Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Paul’s Approach to Ministry in Corinth

2 And I, when I^[a] came to you, brothers, did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony^[b] of God. ² For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ And I came to you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling, ⁴ and my speech and my preaching were not with the persuasiveness^[c] of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power, ⁵ in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

The Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

⁶ Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but wisdom not of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing, ⁷ but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, which God predestined before the ages for our glory, ⁸ which none of the rulers of this age knew. For if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹ But just as it is written,

¹⁰ For^[f] to us God has revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. ¹¹ For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? Thus also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, in order that we may know the things freely given to us by God, ¹³ things which we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.^{[g] 14} But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ Now the spiritual person discerns all things, but he himself is judged by no one. ¹⁶ “For who has known the mind of the Lord; who has advised him?”^[h] But we have the mind of Christ.

Divisiveness and Immaturity

3 And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to fleshly people, as to infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to eat it. But now you are still not able, ³ for you are still fleshly. For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and do you not live like unregenerate people?^{[i] 4} For whenever anyone says, “I am with Paul,” and another, “I am with Apollos,” are you not merely human?

⁵ Therefore, what is Apollos and what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, and to each as the Lord gave. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing it to grow. ⁷ So then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who is causing it to grow. ⁸ Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one, but each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰ According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must direct his attention to how he is building upon it. ¹¹ For no one is able to lay another foundation than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, ¹³ the work of each one will become evident. For the day will reveal it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the work of each one, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work that he has built upon it remains, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but so as through fire.

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are God’s temple and the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy this one. For God’s temple is holy, which you are.

¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks himself to be wise among you in this age, let him become a fool, in order that he may become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, “The one who catches the wise in their craftiness,”^{[j] 20} and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”^{[k] 21} So then, let no one boast in people. For all things are yours, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all things are yours, ²³ and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.