1 Corinthians 1:10-31
10 “I appeal to you, brothers and
sisters, 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, but that you be
perfectly united in mind and thought.
11 My brothers and sisters, some from
Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
12 What I mean is this:
One of
you says, ‘I follow Paul’;
another,
‘I follow Apollos’;
another,
‘I follow Cephas’;
still
another, ‘I follow CHRIST’.
13 Is CHRIST divided?
Was
Paul crucified for you?
Were
you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank GOD that I did not baptize any of you
except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so no one can say that you were
baptized in my name.
16 (Yes, I also baptized the
household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized
anyone else.)
17 For CHRIST did not send me to
baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest
the cross of CHRIST
be emptied of its power.
18 For the message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of GOD.
19 For it is written:
‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the
intelligent I will frustrate.’
20 Where is the wise person?
Where is the teacher of the law?
Where is the philosopher of this age?
Has not GOD
made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since in the wisdom of GOD the world through its wisdom did not
know him, GOD
was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who
believe.
22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
23 but we preach CHRIST crucified:
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
24 but to those whom GOD has called, both Jews and Greeks, CHRIST – THE POWER OF GOD and
THE WISDOM OF GOD.
25 For the foolishness of GOD is wiser than human wisdom, and the
weakness of GOD
is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, think of
what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by
human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
27 But GOD chose the foolish 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—to nullify the things that are,
29 so that no one may boast before
him.
30 It is because of him that you are
in CHRIST JESUS, who
has become for us wisdom from GOD —that is, our righteousness, holiness and
redemption.
31 Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let
the one who boasts boast in THE LORD’.”
