Appeal to Unity
1 Paul, (A)called as an apostle of Jesus Christ [a]by (B)the will of God, and (C)Sosthenes our (D)brother,
2 To (E)the church of God which is at (F)Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, [b]saints (G)by calling, with all who in every place (H)call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
3 (I)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 (J)I thank [c]my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were (K)enriched in Him, in all (L)speech and (M)all knowledge, 6 even as (N)the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed [d]in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, (O)awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 (P)who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in (Q)the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 (R)God is faithful, through whom you were (S)called into (T)fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now (U)I exhort you, (V)brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all [e]agree and that there be no [f](W)divisions among you, but that you be [g]made complete in (X)the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that (Y)each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of (Z)Apollos,” and “I of (AA)Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 [h]Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you (AB)baptized [i]in the name of Paul? 14 [j]I thank God that I (AC)baptized none of you except (AD)Crispus and (AE)Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized [k]in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the (AF)household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 (AG)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, (AH)not in [l]cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
The Wisdom of God
18 For the word of the cross is (AI)foolishness to (AJ)those who [m]are perishing, but to us who [n]are being saved it is (AK)the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“(AL)I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”
20 (AM)Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of (AN)this age? Has not God (AO)made foolish the wisdom of (AP)the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God (AQ)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, (AR)God was well-pleased through the (AS)foolishness of the [o]message preached to (AT)save those who believe. 22 For indeed (AU)Jews ask for [p]signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach [q](AV)Christ crucified, (AW)to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles (AX)foolishness, 24 but to those who are (AY)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (AZ)the power of God and (BA)the wisdom of God. 25 Because the (BB)foolishness of God is wiser than men, and (BC)the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For [r]consider your (BD)calling, brethren, that there were (BE)not many wise according to [s]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but (BF)God has chosen the foolish things of (BG)the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of (BH)the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of (BI)the world and the despised God has chosen, (BJ)the things that are not, so that He may (BK)nullify the things that are, 29 so that (BL)no [t]man may boast before God. 30 But [u]by His doing you are in (BM)Christ Jesus, who became to us (BN)wisdom from God, [v]and (BO)righteousness and (BP)sanctification, and (BQ)redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “(BR)Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 1:1 Lit through
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 Or holy ones
- 1 Corinthians 1:4 Two early mss do not contain my
- 1 Corinthians 1:6 Or among
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 Lit speak the same thing
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 Lit schisms
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 Or united
- 1 Corinthians 1:13 Or Christ has been divided! or Christ is divided!
- 1 Corinthians 1:13 Lit into
- 1 Corinthians 1:14 Two early mss read I give thanks that
- 1 Corinthians 1:15 Lit into
- 1 Corinthians 1:17 Lit wisdom
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 Or perish
