1 Corinthians 1

Encouragement and Affirmation 1 Corinthians 1:4–9

⁴Verse 4. I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus; ⁵Verse 5. that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge; ⁶Verse 6. even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: ⁷Verse 7. so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; ⁸Verse 8. who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹Verse 9. God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Call for Unity 1 Corinthians 1:10–17

¹⁰Verse 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 among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹Verse 11. For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. ¹²Verse 12. Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.” ¹³Verse 13. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?

¹⁴Verse 14. I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵Verse 15. so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name. ¹⁶Verse 16. (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.) ¹⁷Verse 17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void.

Wisdom and the Cross 1 Corinthians 1:18–25

¹⁸Verse 18. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹Verse 19. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.” ²⁰Verse 20. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹Verse 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.

²²Verse 22. For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, ²³Verse 23. but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, ²⁴Verse 24. but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵Verse 25. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

God's Choosing 1 Corinthians 1:26–31

²⁶Verse 26. For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; ²⁷Verse 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; ²⁸Verse 28. and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are: ²⁹Verse 29. that no flesh should boast before God. ³⁰Verse 30. Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

³¹Verse 31. that, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”