Naravist

The Letters · New Testament

1 Corinthians 1

1 Corinthians 1: divisions reported, and the preaching of the cross set against wisdom

General context

Paul writes with "Sosthenes our brother" to "the church of God which is at Corinth", widening the address to "all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord". He thanks God that they are enriched "in all utterance, and in all knowledge" and "come behind in no gift". Then the appeal: "that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you". The information came from named people, "them which are of the house of Chloe", reporting "that there are contentions among you". The slogans are quoted: "I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ." Three questions answer them, beginning "Is Christ divided?" Paul says he baptized none of them but Crispus and Gaius and the household of Stephanas, and does not remember any other, because Christ sent him "not to baptize, but to preach the gospel". The preaching of the cross is "foolishness" to those who perish and "the power of God" to those saved, backed by a written line about destroying the wisdom of the wise. More questions follow, "Where is the wise? where is the scribe?" The Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek wisdom, "But we preach Christ crucified", a stumblingblock and foolishness, yet to the called "Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God". Their own calling shows the pattern: "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble". God chose foolish, weak, base and despised things, "That no flesh should glory in his presence".

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 1:4, 1 Corinthians 1:5, 1 Corinthians 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 1:11, 1 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Corinthians 1:13, 1 Corinthians 1:14, 1 Corinthians 1:16, 1 Corinthians 1:17, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 1:19, 1 Corinthians 1:20, 1 Corinthians 1:21, 1 Corinthians 1:22, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 1:24, 1 Corinthians 1:25, 1 Corinthians 1:26, 1 Corinthians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 1:28, 1 Corinthians 1:29, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 1:31

1 Corinthians 1 (KJV)

1Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

3Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

4I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

5That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;

6Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

7So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

8Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

10Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

12Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

14I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

15Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

16And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29That no flesh should glory in his presence.

30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The letter names two senders, Paul and "Sosthenes our brother", and one destination, the church at Corinth. The report of contention is attributed to a household rather than to rumour, "by them which are of the house of Chloe"; Chloe herself is not described, and it is not said whether she is in Corinth. Three baptisms are named, Crispus, Gaius and "the household of Stephanas", and the writer states the limit of his own memory, "I know not whether I baptized any other". Two written lines are quoted. Verse 19 follows Isaiah 29:14, which reads "the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid", where the letter puts God in the first person. Verse 31 follows Jeremiah 9:24, "let him that glorieth glory in this". The chapter gives no date, no length of stay, and no account of how the four groups formed or what any of them taught.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 1:11, 1 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Corinthians 1:14, 1 Corinthians 1:16, 1 Corinthians 1:19, 1 Corinthians 1:31, Isaiah 29:14, Jeremiah 9:24

Literary context

The thanksgiving praises exactly what the rest of the chapter puts in question. Utterance and knowledge and coming behind in no gift are followed at once by a plea for one mind, so praise and complaint sit side by side. The argument then works by reversal, and the same two words keep swapping places: the preaching is foolishness to some and power to others, God makes foolish the wisdom of the world, and "the foolishness of God is wiser than men". Questions are used instead of assertions at both turns, first about Christ and Paul and baptism, then "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world?" The closing section lists what God chose in three matched steps, foolish against wise, weak against mighty, base and despised against things that are, and each clause ends where the chapter ends, at nobody boasting.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 1:5, 1 Corinthians 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 1:13, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 1:20, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 1:25, 1 Corinthians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 1:28, 1 Corinthians 1:29, 1 Corinthians 1:31

Key moments

  1. Written to Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2). The address names the church at Corinth and widens beyond it.
  2. A plea against divisions (1 Corinthians 1:10). The readers are asked to speak the same thing and be joined together.
  3. News from Chloe's house (1 Corinthians 1:11). The report of contentions is attributed to named people.
  4. Four slogans quoted (1 Corinthians 1:12). Each group is quoted naming the teacher it follows.
  5. Sent to preach, not baptize (1 Corinthians 1:17). Paul states what he was sent to do.
  6. We preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). The message is described as offensive to one group and foolish to another.
  7. God chose the foolish things (1 Corinthians 1:27). The choosing is described so that no one may boast.

For reflection

The same letter thanks God for their speech and knowledge and then says they cannot agree on anything. What do you make of praise and rebuke landing on the same people within ten verses?

People in this chapter

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