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1 Corinthians 1-2
New Life Version
1 Corinthians 1-2
New Life Version
1 This letter is from Paul. I have been chosen by God to be a missionary of Jesus Christ. Sosthenes, a Christian brother, writes also. 2 I write to God’s church in the city of Corinth. I write to those who belong to Christ Jesus and to those who are set apart by Him and made holy. I write to all the Christians everywhere who call on the name of Jesus Christ. He is our Lord and their Lord also. 3 May you have loving-favor and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul Gives Thanks for Their Faith
4 I am thankful to God all the time for you. I am thankful for the loving-favor God has given to you because you belong to Christ Jesus. 5 He has made your lives rich in every way. Now you have power to speak for Him. He gave you good understanding. 6 This shows that what I told you about Christ and what He could do for you has been done in your lives. 7 You have the gifts of the Holy Spirit that you need while you wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to come again. 8 Christ will keep you strong until He comes again. No blame will be held against you. 9 God is faithful. He chose you to be joined together with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Church in Corinth Is Divided
10 Christian brothers, I ask you with all my heart in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to agree among yourselves. Do not be divided into little groups. Think and act as if you all had the same mind. 11 My Christian brothers, I have heard from some of Chloe’s family that you are arguing among yourselves. 12 I hear that some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul,” and “I am a follower of Apollos,” and “I am a follower of Peter,” and “I am a follower of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul put on a cross to die for your sins? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful to God that I baptized Crispus and Gaius only. 15 No one can say that you were baptized in the name of Paul. 16 I remember I did baptize the family of Stephanas, but I do not remember baptizing any others. 17 Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the Good News. I did not use big sounding words when I preached. If I had, the power of the cross of Christ would be taken away.
Christ Is the Power and Wisdom of God
18 Preaching about the cross sounds foolish to those who are dying in sin. But it is the power of God to those of us who are being saved from the punishment of sin. 19 The Holy Writings say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise people. I will put aside the learning of those who think they know a lot.” (A) 20 Where is the man who is wise? Where is the man who thinks he knows a lot? Where is the man who thinks he has all the answers? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 In His wisdom, He did not allow man to come to know Him through the wisdom of this world. It pleased God to save men from the punishment of their sins through preaching the Good News. This preaching sounds foolish. 22 The Jews are looking for something special to see. The Greek people are looking for the answer in wisdom. 23 But we preach that Christ died on a cross to save them from their sins. These words are hard for the Jews to listen to. The Greek people think it is foolish. 24 Christ is the power and wisdom of God to those who are chosen to be saved from the punishment of sin for both Jews and Greeks. 25 God’s plan looked foolish to men, but it is wiser than the best plans of men. God’s plan which may look weak is stronger than the strongest plans of men.
God’s Wisdom—Human Wisdom
26 Christian brothers, think who you were when the Lord called you. Not many of you were wise or powerful or born into the family of leaders of a country. 27 But God has chosen what the world calls foolish to shame the wise. He has chosen what the world calls weak to shame what is strong. 28 God has chosen what is weak and foolish of the world, what is hated and not known, to destroy the things the world trusts in. 29 In that way, no man can be proud as he stands before God. 30 God Himself made the way so you can have new life through Christ Jesus. God gave us Christ to be our wisdom. Christ made us right with God and set us apart for God and made us holy. Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from our sins. 31 It is as the Holy Writings say, “If anyone is going to be proud of anything, he should be proud of the Lord.”
Paul Received the Good News from God
2 Christian brothers, when I came to you, I did not preach the secrets of God with big sounding words or make it sound as if I were so wise. 2 I made up my mind that while I was with you I would speak of nothing except Jesus Christ and of His death on the cross. 3 When I was with you, I was weak. I was afraid and I shook. 4 What I had to say when I preached was not in big sounding words of man’s wisdom. But it was given in the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 In this way, you do not have faith in Christ because of the wisdom of men. You have faith in Christ because of the power of God.
