Wisdom from Above

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter ^ljealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, ^mdo not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the ⁿwisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, ^odemonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be ^pdisorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of ^qmercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a ^rharvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who ^smake peace.

Taming the Tongue

1 ^aNot many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Divisions in the Church

10 I appeal to you, brothers,¹ by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no ^sdivisions among you, but that you be united ^tin the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is ^uquarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow ^vApollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the ^wname of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except ^xCrispus and ^yGaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did ^zbaptize also the household of ^aStephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with ^bwords of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

18 For the word of the cross is ^cfolly ^dto those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the ^epower of God. 19 For it is written,

20 ^hWhere is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? ⁱHas not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach² to save those who believe. 22 For ^jJews demand signs and ^kGreeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach ^lChrist crucified, a ^mstumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the ⁿwisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise ^oaccording to worldly standards,³ not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose ^pwhat is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 ^qso that no human being⁴ might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him⁵ you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, ^rrighteousness and ^ssanctification and ^tredemption, 31 so that, as it is written, ^u“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Proclaiming Christ Crucified

1 And I, when I came to you, brothers,⁶ did not come proclaiming to you the testimony⁷ of God with ^vlofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you ^wexcept Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in ^xweakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were ^ynot in plausible words of wisdom, but ^zin demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men⁸ but in the ^apower of God.