1 Corinthians 1:15–31

¹⁵so that no one would say you were baptized ¹in my name.

¹⁶Now I did baptize also the ^ahousehold of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

^17aFor Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, ^bnot in ¹cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

The Wisdom of God

¹⁸For the word of the cross is ^afoolishness to ^bthose who ¹are perishing, but to us who ²are being saved it is ^cthe power of God.

¹⁹For it is written,

“^aI will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

^20aWhere is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of ^bthis age? Has not God ^cmade foolish the wisdom of ^dthe world?

²¹For since in the wisdom of God ^athe world through its wisdom did not come to know God, ^bGod was well-pleased through the ^cfoolishness of the ¹message preached to ^dsave those who believe.

²²For indeed ^aJews ask for ¹signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

²³but we preach ^1aChrist crucified, ^bto Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles ^cfoolishness,

²⁴but to those who are ^athe called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ ^bthe power of God and ^cthe wisdom of God.

²⁵Because the ^afoolishness of God is wiser than men, and ^bthe weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶For ¹consider your ^acalling, brethren, that there were ^bnot many wise according to ²the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;

²⁷but ^aGod has chosen the foolish things of ^bthe world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,

²⁸and the base things of ^athe world and the despised God has chosen, ^bthe things that are not, so that He may ^cnullify the things that are,

²⁹so that ^ano ¹man may boast before God.

³⁰But ¹by His doing you are in ^aChrist Jesus, who became to us ^bwisdom from God, ²and ^crighteousness and ^dsanctification, and ^eredemption,

³¹so that, just as it is written, “^aLet him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”