1Corinthians:1

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Seeker Overlay ON

* PAUL called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus , and Sosthenes our brother , * to the Church of God in Corinth , made holy in Christ Jesus , called to be holy , with all everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ , their Lord and ours : * Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ ! * I am always thanking God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus , * that you are rich in him in everything , in readiness of speech and in all knowledge , * so that my testimony to Christ has been confirmed among you * and so that you are not lacking in any gift while waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed . * He will keep you strong to the end and free from reproach on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ . * God is faithful , and it is by him that you have been called into the fellowship of his Son , Jesus Christ our Lord . * I beg you , brethren , in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ , all to say the same thing and not to have divisions among you , but to be united in the same mind and in the same opinion . * For it has been told me regarding you , brethren , by Chloe 's people , that there are dissensions among you . * I mean that each of you is saying , "I belong to Paul ," "I belong to Apollos ," "I belong to Cephas ," or , "I belong to Christ ." * Has Christ been divided ? Was Paul crucified for you ? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul ? * I am thankful that I baptized no one of you except Crispus and Gaius , * so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name . * I baptized also the household of Stephanas . Beyond that I do not know that I baptized any one else . * For Christ did not send me to baptize , but to proclaim the good news \'97 not in wisdom of words , that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of meaning . * For 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 . * For it is written , "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and I will bring to nought the prudence of the prudent ." * Where is the wise ? Where is the scribe ? Where is the debater of this world ? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world ? * For when in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not come to know God , God was pleased to save through the foolishness of our proclamation those who believe . * Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek for wisdom , * but we proclaim Christ crucified , to Jews a stumbling block , to Gentiles folly , * but to those who are called , whether Jews or Greeks , Christ , the power of God and the wisdom of God . * For God 's foolishness is wiser than men and God 's weakness is stronger than men . * Consider your own call , brethren , that not many wise , humanly speaking , not many powerful , not many high-born have been called . * But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise , and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the strong , * and God has chosen the low-born things and the things of no account , the things that are not , to defeat the things that are , * that no human being may boast in God 's presence . * By God 's act you are in Christ Jesus , who has become to us wisdom from God and righteousness and holiness and deliverance , * so that , as it is written , "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord ."

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