Salamu
11:1 Rum 1:1; Efe 1:1; 2Kor 1:1; 2Tim 1:1; Mdo 18:17Paulo, niliyeitwa kwa mapenzi ya Mungu kuwa mtume wa Kristo Yesu, na Sosthene ndugu yetu.
21:2 1Kor 10:32; Mdo 2:21; 18:1; Rum 1:17Kwa kanisa la Mungu lililoko Korintho, kwa wale waliotakaswa katika Kristo Yesu na walioitwa kuwa watakatifu, pamoja na wale wote ambao kila mahali wanaliitia Jina la Kristo Yesu Bwana wetu, aliye Bwana wao na wetu pia:
31:3 Rum 1:7; 1Kor 1:2; Efe 1:2; 1Pet 1:2Neema na amani itokayo kwa Mungu Baba yetu na kwa Bwana Yesu Kristo iwe nanyi.
Shukrani
41:4 Rum 1:8Ninamshukuru Mungu siku zote kwa ajili yenu kwa sababu ya neema yake mliyopewa katika Kristo Yesu. 51:5 2Kor 8:7; 1Kor 12:8; 2Kor 9:11Kwa kuwa katika Kristo mmetajirishwa kwa kila hali, katika kusema kwenu na katika maarifa yenu yote, 61:6 2The 1:10; 1Tim 2:6; Ufu 1:2kwa sababu ushuhuda wetu kumhusu Kristo ulithibitishwa ndani yenu. 71:7 Rum 1:11; 1Kor 12:1-3; Mt 16:27; Lk 17:30; Ufu 1:7; 1The 1:10; 2:19; Tit 2:13; Yak 5:7-8; 1Pet 1:13; 2Pet 3:12Kwa hiyo hamkupungukiwa na karama yoyote ya kiroho wakati mnangoja kwa shauku kudhihirishwa kwa Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo. 81:8 1The 3:13; 5:2; Amo 5:18; 1Kor 5:5; Flp 1:6; 2:16Atawafanya imara mpaka mwisho, ili msiwe na hatia siku ile ya Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo. 91:9 Rum 8:28; 1Yn 1:3; Isa 49:7; Kum 7:9; 1Kor 10:13; 1The 3:3; 1Tim 2:13; Ebr 10:23; 11:11Mungu ambaye mmeitwa naye ili mwe na ushirika na Mwanawe Yesu Kristo, Bwana wetu ni mwaminifu.
Mgawanyiko Ndani Ya Kanisa
101:10 Rum 7:1; 15:5; 1Kor 11:18Nawasihi ndugu zangu, katika Jina la Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo, kwamba mpatane nia zenu ninyi kwa ninyi, ili pasiwepo na matengano katikati yenu na kwamba mwe na umoja kikamilifu katika nia na katika kusudi. 111:11 Mdo 11:14Ndugu zangu, nimepata habari kutoka kwa baadhi ya watu wa nyumbani mwa Kloe kwamba kuna magomvi katikati yenu. 121:12 1Kor 3:4-22; Mdo 18:24; Yn 1:42; 1Kor 3:22; 9:5Maana yangu ni kwamba: Mmoja wenu husema, “Mimi ni wa Paulo”; mwingine, “Mimi ni wa Apolo”; mwingine, “Mimi ni wa Kefa,”1:12 Yaani Petro. na mwingine, “Mimi ni wa Kristo.”
13Je, Kristo amegawanyika? Je, Paulo ndiye alisulubishwa kwa ajili yenu? Je, mlibatizwa kwa jina la Paulo? 141:14 Mdo 18:8; 19:29; Rum 16:23Nashukuru kwamba sikumbatiza mtu yeyote isipokuwa Krispo na Gayo. 15Kwa hiyo hakuna mtu yeyote anayeweza kusema kwamba alibatizwa kwa jina langu. 161:16 Mdo 11:14; 1Kor 16:15(Naam, niliwabatiza pia watu wa nyumbani mwa Stefana. Lakini zaidi ya hao sijui kama nilimbatiza mtu mwingine yeyote.) 171:17 Yn 4:2; Mdo 2:38; 1Kor 2:1-13Kwa maana Kristo hakunituma ili kubatiza bali kuhubiri Injili; sio kwa maneno ya hekima ya kibinadamu, ili msalaba wa Kristo usije ukakosa nguvu yake.
Kristo Ni Hekima Na Nguvu Ya Mungu
181:18 1Kor 2:14; 2Kor 2:15; 4:3; 2The 2:10; Mdo 2:47; Rum 1:16Kwa maana ujumbe wa msalaba kwa wale wanaopotea ni upuzi, lakini kwetu sisi tunaookolewa ni nguvu ya Mungu. 191:19 Isa 29:14; Ay 5:12, 13; Yer 8:9Kwa maana imeandikwa:
“Nitaiharibu hekima ya wenye hekima,
na kubatilisha akili ya wenye akili.”
