20fWhere is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the 8disputer of this age? gHas not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21For since, in the hwisdom 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.
22For iJews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
23but we preach Christ crucified, jto the Jews a 9stumbling block and to the 10Greeks kfoolishness,
24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ lthe power of God and mthe wisdom of God.
25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Glory Only in the Lord
26For 11you see your calling, brethren, nthat not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many 12noble, are called.
27But oGod 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;
28and the 13base 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,
29that no flesh should glory in His presence.
30But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and prighteousness and sanctification and redemption—
31that, as it is written, q“He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
1 Corinthians 2
Christ Crucified
1And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the 1testimony of God.
2For I determined not to know anything among you aexcept Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3bI was with you cin weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4And my speech and my preaching dwere not with persuasive words of 2human wisdom, ebut in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the fpower of God.
Spiritual Wisdom
6However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God 3ordained before the ages for our glory,
8which none of the rulers of this age knew; for ghad they known, they would not have hcrucified the Lord of glory.
9But as it is written:
i“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10But jGod has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11For what man knows the things of a man except the kspirit of the man which is in him? lEven so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but mthe Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the 4Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14nBut the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
16For o“who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” pBut we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3
Sectarianism Is Carnal
1And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to ababes in Christ.
2I fed you with bmilk and not with solid food; cfor until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
3for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and 1behaving like mere men?
4For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
Watering, Working, Warning
5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but dministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
6eI planted, fApollos watered, gbut God gave the increase.
7So then hneither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, iand each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9For jwe are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are kGod’s building.
10lAccording to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid mthe foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
11For no other foundation can anyone lay than nthat which is laid, owhich is Jesus Christ.
12Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13each one’s work will become clear; for the Day pwill declare it, because qit will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
16rDo you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17If anyone 2defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Avoid Worldly Wisdom
18sLet no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, t“He catches the wise in their own craftiness”;
20and again, u“The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
21Therefore let no one boast in men. For vall things are yours:
22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.
23And wyou are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
1 Corinthians 4
Stewards of the Mysteries of God
1Let a man so consider us, as aservants of Christ band stewards of the mysteries of God.
2Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human 1court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.
5cTherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to dlight the hidden things of darkness and ereveal the 2counsels of the hearts. fThen each one’s praise will come from God.
Fools for Christ’s Sake
6Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be 3puffed up on behalf of one against the other.
7For who 4makes you differ from another? And gwhat do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8You are already full! hYou are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!
9For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a ispectacle 5to the world, both to angels and to men.
10We are jfools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! kWe are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!
11To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are
poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.
12lAnd we labor, working with our own hands. mBeing reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;
13being defamed, we 6entreat. nWe have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Paul’s Paternal Care
14I do not write these things to shame you, but oas my beloved children I warn you.
15For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for pin Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16Therefore I urge you, qimitate me.
17For this reason I have sent rTimothy to you, swho is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will tremind you of my ways in Christ, as I uteach everywhere vin every church.
18wNow some are 7puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.
19xBut I will come to you shortly, yif the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.
20For zthe kingdom of God is not in word but in apower.
21What do you want? bShall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
1 Corinthians 5
Immorality Defiles the Church
1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even 1named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s awife!
2bAnd you are 2puffed up, and have not rather cmourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3dFor I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.
4In the ename of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, fwith the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5gdeliver such a one to hSatan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord 3Jesus.
6iYour glorying is not good. Do you not know that ja little leaven leavens the whole lump?
7Therefore 4purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed kChrist, our lPassover, was sacrificed 5for us.
8Therefore mlet us keep the feast, nnot with old leaven, nor owith the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Immorality Must Be Judged
9I wrote to you in my epistle pnot to 6keep company with sexually immoral people.
10Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go qout of the world.
11But now I have written to you not to keep company rwith anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—snot even to eat with such a person.
12For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
13But those who are outside God judges. Therefore t“put away from yourselves the evil person.”
1 Corinthians 6
Do Not Sue the Brethren
1Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the asaints?
2Do you not know that bthe saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3Do you not know that we shall cjudge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
4If then you have 1judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?
5I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?
6But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. dWhy do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?
8No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!
9Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. eNeither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor 2homosexuals, nor 3sodomites,
10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
11And such were fsome of you. gBut you were washed, but you were 4sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Glorify God in Body and Spirit
12hAll things are lawful for me, but all things are not 5helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of 6any.
13iFoods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for jsexual immorality but kfor the Lord, land the Lord for the body.
14And mGod both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up nby His power.
15Do you not know that oyour bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
16Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For p“the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”
17qBut he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18rFlee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins sagainst his own body.
19Or tdo you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, uand you are not your own?
20For vyou were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body 7and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 7
Principles of Marriage
1Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: aIt is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.
3bLet the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.
4The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
5cDo not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that dSatan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6But I say this as a concession, enot as a commandment.
7For fI wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.
8But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: gIt is good for them if they remain even as I am;
9but hif they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Keep Your Marriage Vows
10Now to the married I command, yet not I but the iLord: jA wife is not to depart from her husband.
11But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
12But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.
13And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.
14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise kyour children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
15But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us lto peace.
16For how do you know, O wife, whether you will msave your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
Live as You A
re Called
17But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And nso I 1ordain in all the churches.
18Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? oLet him not be circumcised.
19pCircumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but qkeeping the commandments of God is what matters.
20Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.
21Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.
22For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is rthe Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is sChrist’s slave.
23tYou were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
24Brethren, let each one remain with uGod in that state in which he was called.
To the Unmarried and Widows
25Now concerning virgins: vI have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one wwhom the Lord in His mercy has made xtrustworthy.
26I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—ythat it is good for a man to remain as he is:
27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
28But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.
29But zthis I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,
30those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,
31and those who use this world as not amisusing it. For bthe form of this world is passing away.
32But I want you to be without 2care. cHe who is unmarried 3cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.
33But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.
34There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman dcares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 575