A Church Divided Over Leaders

¹⁰ I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,^[a](A) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you,^(B) but that you be perfectly united^(C) in mind and thought. ¹¹ My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household^(D) have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”;^(E) another, “I follow Apollos”;^(F) another, “I follow Cephas^[b]”;^(G) still another, “I follow Christ.”

¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?^{(H) 14} I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus^(I) and Gaius,^{(J) 15} so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Yes, I also baptized the household^(K) of Stephanas;^(L) beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize,^(M) but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom^(N) and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.^(A) Not many of you were wise^(B) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose^(C) the foolish^(D) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not^(E)—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.^{(F) 30} It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,^(G) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,^(H) holiness^(I) and redemption.^{(J) 31} Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[a](K)