1 Corinthians 1:9-25

Common English Bible

⁹ God is faithful, and you were called by him to partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rival groups in Corinth

¹⁰ Now I encourage you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Agree with each other and don’t be divided into rival groups. Instead, be restored with the same mind and the same purpose. ¹¹ My brothers and sisters, Chloe’s people gave me some information about you, that you’re fighting with each other. ¹² What I mean is this: that each one of you says, “I belong to Paul,” “I belong to Apollos,” “I belong to Cephas,” “I belong to Christ.” ¹³ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in Paul’s name? ¹⁴ Thank God that I didn’t baptize any of you, except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that nobody can say that you were baptized in my name! ¹⁶ Oh, I baptized the house of Stephanas too. Otherwise, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else. ¹⁷ Christ didn’t send me to baptize but to preach the good news. And Christ didn’t send me to preach the good news with clever words so that Christ’s cross won’t be emptied of its meaning.

Human wisdom versus the cross

¹⁸ The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. ¹⁹ It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent.^{[a] 20} Where are the wise? Where are the legal experts? Where are today’s debaters? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? ²¹ In God’s wisdom, he determined that the world wouldn’t come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. ²² Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. ²⁴ But to those who are called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. ²⁵ This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.