Paul, called to be an apostle of ‘ISA1 AL-MASIH2 through the will of God3, and our brother Sosthenes, 2to the congregation of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in AL-MASIH ‘ISA, called to be saints, with all who call on the Name of our LORD ‘ISA AL-MASIH in every place, both theirs and ours: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the LORD ‘ISA AL-MASIH.
4I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in AL-MASIH ‘ISA; 5that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge; 6even as the testimony of AL-MASIH was confirmed in you: 7so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our LORD ‘ISA AL-MASIH; 8who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our LORD ‘ISA AL-MASIH. 9God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, ‘ISA AL-MASIH, our Lord. 10Now I beg you, brothers,4 through the Name of our Lord, ‘ISA AL-MASIH, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow AL-MASIH.” 13Is AL-MASIH divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name. 16(I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I do not know whether I baptized any other.) 17For AL-MASIH sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Injil 5—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of AL-MASIH wouldn’t be made void. 18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring to nothing the intelligence of the intelligent.“ 6
20Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the message of the Injil to save those who believe. 22For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, 23but we preach AL-MASIH crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, AL-MASIH is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; 27but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; 28and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are: 29that no flesh should boast before God. 30But of him, you are in AL-MASIH ‘ISA, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 31that, according as it is written,
“Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 7
- 1:1 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 1:1 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 1:1 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 1:10 The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.” ↩︎
- 1:17 Injil, this Arabic word is derived from Euangel (Greek) and means “good news” or “Gospel” (old English for ‘good news’). Depending on context, Injil can refer to,
1. the whole Christian New Testament containing 27 books,
2. the first 4 books of the New Testament, that is, the Injil according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or,
3. the message or “good news” of forgiveness of sins through ‘ISA AL-MASIH. ↩︎ - 1:19 Quoting the Taurat, Shaya 29:14 which says: “Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder; the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the intelligence of the intelligent shall vanish.” ↩︎
- 1:31 Quoting from verse 24 of the Taurat, Armiya 9:23-24 which says: Thus says YAHWEH, “Do not let the wise man boast about his wisdom, neither let the mighty man boast about his might, do not let the rich man boast about his riches; but let him who boasts, boast in this, that he has understanding, and knows me, that I am YAHWEH who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight,” says YAHWEH. ↩︎