1 Corinthians 1:17–2:16

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