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1 Corinthians 1

1Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus through God's will, and Sosthenes our brother, 2to God's assembly in Corinth, to those made holy in Christ Jesus, called as holy ones, together with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours: 3grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4I always thank my God for you because of God's grace given to you in Christ Jesus, 5because in him you were enriched in everything, in all speech and all knowledge, 6just as the testimony of Christ was confirmed among you, 7so that you lack no gift as you await the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8He will also confirm you to the end, free from accusation on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

10Now I appeal to you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be joined together in the same mind and the same judgment. 11For it has been made known to me about you, my brothers, by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you. 12What I mean is this: each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” “I to Apollos,” “I to Cephas,” or “I to Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized into Paul's name? 14I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one can say you were baptized into my name. 16I also baptized Stephanas's household; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the good news, not with wisdom of speech, so that Christ's cross might not be emptied of its power.

18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is God's power. 19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of those who understand.” 20Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the world's wisdom foolish? 21For since, in God's wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who believe. 22For Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's power and God's wisdom. 25For God's foolishness is wiser than people, and God's weakness is stronger than people.

26For consider your calling, brothers: not many were wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27But God chose the world's foolish things to put the wise to shame, and God chose the world's weak things to put the strong to shame. 28And God chose the world's lowborn and despised things, the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29so that no flesh might boast before God. 30But it is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom for us from God, and righteousness and holiness and redemption, 31so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Translation notes 6

1:1–3 — Assembly, holiness, and Lord. “Assembly” is the gathered community, commonly called the church. “Made holy” and “holy ones” concern being set apart for God, not a claim that these people never do wrong. “Their Lord and ours” supplies Lord as the likely referent of “theirs and ours”; the phrase could instead qualify the places where people call on him. The name formulas use Christ as in 2 Corinthians, while retaining its underlying title, Messiah or Anointed One.

1:6–9 — Testimony and fellowship. “Testimony of Christ” can mean testimony about Christ or testimony from him. “Confirm” connects the testimony's confirmation with the people's future standing. “Fellowship” means shared participation and relationship, not merely social enjoyment. The “he” in verse 8 may refer to Jesus Christ or to God; the translation leaves the pronoun in place.

1:10–13 — Divisions and names. “Brothers” addresses the community, including women. “Say the same thing” is an appeal for agreement in this divided community. “Chloe's people” could be members of her household or others associated with her; their exact relationship is not stated. Cephas is the Aramaic name also borne by Peter. “Into Paul's name” retains the relationship implied by the baptismal expression.

1:14–17 — Baptism and proclamation. The working text does not contain “God” after “I am thankful” in verse 14; other well-supported texts do. Paul's recollection of Stephanas's household remains as he gives it, without supplying its members' ages. “Wisdom of speech” concerns the impressive wisdom claimed for the proclamation, not an absolute ban on thought or persuasive communication. “Of its power” makes explicit the contextual sense of “emptied.”

1:18–25 — Cross and wisdom. The quotation in verse 19 is Isaiah 29:14 in Paul's wording. “Age” and “world” translate different Greek words. “Christ crucified” carries the startling proclamation of a crucified Messiah, not merely a personal surname. “Stumbling block” retains the image of an obstacle. God's “foolishness” and “weakness” use the opponents' apparent assessment for the comparison; Paul is not calling God deficient.

1:26–31 — Calling and boasting. “According to the flesh” concerns ordinary human assessments here. “Lowborn” contrasts with noble birth. “Things that are not” describes those treated as nobodies in contrast to those who count as somebodies; the unusual wording is retained. “No flesh” means no human being. In verse 30 holiness is being set apart for God, traditionally sanctification; redemption is release or liberation. The list is not presented as a timetable of separate stages. Verse 31 draws on Jeremiah 9:23–24.