1 Corinthians 1

New American Standard Bible

Appeal to Unity

1 Paul, ^(A)called as an apostle of Jesus Christ ^[a]by ^(B)the will of God, and our ^(C)brother ^(D)Sosthenes,

²To ^(E)the church of God which is in ^(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, ⁵that in everything you were ^(K)enriched in Him, in all ^(L)speech and ^(M)all knowledge, ⁶just as ^(N)the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed ^[d]in you, ⁷so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you eagerly ^(O)await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸^(P)who will also ^[e]confirm you to the end, blameless on ^(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.

¹⁰Now ^(U)I urge you, ^(V)brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all ^[f]agree and that there be no ^[g]^(W)divisions among you, but that you be ^[h]made complete in ^(X)the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. ¹²Now I mean this, that ^(Y)each one of you is saying, “I am ^[i]with Paul,” ^[j]or “I am ^[k]with ^(Z)Apollos,” ^[l]or “I am ^[m]with ^[n]^(AA)Cephas,” ^[o]or “I am ^[p]with Christ.” ¹³^[q]Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you ^(AB)baptized ^[r]in the name of Paul? ¹⁴I am thankful that I ^(AC)baptized none of you except ^(AD)Crispus and ^(AE)Gaius, ¹⁵so that no one would say you were baptized ^[s]in my name! ¹⁶But I did baptize the ^(AF)household of Stephanas also; beyond that, I do not know if I baptized anyone else. ¹⁷^(AG)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, ^(AH)not with ^[t]cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made of no effect.

The Wisdom of God

¹⁸For the word of the cross is ^(AI)foolishness to ^(AJ)those who ^[u]are perishing, but to us who ^[v]are being saved it is ^(AK)the power of God. ¹⁹For it is written:

“^(AL)I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the understanding of those who have understanding, I will confound.”

²⁰^(AM)Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of ^(AN)this age? Has God not ^(AO)made foolish the wisdom of ^(AP)the world? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God ^(AQ)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, ^(AR)God ^[w]was pleased through the ^(AS)foolishness of the ^[x]message preached to ^(AT)save those who believe. ²²For indeed ^(AU)Jews ask for ^[y]signs and Greeks search for wisdom; ²³but we preach ^[z]^(AV)Christ crucified, ^(AW)to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles ^(AX)foolishness, ²⁴but to those who are ^(AY)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ ^(AZ)the power of God and ^(BA)the wisdom of God. ²⁵For the ^(BB)foolishness of God is wiser than mankind, and ^(BC)the weakness of God is stronger than mankind.

²⁶For ^[aa]consider your ^(BD)calling, brothers and sisters, that there were ^(BE)not many wise according to ^[ab]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; ²⁷but ^(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, ²⁸and the ^[ac]insignificant 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, ²⁹so that ^(BL)no ^[ad]human may boast before God. ³⁰But it is ^[ae]due to Him that you are in ^(BM)Christ Jesus, who became to us ^(BN)wisdom from God, ^[af]and ^(BO)righteousness and ^(BP)sanctification, and ^(BQ)redemption, ³¹so that, just as it is written: “^(BR)Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”