If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NLT)
²⁶ Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. ²⁷ Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. ²⁸ God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. ²⁹ As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
³⁰ God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. ³¹ Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

• God called you.
• God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.
• God chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
• God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
• God has united you with Christ Jesus.
• God made Christ Jesus to be wisdom itself.
• Christ Jesus made us right with God.
• Christ Jesus made us pure and holy.
• Christ Jesus freed us from sin.
• If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.

 If you only want one bullet point:

• God does it all.  

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
(1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

“Reflections on 1 Corinthians” will be continued in future posts.

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The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NLT)

¹⁸ The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. ¹⁹ As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
²⁰ So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. ²¹ Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. ²² It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.²³ So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
²⁴ But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

•  The gospel is nonsense to the person who is rejecting Christ.
• God transforms us by changing the way we think.
• The Gospel is powerful to those who are being saved. It is wisdom.
• “The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
• The world will never know God through human wisdom.
• Christians need to be sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in spite of the fact that this message is offensive to some and nonsense to others.
• The gospel is foolish to the person who is rejecting Christ.
• When the Gospel is shared with those who have been called by God to salvation, the message makes sense. God opens their eyes. 

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
(1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

“Reflections on 1 Corinthians” will be continued in future posts.

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Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (NLT)
¹⁰ I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. ¹¹ For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹² Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”
¹³ Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

• Christians are called to live in harmony with other Christians.
• Christians need to be focused on Jesus Christ, not anyone else. 

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.  (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

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Paul Gives Thanks to God

1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (NLT)

⁴ I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. ⁵ Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. ⁶ This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. ⁷ Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. ⁹ God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

•  Give thanks to God for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• God gives us every spiritual gift we need to carry out the plan He has for our lives.
• God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
• There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
• God will do whatever He says He will do.
• Together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory.
• One cannot fully enjoy fellowship with Christ while living outside the will of God. 

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.   (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

“Reflections on 1 Corinthians” will be continued in future posts.

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Greetings from Paul

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (NLT)

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. 
² I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 
³ May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

• The church in Corinth was called to live holy lives in the midst of a sin-infested city.
• We are called to live holy lives in the midst of a sin-infested environment.
• We are called to experience God’s grace and peace while living in the midst of a sin-infested environment.

 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.                            (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

“Reflections on 1 Corinthians” will be continued in future posts.

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