Greeting

Paul, (A)called (B)by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those (C)sanctified in Christ Jesus, (D)called to be saints together with all those who in every place (E)call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

(F)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

I (G)give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way (H)you were enriched in him in all (I)speech and all knowledge— even as (J)the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you (K)wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, (L)who will sustain you to the end, (M)guiltless (N)in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (O)God is faithful, by whom you were called into the (P)fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no (Q)divisions among you, but that you be united (R)in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is (S)quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that (T)each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow (U)Apollos,” or “I follow (V)Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 (W)Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you (X)baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except (Y)Crispus and (Z)Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also (AA)the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and (AB)not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

18 For the word of the cross is (AC)folly to (AD)those who are perishing, but to us (AE)who are being saved it is (AF)the power of God. 19 For it is written,

(AG)“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 (AH)Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? (AI)Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach[b] to save those who believe. 22 For (AJ)Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ (AK)crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (AL)the power of God and (AM)the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: (AN)not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,[c] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But (AO)God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; (AP)God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even (AQ)things that are not, to (AR)bring to nothing things that are, 29 so (AS)that no human being[d] might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him[e] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us (AT)wisdom from God, (AU)righteousness and (AV)sanctification and (AW)redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, (AX)“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Proclaiming Christ Crucified

And I, when I came to you, brothers,[f] (AY)did not come proclaiming to you (AZ)the testimony[g] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except (BA)Jesus Christ and him crucified. And (BB)I was with you (BC)in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of (BD)the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men[h] but (BE)in the power of God.

Wisdom from the Spirit

Yet among (BF)the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not (BG)a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, (BH)who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, (BI)which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of (BJ)the rulers of this age understood this, for (BK)if they had, they would not have crucified (BL)the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

(BM)“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has (BN)prepared (BO)for those who love him”—

10 these things (BP)God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even (BQ)the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts (BR)except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now (BS)we have received not (BT)the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this (BU)in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, (BV)interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.[i]

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are (BW)folly to him, and (BX)he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The (BY)spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 (BZ)“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But (CA)we have the mind of Christ.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 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
  2. 1 Corinthians 1:21 Or the folly of preaching
  3. 1 Corinthians 1:26 Greek according to the flesh
  4. 1 Corinthians 1:29 Greek no flesh
  5. 1 Corinthians 1:30 Greek And from him
  6. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Or brothers and sisters
  7. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Some manuscripts mystery (or secret)
  8. 1 Corinthians 2:5 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women
  9. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or interpreting spiritual truths in spiritual language, or comparing spiritual things with spiritual

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