1
Paul, called as an apostle of {Christa Jesus}b by the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother, 2 to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, together with all those who call upon 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 Lordc Jesus Christ.
4 I always give thanks to my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 just as the testimony of Christ was confirmed among you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless on 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 appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.
11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by those of Chloe's household, that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I give thanks [to God] that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that {you were}d baptized in my name.
16 I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”e
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.
22 For Jews demand {signs}f and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to {Gentiles}.g
24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God;
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26 Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; And God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things, the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast in the presence of God.