave to him,” which can include assigned tasks, opportunities, and capacity to serve. Verses 6–7 then specify what the servants cannot supply on their own: the “increase.” Together, they create a layered picture: servants truly work, but their work is bounded by God’s assignment and cannot claim ownership of outcomes. This connection supports Paul’s larger goal of undercutting factional pride built around human names.

Question 7

What does this passage imply about comparing different ministers’ contributions (planting versus watering)?

Accepted Answer

The passage implies that different contributions can be genuinely different without becoming grounds for competition. Paul distinguishes planting from watering, so he is not flattening all work into the same thing. Yet he frames both tasks as service that depends on God: roles are given by the Lord, and growth is given by God. That makes comparison for status-seeking miss the point, because the most important result is not produced by the workers. The text’s emphasis is unity of process under God rather than rivalry between workers.

1 Corinthians 3:5-7

Scripture