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1 Corinthians 3:8
ESV He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
NIV The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.
NASB Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
CSB Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
NLT The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
KJV Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
NKJV Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

What does 1 Corinthians 3:8 mean?

Paul has used an agricultural metaphor to tackle needless division and fighting in the Corinth. The Corinthians believers have divided themselves into factions based on which Christian leader they were loyal to. Most likely, this also meant them proclaiming which Christian teachers they stood against.

Paul has written that he and Apollos are both merely servants of the true source of power. One planted the seed of the gospel and another watered it, but only God could cause it to grow. Now Paul states clearly that he and Apollos are one. They are on the same side, working together to complete the same mission. They are not in competition, and it does not make sense to choose one over the other to be loyal to. Those who plant and water don't seek a following; they just want to do the job they've been given.

Paul's lesson here does not excuse false teaching or heresy. The point is not that every single person who claims Christ is an equally worthy source of spiritual knowledge (2 Peter 2:1). Rather, it is that differences are not the same as disagreements, and preferences are not the same as principles (Romans 14).

Paul adds that each will be paid for his labor. Paul teaches about awards for faithful service in several of his letters, but here his point may be that both he and Apollos are paid by the same master: God. This shows that both are working together for the gospel and not against each other. Why would anyone declare him- or herself a follower of one of the workers and not the one who is responsible for the entire project?
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