1 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of our Father, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 to the church of our Father that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thankful for Our Father's Grace
4 I always thank my Father for you because of the grace of our Father that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in him you were enriched in every way, in all speech and all knowledge 6 —even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you 7 —so that you are not lacking in any gift as you eagerly wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also keep you firm to the end, blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 Our Father is faithful, the one through whom you were called into deep communion with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Family Must Be United
10 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 judgment. 11 For I have been told about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." a a v12 Cephas is the Aramaic name for Peter. 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank our Father that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did also baptize 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 proclaim the gospel — not with words of human wisdom, for fear that the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
The Power of the Cross
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 our Father. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
20 Where is the wise one? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not our Father made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of our Father, the world did not come to know him through its wisdom, he was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what we proclaim. 22 For Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified — a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of our Father and the wisdom of our Father. 25 For the foolishness of our Father is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of our Father is stronger than human strength. b b v25 Irony: not that our Father is truly foolish, but that what the world calls foolish outstrips human wisdom.
26 Consider your calling, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27 But our Father chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; our Father chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong; 28 and the lowly things of the world and the despised things our Father chose — the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before our Father. 30 But from him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from our Father — our righteousness and holiness and redemption c c v30 In Christ, the Father gives us everything we need — Christ himself becomes our wisdom, our right standing, our holiness, and our freedom. The gift is a Person. 31 —so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."