1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Applebury's Comments

The Word of the Cross and the Wisdom of the World (18-31)

Text

1 Corinthians 1:18-31. For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the discernment of the discerning will I bring to nought.

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling-block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 24 but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; 28 and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: 29 that no flesh should glory before God. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 31 that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Commentary

the word of the cross.The divisions in the church at Corinth were being perpetuated by those who were putting the wisdom of the world above the gospel of Christ. By contrasting the two, Paul condemns the party spirit. The contrast is plain: it is between them thai perish and those who are saved; it is between foolishness and the power of God.

For it is written.The quotation is from Isaiah 29:14. It is freely applied by the apostle to the situation at hand. In the time of Isaiah, the wisdom of the worldly statesmen failed to protect Judah against the invasion of the Assyrians. The quotation is thus applied to the situation in Corinth: the wisdom of the world could not possibly save men from destruction in the spiritual realm. That can only be done through the word of the cross.

the power of God.It is through the gospel that the power of God is channeled into the mind of those who hear the message. The force of the facts of the gospel (the life, death, and resurrection of Christ) changes unbelief into faith. The force of the motives of the gospel (the goodness of God, Romans 2:4, godly sorrow for sin, 2 Corinthians 7:10, and, among others, the consideration of the impending judgment, Acts 17:30-31) changes the will, and that change of the will is repentance. Submission to the command of the gospel to be baptized into Christ brings the penitent believer to the blood of Christ which washes away sin (Mark 16:15-16; Romans 6:4; Acts 22:16; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:22).

This power of God to save the believer was demonstrated in the resurrection of Christ (Ephesians 1:19-20). It is the same power that raises the one dead in trespasses and sin to the new life in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-6). It is the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20), that is, the power of the gospel to save and to equip the believer to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16).

the wise, the scribe, the disputer of this world.Paul calls upon the wise (the Greek) and the scribe (the Jew) and the debater of the world (both Greek and Jew) in such a manner as to show that none of them could offer anything to save man from his sin. The reason is clear: the world in its wisdom did not know God.

the foolishness of preaching.The word of the cross, although looked upon by those who were perishing as foolishness, was the power of God to save the believer. Foolishness does not refer to the act of preaching, but to the message that is proclaimed, that is, the word of the cross. While the basic facts of the gospel are the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, the gospel is not limited to these facts, for it takes the whole Bible to tell the whole story of the whole counsel of God about salvation through His Son. In the O. T. it is seen in prophecy, promise, and type. In the N. T. it is seen in the facts of the life of Christ; in the history of conversion to Christ; in the explanation of the essentials of righteousness; in the application of the gospel to daily life; and, finally, in the prophecy of the victory of Christ and of those who accept His gospel.

to save them that believe.God reaches the mind of the unconverted sinner through the message of the cross. When God created man, He created him with the capacity to respond to His commands. It requires no miracle of illumination to enable man to understand what God says in the Bible. That is why the word of the cross can save the believer. Followers of Christ are to proclaim it; sinners are to believe it; and God will save those who believe it. These three issues should be carefully noted: (1) God made foolish the wisdom of the world; (2) the world through its wisdom didn-'t know God; (3) in the wisdom of God, God was pleased to save the believer through the foolishness of the message that was preached.

Jews ask for signs.See Matthew 12:38-40; John 2:18; John 6:30; Matthew 27:42.

Greeks seek after wisdom.See Acts 17:21; 1 Corinthians 2:6-9.

unto Jews a stumbling block.The Greek word which is translated stumblingblock referred to the trigger of a trap, and then to the trap or some means of causing one to stumble. The crucified Messiah was like this to the Jew. The Jewish concept of Messiah led them to think of an earthly kingdom such as existed in the days of David and Solomon. How could Christ crucified be their expected leader? They failed to understand that His kingdom was not of this world. They would have been glad to make Him their king in opposition to Caesar, but He refused the temporal crown. They turned against Him, and in the end they cried out, We have no king but Caesar. See John 6:14-15; John 19:15; Matthew 21:42-44.

unto Gentiles foolishness.When Paul preached Jesus and the resurrection in Athens, the philosophers called him a babblerone who had no real system of philosophy like theirs, but who was like the little birds seen in the marketplace picking up bits of food here and there. Compared to their systems of wisdom, this seemed like foolishness. (Acts 17:18).

Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.In contrast to the Jews and Greeks who rejected the message of the cross, Paul points out thoseboth Jews and Greekswho accept Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God. Those who are called are the ones who respond to God's call through the gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:13-14). Christ is the power of God, that is, He is the one who exercises God's power to save the believer. The gospel has a logical force, the force of the facts of the gospel to produce faith; it has an emotional force, the force of the motives of the gospel to produce repentance; it has a redemptive force, the force of the blood of Christ to cleanse from sin. Christ is the wisdom of God, that is, He is the one who has revealed the divine wisdom that has to do with salvation; in other words, what to do to be saved and how to live the Christian life. He is the personal revelation of God, and through His office as prophet, He caused the written revelation of God, the Bible, to be written.

foolishness of God.As the context indicates, this expresses man's attitude toward the things of God. But, as Paul indicates, what man deems foolish and weak in God's plan to save the sinner is wiser and stronger than man. David's conquest of Goliath illustrates the point.

behold your calling.The words that follow explain Paul's reference to the foolishness and weakness of God. A glance at their own station in life was enough to show the Corinthians that the word of the cross had made its greatest appeal to those of the lower class, While it is true that the early church was made up largely of those from the lower classes, it does not follow that others were excluded. Crispus and Sosthenes were rulers of synagogues, and Dionysius, a convert at Athens, was known as the Areopagite, a member of the high court of Athens. It was not, however, until the fourth century that the world was to see a professed Christianat least, one who favored Christianityon the throne of the Roman Empire.

