The Holy Spirit Promised

⁴ While He was together^[a] with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise.^(A) “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”^(B)

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority.^{(C) 8} But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends^[b] of the earth.”^(D)

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.^{(A) 19} For it is written:

²⁰ Where is the philosopher?^[b] Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age?^(C) Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? ²¹ For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached. ²² For the Jews ask for signs^(D) and the Greeks seek wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified,^(E) a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.^{[c] 24} Yet to those who are called,^(F) both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom, ²⁵ because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels^[a] us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all,^(A) then all died. ¹⁵ And He died for all^(B) so that those who live should no longer live for themselves,^(C) but for the One^(D) who died for them and was raised.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹⁶ From now on, then, we do not know^[b] anyone in a purely human way.^[c] Even if we have known^[d] Christ in a purely human way,^[e] yet now we no longer know^[f] Him in this way. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;^(E) old things have passed away, and look,^(F) new things^[g] have come.^{(G) 18} Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:^{(H) 19} That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world^(I) to Himself,^(J) not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors^(K) for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf,^(L) “Be reconciled to God.” ²¹ He made the One who did not know sin^(M) to be sin^[h] for us,^(N) so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.