Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians
1[1-3]From Paul, who am called to be a follower of Yeshua, the Christ, through the will of God, and Sosthenes, our co-worker, to the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who are set apart in Christ Yeshua, called to be Christians, with everyone everywhere who call on the Name of Yeshua, our Christ, both theirs and ours: May God’s grace and peace be with you, from the God we are from, and from Yeshua, the Christ.
[4-9] I thank my God always for you, for the grace of God which was given to you by Yeshua, the Christ; who blessed you in everything, both in all your words, and in all your knowledge; and is proof of your profession of having Christ: So that you don’t lack any gift; while waiting for the coming of our Christ, Yeshua: Who will also prove you to the end, so that you can be found without fault in the day of our Christ, Yeshua. God is faithful, who called you to the church of God’s Child, Yeshua, our Christ.
Denominations and Sects Forbidden
[10-17] Now I beg you, Christians, by the Name of our Christ, Yeshua, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no disagreements among you; but that you be completely joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment, because it has been told me of you, my Christians, by those who are from the house of Chloe, that there are disagreements among you. Now I say this, that all of you are saying, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Peter; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul put to death for you? Or were you baptized in the Name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; In case anyone should say that I had baptized them in my own name. I did baptize the household of Stephanas also, but besides that, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else. Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the New Word: not with any great wisdom of words, in case the cross of Christ would have no effect.
The Preaching of the Cross is Stupidity to Unbelievers
[18-31] The preaching of the cross is stupidity to those who are dying; but to us, which are saved, it’s the power of God. The Word says, I’ll silence the wisdom of the wise, and bring to stupidity the understanding of the sensible. Where are the wise ones? Where are the lawyers? Where are the debaters of this world? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of this world stupid? Since the world couldn’t know God by its own wisdom, in God’s wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe by the seeming stupidity of preaching. The Jews want physical proof, and the Greeks want wisdom: But when we preach Christ put to death, it’s confusion to the Jews, and pure stupidity to the Greeks; but to those who are saved, of any race, Christ is the power and wisdom of God. And even the stupidity of God is wiser than that of humanity; and the weakness of God is stronger than that of humanity. So you see of your calling, Christians, how that few wise ones, few powerful ones, and few proud ones out of humanity are called: But God has chosen the stupid things of the world to puzzle the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to defeat the things which are powerful; And the dishonorable things of the world, and things which are hated, God has chosen, yes, and things which aren’t, to bring to nothing the things that are: So that nobody would be prideful in the presence of God. But by God, you are in Christ Yeshua, who is our wisdom, our goodness, our setting apart and blessing, and our saving; so that, like the Word says, Whoever is prideful, let them be proud in God.
Spiritual Discernment
2[1-8] Christians, when I came to you, I didn’t come with great speech or wisdom, declaring to you the Word of God, because I decided not to teach any thing to you, except Yeshua, the Christ, and Christ, put to death. And I was with you in weakness and fear, trembling greatly. My speech and my preaching wasn’t with the tempting words of humanity's wisdom, but in the showing of the Spirit and of power: So that your faith wouldn’t stand in the wisdom of humanity, but in the power of God. But we speak wisdom to those who have become strong in the faith: still, not the wisdom of this world, nor of the powers of this world, which will all come to nothing: But we speak the wisdom of God as a secret, yes, the hidden wisdom, which God set apart before the world was created for our victory: Which none of the rulers of this world knew, because if they had known it they wouldn’t have put to death the Christ of victory.
