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1,644 illustrations
1 Corinthians 1
1Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2to the assembly of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who call on 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.
4I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus;
5that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge;
6even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
7so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;
8who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
10Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, 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 Christ."
13Is Christ 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 don`t know whether I baptized any other.)
17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel -- not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ 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 the discernment of the discerning to nothing."
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 didn`t know God, it was God`s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.
22For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,
23but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,
24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ 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 Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
31that, according as it is written, "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."
Lewis observed that it's easier to love humanity in general than the specific person annoying you. "Love is not irritable"—but your spouse, coworker, or neighbor can be genuinely irritating. Lewis said real love isn't warm feelings; it's willing the other's...
SermonWise.ai generates complete sermon outlines for any passage across 17 theological traditions. Try it with 1 Corinthians.
Generate a sermon →A missionary couple worked in a Muslim country for 20 years before seeing their first convert. Twenty years. "Love is patient." They built relationships, served needs, learned culture—without visible fruit.
"God provides the way of escape—but we must take it. Grace enables; we respond. The power to resist is given; we must employ it. This is cooperative grace: God's faithfulness meets our faithfulness. We are not passive but active participants...
"God is FAITHFUL—there is your anchor. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. He knows your limits better than you do. And He provides the way of escape—not always around the temptation but through it.
"Temptation is not merely individual moral failure but includes systemic seductions—idolatry of empire, worship of wealth, complicity with injustice. The 'way of escape' may be prophetic resistance, communal accountability, choosing solidarity over safety. We face temptation together." — Walter Brueggemann.
"Note the balance: temptation is common to humanity—we are not unique in our struggles. Yet God is faithful—we are not alone. He limits temptation—we are not overwhelmed. He provides escape—we are not trapped. This is realistic and hopeful: human struggle, divine faithfulness." — John Stott.
"Paul warns using Israel's failures as examples—the same temptations that tested them test us. But God's faithfulness spans dispensations: He provided escape for Israel, He provides for the church. In these last days, with temptations multiplying, His faithfulness remains constant." — Warren Wiersbe.
"The disinherited face unique temptations: the temptation to hate, to fear, to deceive for survival. God is faithful—He provides escape even here. The way out may be love that refuses to hate, courage that refuses to fear, integrity that refuses to compromise." — Howard Thurman.
"You are DESTINED for victory! God is FAITHFUL—He will MAKE a way! When temptation comes, don't just endure—OVERCOME! The same power that raised Jesus lives in you! Command the temptation to bow to the name of Jesus! There IS a...
"God gives wisdom—and Christ IS the wisdom of God. When we ask for wisdom, we ask for Christ's mind, Christ's perspective, Christ's way. Wisdom is not abstract principle but a Person. In Christ are hidden all treasures of wisdom. Ask,...
"No more death—death swallowed in victory through Christ's resurrection. He wipes tears because He shared them; He ends death because He defeated it. The cross leads to this: a world without mourning, crying, pain. Christ's victory becomes universal experience." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
"Temptation tests but also purifies—it is part of the spiritual ladder. God allows temptation measured to our strength, always with escape. Through nepsis (watchfulness) and the Jesus Prayer, we find the door out. The faithful God provides; we must be vigilant to see." — St.