1st Corinthians 1
1
CHAPTER 1
1Paul, called apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Sosthenes, brother,
2to the church of God that is at Corinth, to them that be hallowed in Christ Jesus, and called saints, with all that inwardly call [or in-call] the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in each place of them and of ours,
3grace to you and peace of God, our Father, and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
4I do thankings to my God ever-more for you, in the grace of God that is given to you in Christ Jesus.
5For in all things ye be made rich in him, in each word, and in each knowing, [or science],
6as the witnessing of Christ is confirmed in you;
7so that nothing fail to you in any grace, that abide the showing [or the revelation] of our Lord Jesus Christ;
8which also shall confirm you into the end without crime, [or great sin], in the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9A true God [or Forsooth God is true], by whom ye be called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
10But, brethren, I beseech you, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all say the same thing, and that dissensions, [or schisms, or divisions, or discords], be not among you; but be ye perfect in the same wit, and in the same knowing.
11For, my brethren, it is told to me of them that be at Chloe’s, that strives be among you.
12And I say that, that each of you saith, For I am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I am of Cephas, [that is, Peter], but I am of Christ.
13Whether Christ is parted? whether Paul was crucified for you, either ye be baptized in the name of Paul?
14I do thankings to my God, that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
15lest any man say, that ye be baptized in my name.
16And I baptized also the house of Stephanas, but I know not, that I baptized any other.
17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel [or to evangelize]; not in wisdom of word, that the cross of Christ be not voided away.
18For the word of the cross is folly to them that perish; but to them that be made safe, that is to say, to us, it is the virtue of God.
19For it is written, I shall destroy the wisdom of wise men, and I shall reprove the prudence of prudent men.
20Where is the wise man? where is the wise lawyer? [or where is the writer, or the man of law?] where is the purchaser of this world? Whether God hath not made the wisdom of this world fond? [or foolish?]
21For the world, in wisdom of God, knew not God by wisdom, [or For why for in the wisdom of God, the world knew not God by wisdom], it pleased to God, by [the] folly of preaching, to make them safe that believed.
22For Jews seek signs, and Greeks seek wisdom;
23but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews cause of stumbling, and to heathen men folly;
24but to those Jews and Greeks that be called, we preach Christ the virtue of God, and the wisdom of God.
25For that that is folly thing of God, is wiser than men; and that that is the feeble, [or frail], thing of God, is stronger than men.
26But, brethren, see ye your calling; for not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.
27But God chose those things that be fond [or foolish] of the world, to confound wise men; and God chose the feeble, [or frail], things of the world, to confound the strong things;
28and God chose the unnoble things and despisable things of the world, and those things that be not, to destroy those things that be;
29that each man have not glory in his sight.
30But of him ye be in Christ Jesus, which is made of God to us wisdom, and rightwiseness, and holiness, and again-buying;
31that, as it is written, He that glorieth, have glory in the Lord.
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1st Corinthians 1: WBMS
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Wycliffe’s Bible with Modern Spelling ©2017
Wycliffe’s Apocrypha ©2013, 2015
Wycliffe’s Bible © 2012, 2015
Wycliffe’s New Testament ©2001, 2011
Wycliffe’s Old Testament ©2001, 2010
1 Corinthians 1
1
Greeting. 1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,#Called…by the will of God: Paul’s mission and the church’s existence are grounded in God’s initiative. God’s call, grace, and fidelity are central ideas in this introduction, emphasized by repetition and wordplays in the Greek. and Sosthenes our brother,#Rom 1:1. 2to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.#Acts 18:1–11. 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving. 4I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, 5that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, 6as the testimony#The testimony: this defines the purpose of Paul’s mission (see also 1 Cor 15:15 and the note on 1 Cor 2:1). The forms of his testimony include oral preaching and instruction, his letters, and the life he leads as an apostle. to Christ was confirmed among you, 7so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.#Ti 2:13. 8He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus [Christ].#Phil 1:6. 9God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.#1 Jn 1:3.
