1 Corinthians1

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, greets the Corinthian church, giving thanks for their spiritual enrichment and calling. He immediately addresses severe divisions within the congregation, where members align themselves with different leaders like Paul, Apollos, or Cephas, urging them to unity in Christ. Paul then contrasts worldly wisdom with the divine 'foolishness' of preaching Christ crucified, which is the true power and wisdom of God unto salvation.

Salutation and Authorship

Paul, called to be an emissary of Yeshua the Messiah through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

to the assembly of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in Messiah Yeshua, called to be holy ones, with all who call on the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah in every place, both theirs and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

Thanksgiving for Spiritual Gifts

I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Messiah Yeshua;

that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge;

even as the testimony of Messiah was confirmed in you:

so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah;

who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord.

Plea for Unity and Against Divisions

Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Kefa,” and, “I follow Messiah.”

Is Messiah divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you immersed into the name of Paul?

I thank God that I immersed none of you, except Crispus and Gaius,

so that no one should say that I had immersed you into my own name.

(I also immersed the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I immersed any other.)

For Messiah sent me not to immerse, but to proclaim the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Messiah wouldn’t be made void.

The Cross: God's Power, Human Foolishness

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the Torah scholar of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the proclaiming to save those who believe.

For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,

but we proclaim Messiah crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,

but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Messiah is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

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

God Chooses the Weak and Lowly

For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble;

but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;

and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are:

that no flesh should boast before God.

But of him, you are in Messiah Yeshua, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

that, according as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”

Study Notes for 1 Corinthians 1

Verse 1

Paul emphasizes his apostolic authority, stressing that his calling was not self-appointed but originated 'through the will of God.' Sosthenes, likely Paul’s amanuensis (scribe) or a prominent leader in Corinth (possibly the former synagogue ruler mentioned in Acts 18:17), is included in the greeting.

Verse 2

The recipients are described as 'sanctified in Christ Jesus,' meaning they are set apart by God for holy use. Paul addresses the local church in Corinth while simultaneously including the universal church ('all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ').

Verse 4

Paul begins with a traditional expression of thanks, acknowledging that the spiritual gifts (charismata) present in Corinth are evidence of God’s grace, despite the profound ethical and relational problems he is about to address.

Verse 5

The Corinthians were 'enriched' in spiritual abilities, specifically in 'utterance' (speech/tongues/preaching) and 'knowledge.' These gifts, which the Corinthians later misused, are the very reason Paul dedicates extensive teaching to them in Chapters 12–14.

Verse 7

The phrase 'waiting for the coming' refers to the Parousia, the promised second arrival of Christ. This eschatological hope is a source of perseverance and moral urgency for the believers.

Verse 9

The foundation of the believers’ security is not their own strength or gifts, but the absolute faithfulness of God, who initiated their calling into 'fellowship' (koinōnia) with his Son.

Verse 10

Paul moves immediately to the primary issue: chronic division (schismata). He appeals 'by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,' emphasizing that their unity must be centered on Christ’s authority, not human preference.

Verse 11

The 'house of Chloe' refers to members of a household or business group who traveled from Corinth to Ephesus (where Paul was writing from), providing reliable intelligence about the church’s internal conflicts.

Verse 12

The contentions involved forming allegiance to specific Christian leaders (Paul, Apollos, Cephas/Peter). This suggests competitive loyalty based perhaps on perceived rhetorical skill or personal connection to the apostle.

Verse 13

These rhetorical questions expose the absurdity of the divisions. Christ cannot be divided, nor can human leaders replace Christ as the object of salvation or the one in whose name baptism is administered.

Verse 14

Crispus and Gaius were among the few converts Paul personally baptized. Crispus was a former ruler of the synagogue (Acts 18:8); Gaius was Paul’s host during his time in Corinth (Rom. 16:23).

Verse 17

Paul clarifies his core mission: preaching the gospel, not performing the rite of baptism or using impressive, persuasive 'wisdom of words' (sophia logou). The powerful simplicity of the cross must not be obscured by human eloquence.

Verse 18

This verse presents the theological core of the letter. The message of the cross acts as a dividing line: it is 'foolishness' to those who reject it, but it reveals the 'power of God' to those who are saved.

Verse 19

Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14 (LXX) to demonstrate that the humbling of human wisdom and intellect is a long-foretold divine plan.

Verse 20

The 'wise,' 'scribe,' and 'disputer' represent the intellectual elite, philosophers, and religious scholars of the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds, whose highest achievements are rendered irrelevant by the Gospel.

Verse 21

Paradoxically, God chose 'the foolishness of preaching' (referring to the simple, unadorned message of the cross) as the means of salvation because the world, through its own philosophical 'wisdom,' failed to grasp God.

Verse 22

Paul identifies the two main cultural obstacles to the Gospel: Jews sought miraculous proofs ('signs'), while Greeks valued sophisticated philosophical systems ('wisdom').

Verse 23

The message of 'Christ crucified' was an offense (a 'stumblingblock,' skandalon) to Jews because a crucified Messiah did not fit their expectation of a conquering king, and it was intellectually absurd ('foolishness') to Greeks.

Verse 24

To those called by God, the crucified Christ is revealed as the ultimate paradox: the means by which God expresses both His saving power and His deepest wisdom.

Verse 26

Paul applies the theology of the cross to the composition of the Corinthian church itself, noting that few members belonged to the socially elite (wise, mighty, noble) classes of Corinth.

Verse 27

God deliberately chooses the socially disadvantaged and intellectually weak to shame the powerful. This is God’s consistent methodology throughout salvation history.

Verse 29

The ultimate purpose of God’s choice of the weak is to eliminate all human boasting or self-glorying. Salvation is entirely a divine work, removing any basis for human pride.

Verse 30

In contrast to relying on human wisdom, the believer’s standing is found entirely in Christ, who fulfills the four key needs of salvation: wisdom (guidance), righteousness (justification), sanctification (holiness), and redemption (deliverance).

Verse 31

Paul concludes his opening argument by citing Jeremiah 9:24, providing the theological mandate for the entire discussion: true glory is found only in the Lord, not in human accomplishments or preferred leaders.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

1 Corinthians1

Salutation and Authorship

Thanksgiving for Spiritual Gifts

Plea for Unity and Against Divisions

The Cross: God's Power, Human Foolishness

God Chooses the Weak and Lowly

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options