1 Corinthians 1

Greeting

1 From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our brother in the Christian faith.2 To 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.3 Good willt and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

Paul’s Prayer for the Corinthians

4 I always thank God for you because Christ Jesus has shown you God’s good will.5 Through Christ Jesus you have become rich in every way—in speech and knowledge of every kind.6 Our message about Christ has been verified among you.7 Therefore, you don’t lack any gift as you wait eagerly for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.8 He 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.

9 God 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

10 Brothers 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.11 Brothers and sisters, some people from Chloe’s family have made it clear to me that you are quarreling among yourselves.12 This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,”t or “I follow Christ.”13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in Paul’s name?14 I thank God thatt I didn’t baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name.16 I also baptized Stephanas and his family. Beyond that, I’m not sure whether I baptized anyone else.

17 Christ 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.
18 The message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.

19 Scripture says,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.I will reject the intelligence of intelligent people.”20 Where 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?21 The 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.22 Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom,23 but our message is that Christ was crucified. This offends Jewish people and makes no sense to people who are not Jewish.24 But to those Jews and Greeks who are called, he is Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom.

25 God’s nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers 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.27 But 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.28 God 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.29 As a result, no one can brag in God’s presence.30 You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our righteousness, our holiness, and our ransom from sin.

31 As Scripture says, “Whoever brags must brag about what the Lord has done.”

1 Corinthians 1

Salutation

1 From Paul,t called to be an apostle of Christ Jesuss by the will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother,2 to the church of God that is in Corinth,s to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.t

3 Grace and peace to yout from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving

4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus.5 For you were made richs in every way in him, in all your speech and in every kind of knowledges –6 just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed among you –7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelations of our Lord Jesus Christ.8 Het will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 I urge you, brothers and sisters,t by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together,t to end your divisions,t and to be united by the same mind and purpose.t11 For members of Chloe’s household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters,t that there are quarrelst among you.12 Now I mean this, thatt each of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.”13 Is Christ divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he?t Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul?t14 I thank Gods that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name!16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.)

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.t

The Message of the Cross

18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent.”s20 Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law?t Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish?21 For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.22 For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom,23 but we preach about a crucified Christ,t a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,t and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.t
26 Think about the circumstances of your call,t brothers and sisters.t Not many were wise by human standards,t not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.t27 But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong.28 God choset what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something,29 so that no one can boast in his presence.30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus,t who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”s