1 Corinthians 1
1
Greeting
1From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our brother in the Christian faith.
2To God’s church that was made holy by Christ Jesus and called to be God’s holy people in the city of Corinth and to people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3Good will #1:3 Or “Grace.” and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!
4I always thank God for you because Christ Jesus has shown you God’s good will. 5Through Christ Jesus you have become rich in every way—in speech and knowledge of every kind. 6Our message about Christ has been verified among you. 7Therefore, you don’t lack any gift as you wait eagerly for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will continue to give you strength until the end so that no one can accuse you of anything on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God faithfully keeps his promises. He called you to be partners with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
God’s Wisdom Is Better Than the World’s Wisdom
10Brothers and sisters, I encourage all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to agree with each other and not to split into opposing groups. I want you to be united in your understanding and opinions. 11Brothers and sisters, some people from Chloe’s family have made it clear to me that you are quarreling among yourselves. 12This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” #1:12 Cephas is the Aramaic name for the Apostle Peter. or “I follow Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14I thank God that #1:14 A few of the older manuscripts read “I am thankful that.” I didn’t baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius 15so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16I also baptized Stephanas and his family. Beyond that, I’m not sure whether I baptized anyone else. 17Christ didn’t send me to baptize. Instead, he sent me to spread the Good News. I didn’t use intellectual arguments. That would have made the cross of Christ lose its meaning.
18The message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved. 19Scripture says,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.
I will reject the intelligence of intelligent people.”
20Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the persuasive speaker of our time? Hasn’t God turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense? 21The world with its wisdom was unable to recognize God in terms of his own wisdom. So God decided to use the nonsense of the Good News we speak to save those who believe. 22Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but our message is that Christ was crucified. This offends Jewish people and makes no sense to people who are not Jewish. 24But to those Jews and Greeks who are called, he is Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25God’s nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
26Brothers and sisters, consider what you were when God called you to be Christians. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view. You were not in powerful positions or in the upper social classes. 27But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame. 28God chose what the world considers ordinary and what it despises—what it considers to be nothing—in order to destroy what it considers to be something. 29As a result, no one can brag in God’s presence. 30You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our approval, our holiness, and our ransom from sin. 31As Scripture says, “Whoever brags must brag about what the Lord has done.”
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 1
1
Greeting
1Paul, #See Rom. 1:1 called #2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:1by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those #ch. 6:11; [ver. 30]; See John 17:19 sanctified in Christ Jesus, #See Rom. 1:7 called to be saints together with all those who in every place #See Acts 9:14call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 # [See ver. 2 above] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
4I #See Rom. 1:8give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5that in every way #2 Cor. 9:11; [2 Cor. 6:10] you were enriched in him in all #2 Cor. 8:7; [ch. 12:8]; See Rom. 15:14; 1 John 2:20speech and all knowledge— 6even as #2 Tim. 1:8; [2 Thess. 1:10; 1 Tim. 2:6; Rev. 1:2]the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you #Rom. 8:19; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 9:28; See Luke 17:30; 2 Pet. 3:12wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8#[Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 3:13] who will sustain you to the end, #Col. 1:22 guiltless #ch. 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14; Phil. 2:16; [Luke 17:24]in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9#ch. 10:13; Deut. 7:9; Isa. 49:7; 2 Cor. 1:18 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the #1 John 1:3fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Divisions in the Church
10I appeal to you, brothers,#1:10 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 11, 26 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no #ch. 11:18 divisions among you, but that you be united #[Phil. 1:27]in the same mind and the same judgment. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is #ch. 3:3quarreling among you, my brothers. 12What I mean is that #ch. 3:4; [Matt. 23:9, 10] each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow #See Acts 18:24 Apollos,” or “I follow #See John 1:42Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13#[ch. 12:5; 2 Cor. 11:4; Eph. 4:5] Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you #See Acts 8:16baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except #Acts 18:8 Crispus and #See Rom. 16:23Gaius, 15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also #ch. 16:15, 17the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and #ch. 2:1, 4, 13; [2 Cor. 10:10; 11:6; 2 Pet. 1:16]not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
18For the word of the cross is #ver. 21, 23, 25; ch. 2:14 folly to #2 Cor. 2:15; 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:10 those who are perishing, but to us #ch. 15:2; [Acts 2:47] who are being saved it is #Rom. 1:16; [ver. 24]the power of God. 19For it is written,
# Cited from Isa. 29:14; [Job 5:12, 13; Jer. 8:9; Matt. 11:25] “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 #
Isa. 19:12 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? #ch. 2:6; 3:19; Isa. 44:25; Rom. 1:22; [ver. 26]Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach#1:21 Or the folly of preaching to save those who believe. 22For #See Matt. 12:38Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ #Gal. 5:11; See 1 Pet. 2:8crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ #[ver. 18] the power of God and #ver. 30; Col. 2:3; [Luke 11:49]the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For consider your calling, brothers: #ch. 2:8; John 7:48; [ver. 20]; See Matt. 11:25not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,#1:26 Greek according to the flesh not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But #James 2:5 God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; #Ps. 8:2God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even #Rom. 4:17 things that are not, to #ch. 2:6; [Job 34:19, 24]bring to nothing things that are, 29so #Eph. 2:9; [Judg. 7:2]that no human being#1:29 Greek no flesh might boast in the presence of God. 30And because of him#1:30 Greek And from him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us #[ver. 24] wisdom from God, #Jer. 23:5, 6; 33:16; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9 righteousness and #[ver. 2] sanctification and #Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; [Rom. 3:24]redemption, 31so that, as it is written, #2 Cor. 10:17; [Jer. 9:23, 24]“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
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