1 Corinthians 1

Appeal to Unity

1Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ #1:1 Lit throughby the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, #1:2 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s peoplesaints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4I thank #1:4 Two early mss do not contain mymy God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6just as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed #1:6 Or amongin you, 7so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will also #1:8 Or strengthenconfirm you to the end, blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

10Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all #1:10 Lit say the same thingagree and that there be no #1:10 Lit schismsdivisions among you, but that you be #1:10 Or unitedmade complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am #1:12 Lit ofwith Paul,” #1:12 Lit andor “I am #1:12 Lit ofwith Apollos,” #1:12 Lit andor “I am #1:12 Lit ofwith #1:12 Peter’s Aramaic nameCephas,” #1:12 Lit andor “I am #1:12 Lit ofwith Christ.” 13#1:13 Or Christ has been divided! or Christ is divided!Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized #1:13 Lit intoin the name of Paul? 14I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one would say you were baptized #1:15 Lit intoin my name! 16But I did baptize the household of Stephanas also; beyond that, I do not know if I baptized anyone else. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with #1:17 I.e., persuasive rhetoriccleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made of no effect.

The Wisdom of God

18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who #1:18 Or perishare perishing, but to us who #1:18 Or are savedare being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And the understanding of those who have understanding, I will confound.”

20Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God #1:21 Or resolvedwas pleased through the foolishness of the #1:21 Lit preachingmessage preached to save those who believe. 22For indeed Jews ask for #1:22 Or confirming miraclessigns and Greeks search for wisdom; 23but we preach #1:23 I.e., the MessiahChrist crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than mankind, and the weakness of God is stronger than mankind.

26For #1:26 Lit seeconsider your calling, brothers and sisters, that there were not many wise according to #1:26 I.e., human standardsthe flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the #1:28 Or lowlyinsignificant things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no #1:29 Lit fleshhuman may boast before God. 30But it is #1:30 Lit from Himdue to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, #1:30 Or bothand righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

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1 Corinthians 1

1From Paul. God called me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus because that is what God wanted. Also from Sosthenes, our brother in Christ.

2To the church of God in Corinth, to you who have been made holy in Christ Jesus. You were called to be God’s holy people with all people everywhere who pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Gives Thanks to God

4I always thank my God for you because of the grace God has given you in Christ Jesus. 5I thank God because in Christ you have been made rich in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge. 6Just as our witness about Christ has been guaranteed to you, 7so you have every gift from God while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. 8Jesus will keep you strong until the end so that there will be no wrong in you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 9God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Problems in the Church

10I beg you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that all of you agree with each other and not be split into groups. I beg that you be completely joined together by having the same kind of thinking and the same purpose. 11My brothers and sisters, some people from Chloe’s family have told me quite plainly that there are quarrels among you. 12This is what I mean: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another says, “I follow Apollos”; another says, “I follow Peter”; and another says, “I follow Christ.” 13Christ has been divided up into different groups! Did Paul die on the cross for you? No! Were you baptized in the name of Paul? No! 14I thank God I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius 15so that now no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16(I also baptized the family of Stephanas, but I do not remember that I baptized anyone else.) 17Christ did not send me to baptize people but to preach the Good News. And he sent me to preach the Good News without using words of human wisdom so that the cross of Christ would not lose its power.

Christ Is God’s Power and Wisdom

18The teaching about the cross is foolishness to those who are being lost, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19It is written in the Scriptures:

“I will cause the wise to lose their wisdom;

I will make the wise unable to understand.”#Isaiah 29:14

20Where is the wise person? Where is the educated person? Where is the skilled talker of this world? God has made the wisdom of the world foolish. 21In the wisdom of God the world did not know God through its own wisdom. So God chose to use the message that sounds foolish to save those who believe. 22The Jews ask for miracles, and the Greeks want wisdom. 23But we preach a crucified Christ. This causes the Jews to stumble and is foolishness to non-Jews. 24But Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God to those people God has called—Jews and Greeks. 25Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence. Not many of you came from important families. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. 29God did this so that no one can brag in his presence. 30Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin. 31So, as the Scripture says, “If people want to brag, they should brag only about the Lord.”

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