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Christ Is Undivided

Paul, (A)called as an apostle of Jesus Christ [a]by (B)the will of God, and (C)Sosthenes our (D)brother,

To (E)the church of God which is at (F)Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, (G)called as [b]saints, with all who in every place (H)call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

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

(J)I thank [c]my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were (K)enriched in Him, in all (L)word and (M)all knowledge, even as (N)the witness about Christ was confirmed [d]in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, (O)eagerly awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, (P)who will also confirm you to the end, beyond reproach in (Q)the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (R)God is faithful, through whom you were (S)called into (T)fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 Now (U)I exhort you, (V)brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all [e]agree and that there be no [f](W)divisions among you, but that you be [g]made complete in (X)the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that (Y)each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of (Z)Apollos,” and “I of (AA)Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 [h]Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you (AB)baptized [i]in the name of Paul? 14 [j]I thank God that I (AC)baptized none of you except (AD)Crispus and (AE)Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized [k]in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the (AF)household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 (AG)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel, (AH)not in wisdom of word, so that the cross of Christ will not be made empty.

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

18 For the word of the cross is (AI)foolishness to (AJ)those who [l]are perishing, but to us who [m]are being saved, it is (AK)the power of God. 19 For it is written,

(AL)I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

20 (AM)Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of (AN)this age? Has not God (AO)made foolish the wisdom of (AP)the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, (AQ)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, (AR)God was well-pleased, through the (AS)foolishness of the [n]message preached, to (AT)save those who believe. 22 For indeed (AU)Jews ask for [o]signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23 but we preach [p](AV)Christ crucified, (AW)to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles (AX)foolishness, 24 but to those who are (AY)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (AZ)the power of God and (BA)the wisdom of God. 25 Because the (BB)foolishness of God is wiser than men, and (BC)the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For [q]consider your (BD)calling, brothers, that there were (BE)not many wise according to [r]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. 27 But (BF)God has chosen the foolish things of (BG)the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of (BH)the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of (BI)the world and the despised God has chosen, (BJ)the things that are not, so that He may (BK)abolish the things that are, 29 so that (BL)no flesh may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in (BM)Christ Jesus, who became to us (BN)wisdom from God, [s]and (BO)righteousness and (BP)sanctification, and (BQ)redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “(BR)Let him who boasts, boast in the [t]Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 1:1 Lit through
  2. 1 Corinthians 1:2 Or holy ones
  3. 1 Corinthians 1:4 Two early mss omit my
  4. 1 Corinthians 1:6 Or among
  5. 1 Corinthians 1:10 Lit speak the same thing
  6. 1 Corinthians 1:10 Lit schisms
  7. 1 Corinthians 1:10 Or united
  8. 1 Corinthians 1:13 Or Christ has been divided! or Christ is divided!
  9. 1 Corinthians 1:13 Lit into
  10. 1 Corinthians 1:14 Two early mss I give thanks that
  11. 1 Corinthians 1:15 Lit into
  12. 1 Corinthians 1:18 Or perish
  13. 1 Corinthians 1:18 Or are saved
  14. 1 Corinthians 1:21 Lit preaching
  15. 1 Corinthians 1:22 Or attesting miracles
  16. 1 Corinthians 1:23 Messiah
  17. 1 Corinthians 1:26 Lit see
  18. 1 Corinthians 1:26 Human standards
  19. 1 Corinthians 1:30 Or both
  20. 1 Corinthians 1:31 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Jer 9:24

Paul Greets the Church in Corinth

From:[a] Paul, called to be an apostle of the Messiah[b] Jesus[c] by the will of God, and from our brother Sosthenes.

To: God’s church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah[d] Jesus and called to be holy,[e] together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah[f]—their Lord[g] and ours.

May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[h] be yours!

You are Rich

I always thank my[i] God for you because of the grace of God given you by the Messiah[j] Jesus. For by him you have become rich in every way—in speech and knowledge of every kind— while our testimony about the Messiah[k] has been confirmed among you. Therefore, you don’t lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus the Messiah[l] to be revealed. He will keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the Day of our Lord Jesus the Messiah.[m] Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah,[n] our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 Brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah,[o] I urge all of you to be in agreement[p] and not to have divisions among you, so that you may be perfectly united in your understanding and opinions. 11 My brothers, some members of Chloe’s family have made it clear to me that there are quarrels among you. 12 This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,”[q] or “I belong to the Messiah.”[r]

13 Is the Messiah[s] divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? You weren’t baptized in Paul’s name, were you? 14 I thank God[t] 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 (Oh yes, I also baptized the family of Stephanas. Beyond that, I’m not sure whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For the Messiah[u] did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so the cross of the Messiah[v] won’t be emptied of its power.

The Messiah is God’s Power and Wisdom

18 For 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 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the intelligence of the intelligent I will reject.”[w]

20 Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? God has turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense, hasn’t he? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God,[x] God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching. 22 Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach the Messiah[y] crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles, 24 but to those who are called,[z] both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah[aa] is God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25 For God’s nonsense is wiser than human wisdom,[ab] and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.[ac]

26 Brothers, think about your own calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards,[ad] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed. God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. 28 And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something, 29 so that no one[ae] may boast in God’s presence. 30 It is because of God[af] that you are in union with the Messiah[ag] Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written, “The person who boasts must boast in the Lord.”[ah]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 1:1 The Gk. lacks From
  2. 1 Corinthians 1:1 Or Christ
  3. 1 Corinthians 1:1 Other mss. read Jesus the Messiah
  4. 1 Corinthians 1:2 Or Christ
  5. 1 Corinthians 1:2 Or to be saints
  6. 1 Corinthians 1:2 Or Christ
  7. 1 Corinthians 1:2 Lit. theirs
  8. 1 Corinthians 1:3 Or Christ
  9. 1 Corinthians 1:4 Other mss. lack my
  10. 1 Corinthians 1:4 Or Christ
  11. 1 Corinthians 1:6 Or Christ
  12. 1 Corinthians 1:7 Or Christ
  13. 1 Corinthians 1:8 Or Christ
  14. 1 Corinthians 1:9 Or Christ
  15. 1 Corinthians 1:10 Or Christ
  16. 1 Corinthians 1:10 Lit. to say the same thing
  17. 1 Corinthians 1:12 I.e. Peter
  18. 1 Corinthians 1:12 Or Christ
  19. 1 Corinthians 1:13 Or Christ
  20. 1 Corinthians 1:14 Other mss. read I thank my God; still other mss. read I am thankful
  21. 1 Corinthians 1:17 Or Christ
  22. 1 Corinthians 1:17 Or Christ
  23. 1 Corinthians 1:19 Isa 29:14
  24. 1 Corinthians 1:21 The Gk. lacks God
  25. 1 Corinthians 1:23 Or Christ
  26. 1 Corinthians 1:24 Or chosen
  27. 1 Corinthians 1:24 Or Christ
  28. 1 Corinthians 1:25 Lit. than men
  29. 1 Corinthians 1:25 Lit. than men
  30. 1 Corinthians 1:26 Lit. according to the flesh
  31. 1 Corinthians 1:29 Lit. flesh
  32. 1 Corinthians 1:30 Lit. him
  33. 1 Corinthians 1:30 Or Christ
  34. 1 Corinthians 1:31 Jer 9:24; MT source citation reads Lord