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by Katie Erickson

For the message of the cross is foolishness 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; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
- 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

In the previous section of this letter, Paul discussed division and how all believers in Jesus Christ should be unified around the cross of Christ. We all share that commonality in our faith – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to provide salvation for the world. In this section, Paul continues talking about the power of the cross and relates that to wisdom.

While Paul was focused on unity among believers in the previous section, here he shows the distinction between believers and unbelievers. He shows that distinction relating to the power of the cross in verse 18: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Paul recognizes that the cross of Jesus does not have the same effect on every person. For those who have faith, the cross is powerful! But for those with no faith, the cross seems foolish and pointless.

Paul begins to relate the cross to wisdom when he quotes Isaiah 29:14 in verse 19. But it is important to not only look at the verse Paul quotes but the context surrounding it, particularly the verse before it. Isaiah 29:13 says, “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.’” This verse explains the unbeliever – or more accurately, it explains someone who may be a Christian in name only.

If someone appears to honor God with their mouth but that is not what’s in their heart, they are not truly a believer in Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ is foolish to that person, and they do not have the wisdom that only God can give them. If a person only has the knowledge that Jesus Christ died on the cross but no true faith in Jesus, that cannot save them; they cannot be saved by their wisdom or their intelligence.

Paul shows in verses 20-21 that God’s wisdom makes even the most learned and wise people look like fools. Even those who were considered to be wise in matters of the church don’t necessarily have true faith. The wisdom of this world cannot truly know and understand God, nor can this wisdom give a person the faith that can save them. But the message of the cross appears to be foolish to this world, and that is what truly can save us! God’s good purpose of the salvation of all mankind is fulfilled in what appears foolish to this world, not in what appears to be wise.

Verses 22-24 address some of the differences between the Jews and the Greeks, or the Jews and the Gentiles. The culture to which this was written was primarily made up of Jews and Greeks, though Gentile is a term that refers to anyone who is not a Jew. While that language of nationality may seem divisive, Paul actually uses it to unify the Church as a whole. The Jews were a nation that was looking for the Messiah; they were a religious people by nature, so they were more focused on spiritual things. The Greeks, however, were more focused on knowledge, so they were not as keen to notice spiritual happenings. But those differences are irrelevant when the most important thing is preached – Christ crucified!

Paul says that the crucifixion of Jesus is “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (verse 23). The Jews were waiting for the promised Messiah, but they did not see what they wanted the Messiah to be. While spiritual in nature, they were also expecting a political messiah to save them from their Roman oppressors. Their own preconceived notions were their stumbling block, their obstacle, to believing in Jesus as the Messiah. For the Gentiles, the fact that the death of this one man (who was also fully God) could pay for the sins of all humanity did not make logical sense. They could not reason that out with their minds, so it was foolishness to them.

But, no matter the nationality of those who have faith in Jesus Christ, Jesus is God’s power and wisdom in their lives! When a person comes to faith in Christ, their whole outlook is turned around. No longer do they stumble or think the cross of Christ to be foolish, but rather they now realize that they possess the power and wisdom of God in their lives!

But just because we possess God’s power and wisdom does not mean we are equal to God. Paul shares in verse 25 how even the foolishness of God is greater than the wisest human, and the weakness of God is stronger than humans. That is not to say that God is at all foolish or weak, but Paul simply uses that comparison to show the greatness of the power and wisdom that God alone possesses. God is in complete control over everything, and all power and wisdom truly are His! We are blessed to even receive a tiny portion of that, and we only receive that through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

The ways of God do not make sense in the eyes of the world, and that is the foolishness of the cross. The ways of Christians should also be seen as foolish in the eyes of the world, because we follow Christ and are held to a different standard. But those who follow Jesus know that the cross of Christ brings salvation, power, and wisdom into our lives, and that is so much better than having the world understand or approve of us!

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