1 Corinthians Bible Study Message 4

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 NKJV

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. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who 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.

Prayer

Message

I want to begin tonight by offering an apology. As I thought about it later when I heard Jackie laugh, it should have triggered me to realize what I really said. I said “Apollos” was a silver tongued devil. Silver tongued yes, not a devil. Apollos was a man that loved the Lord but was reared in Alexandria which was Greece and Scriptures state “an eloquent man mighty in the Scriptures.”

You can imagine that Paul being reared a Jew and taught under Gamaliel that a Jewish audience possibly favored his teaching and preaching style while the Gentiles may have enjoyed Apollos’ charisma as he taught. That’s all I meant. Both men loved the Lord, but very different styles of communicating.

Last week you will remember that Paul minced no words stating that there were divisions among the people, factions, contentions. And in the next verses mentioned He began drilling down to the core issues creating the division.