1 Corinthians 1:17-31

New Century Version

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^[a] 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.”^[b]

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Footnotes

1:17 cross Paul uses the cross as a picture of the Good News, the story of Christ’s death and rising from the dead for people’s sins. The cross, or Christ’s death, was God’s way to save people.
1:31 “If . . . Lord.” Quotation from Jeremiah 9:24.

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

New International Version

¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize,^(A) but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom^(B) and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom

¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness^(C) to those who are perishing,^(D) but to us who are being saved^(E) it is the power of God.^(F) ¹⁹For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”^[a]^(G)

²⁰Where is the wise person?^(H) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?^(I) Has not God made foolish^(J) the wisdom of the world? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world^(K) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save^(L) those who believe.^(M) ²²Jews demand signs^(N) and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified:^(O) a stumbling block^(P) to Jews and foolishness^(Q) to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those whom God has called,^(R) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God^(S) and the wisdom of God.^(T) ²⁵For the foolishness^(U) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness^(V) of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.^(W) Not many of you were wise^(X) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose^(Y) the foolish^(Z) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not^(AA)—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him.^(AB) ³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,^(AC) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,^(AD) holiness^(AE) and redemption.^(AF) ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[b]^(AG)