1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 1 Corinthians 2:5, 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, 1 Corinthians 7:10-13, 1 Corinthians 10:13

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

¹⁸For the word of the cross is ^afoolishness to ^bthose who ¹are perishing, but to us who ²are being saved, it is ^cthe power of God. ¹⁹For it is written, “^aI will destroy the wisdom of the wise,And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

²⁰^aWhere is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of ^bthis age? Has not God ^cmade foolish the wisdom of ^dthe world? ²¹For since, in the wisdom of God, ^athe world through its wisdom did not come to know God, ^bGod was well-pleased, through the ^cfoolishness of the ¹message preached, to ^dsave those who believe. ²²For indeed ^aJews ask for ¹signs and Greeks search for wisdom, ²³but we preach ¹^,^aChrist crucified, ^bto Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles ^cfoolishness, ²⁴but to those who are ^athe called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ ^bthe power of God and ^cthe wisdom of God. ²⁵Because the ^afoolishness of God is wiser than men, and ^bthe weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶For ¹consider your ^acalling, brothers, that there were ^bnot many wise according to ²the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. ²⁷But ^aGod has chosen the foolish things of ^bthe world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of ^cthe world to shame the things which are strong, ²⁸and the base things of ^athe world and the despised God has chosen, ^bthe things that are not, so that He may ^cabolish the things that are, ²⁹so that ^ano flesh may boast before God. ³⁰But by His doing you are in ^aChrist Jesus, who became to us ^bwisdom from God, ¹and ^crighteousness and ^dsanctification, and ^eredemption, ³¹so that, just as it is written, “^aLet him who boasts, boast in the ¹Lord.”

Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit

2And when I came to you, brothers, I ^adid not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you ^bthe ¹witness of God. ²For I determined to know nothing among you except ^aJesus Christ, and Him crucified. ³And I was with you in ^aweakness and in ^bfear and in much trembling, ⁴and my word and my preaching were ^anot in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of ^bthe Spirit and of power, ⁵so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in ^athe power of God.

⁵so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in ^athe power of God.

⁹Or ^ado you not know that the unrighteous will not ^binherit the kingdom of God? ^cDo not be deceived; ^dneither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor ¹effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will ^ainherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹^aAnd such were some of you; but you were ^bwashed, but you were ^csanctified, but you were ^djustified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Flee Sexual Immorality

¹²^aAll things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³^aFood is for the ¹stomach and the ²stomach is for food, but God will ^bdo away with both ³of them. Yet the body is not for sexual immorality, but ^cfor the Lord, and ^dthe Lord is for the body. ¹⁴Now God has not only ^araised the Lord, but ^bwill also raise us up through His power. ¹⁵^aDo you not know that ^byour bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? ^cMay it never be! ¹⁶Or ^ado you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “^bThe two shall become one flesh.” ¹⁷But the one who joins himself to the Lord is ^aone spirit with Him. ¹⁸^aFlee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the ¹sexually immoral man sins against his own body. ¹⁹Or ^ado you not know that ^byour body is a ¹sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from ²God, and that ^cyou are not your own? ²⁰For ^ayou were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in ^byour body.

¹⁰But to the married I give instructions, ^anot I, but the Lord, that the wife should not ¹leave her husband ¹¹(but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not ¹divorce his wife.

¹²But to the rest ^aI say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not ¹divorce her. ¹³And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not divorce her husband.

¹³No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, but ^aGod is faithful, who will not allow you to be ^btempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.