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1 Corinthians 1:12

Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.”
1 Corinthians 1:12 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”
  • KJV Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
  • BSB What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
  • NKJV Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”
  • NLT 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.”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The Corinthians had splintered into rival camps loyal to different leaders. Even claiming to follow Christ had become a party slogan rather than true devotion.

Overview

Paul exposes the factions: groups boasting 'I follow Paul,' 'Apollos,' 'Cephas (Peter),' or 'Christ.' This party spirit elevated human leaders into rival figureheads, fracturing the body. Even the 'I follow Christ' group may have used his name divisively, showing how spiritual pride twists even good loyalties into instruments of strife.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Matt 23:9–10Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.
  • John 1:42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).
  • 1 Cor 3:21–23Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
  • 1 Cor 3:4–6For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?
  • 1 Cor 15:50Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s Kingdom; neither does the perishable inherit imperishable.
  • 1 Cor 16:12Now concerning Apollos, the brother, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brothers; and it was not at all his desire to come now; but he will come when he has an opportunity.
  • 1 Cor 4:6Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to think beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another.
  • 2 Cor 9:6Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
  • 1 Cor 9:5Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
  • Gal 2:9and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision.
  • 1 Cor 15:5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
  • 1 Cor 7:29But I say this, brothers: the time is short, that from now on, both those who have wives may be as though they had none;
  • Gal 3:17Now I say this. A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect.
  • Acts 18:24Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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Commentaries & study tools

Christ at the center

Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.

How 1 Corinthians 1:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.