1 From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Sosthenes, who is also a follower.
2 To God's church in Corinth. Christ Jesus chose you to be his very own people, and you worship in his name, as we and all others do who call him Lord.
3 My prayer is that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
4 I never stop thanking my God for treating you with undeserved grace by giving you Christ Jesus, 5 who helps you speak and understand so well. 6 Now you are certain that everything we told you about our Lord Christ Jesus is true. 7 You are not missing out on any blessings, as you wait for him to return. 8 And until the day Christ does return, he will keep you completely innocent. 9 God can be trusted, and he chose you to be partners with his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Taking Sides
10 My dear friends, as a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg you to get along with each other. Don't take sides. Always try to agree in what you think. 11 Several people from Chloe's family have already reported to me that you keep arguing with each other. 12 They have said that some of you claim to follow me, while others claim to follow Apollos or Peter or Christ.
13 Has Christ been divided up? Was I nailed to a cross for you? Were you baptized in my name? 14 I thank God that I didn't baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. 15 Not one of you can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 I did baptize the family of Stephanas, but I don't remember if I baptized anyone else. 17 Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to tell the good news without using words that sound wise and would make the cross of Christ lose its power.
Christ Is God's Power and Wisdom
18 The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. 19 As God says in the Scriptures,
“I will destroy the wisdom
of all who claim
to be wise.
I will confuse those
who think they know
so much.”
20 What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? 21 God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him.
Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach. 22 Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise. 23 But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish. 24 Our message is God's power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen. 25 Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else.
26 My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn't think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.
28 What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. 29 God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. 30 You are God's children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy. 31 So if you want to brag, do what the Scriptures say and brag about the Lord.
Sveiciens un pateicība
1 Pāvils, pēc Dieva gribas Jēzus Kristus aicināts apustulis, un brālis Sostens 2 Dieva draudzei Korintā, Kristū Jēzū svētītajiem, aicinātajiem svētajiem līdz ar visiem citiem, kas piesauc mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus vārdu visās vietās – kā Korintā, tā arī pie mums, 3 žēlastība jums un miers no Dieva, mūsu Tēva, un Kunga Jēzus Kristus. 4 Es nemitīgi pateicos par jums savam Dievam par Dieva doto žēlastību jums Kristū Jēzū, 5 ka viņā jūs esat kļuvuši bagāti visās lietās – jebkurā vārdā un atziņā, 6 ka līdz ar Kristus liecības nostiprināšanos jūsos 7 jums, kas gaidāt uz Jēzus Kristus atklāšanos, netrūkst vairs nekādu garīgu dāvanu. 8 Viņš arī darīs jūs stiprus līdz galam, tā ka mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus dienā jūs būsiet nevainojami. 9 Dievs ir uzticams, viņš jūs ir aicinājis mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus sadraudzībā.
Novirzieni draudzē
10 Brāļi, es aicinu jūs mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus vārdā, esiet visi vienoti, lai starp jums nav šķelšanās, bet lai jūs būtu saliedēti vienprātībā un kopīgā atziņā. 11 Raugiet, par jums, mani brāļi, man ir darīts zināms no Hloes nama ļaudīm, ka starp jums esot strīdi. 12 Es gribu sacīt, redzi, ko: ikviens pie jums paradis runāt – es piederu Pāvilam, es Apollam, es Kēfam, bet es Kristum. 13 Vai tad Kristus būtu dalīts? Vai Pāvils jūsu dēļ būtu krustā sists, vai jūs būtu Pāvila vārdā kristīti? 14 Es pateicos Dievam, ka nevienu no jums es neesmu kristījis, izņemot Krispu un Gāju, 15 lai nevienam nebūtu iemesla sacīt, ka esat kristīti manā vārdā. 16 Kristīju arī Stefanas namu, bet citu nevienu neatceros, ka būtu kristījis. 17 Kristus mani nesūtīja kristīt, bet sludināt evaņģēliju, un ne jau gudriem vārdiem, lai neiznāktu tā, ka Kristus krusts ir bez nozīmes.
Kristus ir Dieva gudrība un Dieva spēks
18 Vēstījums par krustu ir muļķība tiem, kas iet pazušanā, bet tiem, kas tiek izglābti, tas ir Dieva spēks. 19 Jo ir rakstīts: gudrajo gudrību es izdeldēšu un saprātīgo saprātu es atmetīšu. – 20 Kur tad ir gudrais? Kur Rakstu skaidrotājs? Kur šī laikmeta vārdu meistars? Vai Dievs nav vērtis šīs pasaules gudrību muļķībā? 21 Tā kā pasaule ar savu gudrību nav atzinusi Dievu viņa gudrībā, Dievs nolēma tos, kas tic, glābt ar muļķīgu sludināšanu. 22 Kad nu jūdi prasa zīmes un grieķi meklē gudrību, 23 mēs tā vietā sludinām krustā sisto Kristu, kas jūdiem ir piedauzība, bet pagāniem – muļķība, 24 bet aicinātajiem – gan jūdiem, gan grieķiem – Kristus ir Dieva spēks un Dieva gudrība. 25 Jo Dieva muļķība ir gudrāka par cilvēku gudrību un Dieva nespēks ir daudz stiprāks par cilvēku spēku. 26 Neaizmirstiet, brāļi, kādi jūs bijāt, kad tikāt aicināti. Ne jau daudzi pēc cilvēku sprieduma jūs bijāt gudri, ne jau daudzi bijāt vareni vai augstdzimuši. 27 Bet Dievs izredzēja to, kas ir muļķīgs pasaulē, lai liktu kaunā gudros, un to, kas ir nespēks pasaulē, lai liktu kaunā stipro. 28 Un, kas pasaules neievērots un atstumts un kas nav nekas, to Dievs izredzēja, lai izdeldētu to, kas ir kaut kas, 29 lai nekas miesīgs nedižotos Dieva priekšā. 30 Pateicoties viņam, arī jūs esat Kristū Jēzū, kas mums ir gudrība no Dieva un taisnība, un svētums, un izpirkšanas maksa, 31 lai būtu, kā ir rakstīts: kas dižojas, tas lai dižojas Kungā.
