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:

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:

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)

The Church and Its Leaders

3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit^(CO) but as people who are still worldly^(CP)—mere infants^(CQ) in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food,^(CR) for you were not yet ready for it.^(CS) Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling^(CT) among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,”^(CU) are you not mere human beings?

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos?^(CV) And what is Paul? Only servants,^(CW) through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed,^(CX) Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.^{(CY) 9} For we are co-workers in God’s service;^(CZ) you are God’s field,^(DA) God’s building.^(DB)

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me,^(DC) I laid a foundation^(DD) as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.^{(DE) 12} If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is,^(DF) because the Day^(DG) will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.^{(DH) 14} If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.^{(DI) 15} If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.^(DJ)

¹⁶ Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple^(DK) and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?^{(DL) 17} If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

¹⁸ Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise^(DM) by the standards of this age,^(DN) you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness^(DO) in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”^[i];^{(DP) 20} and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”^{[j](DQ) 21} So then, no more boasting about human leaders!^(DR) All things are yours,^{(DS) 22} whether Paul or Apollos^(DT) or Cephas^[k](DU) or the world or life or death or the present or the future^(DV)—all are yours, ²³ and you are of Christ,^(DW) and Christ is of God.

The Nature of True Apostleship

4 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants^(DX) of Christ and as those entrusted^(DY) with the mysteries^(DZ) God has revealed. ² Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. ³ I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ My conscience^(EA) is clear, but that does not make me innocent.^(EB) It is the Lord who judges me.^{(EC) 5} Therefore judge nothing^(ED) before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.^(EE) He will bring to light^(EF) what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.^(EG)

⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.”^(EH) Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.^{(EI) 7} For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?^(EJ) And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

⁸ Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich!^(EK) You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! ⁹ For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die^(EL) in the arena. We have been made a spectacle^(EM) to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ,^(EN) but you are so wise in Christ!^(EO) We are weak, but you are strong!^(EP) You are honored, we are dishonored! ¹¹ To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.^{(EQ) 12} We work hard with our own hands.^(ER) When we are cursed, we bless;^(ES) when we are persecuted,^(ET) we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage^(EU) of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

¹⁴ I am writing this not to shame you^(EV) but to warn you as my dear children.^{(EW) 15} Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father^(EX) through the gospel.^{(EY) 16} Therefore I urge you to imitate me.^{(EZ) 17} For this reason I have sent to you^(FA) Timothy,^(FB) my son^(FC) whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.^(FD)

¹⁸ Some of you have become arrogant,^(FE) as if I were not coming to you.^{(FF) 19} But I will come to you very soon,^(FG) if the Lord is willing,^(FH) and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of^(FI) talk but of power.^{(FJ) 21} What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,^(FK) or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?