Chapter 1
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 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, through the name of our Lord , Jesus Christ , that you all speak the same thing , and that there be no divisions amongst you , but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgement.
11 For it has been reported to me concerning you , my brothers, by those who are from Chloe ’s household, that there are contentions amongst 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 baptised into the name of Paul ?
14 I thank God that I baptised none of you except Crispus and Gaius ,
15 so that no one should say that I had baptised you into my own name .
16 ( I also baptised the household of Stephanas ; besides them , I don’ t know whether I baptised any other .)
17 For Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the Good News — 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 being 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 debater of this age ? 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 God chose the lowly things of the world , and the things that are despised , and the things that don’ t exist , that he might bring to nothing the things that exist ,
29 that no flesh should boast before God .
30 Because of him , you are in Christ Jesus , who was made to us wisdom from God , and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
31 that , as it is written , " He who boasts , let him boast in the Lord ."