True Wisdom Comes from God
6 We speak wisdom to full-grown Christians. This wisdom is not from this world or from the leaders of today. They die and their wisdom dies with them. 7 What we preach is God’s wisdom. It was a secret until now. God planned for us to have this honor before the world began. 8 None of the world leaders understood this wisdom. If they had, they would not have put Christ up on a cross to die. He is the Lord of shining-greatness. 9 The Holy Writings say, “No eye has ever seen or no ear has ever heard or no mind has ever thought of the wonderful things God has made ready for those who love Him.” (B) 10 God has shown these things to us through His Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who looks into all things, even the secrets of God, and shows them to us. 11 Who can know the things about a man, except a man’s own spirit that is in him? It is the same with God. Who can understand Him except the Holy Spirit? 12 We have not received the spirit of the world. God has given us His Holy Spirit that we may know about the things given to us by Him. 13 We speak about these things also. We do not use words of man’s wisdom. We use words given to us by the Holy Spirit. We use these words to tell what the Holy Spirit wants to say to those who put their trust in Him. 14 But the person who is not a Christian does not understand these words from the Holy Spirit. He thinks they are foolish. He cannot understand them because he does not have the Holy Spirit to help him understand. 15 The full-grown Christian understands all things, and yet he is not understood. 16 For who has the thoughts of the Lord? Who can tell Him what to do? But we have the thoughts of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1-2
New International Version
1 Corinthians 1-2
New International Version
1 Paul, called to be an apostle(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,(B) and our brother Sosthenes,(C)
2 To the church of God(D) in Corinth,(E) to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called(F) to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name(G) of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(H)
Thanksgiving
4 I always thank my God for you(I) because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched(J) in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge(K)— 6 God thus confirming our testimony(L) about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift(M) as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.(N) 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless(O) on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.(P) 9 God is faithful,(Q) who has called you(R) into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.(S)
A Church Divided Over Leaders
10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a](T) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you,(U) but that you be perfectly united(V) in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household(W) have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”;(X) another, “I follow Apollos”;(Y) another, “I follow Cephas[b]”;(Z) still another, “I follow Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?(AA) 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus(AB) and Gaius,(AC) 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household(AD) of Stephanas;(AE) beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize,(AF) but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom(AG) and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness(AH) to those who are perishing,(AI) but to us who are being saved(AJ) it is the power of God.(AK) 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”[c](AL)
20 Where is the wise person?(AM) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?(AN) Has not God made foolish(AO) the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world(AP) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save(AQ) those who believe.(AR) 22 Jews demand signs(AS) and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified:(AT) a stumbling block(AU) to Jews and foolishness(AV) to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called,(AW) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God(AX) and the wisdom of God.(AY) 25 For the foolishness(AZ) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness(BA) of God is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.(BB) Not many of you were wise(BC) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose(BD) the foolish(BE) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not(BF)—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.(BG) 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,(BH) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,(BI) holiness(BJ) and redemption.(BK) 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[d](BL)
2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom(BM) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[e] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.(BN) 3 I came to you(BO) in weakness(BP) with great fear and trembling.(BQ) 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,(BR) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,(BS) 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.(BT)
God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit
6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature,(BU) but not the wisdom of this age(BV) or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.(BW) 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery(BX) that has been hidden(BY) and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age(BZ) understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.(CA) 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[f]—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—(CB)
10 these are the things God has revealed(CC) to us by his Spirit.(CD)
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts(CE) except their own spirit(CF) within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit(CG) of the world,(CH) but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom(CI) but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[g] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God(CJ) but considers them foolishness,(CK) and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit(CL) makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
But we have the mind of Christ.(CN)
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verses 11 and 26; and in 2:1; 3:1; 4:6; 6:8; 7:24, 29; 10:1; 11:33; 12:1; 14:6, 20, 26, 39; 15:1, 6, 50, 58; 16:15, 20.
- 1 Corinthians 1:12 That is, Peter
- 1 Corinthians 1:19 Isaiah 29:14
- 1 Corinthians 1:31 Jer. 9:24
- 1 Corinthians 2:1 Some manuscripts proclaimed to you God’s mystery
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:4
- 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual
- 1 Corinthians 2:16 Isaiah 40:13
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