1From Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ by
the will of God, and Sosthenes
our brother,
2to the church of God which is in Corinth, to
those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called
to be saints, with all those
who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place of both theirs and ours,
3grace to you, and peace from God our father and Lord, Jesus Christ.
4I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which
has been given to you in Christ Jesus,
5because you have been enriched in him in everything, in all speech and
in all knowledge,
6in accordance with
the fact that the testimony of Christ has been confirmed in you,
7so that you are not lacking in any gracious gift, as you await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
8who will also secure you up to
the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9God, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord,
is faithful.
10And I exhort you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak with one
voice, and
that there should not be
any divisions among you, and
that you should be equipped with the same mind and with the same purpose.
11For concerning you, my brothers, it has been shown to me by those of Chloe's
household that there are controversies among you.
12And I mean this, that each of you is saying, “I am of
the school of Paul”, and, “I of Apollos”, and, “I of Cephas”, and, “I of Christ.”
13Is Christ divided? Paul was not crucified for you,
was he? Or were you baptized in Paul's name?
14I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15so that no-one should say that I baptized in my own name.
16But I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Other
than that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.
17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in linguistic wisdom, so that the cross of Christ should not be made void.
18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those
who are on the road to perdition, but to us who
are being saved, it is
the power of God.
19For it stands written:
“I will demolish the wisdom of the wise
And dismiss the intelligence of the intellectuals.”
20Where
is the wise
man? Where
is the scribe? Where
is the debater of this age? Has not God rendered the wisdom of this world foolish?
21For since the world, in the wisdom of God, did not know God through
its wisdom, it pleased God to save those
who believe through the foolishness of the proclamation
of the gospel.
22Indeed
so, seeing that
the Jews ask for a sign, and
the Greeks seek wisdom,
23while we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to
the Jews, and foolishness to
the Greeks,
24but to those themselves
who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and
the wisdom of God,
25because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For you see your calling, brothers,
and that not many
who are wise according to
the flesh, that not many
who are powerful, that not many
who are of noble birth,
are called,
27but God has chosen the foolish
things of the world, in order that he might put the wise to shame, and God has chosen the weak
things of the world, in order that he might put the strong
things to shame,
28and God has chosen the ignoble
things of the world, and the despised
things, and the nonexistent
things, in order to nullify the existing
things,
29in order that no flesh should boast in God's presence.
30But by virtue of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became our wisdom from God, both righteousness and holiness, and redemption,
31in order that, as it stands written:
“Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Reference(s) in Chapter 1: v.19 ↔ Isaiah 29:14 ● v.31 ↔ Jeremiah 9:23MT (Jeremiah 9:24AV).