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)
問候
1我是按上帝旨意蒙召作基督耶穌使徒的保羅，同所提尼弟兄， 2寫信給在哥林多的上帝的教會，就是在基督耶穌裡得以聖潔、蒙召做聖徒的，以及各地求告我們主耶穌基督之名的人。基督是他們的主，也是我們的主。
3願我們的父上帝和主耶穌基督賜給你們恩典和平安！
保羅的感恩
4我常常為你們感謝我的上帝，因為祂在基督耶穌裡賜給了你們恩典， 5使你們在基督裡凡事富足，有全備的口才和知識。 6這樣，我為基督所做的見證就在你們身上得到了證實。 7因此，你們在殷切等候我們主耶穌基督再來的期間，並不缺少任何屬靈的恩賜。 8我們的主耶穌基督必扶持你們到底，使你們在祂再來的日子無可指責。 9上帝是信實的，祂呼召你們是要你們與祂的兒子——我們的主耶穌基督相交。
信徒要同心合意
10親愛的弟兄姊妹，我奉主耶穌基督的名勸你們，要同心合意，不可結黨紛爭，要團結一致， 11因為革來家的人把各位弟兄姊妹的事情告訴了我，說你們中間有紛爭。 12我的意思是你們有人說：「我是跟隨保羅的」，有人說：「我是跟隨亞波羅的」，有人說：「我是跟隨彼得的」，有人說：「我是跟隨基督的」。 13難道基督是分成幾派的嗎？替你們釘十字架的是保羅嗎？你們是奉保羅的名受洗的嗎？
14感謝上帝，除了基利司布和該猶以外，我沒有為你們任何人施洗， 15所以沒有人能說是奉我的名受洗的。 16不錯，我也曾為司提法納的家人施洗，除此以外，我不記得還為誰施洗了。 17基督不是差遣我去為人施洗，而是去傳揚福音，而且不用高言大智，免得基督十字架的能力被抹摋。
上帝的智慧
18因為十字架之道在將要滅亡的人看來是愚昧的，但對我們這些得救的人來說卻是上帝的大能， 19正如聖經上說：「我要摧毀智者的智慧，廢棄明哲的聰明。」
20這個世代所謂的智者、學者、雄辯家在哪裡？上帝豈不是把這世上的智慧都變成愚昧了嗎？ 21上帝運用自己的智慧不讓世人憑自己的智慧去認識祂，祂樂意採用世人看為愚昧的道理去拯救那些相信的人，這就是上帝的智慧。
22猶太人要看神蹟，希臘人尋求智慧， 23但我們傳講被釘十字架的基督。這對猶太人來說是絆腳石，對外族人來說是愚昧的。 24但對於蒙召的人，無論是猶太人還是希臘人，基督是上帝的能力、上帝的智慧。 25因為上帝的「愚昧」也勝過世人的智慧，上帝的「軟弱」也勝過世人的剛強。
26弟兄姊妹，想想你們蒙召時的情形。按人的標準來衡量，你們當中稱得上有智慧的不多，有能力的不多，出身名門望族的也不多。 27但上帝揀選了世人看為愚昧的，要使智者羞愧；上帝揀選了世上軟弱的，要使強者蒙羞； 28上帝揀選了世上卑賤的、被藐視的和無足輕重的，要使世人看為舉足輕重的變得無足輕重。 29這樣，誰都不能在上帝面前自誇了。
30上帝使你們活在基督耶穌裡，祂使基督耶穌成為我們的智慧、公義、聖潔和救贖。 31所以，正如聖經上說：「要誇耀，就當誇耀主的作為。」