201:20 Isa 19:11-12; 1Kor 2:6-8; 3:18; 2Kor 4:4; Gal 1:4; Ay 12:17; Isa 44:25; Yer 8:9; Rum 1:22; 1Kor 3:18-19Yuko wapi mwenye hekima? Yuko wapi msomi? Yuko wapi mwanafalsafa wa nyakati hizi? Je, Mungu hakufanya hekima ya ulimwengu huu kuwa upumbavu? 211:21 1Kor 6:2; 11:32; Rum 11:14; 3:22Kwa kuwa katika hekima ya Mungu, ulimwengu kwa hekima yake haukumjua yeye, ilimpendeza Mungu kuwaokoa wale walioamini kwa upuzi wa lile neno lililohubiriwa. 221:22 Mt 12:38; Yn 2:11; 4:48Wayahudi wanadai ishara za miujiza na Wayunani wanatafuta hekima. 231:23 1Kor 2:2; Gal 3:1; Lk 2:34Lakini sisi tunamhubiri Kristo aliyesulubiwa: yeye kwa Wayahudi ni kikwazo na kwa Wayunani ni upuzi. 241:24 Rum 8:28; 1:16; Kol 2:3Lakini kwa wale ambao Mungu amewaita, Wayahudi na pia Wayunani, Kristo ndiye nguvu ya Mungu na pia hekima ya Mungu. 251:25 2Kor 13:4; 1Kor 1:18Kwa maana upumbavu wa Mungu una hekima zaidi kuliko hekima ya wanadamu, nao udhaifu wa Mungu una nguvu kuliko nguvu ya wanadamu.
261:26 Rum 8:28; 1Kor 1:20; Yn 7:48Ndugu zangu, kumbukeni mlivyokuwa mlipoitwa. Kwa kipimo cha kibinadamu, si wengi wenu mliokuwa na hekima. Si wengi mliokuwa na ushawishi, si wengi mliozaliwa katika jamaa zenye vyeo. 271:27 Yak 2:5; Rum 1:22; 1Kor 3:18-19Lakini Mungu alivichagua vitu vipumbavu vya ulimwengu ili awaaibishe wenye hekima, Mungu alivichagua vitu dhaifu vya ulimwengu ili awaaibishe wenye nguvu. 281:28 Rum 4:17; 1Kor 2:6Alivichagua vitu vya chini na vinavyodharauliwa vya dunia hii, vitu ambavyo haviko, ili avibatilishe vile vilivyoko, 291:29 Efe 2:9ili mtu yeyote asijisifu mbele zake. 301:30 Rum 16:3; Yer 5:5-6; 33:16; 2Kor 5:21; Flp 3:9; 1Kor 1:2; Rum 3:24Bali kwa yeye ninyi mmepata kuwa katika Kristo Yesu, aliyefanyika kwetu hekima itokayo kwa Mungu, yaani haki, na utakatifu na ukombozi. 311:31 Yer 9:23; Za 34:2; 44:8; 2Kor 10:17Hivyo, kama ilivyoandikwa: “Yeye ajisifuye na ajisifu katika Bwana.”
1I, Paul, am writing this letter. I have been chosen to be an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Our brother Sosthenes joins me in writing.
2We are sending this letter to you, the members of God’s church in Corinth. You have been made holy because you belong to Christ Jesus. God has chosen you to be his holy people. He has done the same for all people everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is their Lord and ours.
3May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Paul Gives Thanks
4I always thank my God for you. I thank him because of the grace he has given to you who belong to Christ Jesus. 5You have been blessed in every way because of him. You have been blessed in all your speech and knowledge. 6God has shown that what we have spoken to you about Christ is true. 7There is no gift of the Holy Spirit that you don’t have. You are full of hope as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. 8God will also keep you strong in faith to the very end. Then you will be without blame on the day our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9God is faithful. He has chosen you to share life with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Taking Sides in the Church
10Brothers and sisters, I make my appeal to you. I do this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I ask that all of you agree with one another in what you say. I ask that you don’t take sides. I ask that you are in complete agreement in all that you think. 11My brothers and sisters, I have been told you are arguing with one another. Some people from Chloe’s house have told me this. 12Here is what I mean. One of you says, “I follow Paul.” Another says, “I follow Apollos.” Another says, “I follow Peter.” And still another says, “I follow Christ.”
13Does Christ take sides? Did Paul die on the cross for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I didn’t baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. 15No one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16It’s true that I also baptized those who live in the house of Stephanas. Besides that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else. 17Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the good news. He commanded me not to preach with wisdom and fancy words. That would take all the power away from the cross of Christ.
Christ Is God’s Power and Wisdom
18The message of the cross seems foolish to those who are lost and dying. But it is God’s power to us who are being saved. 19It is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of those who are wise.
I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart.” (Isaiah 29:14)
20Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where are the great thinkers of our time? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21God wisely planned that the world would not know him through its own wisdom. It pleased God to use the foolish things we preach to save those who believe. 22Jews require signs. Greeks look for wisdom. 23But we preach about Christ and his death on the cross. That is very hard for Jews to accept. And everyone else thinks it’s foolish. 24But there are those God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks. To them Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25The foolish things of God are wiser than human wisdom. The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when God chose you. Not many of you were considered wise by human standards. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you belonged to important families. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important. 29So no one can boast to God. 30Because of what God has done, you belong to Christ Jesus. He has become God’s wisdom for us. He makes us right with God. He makes us holy and sets us free. 31It is written, “The one who boasts should boast about what the Lord has done.” (Jeremiah 9:24)
