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Appeal to Unity

¹ Paul, ^(C1)called as an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ by ^(C2)the will of God, and our ^(C3)brother ^(F1)(C4)Sosthenes,

² To ^(C1)the church of God in ^(C2)Corinth, to those sanctified (set apart, made holy) in Christ Jesus, who are selected and ^(C3)called as saints (God's people), together with all those who in every place ^(C4)call on and honor the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

^3 (C1)Grace to you and peace inner calm and spiritual well-being from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

^4 (C1)I thank my God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,⁵ so that in everything you were exceedingly ^(C1)enriched in Him, in all ^(C2)speech empowered by the spiritual gifts and in ^(C2)all knowledge with insight into the faith.⁶ In this way our ^(C1)testimony about Christ was confirmed and established in you,⁷ so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift which comes from the Holy Spirit, as you ^(C1)eagerly wait with confident trust for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ when He returns.^8 (C1)And He will also confirm you to the end keeping you strong and free of any accusation, so that you will be blameless and beyond reproach in ^(C2)the day of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.^9 (C1)God is faithful He is reliable, trustworthy and ever true to His promise—He can be depended on, and through Him you were ^(C2)called into ^(C3)fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁰ But ^(C1)I urge you, ^(C2)believers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in full agreement in what you say, and that there be no ^(C3)divisions or factions among you, but that you be perfectly united in ^(C4)your way of thinking and in your judgment about matters of the faith.¹¹ For I have been informed about you, my brothers and sisters, by those of Chloe's household, that there are quarrels and factions among you.¹² Now I mean this, that ^(C1)each one of you says, "I am a disciple of Paul," or "I am a disciple of ^(C2)Apollos," or "I am a disciple of ^(C3)Cephas (Peter)," or "I am a disciple of Christ."¹³ Has Christ been divided into different parts? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you ^(C1)baptized into the name of Paul? Certainly not!¹⁴ I thank God that I ^(C1)did not baptize any of you except ^(C1)Crispus and ^(C2)Gaius, ^(VR1)15 so that no one would say that you were baptized into my name.¹⁶ Now I also baptized the ^(C1)household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know if I baptized anyone else.^17 (C1)For Christ did not send me as an apostle to baptize, but commissioned and empowered me to preach the good news of salvation—^(C2)not with clever and eloquent speech as an orator, so that the cross of Christ would not be ^(F1)made ineffective deprived of its saving power.

The Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is ^(C1)foolishness absurd and illogical to ^(C2)those who are perishing and spiritually dead because they reject it, but to us who are being saved by God's grace it is the manifestation of ^(C3)the power of God.¹⁹ For it is written and forever remains written,

"^(C1)I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE the philosophy of the philosophers,
AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER who do not know Me I WILL NULLIFY." ^(VR1)

²⁶ Just look at your own ^(C1)calling, believers; ^(C2)not many of you were considered wise according to human standards, not many powerful or influential, not many of high and noble birth.²⁷ But ^(C1)God has selected for His purpose the foolish things of ^(C2)the world to shame the wise revealing their ignorance, and God has selected for His purpose the weak things of ^(C2)the world to shame the things which are strong revealing their frailty.²⁸ God has selected for His purpose the insignificant (base) things of ^(C1)the world, and the things that are despised and treated with contempt, even ^(C2)the things that are nothing, so that He might ^(C3)reduce to nothing the things that are,²⁹ so that ^(C1)no one may be able to boast in the presence of God.³⁰ But it is from Him that you are in ^(C1)Christ Jesus, who became to us ^(C2)wisdom from God revealing His plan of salvation, and ^(C3)righteousness making us acceptable to God, and ^(C4)sanctification making us holy and setting us apart for God, and ^(C5)redemption providing our ransom from the penalty for sin,³¹ so then, as it is written in Scripture, "^(C1)HE WHO BOASTS and GLORIES, LET HIM BOAST and GLORY IN THE LORD." ^(VR1)