1 Corinthians 1:17–2:16

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