1 Corinthians 1

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