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More I Corinthians commentaries
I Corinthians 1:1-9
Greetings and Thanksgiving
I Corinthians 1:10-17
Divisions in the Church
I Corinthians 1:18-25
The Message of the Cross
I Corinthians 1:26-31
Glory Only in the Lord
I Corinthians 2:1-5
Sharing the Gospel
I Corinthians 2:6-9
How to Have Spiritual Wisdom
I Corinthians 2:10-16
Bible Doctrine Steers the Spiritual Ship
I Corinthians 3:1-9
The Diet of a Growing Christian
I Corinthians 3:10-15
The Foundation of a Christian Life
I Corinthians 3:16-23
Avoid Worldly Wisdom
I Corinthians 4:1-5
Whose opinion really matters?
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The Message of the Cross
I Corinthians 1:18–25
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
Knowledge is exploding at such a rate-more than 2000 pages a minute-that even Einstein couldn’t keep up. In fact, if you read 24 hours a day, from age 21 to 70, and retained all you read, you would be one and a half million years behind when you finished. How can it be, in a worl … More
It is interesting to see how Paul approached this problem of division in the church. First, he pointed to the unity of Christ: there is one Saviour and one body. Then he reminded them of their baptism, a picture of their spiritual baptism into Christ’s body (v. 17). The true condition of the Corinthian believers was that they were still engrossed with human, earthly wisdom. We can spend a lifetime accumulating human knowledge and still not learn how to have a personal relationship with God (vv. 18-19). You and I must come to the crucified and risen Christ in order to receive eternal life.
The content of Paul’s message in this letter was the good news of Jesus Christ, thought to be foolish because they were perpetually looking for some material sign (vv 20-24). The Jews thought the Messiah would be a conquering king. Since Jesus was executed as a criminal, how could He be the Saviour of the world. Many Greeks earnestly sought after wisdom through human knowledge that would appeal to the intellect. They too, thought that no reputable person would be crucified.
Paul illustrates his point by using an illustration from Isa. 24:19. The great stress in these verses is upon the activity of God. The emphasis of the Apostle here is not upon the act of preaching but upon the content of preaching. The message of Christ’s death for sins sounds foolish to those who don’t believe. Death seems like the end of the road. However, Jesus did not stay dead. His resurrection demonstrated his power even over death. This sounds so simple that many people refuse to accept it. However, the people who simply accept Christ are actually the wisest of all because they alone will live in eternity. Because the Jews were looking for power and great glory, they stumbled at the weakness of the cross. Rather than a testimony of weakness, the cross is a tremendous instrument of power! After all, the “weakness of God” (in the cross) is stronger than men (v. 25).Application
Paul declares that no amount of human knowledge can replace Christ’s work on the cross. Lord help me to always trust in you and not in my own knowledge about you.
I Corinthians 1:18-25 (English Standard Version)
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
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