Greetings from Paul

(2 Corinthians 1:1-2)

1Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ, through the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother,

2to the assembly of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all those calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place — both theirs and ours:

3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving

(Philippians 1:3-11; Colossians 1:3-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4)

4I give thanks to my God always concerning you for the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus, 5that in every thing ye were enriched in him, in all discourse and all knowledge, 6according as the testimony of the Christ was confirmed in you, 7so that ye are not behind in any gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who also shall confirm you unto the end — unblamable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ; 9faithful [is] God, through whom ye were called to the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Unity in the Church

(Psalm 133:1-3; Ephesians 4:1-16)

10And I call upon you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the same thing ye may all say, and there may not be divisions among you, and ye may be perfected in the same mind, and in the same judgment, 11for it was signified to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe, that contentions are among you; 12and I say this, that each one of you saith, ‘I, indeed, am of Paul’ — ‘and I of Apollos,’ — ‘and I of Cephas,’ — ‘and I of Christ.’ 13Hath the Christ been divided? was Paul crucified for you? or to the name of Paul were ye baptized; 14I give thanks to God that no one of you did I baptize, except Crispus and Gaius — 15that no one may say that to my own name I did baptize; 16and I did baptize also Stephanas’ household — further, I have not known if I did baptize any other. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but — to proclaim good news; not in wisdom of discourse, that the cross of the Christ may not be made of none effect;

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

18for the word of the cross to those indeed perishing is foolishness, and to us — those being saved — it is the power of God,

19for it hath been written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will bring to nought;’

20where [is] the wise? where the scribe? where a disputer of this age? did not God make foolish the wisdom of this world? 21for, seeing in the wisdom of God the world through the wisdom knew not God, it did please God through the foolishness of the preaching to save those believing. 22Since also Jews ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom, 23also we — we preach Christ crucified, to Jews, indeed, a stumbling-block, and to Greeks foolishness, 24and to those called — both Jews and Greeks — Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God,

The Foolish to Shame the Wise

25because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men;

26for see your calling, brethren, that not many [are] wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but the foolish things of the world did God choose, that the wise He may put to shame; and the weak things of the world did God choose that He may put to shame the strong; 28and the base things of the world, and the things despised did God choose, and the things that are not, that the things that are He may make useless — 29that no flesh may glory before Him; 30and of Him ye — ye are in Christ Jesus, who became to us from God wisdom, righteousness also, and sanctification, and redemption, 31that, according as it hath been written, ‘He who is glorying — in the Lord let him glory.’