Book of Common Prayer

1 Paul^[a], a called apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, ² to the church of God being in Corinth, to ones having been sanctified^[b] in Christ Jesus, called saints^[c], with all the ones calling-upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours: ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I am giving-thanks to my God always for you for the grace of God having been given to you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ because you were enriched in everything in^[d] Him— in all speech^[e] and all knowledge, ⁶ even as the testimony of ^[f] Christ was confirmed^[g] in^[h] you— ⁷ so that you are not lacking in any gift while eagerly-awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸ Who also will confirm you until the end so as to be blameless^[i] on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, through Whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Brothers, Be of One Mind; Stop Dividing Over Your Leaders

¹⁰ Now I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all be speaking the same thing, and that there not be divisions among you, but that you be made-complete^[j] in the same mind^[k] and in the same purpose^[l]. ¹¹ For it was made-clear to me concerning you, my brothers, by the ones^[m] of Chloe, that there are quarrels among you. ¹² Now I mean this: that each of you is saying “I am of Paul”, and “I of Apollos”, and “I of Cephas”, and “I of Christ”.

Has Christ Been Divided? Were You Baptized Into Paul? Thankfully, I Did Not Baptize You!

¹³ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I give-thanks to God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name! ¹⁶ Now I baptized also the household of Stephanas. As to the rest, I do not know if I baptized any other.

For I Was Not Sent To Baptize, But To Announce The Gospel Without Wisdom of Speech

¹⁷ For Christ did not send me forth to be baptizing, but to be announcing-the-good-news— not in wisdom of speech, in order that the cross of Christ may not be made-empty^[n].

For God Intends The Gospel To Be Both Foolishness And Powerful

¹⁸ For the speech^[o] of the cross is foolishness to the ones perishing, but is the power of God to us being saved. ¹⁹ For it has been written [in Isa 29:14]: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise ones, and I will set-aside the intelligence^[p] of the intelligent ones”.

1 The^[a] beginning of the good-news of ^[b] Jesus Christ, God’s Son

As Predicted By Isaiah, John The Baptist Came To Prepare The Way For The Messiah

² Just as it has been written in Isaiah^[c] the prophet— “Behold, I am sending-forth My messenger ahead of Your presence^[d], who will make Your way ready: ³ A voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; be making His paths straight’”— ⁴ John came^[e], the one baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ And the whole Judean country^[f] was going out to him, and all the people-of-Jerusalem. And they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River while confessing-out^[g] their sins. ⁶ And John was dressed-in camel’s hair and a belt made-of-leather around his waist, and was eating locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he was proclaiming, saying “The One more powerful than me is coming after me— of Whom I am not fit, having stooped, to untie the strap of His sandals. ⁸ I baptized you with^[h] water, but He will baptize you with^[i] the Holy Spirit”.

Jesus Is Baptized By John. God Expresses His Pleasure. Jesus Is Tempted By Satan

⁹ And it came about during those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. ¹⁰ And immediately while ascending^[j] out-of the water, He saw the heavens being divided^[k] and the Spirit like a dove descending to^[l] Him. ¹¹ And a voice came from the heavens— “You are My beloved Son. With You I was^[m] well-pleased”. ¹² And immediately the Spirit sends Him out^[n] into the wilderness. ¹³ And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. And He was with the wild-beasts. And the angels were ministering^[o] to Him.