The Wisdom of Weakness
a study of 1 Corinthians 1

The church in Corinth was beset by problems—divided into rich and poor, sophisticated and simple, the talented and the average. Some members claimed to have special knowledge that Paul did not have. They began to look down on his simple message about a man who was killed by the Romans. They wrote him a letter asking for more information on several topics, and Paul learned even more about the church in Corinth from people who had been there.

Paul’s reply is now known as 1 Corinthians. He begins, as ancient letters normally did, by saying who he was and naming the people he was writing to: Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth (v. 1, TNIV throughout).

He then reminds them of who they are: To those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours (v. 2 ). They are called to be holy, but they are also called to be part of a larger group. That will be important later in the letter.

Greek letters usually began with chara, greetings, but Paul modifies this to charis (grace) and peace (the typical Jewish greeting): Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Greek orators would often begin a speech by praising the audience, but Paul modifies this to praise God for what he is doing in the readers: I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you (vv. 3-6).

The Corinthian Christians prided themselves on their speaking and their knowledge. Paul acknowledges these as blessings from God, and as evidence in support of the gospel of Christ. He will address their problems later in the letter.

Since God has been generous to them, he writes: Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (vv. 7-8). Paul here subtly reminds them to stick firmly to their original faith, rather than accepting odd new doctrines. Don’t forget that salvation depends on Christ!

He begins with a plea for unity: I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought (v. 10). However, perfect agreement is pointless if it means that everyone believes the same heresy. So in this letter Paul will try to set them on the right track.

Paul had heard that the congregation was divided into different groups, some claiming to follow one leader, and some another (vv. 11-12). But Paul didn’t want even his own name to be an excuse for division: Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name (vv. 13-15).

But then Paul stops to correct himself: Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else (v. 16). These verses show the way that letters were written: What Paul said was written and sent, even if he had to correct himself along the way. The original document was sent, without editing.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (v. 17). Paul did baptize people—and he assumed that all the readers had been baptized—but the gospel was his priority. The message centered on Christ, not on a ritual. Paul wanted to persuade people with the facts, not with the flowery oratory that some Greek philosophers used to attract a following.

The message about a crucified Messiah might seem preposterous to some people, but God uses that message to bring salvation to those who believe. 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 (v. 18). Paul then quotes Isa. 29:14: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. God works in unexpected ways—some people might say that the gospel of grace is a message of weakness, but Paul says it is a message of power (Rom. 1:16).

Where are the wise? Paul asks. They are not in the church. Where is the teacher of the law? They are not accepting the message of salvation, either. Where is the philosopher of this age? Not here. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Cor. 1:20).

Humans value education, but God’s message does not depend on human approval. People cannot know God through their own intelligence, and they cannot save themselves by any amount of philosophy or study. Instead, God decided to save people who believed the gospel (v. 21).

Jews demand signs [miracles] and Greeks look for wisdom [philosophy], 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 (vv. 22-24). The message is too simple for some people, but God uses it to save his people.

The crucified Christ may look weak and foolish, but this is the power and wisdom of God. The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (v. 25). This is the basis of unity in the church: accepting the gospel of Christ crucified—people being saved by the shameful death of Christ.

Remember that you were ordinary people when you heard the gospel, Paul says. You were not the movers and shakers of Corinth. But God chose the foolish things of the world—that’s you—to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (vv. 27-29).

If people could save themselves through their own intelligence, then the kingdom of God would be filled with people who were proud of their own accomplishments. If people could get in through their own abilities, they would think that they were just as good as God.

So God decided to call the nobodies of this world, those who were willing to admit their need, those who were willing to accept the gift of salvation. And this plan will eventually shame the wise and humiliate the proud, who will then be able to realize that their own strength, no matter how good it was, was not good enough.

Because of God’s plan, Paul writes, you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let those who boast boast in the Lord" (vv. 30-31, quoting from Jer. 9:24). Jesus is our righteousness—it is in him, and only in him, that we can be righteous and holy. Only when we are in Christ, united with him by faith, can we be redeemed. We cannot boast about anything we did—our only boast is in what Christ does for us. He gets the credit and the praise.

• In what way has God enriched you? (v. 5).
• How can people be perfectly united in mind and thought? (v. 10)
• Is v. 14 an inspired mistake?
• Can the wise and wealthy accept the unexpected wisdom of God? (v. 20)
• If Christ is our righteousness, do we need any of our own? (v. 30)

Michael Morrison

Copyright 2005