Beginning

He recalls God’s grace to the Corinthians, exhorts them to be of one mind, and rebukes the division that was among them. The wisdom of the world is foolishness before God; yea, there is no wisdom but in the despised cross of God.

1 Paul, by calling an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and brother Sosthenes.

² To the congregation of God which is at Corinth. To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

³ Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I thank my God always in your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ – ⁵ that in all things you are made rich by him, in all learning and in all knowledge, ⁶ even as the testimony of Jesus Christ was confirmed in you, ⁷ so that you are behind in no gift, and wait for the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ He will strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For God is faithful, by whom you are called to the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁰ I beseech you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to all speak one thing, and that there be no dissension among you, but be knit together in one mind and in one purpose. ¹¹ It is reported to me about you, my brethren, by those who are of the house of Chloe, that there is strife among you. ¹² And this is what I mean: that commonly among you one says, I hold to Paul; another, I hold to Apollos; the third, I hold to Cephas; the fourth, I hold to Christ. ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I christened none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. ¹⁶ (I baptized also the household of Stephanas. Beyond this, I do not remember if I baptized anyone or not.)

¹⁷ For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel – not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should have been made of no effect. ¹⁸ For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will cast away the understanding of the learned. ²⁰ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this world? Has not God made the wisdom of this world foolishness?

²¹ For when the world through wisdom did not know God, in the wisdom of God, it pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. ²² For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. ²³ But we preach Christ crucified: to the Jews an occasion of falling, and to the Greeks foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both of the Jews and the Greeks, we preach Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶ Brethren, look on your calling, how it is that not many who are wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many of high degree, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world, to confound things which are strong. ²⁸ And low things of the world, and things which are despised, God has chosen, yea and things of no reputation, to bring to nothing things of reputation, ²⁹ so that no flesh may glory in his presence. ³⁰ And to him you belong in Christ Jesus, who by God is made wisdom to us, and also righteousness and sanctifying and redemption, ³¹ so that as it is written, he who glories will glory in the Lord.

It is not eloquence and glorious painted words of worldly wisdom that can edify and convert souls to Christ, but the plain words of the scripture. For they tell of him and his cross.

2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not in gloriousness of words or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. ² Nor did I show myself to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. ³ And I was among you in weakness and in fear, and in much trembling. ⁴ And my words and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵ so that your faith would not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

⁶ That which we speak of is wisdom among those who are sound: not the wisdom of this world, nor of the rulers of this world (who come to nothing), ⁷ but we speak the wisdom of God, which is in secret and lies hid, which God ordained before the world for our glory. ⁸ Which wisdom none of the rulers of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. ⁹ But as it is written: The eye has not seen and the ear has not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for those who love him.

¹⁰ But God has revealed them to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the bottom of God’s secrets. ¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of a man which is within him? In the same way, the things of God are known by no man, but by the Spirit of God. ¹² And we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which comes of God, in order to know the things that are given to us by God – ¹³ which things also we speak, not in the wise words of man’s wisdom, but with the wise words of the Holy Spirit, making spiritual comparisons of spiritual things. ¹⁴ For the natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God. For they are but foolishness to him. Nor can he perceive them, because they are spiritually examined. ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual evaluates all things. Yet he himself is judged by no man. ¹⁶ For who knows the mind of the Lord, or who shall inform him? But we understand the mind of Christ.

Paul rebukes the sects, and authors of sects. Christ is the foundation of his church. We must take heed how we build on this foundation. No one ought to glory in men, but in God.

3 And I could not speak to you brethren as to spiritual people, but as to carnal; even, as it were, to babes in Christ. ² I gave you milk to drink, and not meat. For you were not strong then, no, neither are you yet. ³ For you are yet carnal. For as long as there is among you envying, strife, and dissension, are you not carnal, and walking after the manner of men? ⁴ As long as one says, I hold to Paul, and another, I’m for Apollos, are you not carnal? ⁵ What is Paul? What is Apollos? Only ministers they are, by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave grace to each one. ⁶ I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then, neither is he who plants anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ He who plants and he who waters are neither better than the other. Each will receive his reward according to his labours.

⁹ We are God’s labourers. You are God’s husbandry, you are God’s building. ¹⁰ By the grace of God given to me, as a wise builder I have laid the foundation, and another built on it. But let everyone take heed how he builds upon it. ¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² And whether anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble, ¹³ his work will be seen for what it is. For the day will reveal it, and it will be shown in fire. And the fire shall try every person’s work, what it is. ¹⁴ If what someone has built remains, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work burns, he will suffer loss; but he will be saved himself, nevertheless yet as it were through fire.

¹⁶ Are you not aware that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. ¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself.

If any man seems wise among you, let him be a fool in this world so that he may be wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: He compasses the wise in their craftiness. ²⁰ And again: God knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

²¹ Therefore, let no one glory in men. For all things are yours – ²² whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas, whether it be the world or life or death, whether they be things present or things to come. All are yours, ²³ and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Those who preach are but servants. Judgment belongs to God only.

4 Let people esteem us this way: as the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the secrets of God. ² Furthermore, it is required of the stewards that they be found faithful. ³ With me it is but a very small thing if I am judged by you, or by man’s day. No, I do not judge my own self. ⁴ I know nothing against myself, yet I am not thereby justified. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will shed light on things that are hid in darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. And then shall each have praise from God.

⁶ Brethren, I have explained these things with reference to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that you might learn from us: so that no one accounts of himself beyond what is written above, so that no one swells against another for any man’s cause. ⁷ For who prefers you? What do you have that was not given to you? If you have received it, why do you glory as though you had not received it? ⁸ Now you are full, now you are made rich; you reign as kings without us. And I would to God you did reign, so that we might reign with you.

⁹ It seems to me that God has set forth us who are apostles as the lowest of all – men appointed to death, as it were. For we are a gazing stock to the world, and to the angels, and to men. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise through Christ. We are weak, and you are strong. You are honourable, and we are dishonoured. ¹¹ Even to this day we both hunger and thirst, and are clothed in rags, and are buffeted with fists, and have no certain dwelling place, ¹² and labour, working with our own hands. We are reviled, and yet we bless. We are persecuted, and suffer it. ¹³ We are ill spoken of, and we pray. We are made as if the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all things, even to this time.

¹⁴ I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. ¹⁵ For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. ¹⁶ So then, I want you to follow me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my dear son and faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways, which I have in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in all congregations.

¹⁸ Some swell, as though I will not be coming to you any more. ¹⁹ But I will come to you shortly, if God so wills, and will know not the words of those who swell, but the power. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power. ²¹ What would you have? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and in the spirit of gentleness?