Greetings from Paul and Sosthenes
(Acts 18:1–11; 2 Corinthians 1:1–2)

1Paul, a called apostle of Christ Jesus† by the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother, 2To the church of God being in Corinth, having been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those in every place calling on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, theirs and ours:†

3Grace to you⁺ and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving
(Philippians 1:3–11; Colossians 1:3–14)

4I thank my† God always concerning you⁺ for the grace of God having been given to you⁺ in Christ Jesus, 5that in everything you⁺ were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you⁺, 7so as for you⁺ not to be lacking in any gift, eagerly awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who also will confirm you⁺ until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9Faithful is God, by whom you⁺ were called into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Unity in the Church
(Psalm 133:1–3; Ephesians 4:1–16)

10Now I exhort you⁺, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you⁺ may speak the same thing and there may be no divisions among you⁺, but you⁺ may be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11For it was revealed to me concerning you⁺, my brothers, by those of Chloe, that there are contentions among you⁺. 12Now I say this, that each of you⁺ says, “I am indeed of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,”† and “I of Christ.”

13Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you⁺? Or were you⁺ baptized into the name of Paul? 14I thank God† that I baptized none of you⁺ except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one can say that you⁺ were baptized† into my name. 16Now also I baptized the household of Stephanas; as to the rest, I do not know if I baptized any other. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in wisdom of word, so that the cross of the Christ should not be made void.

The Message of the Cross

18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those indeed perishing, but to us, those being saved, it is the power of God. 19For it has been written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the intelligence of the intelligent I will set aside.Ӡ

20Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Did not God make foolish the wisdom of the world?† 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God, God was well pleased through the foolishness of the preaching to save those believing.

22Since also Jews ask for signs† and Greeks search for wisdom, 23we, however, preach Christ having been crucified, a stumbling block indeed to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,† 24but to those called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men,† and the weakness of God stronger than men.†

Wisdom from God

26For consider your⁺ calling, brothers, that not many were wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world so that He might shame the wise; and God chose the weak things of the world so that He might shame the strong; 28and the lowborn of the world, and the things being despised, God also chose—the things not being—that He might nullify the things being, 29so that not any flesh might boast before God.

30But out of Him you⁺ are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31so that, as it has been written: “The one boasting, let him boast in the Lord.”†

Footnotes:

1 BYZ and TR of Jesus Christ
2 BYZ and TR both theirs and ours
4 WH does not include my.
12 That is, Peter
14 SBL, TH, and WH I am thankful
15 BYZ and TR that I baptized
19 Isaiah 29:14 (see also LXX)
20 BYZ and TR of this world
22 BYZ and TR a sign
23 BYZ and TR to Greeks
25 Or than man's wisdom
25 Or than man's strength
31 Jeremiah 9:24