EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Corinthians 1:17
17Christ did not send me to baptize people. But he did send me to tell God's good news to people. When I speak his message, I do not use clever words. It is Christ's death on the cross that has power to save people. I do not want to spoil that power with clever words.
1 Corinthians 1:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
- New International Version (NIV)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
Context of 1 Corinthians 1:17
15So none of you can say, ‘I belong to Paul's group because he baptized me.’ 16(Now I remember that I also baptized Stephanas and his family. I cannot remember that I baptized anyone else.) Christ did not send me to baptize people. But he did send me to tell God's good news to people. When I speak his message, I do not use clever words. It is Christ's death on the cross that has power to save people. I do not want to spoil that power with clever words. 18Some people think that the message about Christ's death on the cross is silly. Those people are destroying themselves. But it is different for us, the people that God is saving. The message about the cross shows us God's power to save us. 19It says in the Bible: ‘I, God, will destroy all the clever thoughts of wise people. I will show that their clever ideas are useless.’
Read all of 1 Corinthians 11 Corinthians 1:17 word by word
οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλέν με Χριστὸς βαπτίζειν ἀλλ᾽ εὐαγγελίζεσθαι· οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγου, ἵνα μὴ κενωθῇ ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
- sentἀποστέλλωapostellō · to sendG649
- meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- notοὐou · noG3756
- to baptizeβαπτίζωbaptizō · to baptizeG907
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- to preach the gospelεὐαγγελίζομαιeuaggelizō · to speak good newsG2097
- withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- wisdomσοφίαsophia · wisdomG4678
- of wordsλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
- lestἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- ·μήmē · notG3361
- the crossὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the crossσταυρόςstauros · crossG4716
- should be made of none effectκενόωkenoō · to emptyG2758
Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 1:17
- John 4:2But really Jesus himself did not baptize anyone. It was only Jesus' disciples who baptized people.
- Acts 10:48So Peter told the Jewish believers to baptize the new believers. They spoke the name of Jesus Christ when they baptized them. After that, Cornelius asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
- Acts 26:17I will send you to speak about me to Jews and to Gentiles. Some of them will want to hurt you. But I will keep you safe.
- 1 Corinthians 2:1Christian friends, I came to tell you God's true message. I did not use clever words when I spoke to you. I did not try to make you think that I was very wise.
- 2 Corinthians 4:2We refuse to do anything secretly that we might be ashamed of. We do not tell lies. We do not change God's message to deceive people. No. We tell God's true message clearly. God himself sees that we teach people in an honest way. Everyone should understand that we only do what is right.
- 2 Corinthians 10:3It is true that we live in this world as humans. But we do not use our human ideas to fight against what is wrong.
- 2 Peter 1:16We told you that our Lord Jesus Christ is powerful. We also told you that he will return to earth again. We were not telling you false stories that came from people's clever ideas. Instead, we were telling you what we ourselves had seen. We ourselves saw that the Lord Jesus is very great.
- 1 Corinthians 2:5As a result, you now believe because of God's power. You do not believe because of human ideas.
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 1:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17For Christ sent me not to baptize - Bp. Pearce translates thus: For Christ sent me, not so much to baptize as to preach the Gospel: and he supports his version thus - "The writers of the Old and New Testaments do, almost every where (agreeably to the Hebrew idiom) express a preference given to one thing beyond another by an affirmation of that which is preferred, and a negation of that which is contrary to it: and so it must be understood here, for if St…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17For Christ sent me not to baptize - That is, not to baptize as my main business. Baptism was not his principal employment, though be had a commission in common with others to administer the ordinance, and occasionally did it. The same thing was true of the Saviour, that he did not personally baptize, John 4:2. It is probable that the business of baptism was entrusted to the ministers of the church of inferior talents, or to those who were connected with…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-25Verses 17-25 Paul had been bred up in Jewish learning; but the plain preaching of a crucified Jesus, was more powerful than all the oratory and philosophy of the heathen world. This is the sum and substance of the gospel. Christ crucified is the foundation of all our hopes, the fountain of all our joys. And by his death we live. The preaching of salvation for lost sinners by the sufferings and death of the Son of God, if explained and faithfully applied…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17The important thing is not baptism, but sharing the good news about Jesus. Baptism shows how people respond to the message. not with words of wisdom: This refers to speaking well or appealing to human wisdom. lest the cross be emptied of its power: Focusing too much on eloquence and human reasoning can distract from the simple message that Christ died for people's sins so they could be forgiven (1 Corinthians 2:1–5; 15:1–3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. Paul says this not to depreciate baptism; for he exalts it most highly (Ro 6:3). He baptized some first converts; and would have baptized more, but that his and the apostles' peculiar work was to preach the Gospel, to found by their autoptic testimony particular churches, and then to superintend the churches in general. sent me--literally, "as an apostle." not to baptize--even in Christ's name, much less in my own. not with wisdom of words--or speech…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Corinthians 1:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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