1 Corinthians 1
1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
4I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
Divisions in the Church
10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas[a]"; still another, "I follow Christ."
13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into[b] the name of Paul? 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
18For 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. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."[c]
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For 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. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
26Brothers, 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. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It 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. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."[d]
Footnotes:
[a] 1 Corinthians 1:12 That is, Peter
[b] 1 Corinthians 1:13 Or in; also in verse 15
[c] 1 Corinthians 1:19 Isaiah 29:14
[d] 1 Corinthians 1:31 Jer. 9:24
3 comments:
I Corinthians 1
Pretty cool how timeless all of this is. The verses below remind me so much of today's times. So many people want a sign form heaven in order to believe. It is so clear that a divine intervention has to occur. Verse 21 sums it all up for me. My latest conquest has been to really try to wrap my head around apologetics and become well equipped to talk intelligently about my faith and intelligent design with others who are very scientifically trained (well versed in evolution). Verse 21 comforts me tremendously.
20So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. 21Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save all who believe. 22God's way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. 24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[d] Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God. 25This "foolish" plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength.
God alone made it possible!
Verses 30-31
30God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom. 31As the Scriptures say,
"The person who wishes to boast
should boast only of what the Lord has done."[e]
In Christ,
cas
While I agree with you Clark in terms of taking comfort towards apologetics, I think that these verses were also meant for us. God confounds us, confuses us, takes things that should be so clear, so straightforward, and always throws a kink in them. There are many people I know, including me, who use logic, reasoning, and wisdom as a crutch much of the time. We work in this world with our heads, in an effort to understand things to predict things, to make things work. God chooses not to speak to us directly, in an effort to save us, and therefore he must show us how powerful He is by playing "His game". To teach us how stupid the greatest of our logic his, he confounds, and shows us foolishness.
My path to Christ was by lots of personal success in college, only to be "left stranded" my senior year, still working hard, but having nothing work out, no jobs, no money, no clue where it all went wrong. And one night I finally gave in, I realized there was no way to survive in this world based upon sheer hard work and brainpower, but that by leaning on Him are all (and ANY-) things possible. So I will go forth and boast in the Lord, and not in my self.
In Christ,
crb
1 Corinthians
Awesome passage! Paul puts such a strong spotlight on Christ here that it causes me to ask myself "Am I really resting in Christ, trusting in Him, desperate for Him? Do I see Christ as the hope in the midst of my present and future struggles?"
Unfortunately, I live in the delusion of my own power to overcome the "stuff" of life. As I try to raise my kids for God's glory and honor, I find myself coming to the end of my own "power" and in need of something more. As I try to love my in-laws like Christ, I find myself utterly at a loss of how to do that. I must cry out quickly to Christ, as Peter did upon noticing that he was sinking into the water.
vs. 31: Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
Why do I clamor for the praise of man and seek to elevate myself on a daily basis? My flesh cries out to be noticed, respected, applauded, while Christ came to be rejected, humiliated, mocked, and crucified. Such a reversal. Such a Grace.
May our lives become the living expression of John the Baptist's yearning in John 3:30: He must increase, but I must decrease..
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