According to 1 Corinthians 3:5, who were the ministers who planted and watered the church?

• A. Peter and John
• B. Apollos and Paul
• C. Timothy and Titus
• D. Barnabas and Silas

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is that God uses human workers to start and nurture a church, but the actual growth comes from God. In this passage, the apostles Paul and Apollos are the ones described as carrying out the planting and the watering of the Corinthian church. Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” This shows a partnership in ministry: one person begins the work, another continues it, yet the church’s true growth comes from God’s action, not simply from the efforts of the workers. The verse also calls them “ministers through whom you believed,” emphasizing that they were instruments God used to bring people to faith. The naming here specifically points to Paul and Apollos, not the other figures listed in the options.