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 Or are saved
- 1 Corinthians 1:21 Lit preaching
- 1 Corinthians 1:22 Or attesting miracles
- 1 Corinthians 1:23 I.e. Messiah
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 Lit see
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 I.e. human standards
- 1 Corinthians 1:29 Lit flesh
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 Lit of Him
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 Or both
Cross references
- 1 Corinthians 1:1 : Rom 1:1
- 1 Corinthians 1:1 : Rom 1:10; 2 Tim 1:1
- 1 Corinthians 1:1 : Acts 18:17
- 1 Corinthians 1:1 : Acts 1:15
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 : 1 Cor 10:32
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 : Acts 18:1
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 : Rom 1:7; 8:28
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 : Acts 7:59
- 1 Corinthians 1:3 : Rom 1:7
- 1 Corinthians 1:4 : Rom 1:8
- 1 Corinthians 1:5 : 2 Cor 9:11
- 1 Corinthians 1:5 : Rom 15:14; 2 Cor 8:7
- 1 Corinthians 1:5 : Rom 15:14; 2 Cor 8:7
- 1 Corinthians 1:6 : 2 Thess 1:10; 1 Tim 2:6; 2 Tim 1:8; Rev 1:2
- 1 Corinthians 1:7 : Luke 17:30; Rom 8:19, 23; Phil 3:20; 2 Pet 3:12
- 1 Corinthians 1:8 : Rom 8:19; Phil 1:6; Col 2:7; 1 Thess 3:13; 5:23
- 1 Corinthians 1:8 : Luke 17:24, 30; 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; Phil 1:6, 10; 2:16; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Thess 2:2
- 1 Corinthians 1:9 : Deut 7:9; Is 49:7; 1 Cor 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thess 5:24; 2 Thess 3:3
- 1 Corinthians 1:9 : Rom 8:28
- 1 Corinthians 1:9 : 1 John 1:3
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 : Rom 12:1
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 : Rom 1:13
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 : 1 Cor 11:18
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 : Rom 12:16; Phil 1:27
- 1 Corinthians 1:12 : Matt 23:8-10; 1 Cor 3:4
- 1 Corinthians 1:12 : Acts 18:24; 1 Cor 3:22
- 1 Corinthians 1:12 : John 1:42; 1 Cor 3:22; 9:5; 15:5
- 1 Corinthians 1:13 : Matt 28:19; Acts 2:38
- 1 Corinthians 1:14 : Acts 18:8
- 1 Corinthians 1:14 : Acts 18:8
- 1 Corinthians 1:14 : Rom 16:23
- 1 Corinthians 1:16 : 1 Cor 16:15, 17
- 1 Corinthians 1:17 : John 4:2; Acts 10:48
- 1 Corinthians 1:17 : 1 Cor 2:1, 4, 13; 2 Cor 10:10; 11:6
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 : 1 Cor 1:21, 23, 25; 2:14; 4:10
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 : Acts 2:47; 2 Cor 2:15; 4:3; 2 Thess 2:10
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 : Rom 1:16; 1 Cor 1:24
- 1 Corinthians 1:19 : Is 29:14
- 1 Corinthians 1:20 : Job 12:17; Is 19:11f; 33:18
- 1 Corinthians 1:20 : Matt 13:22; 1 Cor 2:6, 8; 3:18, 19
- 1 Corinthians 1:20 : Rom 1:20ff
- 1 Corinthians 1:20 : John 12:31; 1 Cor 1:27f; 6:2; 11:32; James 4:4
- 1 Corinthians 1:21 : John 12:31; 1 Cor 1:27f; 6:2; 11:32; James 4:4
- 1 Corinthians 1:21 : Luke 12:32; Gal 1:15; Col 1:19
- 1 Corinthians 1:21 : 1 Cor 1:18, 23, 25; 2:14; 4:10
- 1 Corinthians 1:21 : Rom 11:14; James 5:20
- 1 Corinthians 1:22 : Matt 12:38
- 1 Corinthians 1:23 : 1 Cor 2:2; Gal 3:1; 5:11
- 1 Corinthians 1:23 : Luke 2:34; 1 Pet 2:8
- 1 Corinthians 1:23 : 1 Cor 1:18, 21, 25; 2:14; 4:10
- 1 Corinthians 1:24 : Rom 8:28
- 1 Corinthians 1:24 : Rom 1:16; 1 Cor 1:18
- 1 Corinthians 1:24 : Luke 11:49; 1 Cor 1:30
- 1 Corinthians 1:25 : 1 Cor 1:18, 21, 23; 2:14; 4:10
- 1 Corinthians 1:25 : 2 Cor 13:4
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 : Rom 11:29
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 : Matt 11:25; 1 Cor 1:20; 2:8
- 1 Corinthians 1:27 : James 2:5
- 1 Corinthians 1:27 : 1 Cor 1:20
- 1 Corinthians 1:27 : 1 Cor 1:20
- 1 Corinthians 1:28 : 1 Cor 1:20
- 1 Corinthians 1:28 : Rom 4:17
- 1 Corinthians 1:28 : Job 34:19; 1 Cor 2:6; 2 Thess 2:8; Heb 2:14
- 1 Corinthians 1:29 : Eph 2:9
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 : Rom 8:1; 1 Cor 4:15
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 : 1 Cor 1:24
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 : Jer 23:5f; 33:16; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 : 1 Cor 1:2; 6:11; 1 Thess 5:23
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 : Rom 3:24; Eph 1:7, 14; Col 1:14
- 1 Corinthians 1:31 : Jer 9:23f; 2 Cor 10:17