1 Corinthians 1
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians addresses problems in the church, including division, pride, immorality, and confusion. In chapter 1, Paul begins by reminding the believers that they are called and sanctified in Christ, then he corrects their divisions and points them back to the cross. The main message of this chapter is that believers should not boast in human leaders, human wisdom, or worldly status, because true wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption are found only in Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, not by human choice, but by the will of God. This shows that his authority to teach and correct the church came from God. He writes to the church in Corinth, calling them sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints. Even though the Corinthian church had many problems, Paul begins by reminding them of their holy calling in Christ. He also includes all believers everywhere who call on the name of Jesus Christ, showing that the church belongs to Christ, not to one group or leader. His greeting of grace and peace points to the spiritual blessings that come from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (NKJV)
4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,
5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,
6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul thanks God for the grace given to the Corinthians through Jesus Christ. Even though they had many faults, God had blessed them with spiritual gifts, knowledge, and the testimony of Christ among them. They lacked no gift as they waited for the return of Jesus. Paul reminds them that Christ is able to strengthen them to the end, so they may be blameless in the day of the Lord. Their hope did not rest in their own strength, but in God’s faithfulness. God had called them into fellowship with His Son, and He was able to complete His work in them.
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 (NKJV)
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there are no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Paul pleads with the Corinthians to stop their divisions and be united in Christ. Some were claiming loyalty to Paul, others to Apollos, others to Cephas, and others claimed Christ in a way that still caused division. Paul rebukes this by asking, “Is Christ divided?” His point is that no human leader was crucified for them, and they were not baptized in the name of Paul. Salvation comes through Christ alone. Therefore, the church should not be divided by loyalty to different ministers, teachers, or personalities, but should be united in the gospel and in Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:14-17 (NKJV)
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.
16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
Paul says he is thankful that he personally baptized only a few of them, such as Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas, so that no one could say they were baptized in his name. He is not saying baptism is unimportant, but that the focus must not be on the person performing the baptism. Christ sent Paul mainly to preach the gospel, not to build a following around himself. Paul also did not preach with clever human wisdom, because he did not want the cross of Christ to lose its power. The power is in Christ and His sacrifice, not in human ministers or impressive speech.
1 Corinthians 1:18-20 (NKJV)
18 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.
19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
Paul contrasts the wisdom of the world with the message of the cross. To those who are perishing, the cross seems foolish, weak, or unreasonable. But to those who are being saved, it is the power of God. Through the cross, God does what human wisdom could never do: He provides forgiveness, defeats sin and death, and brings people back to Himself. Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14 to show that God brings human wisdom to nothing when it stands against Him. Philosophers, scholars, and debaters may seem wise in the world’s eyes, but they cannot discover salvation by human reasoning. True wisdom is found in Christ crucified.
1 Corinthians 1:21 (NKJV)
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
Paul explains that the world, through its own wisdom, did not truly know God. Human philosophy, education, and reasoning can ask many questions, but they cannot by themselves reveal God’s plan of salvation. So God chose to save people through the preached message of the gospel, which the world calls foolish. This message is simple: Christ died, was buried, rose again, and now gives life to those who believe. God chose this simple gospel so that salvation would be available to all, not only to the educated or powerful, and so that no one could boast in human wisdom. Salvation comes through faith in what God has revealed, not through human intelligence.
1 Corinthians 1:22-25 (NKJV)
22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Paul explains why many people rejected the gospel. Many Jews wanted signs and expected the Messiah to come in visible power and victory. Many Greeks valued philosophy and human wisdom. But Paul preached Christ crucified. To many Jews, a crucified Messiah was a stumbling block, and to many Greeks, it sounded foolish. Yet to those who believe, Christ is both the power of God and the wisdom of God. What looks weak to the world is actually stronger than human strength, and what looks foolish to the world is wiser than human wisdom. Through the cross, God accomplished salvation in a way no human mind could have planned.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NKJV)
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
27 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 things which are mighty;
28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that not many of them were considered wise, powerful, or noble by worldly standards. God often chooses the weak, lowly, and despised things of the world to shame the proud and powerful. This does not mean God rejects all educated or influential people, but that He does not build His kingdom on human status, pride, or achievement. God works through those who depend on Him, so that no flesh can boast in His presence. The purpose is to show that salvation and spiritual strength come from God, not from human greatness.
1 Corinthians 1:30 (NKJV)
30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
Paul shows that everything believers need is found in Christ. They are in Christ because of God’s work, not their own effort. Christ is the true wisdom from God, because through Him we understand God’s plan of salvation. He is also our righteousness, making us right with God; our sanctification, setting us apart and transforming us into holiness; and our redemption, delivering us from the bondage and penalty of sin. This means believers should not look to human wisdom, leaders, or self-confidence, but to Christ, who is the complete source of their salvation and spiritual life.
1 Corinthians 1:31 (NKJV)
31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
Paul concludes by saying that all boasting must be in the Lord. He quotes Jeremiah 9:23-24 to show that people should not boast in wisdom, strength, status, or human achievements. The Corinthians were tempted to boast in knowledge, gifts, and leaders, but Paul points them back to God. Everything they have—wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption—comes from Christ. Therefore, believers should give glory to the Lord alone, because salvation, growth, and spiritual life are all the result of God’s grace.