1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of
God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 to the assembly of God which is at
Corinth; those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with
all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs
and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
4 I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was
given you in Christ Jesus; 5 that in everything you were enriched in
him, in all speech and all knowledge; 6 even as the testimony of Christ
was confirmed in you: 7 so that you come behind in no gift; waiting
for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who will also confirm you
until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is
faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord. 10 Now I beg you, brothers,*1 through the name of our Lord, Jesus
Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions
among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in
the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me concerning you, my
brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions
among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,”
“I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.” 13 Is
Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into
the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, except
Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one should say that I had baptized
you into my own name. 16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanas;
besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.) 17 For Christ
sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel — not in wisdom of words, so
that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void. 18 For the word of the
cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is
the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this
world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For seeing
that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it
was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save
those who believe. 22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and
foolishness to Greeks, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger
than men. 26 For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise
according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; 27 but God
chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who
are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame
the things that are strong; 28 and God chose the lowly things of the
world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he
might bring to nothing the things that are: 29 that no flesh should boast
before God. 30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to
us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
31 that, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the
Lord.”
1 The word for
“brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated
“brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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