1 Corinthians 1:1–4:21
1 Paul, acalled to be an apostle of Jesus Christ bthrough the will of God, and cSosthenes our brother,
2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who dare 1sanctified in Christ Jesus, ecalled to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ four Lord, gboth theirs and ours:
3 hGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 iI thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him jin all 2utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as kthe testimony of Christ was confirmed 3in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly lwaiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 mwho will also confirm you to the end, nthat you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 oGod is faithful, by whom you were called into pthe fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, qthat you all 4speak the same thing, and that there be no 5divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are 6contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that reach of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of sApollos,” or “I am of tCephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 uIs Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized vnone of you except wCrispus and xGaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of yStephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, znot with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
18 For the 7message of the cross is afoolishness to bthose who are perishing, but to us cwho are being saved it is the dpower of God. 19 For it is written:
e“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
20 fWhere is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the 8disputer of this age? gHas not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the hwisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For iJews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, jto the Jews a 9stumbling block and to the 1Greeks kfoolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ lthe power of God and mthe wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For 2you see your calling, brethren, nthat not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many 3noble, are called. 27 But oGod has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the 4base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and prighteousness and sanctification and redemption—31 that, as it is written, q“He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the 1testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you aexcept Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 bI was with you cin weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching dwere not with persuasive words of 2human wisdom, ebut in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the fpower of God.
6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God 3ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for ghad they known, they would not have hcrucified the Lord of glory.
i“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But jGod has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the kspirit of the man which is in him? lEven so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but mthe Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the 4Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 nBut the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For o“who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” pBut we have the mind of Christ.
3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to ababes in Christ. 2 I fed you with bmilk and not with solid food; cfor until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and 1behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but dministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 eI planted, fApollos watered, gbut God gave the increase. 7 So then hneither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, iand each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For jwe are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are kGod’s building. 10 lAccording to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid mthe foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than nthat which is laid, owhich is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day pwill declare it, because qit will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
16 rDo you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone 2defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
18 sLet no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, t“He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; 20 and again, u“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For vall things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 23 And wyou are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
Stewards of the Mysteries of God
4 Let a man so consider us, as aservants of Christ band stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human 1court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 cTherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to dlight the hidden things of darkness and ereveal the 2counsels of the hearts. fThen each one’s praise will come from God.
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be 3puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who 4makes you differ from another? And gwhat do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! hYou are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a ispectacle 5to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are jfools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! kWe are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 lAnd we labor, working with our own hands. mBeing reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we 6entreat. nWe have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
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