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Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit

2 And when I came to you, brothers, I ^(A)did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you ^(B)the ^[a]witness of God. ² For I determined to know nothing among you except ^(C)Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. ³ And I was with you in ^(D)weakness and in ^(E)fear and in much trembling, ⁴ and my word and my preaching were ^(F)not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of ^(G)the Spirit and of power, ⁵ so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in ^(H)the power of God.

⁶ Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are ^(I)mature, a wisdom, however, not of ^(J)this age nor of the rulers of ^(K)this age, who are ^(L)being abolished. ⁷ But we speak God’s wisdom in a ^(M)mystery, the wisdom which has been hidden, which God ^(N)predestined before the ^(O)ages to our glory, ^8 (P)which none of the rulers of ^(Q)this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified ^(R)the Lord of glory. ⁹ But just as it is written,

^10 [b](T)But to us God revealed them ^(U)through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the ^(V)depths of God. ¹¹ For who among men knows the depths of a man except the ^(W)spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we ^(X)have received, not the spirit of ^(Y)the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the depths graciously given to us by God, ¹³ of which depths we also speak, ^(Z)not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, ^[c]combining spiritual depths with spiritual words.

¹⁴ But ^[d]a ^(AA)natural man ^(AB)does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are ^(AC)foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because ^(AD)they are spiritually examined. ¹⁵ But he who is ^(AE)spiritual examines all things, yet he himself is examined by no one. ¹⁶ For ^(AF)who has known the mind of the ^[e]Lord, that he will direct Him? But ^(AG)we have the mind of Christ.

Jesus Christ, Our Foundation

3 And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to ^(AH)spiritual men, but as to ^(AI)fleshly men, as to ^(AJ)infants in Christ. ² I gave you ^(AK)milk to drink, not solid food, for you ^(AL)were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are still not able, ³ for you are still fleshly. For since there is ^(AM)jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking ^[f](AN)like mere men? ⁴ For when ^(AO)one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere ^(AP)men?

⁵ What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? ^(AQ)Servants through whom you believed, even ^(AR)as the Lord gave to each one. ^6 (AS)I planted, ^(AT)Apollos watered, but ^(AU)God was causing the growth. ⁷ So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, but each will ^(AV)receive his own ^[g]reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s ^(AW)fellow workers; you are God’s ^[h](AX)field, God’s ^(AY)building.

¹⁰ According to ^(AZ)the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder ^(BA)I laid a foundation, and ^(BB)another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no one can lay a ^(BC)foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, ^[i]precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ^13 (BD)each man’s work will become evident, for ^(BE)the day will indicate it because it is revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test ^[j]the quality of each man’s work. ¹⁴ If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will ^(BF)receive a reward. ¹⁵ If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet ^(BG)so as through fire.

^16 (BH)Do you not know that ^(BI)you are a ^[k]sanctuary of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If any man destroys the ^[l]sanctuary of God, God will destroy him, for the ^[m]sanctuary of God is holy, and ^[n]that is what you are.

^18 (BJ)Let no man deceive himself. ^(BK)If any man among you thinks that he is wise in ^(BL)this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. ¹⁹ For ^(BM)the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is ^(BN)the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; ²⁰ and again, “^(BO)The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.” ²¹ So then ^(BP)let no one boast in men. For ^(BQ)all things belong to you, ^22 (BR)whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or ^(BS)life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, ²³ and ^(BT)you belong to Christ, and ^(BU)Christ belongs to God.