things that are not.God chose the things that are spiritualrighteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17)rather than eating and drinking. He chose the Christian virtues rather than the Jewish practices. He chose righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:31) rather than wickedness, uncleanness, and slavery to sincharacteristics of Gentile conduct.

no flesh should glory before God.No human being can boast of his accomplishments before God. Man cannot save himself; he can be saved only by God's grace through faith expressed in obedience. The Christian belongs to God because of his relation to Christ Jesus. By using what man calls weak and foolish, God has made it impossible for any man to boast that he could have performed Christ's redemptive work on the cross. Christ alone made that sacrifice.

wisdom from God.Christ is the personal revelation of God; He is the word made flesh. Through His office as prophet, He is the author of the written revelation. See 1 Corinthians 2:6 for further comment on this wisdom.

righteousness.This word is used in three ways in the N. T. It refers to the fact that God is right; to the standard of conduct that God demands of man; and to the status of one whom God considers right in His sight because his sins have been forgiven.

Christ is the righteousness of God in relation to all three connotations. He was without sin (John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21); in His conduct He always did the will of His Father (John 5:19); righteousness (remission of sins) is made possible through the blood of Christ (Romans 3:21-25).

redemption.Christ is our redemption, that is, He is the one who has provided our release from slavery to sin (Romans 6:16-18). He is all that is needed. He alone by His Spirit through the apostles revealed the wisdom that is proclaimed in the message of the cross.

Summary

The interesting account of the beginning of the church in Corinth is given in Acts 18:1-17. Luke states in simplest terms that Paul left Athens and came to Corinth. There he found Aquilla and Priscilla who had recently come from Rome. The work began in the synagogue of the Jews, but Paul was soon forced to move to the house next door which belonged to a man by the named Titus Justus. Luke also records the conversion of Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue. Encouraged by the vision from the Lord. Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and six months teaching the Word of God. Persecuting Jews brought Paul into the court of Gallio. His indifference to the quarrels of the Jews probably saved Paul from the beating which was given to another, Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue.

Paul visited Corinth a second time, during his third missionary tour (Acts 19:21; Acts 20:2-3).

The problems that were faced in starting the work in Corinth set the pattern for its subsequent history. Corinth was destined to become a problem church. First Corinthians was written to straighten out their problems. There were problems of division and derelictions; there were problems of marriage and meats used in idolatrous worship; there were problems that related to women's costume in public and abuses of the Lord's supper; there were problems about spiritual gifts; there were problems connected with the doctrine of the resurrection. The problems at Corinth were very similar to the problems of the church today. First Corinthians, therefore, becomes an important book for those who seek to adjust present problems in the light of divine revelation.
Paul appropriately begins the epistle with a reference to his apostleship. He is an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God. He writes with the authority of one sent By Christ and upheld by the will of God. This assures his readers that they will find in this letter the divine solution to their problems. Paul lifts the solution of the problems of the church out of the hands of wrangling men and puts it where it belongs, within the limits of the authority of Jesus Christ as expressed in the writing of His inspired apostle.
Sosthenes, who must have been well known to the church at Corinth, is associated with Paul in the greeting to his fellow-Christians at Corinth.
Although they were guilty of conduct so unbecoming to a Christian, Paul addresses them as those who were sanctified and called saints. Thus, he upholds the ideals to which he attempts to lift them through his inspired instruction. The Corinthians were not the only ones who were sanctified and called saints, for with them Paul includes all those who, because they recognized their utter dependence on Christ for their salvation, called upon the name of Jesus Christ.
Paul's customary salutation of grace and peace sounds the deep spiritual tone of the letter.
Before taking up the problems that are to be discussed in the epistle, the apostle pauses to thank God for the spiritual enrichment of the Corinthians. God had supplied them with the information they needed as brethren in Christ and the ability to use this information when they spoke. They had received the established testimony about Christ so that they lacked nothing; they, therefore, did not need to turn to worldly wisdom for help as they awaited the day when Christ would be revealed. Such testimony would establish them to the very end as unreprovable followers of Christ. This assurance was furnished them by the faithful God who had called them through the gospel into close association with His Son.
As Paul takes up the problems which are to be discussed in the epistle, he mentions first the matters which had been reported to him by the household of Chloe. From this source he had learned of their divided state and their consequent derelictions in such matters as immorality, litigation and abuse of the body.
Paul approaches the problem of division with a view to securing his readers acceptance of the inspired solution which he presents: he exhorts them as brethrens. He urges all of them to say the same thing, instead of saying, I am of Paul or I am of Apollos. He urges them to settle their differences which had caused splits in the church. It was possible for all to say the same thing by adopting the same mental attitude and expressing the same opinion on such questions as these: Is Christ divided? Paul wasn-'t crucified for you, was he? You were not baptized into his name, were you? It was to avoid possible claim of being baptized into the name of Paul that he refrained from personally baptizing any of the Corinthians except Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephenas. Paul determined that the cross of Christ should not become an empty thing.
Having thus indicated the folly of their divisions, he continues to rebuke the sin of division as he contrasts the word of the cross with the wisdom of the world. Worldly wisdom was a contributing cause of their wrangling disputes, but Paul reminds them that the issue is salvation or destruction, as the Scriptures clearly stated. The world that followed the wise ones of that day did not know God, but God's plan was to save believers through the message of the cross. Both Jews and Greeks failed to see this. Those, however, who did see it discovered that Christ has revealed God's wisdom and exercises God's power to save.
This could easily be verified by looking at themselves. God had not called many of the wise of that day nor many of noble birth. He had chosen the humble and the weak that men might be taught not to boast in their own power, but to glory in Christ who exercises God's power to save. Christ who revealed the wisdom from God is the source of their forgiveness, cleansing, and freedom.