Romans 16 - 1 Corinthians 1

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Personal Greetings

16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon^[a] of the church at Cenchreae,^{(A) 2} so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.

³ Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus,^{(B) 4} who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the gentiles. ⁵ Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert^[b] in Asia for Christ.^{(C) 6} Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. ⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia,^[c] my fellow Israelites who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. ⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.^{(D) 10} Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. ¹¹ Greet my fellow Israelite Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. ¹² Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³ Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and greet his mother—a mother to me also. ¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. ¹⁵ Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.^{(E) 16} Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.^(F)

Final Instructions

¹⁷ I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who create dissensions and hindrances, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them.^{(G) 18} For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites,^[d] and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.^{(H) 19} For your obedience is known to all; therefore, I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.^{(I) 20} The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.^[e](J)

²¹ Timothy, my coworker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Israelites.^(K)

²² I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.^[f]

²³ Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.^[g](L)

Final Doxology

²⁵ Now to God^[h] who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages^{(M) 26} but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith^(N)— ²⁷ to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.^[i]

Salutation

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

² To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord^[j] and ours:^(O)

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^(P)

⁴ I give thanks to my^[k] God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— ⁶ just as the testimony of^[l] Christ has been strengthened among you^(Q)— ⁷ so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.^{(R) 8} He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the partnership of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.^(S)

Divisions in the Church

¹⁰ Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose.^{(T) 11} For it has been made clear to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. ¹² What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” ¹³ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?^{(U) 14} I thank God^[m] that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,^{(V) 15} so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.^{(W) 17} For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel—and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.^(X)

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.^{(Y) 19} For it is written,

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?^{(Z) 21} For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of the proclamation, to save those who believe.^{(AA) 22} For Jews ask for signs and Greeks desire wisdom, ²³ but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles,^{(AB) 24} but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards,^[n] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.^{(AC) 27} But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;^{(AD) 28} God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are, ²⁹ so that no one^[o] might boast in the presence of God.^{(AE) 30} In contrast, God is why you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,^{(AF) 31} in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in^[p] the Lord.”^(AG)