4I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus; 5that in everything ye were made rich in him, in all utterance and all knowledge; 6according as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you; 7so that ye are behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8who will also confirm you unto the end, unaccused in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, by whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10But I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be made complete in the same mind, and in the same judgment. 11For it was made known to me concerning you, my brethren; by those of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12And I mean this, that each of you says, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye immersed in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I immersed none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; 15that no one may say that I immersed in my own name. 16And I immersed also the household of Stephanas; besides, I know not whether I immersed any other.
17For Christ did not send me to immerse, but to preach the glad tidings; not with wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18For the preaching of the cross is to those who perish, foolishness; but to us who are saved, it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And will bring to nothing the prudence of the prudent.
20Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Did not God make foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom knew not God, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe; 22since Jews require signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling-block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For see your calling, brethren, that not many are wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame the wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things which are strong; 28and the base things of the world, and the things which are despised, did God choose, and the things which are not, that he might bring to naught things that are; 29that no flesh should glory before God. 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who from God was made wisdom to us, both righteousness and sanctification, and redemption; 31that, according as it is written: He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.
II. I also, when I came to you, brethren, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of man's wisdom, but with demonstration of the Spirit and of power; 5that your faith might not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6But we speak wisdom among those who are perfect; but a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who come to naught. 7But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the worlds unto our glory; 8which no one of the rulers of this world has known; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9but (as it is written) things which eye saw not, nor ear heard, and which entered not into the heart of man, which God prepared for those who love him; 10but to us God revealed them by his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? So also the things of God no one knows, but the Spirit of God. 12And we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God. 13Which things also we speak, not in words taught by man's wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit; comparing spiritual things with spiritual[13].
14But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he can not know them, because they are spiritually judged. 15But he that is spiritual judges all things; but he himself is judged by no one. 16For who knew the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.