1 Corinthians: Not in VainSample

The British sandwich-spread Marmite made a name for itself by using the powerful advertising slogan, ‘You either love it or you hate it’. Here Paul shows us that it’s important that we understand the Christian gospel has a similar effect. 

Remember, Paul is addressing a church that had become so shaped by worldly values that they were placing their confidence in the impressiveness of their leaders. But that’s to misunderstand how God works: ‘the message of the cross’ (v. 18) will always have a divided response. Some will write it off as foolishness, but, where God is at work, it’ll be understood as the outworking of his power. 

Of course, that’s a pretty big claim, and so Paul quotes from an Old Testament prophet to explain. Isaiah declared that God would frustrate and bring to nothing those who think they are wise in themselves (Is. 29:14). To capture this human arrogance, Paul uses the phrase ‘wisdom of the world’ (v. 20). It could describe any philosophy, perspective or worldview that proudly emphasises what humanity can do or achieve without God. And yet such pride is shown to be foolishness, because it’ll never lead to someone figuring God out by themselves (v. 21). After all, if we could do that then we’d ultimately be able to boast in ourselves! Instead God saves people through a message that only those whom he’s humbled will accept (v. 21b). 

In first-century Corinthian culture this ‘wisdom of the world’ expressed itself in two main ways: Jews were after ‘signs’, i.e. displays of tangible power, whereas Greeks valued wisdom, i.e. rhetoric and eloquence (v. 22). To both, the message of Jesus dying on the cross made no sense (v. 23). And yet where God is at work, convicting us of our sin and need of him, people will start to see the cross as a display of both God’s wisdom and power (v. 24). 

Reflection

Can you think of examples of our culture seeing Christianity as foolishness? 

How does this passage give you confidence that such apparent foolishness isn’t a problem for God?