II. DISORDERS IN THE CORINTHIAN COMMUNITY
A. Divisions in the Church#1:10–4:21] The first problem Paul addresses is that of divisions within the community. Although we are unable to reconstruct the situation in Corinth completely, Paul clearly traces the divisions back to a false self-image on the part of the Corinthians, coupled with a false understanding of the apostles who preached to them (cf. 1 Cor 4:6, 9; 9:1–5) and of the Christian message itself. In these chapters he attempts to deal with those underlying factors and to bring the Corinthians back to a more correct perspective.
Groups and Slogans. 10I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.#Phil 2:2. 11For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. 12I mean that each of you is saying, “I belong to#I belong to: the activities of Paul and Apollos in Corinth are described in Acts 18. Cephas (i.e., “the Rock,” a name by which Paul designates Peter also in 1 Cor 3:22; 9:5; 15:5 and in Gal 1:18; 2:9, 11, 14) may well have passed through Corinth; he could have baptized some members of the community either there or elsewhere. The reference to Christ may be intended ironically here. Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”#3:4, 22; 16:12; Acts 18:24–28. 13#The reference to baptism and the contrast with preaching the gospel in v. 17a suggest that some Corinthians were paying special allegiance to the individuals who initiated them into the community. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I give thanks [to God] that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,#Acts 18:8 / Rom 16:23. 15so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16(I baptized the household of Stephanas also; beyond that I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)#16:15–17. 17#1:17b–18] The basic theme of 1 Cor 1–4 is announced. Adherence to individual leaders has something to do with differences in rhetorical ability and also with certain presuppositions regarding wisdom, eloquence, and effectiveness (power), which Paul judges to be in conflict with the gospel and the cross. For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,#1:17b] Not with the wisdom of human eloquence: both of the nouns employed here involve several levels of meaning, on which Paul deliberately plays as his thought unfolds. Wisdom (sophia) may be philosophical and speculative, but in biblical usage the term primarily denotes practical knowledge such as is demonstrated in the choice and effective application of means to achieve an end. The same term can designate the arts of building (cf. 1 Cor 3:10) or of persuasive speaking (cf. 1 Cor 2:4) or effectiveness in achieving salvation. Eloquence (logos): this translation emphasizes one possible meaning of the term logos (cf. the references to rhetorical style and persuasiveness in 1 Cor 2:1, 4). But the term itself may denote an internal reasoning process, plan, or intention, as well as an external word, speech, or message. So by his expression ouk en sophia logou in the context of gospel preaching, Paul may intend to exclude both human ways of reasoning or thinking about things and human rhetorical technique. Human: this adjective does not stand in the Greek text but is supplied from the context. Paul will begin immediately to distinguish between sophia and logos from their divine counterparts and play them off against each other. so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.#2:1, 4.
Paradox of the Cross. 18The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.#2:14 / Rom 1:16. 19For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”#Is 29:14.
20Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?#Is 19:12. 21#True wisdom and power are to be found paradoxically where one would least expect them, in the place of their apparent negation. To human eyes the crucified Christ symbolizes impotence and absurdity. For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,#Mt 12:38; 16:1 / Acts 17:18–21. 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,#2:2; Gal 3:1 / Gal 5:11. 24but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
The Corinthians and Paul.#1:26–2:5] The pattern of God’s wisdom and power is exemplified in their own experience, if they interpret it rightly (1 Cor 1:26–31), and can also be read in their experience of Paul as he first appeared among them preaching the gospel (1 Cor 2:1–5). 26Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,#Jas 2:5. 28and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, 29so that no human being might boast#“Boasting (about oneself)” is a Pauline expression for the radical sin, the claim to autonomy on the part of a creature, the illusion that we live and are saved by our own resources. “Boasting in the Lord” (1 Cor 1:31), on the other hand, is the acknowledgment that we live only from God and for God. before God.#Eph 2:9. 30It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,#Rom 4:17 / 6:11; Rom 3:24–26; 2 Cor 5:21 / Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; 1 Thes 5:23. 31so that, as it is written, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”#Jer 9:23; 2 Cor 10:17.
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