1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Paul is dealing with the division in the church.  He has corrected their view of the Lord of the Church.  It is not Paul nor Apollos nor Peter but it is Christ.  Now he corrects their view of the message of the Church.

Here is the principle: the word of the cross is foolish to unbelievers but to believers in Christ it is God’s power to salvation (v18).  The message (lit. word) comes in the context of man’s hopelessly lost situation, being dead spiritually because of sin.  The word tells us that God has satisfied His wrath and will forgive men’s sin through the cross.  The cross provides redemption (payment of man’s sin-debt) and atonement (satisfying God’s righteous wrath in Christ).  (See Acts 2:22-24 and 1 Cor. 15:1-4 for illustrations of this word.)

In contrast, what is the wisdom of this world (v20)? What is that, you ask?

All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitute a most real and effective power, being the moral, or immoral, atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale (Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, p217f)

Ecclesiastes, in the Old Testament, gives a clear statement of man’s wisdom, being the closest an honest man can come to the truth in trying to live life under the sun, that is, without God.  In the end this wisdom is empty or ineffective.

For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world (1 John 2:16).

     Paul gives specific illustrations of this wisdom.  The Jews were always seeking for signs that Jesus was the Messiah.  But when Christ finally told them He would give them no more signs except the sign of the resurrection (in other words, that He would die) they stumbled at this.  To this day Jews cannot accept a God/Messiah who shows such weakness (humility) as is indicated by the cross.  The same is true of the Greeks.  They consider it foolish that the object of faith would die the shameful death of the cross.  The bottom line is that they are not interested in, nor do they understand, a God who would die for them.

The word of the cross is what is true.  The foolishness of God (i.e. what men consider foolish) is wiser than men; the weakness of God (i.e. what men consider weakness) is stronger than men!  Thus Paul preached Christ crucified to all, regardless of who they were or what they thought.  

This word of the cross is the mark of true ministry.  Consider this in the Church today.  In many pulpits the message is liberalism; or the feel-good message of many large churches; or the glorification of signs and wonders.  They make reference to the cross but the appeal seeks to satisfy the cravings of the flesh.  It is the wisdom of the world.  May we preach Christ crucified!