1 Corinthians 1–4

Greeting

1Paul, ^acalled as an apostle ^bof Christ Jesus by God’s will, ^cand Sosthenes our brother: ^d

²To God’s church at Corinth, ^eto those who are sanctified ^fin Christ Jesus and called ^gas saints, with all those in every place who call on the name ^hof Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

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

Thanksgiving

⁴I always thank ^jmy God for you because of God’s grace given to you in Christ Jesus, ⁵that by Him you were enriched ^kin everything—in all speech and all knowledge. ^l6In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, ^m7so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait ⁿfor the revelation ^oof our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸He will also strengthen you to the end, ^pso that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ^q9God is faithful; ^ryou were called by Him ^sinto fellowship with His Son, ^tJesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions at Corinth

¹⁰Now I urge you, brothers, 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, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry ^uamong you. ¹²What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” ^vor “I’m with Cephas,” ^wor “I’m with Christ.” ^x13Is Christ divided? ^yWas it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? ¹⁴I thank God ^zathat I baptized none of you except Crispus ^band Gaius, ^c15so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶I did, in fact, baptize the household ^dof Stephanas; ^ebeyond that, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else. ¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross ^fof Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved. ^g19For it is written:

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and I will set aside the understanding of the experts. ^hi

²⁰Where is the philosopher? ^jWhere is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? ^kHasn’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 the message preached. ²²For the Jews ask for signs ^land the Greeks seek wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified, ^ma stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. ⁿ²⁴Yet to those who are called, ^oboth Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom, ²⁵because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Boasting Only in the Lord

²⁶Brothers, consider your calling: Not many are wise from a human perspective, ^pnot many powerful, ^qnot many of noble birth. ²⁷Instead, God has chosen ^rwhat 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 ^s—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, ²⁹so that no one ^tcan boast in His presence. ^u30But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us—our righteousness, ^vsanctification, ^wand redemption, ^x31in order that, as it is written: ^yThe one who boasts must boast in the Lord. ^za

Paul’s Proclamation

2When I came to you, brothers, announcing the testimony ^bof God to you, I did not come with brilliance ^cof speech ^dor wisdom. ²For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. ^e3I came to you in weakness, ^fin fear, ^gand in much trembling. ^h4My speech ⁱand my proclamation were not with persuasive ^jwords of wisdom ^kbut with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit, ⁵so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power. ^l

Spiritual Wisdom

⁶However, we do speak a wisdom among the mature, ^mbut not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers ⁿof this age, who are coming to nothing. ^o7On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined ^pbefore the ages for our glory. ^q8None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ^r9But as it is written:

What eye did not see and ear did not hear,

and what never entered the human mind—

God prepared this for those who love Him. ^st

¹⁰Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, ^ueven the depths of God. ^v11For who among men knows the thoughts ^wof a man except the spirit ^xof the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows ^ythe thoughts ^zof 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 ^ataught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. ^b14But the unbeliever ^cdoes not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated ^dspiritually. ¹⁵The spiritual person, however, can evaluate ^eeverything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated ^fby anyone. ¹⁶For

who has known the Lord’s mind,

that he may instruct Him? ^gh

But we have the mind of Christ. ⁱ

The Problem of Immaturity

3Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. ^j2I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, ³because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy ^kand strife ^lmamong you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? ⁿ⁴For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” ^oare you not unspiritual people? ^pq

The Role of God’s Servants

⁵What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. ⁶I planted, ^rApollos 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 the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹For we are God’s coworkers. ^sYou are God’s field, God’s building. ^t10According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹For no one can lay any other foundation ^uthan what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. ¹²If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, ^vcostly stones, ^wwood, hay, or straw, ¹³each one’s work will become obvious, for the day ^xwill disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; ^ythe fire will test the quality of each one’s work. ^z14If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; ^ayet it will be like an escape through fire. ^bc

¹⁶Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary ^dand that the Spirit of God lives in you? ^e17If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him; ^ffor God’s sanctuary is holy, ^gand that is what you are.

The Folly of Human Wisdom

¹⁸No one should deceive ^hhimself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, ⁱhe must become foolish ^jso that he can become wise. ^k19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness ^lwith God, since it is written: ^mHe catches the wise in their craftiness; ^no20and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings ^pof the wise are meaningless. ^qr21So no one should boast in human leaders, for everything is yours ^s— ²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas ^tor the world or life ^uor death ^vor things present or things to come ^w—everything is yours, ²³and you belong to Christ, ^xand Christ belongs to God.

The Faithful Manager

4A person should consider us in this way: as servants ^yof Christ and managers ^zof God’s mysteries. ^a2In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one of them be found faithful. ^b3It is of little ^cimportance to me that I should be evaluated ^dby you or by any human court. ^eIn fact, I don’t even evaluate myself. ⁴For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified ^fby this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord. ⁵Therefore don’t judge ^ganything prematurely, before the Lord comes, ^hwho 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. ⁱ

The Apostles’ Example of Humility

⁶Now, brothers, ^jI have applied these things to myself and Apollos ^kfor your benefit, so that you may learn from us the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” ^lThe purpose is that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of 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 and to angels and to men. ¹⁰We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! ^mWe 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 ⁿwith our own hands. ^oWhen we are reviled, we bless; when we are…