1 Corinthians 1–4

GREETING

1Paul,^a called as an apostle^b of Christ Jesus by God’s will,^c and Sosthenes our brother:^d

²To the church of God at Corinth,^e to those sanctified^f in Christ Jesus, called^g as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name^h of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

³Grace to you and peace from God our Fatherⁱ and the Lord Jesus Christ.

THANKSGIVING

⁴I always thank^j my God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus, ⁵that you were enriched in him^k in every way, in all speech and all knowledge.^{l 6}In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you,^{m 7}so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly waitⁿ for the revelation^o of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸He will also strengthen you to the end,^p so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.^{q 9}God is faithful;^r you were called by him^s into fellowship with his Son,^t Jesus Christ our Lord.

DIVISIONS AT CORINTH

¹⁰Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. ¹¹For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry^u among you. ¹²What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”^v or “I belong to Cephas,”^w or “I belong to Christ.”^{x 13}Is Christ divided?^y Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? ¹⁴I thank God^AB that I baptized none of you except Crispus^z and Gaius,^{aa 15}so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶I did, in fact, baptize the household^ab of Stephanas;^ac beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. ¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross^ad of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

CHRIST THE POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD

¹⁸For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.^{ae 19}For it is written,

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent.^Caf

²⁰Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law?^D Where is the debater of this age?^ag Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? ²¹For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. ²²For the Jews ask for signs^ah and the Greeks seek wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified,^ai a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.^{A 24}Yet to those who are called,^aj both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, ²⁵because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

BOASTING ONLY IN THE LORD

²⁶Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective,^B not many powerful,^ak not many of noble birth. ²⁷Instead, God has chosen^al what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. ²⁸God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world^am—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, ²⁹so that no one^C may boast in his presence.^{an 30}It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness,^ao sanctification,^ap and redemption^{aq 31}—in order that, as it is written:^a Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.^Db

PAUL’S PROCLAMATION

2When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery^E of God to you, I did not come with brilliance^c of speech^d or wisdom. ²I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.^{e 3}I came to you in weakness,^f in fear,^g and in much trembling.^{h 4}My speechⁱ and my preaching were not with persuasive^j words of wisdom^F but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.^k

SPIRITUAL WISDOM

⁶We do, however, speak a wisdom among the mature,^l but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers^m of this age, who are coming to nothing.^{n 7}On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined^o before the ages for our glory.^{p 8}None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, because if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.^{q 9}But as it is written,

What no eye has seen, no ear has heard,

and no human heart has conceived—

God has prepared these things for those who love him.^Gr

¹⁰Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything,^s even the depths of God.^{t 11}For who knows a person’s thoughts^H except his spirit^u within him? In the same way, no one knows^v the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹²Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. ¹³We also speak these things, not in words^w taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.^{A 14}But the person without the Spirit^B does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. ¹⁵The spiritual person, however, can evaluate^D everything, and yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. ¹⁶For

who has known the Lord’s mind,

that he may instruct him?^Ex

But we have the mind of Christ.^y

THE PROBLEM OF IMMATURITY

3For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.^{z 2}I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, ³because you are still worldly. For since there is envy^aa and strife^Fab among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans? ⁴For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,”^ac are you not acting like mere humans?

THE ROLE OF GOD’S SERVANTS

⁵What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. ⁶I planted,^ad Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. ⁷So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ⁸Now he who plants and he who waters are one,^G and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹For we are God’s coworkers.^H You are God’s field, God’s building.^ae

¹⁰According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder,^I and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other^af than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. ¹²If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver,^ag costly stones,^ah wood, hay, or straw, ¹³each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire;^ai the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.^{aj 14}If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience^J loss, but he himself will be saved^ak—but only as through fire.^al

¹⁶Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple^am and that the Spirit of God lives in you?^{an 17}If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him;^ao for God’s temple is holy,^ap and that is what you are.

THE FOLLY OF HUMAN WISDOM

¹⁸Let no one deceive^a himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age,^b let him become a fool^c so that he can become wise.^{d 19}For the wisdom of this world is foolishness^e with God, since it is written,^f He catches the wise in their craftiness;^{Kg 20}and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings^h of the wise are futile.^{Ai 21}So let no one boast in human leaders, for everything is yours^j—²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas^k or the world or life^l or death^m or things present or things to comeⁿ—everything is yours, ²³and you belong to Christ,^o and Christ belongs to God.

THE FAITHFUL MANAGER

4A person should think of us in this way: as servants^p of Christ and managers^q of the mysteries of God.^{r 2}In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful.^{s 3}It is of little^t importance to me that I should be judged^u by you or by any human court.^B In fact, I don’t even judge myself. ⁴For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified^v by this. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵So don’t judge^w anything prematurely, before the Lord comes,^x who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.^y

THE APOSTLES’ EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY

⁶Now, brothers and sisters,^z I have applied these things to myself and Apollos^aa for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another. ⁷For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it? ⁸You are already full! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us—and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you! ⁹For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: We have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people. ¹⁰We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ!^ab We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! ¹¹Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; ¹²we labor, working^ac with our own…