Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Wisdom that Rests on God’s Power

2 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with excellence of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the mystery^[a] of God. ² For I decided not to know about anything among you except Yeshua the Messiah—and Him crucified. ³ I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. ⁴ My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power— ⁵ so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

⁶ We do speak wisdom, however, among those who are mature—but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ Rather, we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery—a wisdom that has been hidden, which God destined for our glory before the ages. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood it—for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹ But as it is written,

¹⁰ But God revealed these things to us through the Ruach.^[c] For the Ruach searches all things—even the depths of God. ¹¹ For who among men knows the things of a man, except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the things of God except the Ruach Elohim. ¹² Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God—so we might come to know the things freely given to us by God. ¹³ These things we also speak—not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Ruach, explaining the spiritual to the spiritual.

¹⁴ Now a natural man does not accept the things of the Ruach Elohim, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is discerned by no one. For

Building Together on God’s Foundation

3 And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as Spirit-filled but as worldly^[e]—as infants in Messiah. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready. Indeed, even now you are not yet ready, ³ for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, aren’t you worldly and walking in a human way? ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere humans^[f]?

⁵ What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to trust—and to each as the Lord gave. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters work as one, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each consider carefully how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no one can lay any other foundation than what is already laid^[g]—which is Yeshua the Messiah. ¹² Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear. For the Day will show it, because it is to be revealed by fire; and the fire itself will test each one’s work—what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss—he himself will be saved, but as through fire.

¹⁶ Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that the Ruach Elohim dwells among you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so he may become wise. ^{[h] 19} For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written, “He catches the clever in their craftiness.” ^{[i] 20} And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are useless.” ^{[j] 21} So let no one boast about men. For all things are yours— ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Kefa, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come. All are yours, ²³ and you are Messiah’s, and Messiah is God’s.