The Power of the cross

(1 Corinthians 1:17 – 2:16)

Introduction: As we dive into this passage from 1 Corinthians, we are met with a stark contrast: wisdom versus foolishness. But these terms are not as simple as they seem. The Apostle Paul makes clear that the message of the cross is often considered foolishness by the world’s standards. And yet, this very "foolishness" holds the power of God to save.

Today, we will walk through 1 Corinthians 1:17 through 2:16, a passage that calls us to reevaluate our understanding of wisdom and power in the light of Christ’s crucifixion. We will explore how Paul presents the gospel of the cross as the true power of God, even though it contradicts the values of worldly wisdom.

---

1 Corinthians 1:17 - "Not with Words of Eloquence"**

Paul begins by reminding the Corinthians that Christ did not send him to baptize but to preach the gospel:

- **Verse 17**: "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

Paul's primary mission was not to engage in ritual acts like baptism, though baptism is important, but to proclaim the gospel.

What is especially striking here is Paul’s rejection of “eloquent wisdom” (Greek: *sophía logou*), which refers to the Greco-Roman style of polished rhetoric that was so highly valued in Corinth. The Corinthians admired eloquence, much like many today admire charisma or intellect in speakers. But Paul distances himself from this approach, insisting that the cross is sufficient and needs no enhancement through human rhetoric.

To rely on eloquence would be to empty the cross of its **power** (*dýnamis*).

Allusion: Paul’s rejection of eloquence in favor of the simple message of the cross is reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets, like Isaiah, who often spoke in ways that were deemed unpopular or foolish by their contemporaries. God’s word doesn’t need to conform to the standards of human wisdom to accomplish its purposes (Isaiah 55:11).

---

**1 Corinthians 1:18 - The Cross: Foolishness to the World, Power to the Believer**

- **Verse 18**: "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Here, Paul directly contrasts two groups: those who are perishing and those who are being saved. For the former, the cross is foolishness (*moría*)—something utterly absurd and irrational. For the latter, it is the very **power** of God (*dýnamis theou*).

To the world, the cross is an object of scorn. The idea of salvation coming through a crucified man was ridiculous, especially to the Greeks who prized logic, and to the Jews who expected a mighty political Messiah, not a suffering servant. But this "foolishness" is the power by which God saves.

The cross is not about human strength or intellect; it is the demonstration of God’s power, working through apparent weakness.

Application: This verse challenges us today. How often do we dismiss God’s ways because they don’t align with our own expectations of wisdom and power? The world tells us to seek influence, success, and intelligence, but God calls us to humble ourselves at the foot of the cross, where true power lies.

---

1 Corinthians 1:19-20 - God Destroys Human Wisdom

- Verse 19: "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'"

- Verse 20: "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?"

Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14, where God declares that He will destroy human wisdom. This prophetic allusion reinforces Paul’s point: human wisdom, as impressive as it seems, is no match for God’s wisdom. The cross reveals that God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

In verse 20, Paul challenges the intellectuals of his day: the philosopher, the scholar, and the debater—all esteemed in Corinthian society. But God’s wisdom makes their wisdom look foolish. In fact, the world’s wisdom cannot save; it cannot bring people to a knowledge of God. God subverts the expectations of the wise by using something as “foolish” as the cross to accomplish His saving work.

Application: We live in an age where knowledge is increasing at unprecedented rates, yet spiritual blindness persists. Like the philosophers of Paul’s day, our modern culture often rejects the gospel because it doesn’t fit within the framework of human reason. But Paul reminds us that God’s wisdom transcends human logic and intellect.

---

1 Corinthians 1:21-25 - God’s Wisdom Revealed in the Foolishness of the Cross

- Verse 21: "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe."

- Verse 22: "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,"

- Verse 23: "but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,"

- Verse 24: "but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

- Verse 25: "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

Paul now explains the different reactions to the gospel. The Jews sought miraculous signs, reminiscent of their ancestors’ demand for signs from God in the wilderness. The Greeks, on the other hand, sought wisdom—philosophical and intellectual sophistication.

The cross satisfied neither of these expectations. To the Jews, a crucified Messiah was scandalous (*skandalon*)—a stumbling block. To the Greeks, it was foolishness (*moría*)—an idea that defied logic.

Yet to those who are called by God, the cross reveals both the **power** and the **wisdom** of God. In the apparent foolishness and weakness of the cross, God’s true strength and wisdom are made manifest. Christ crucified defies the world’s understanding of power by demonstrating that real strength is found in sacrificial love and obedience.

Application: How often do we, like the Jews and Greeks, place our expectations on God? Do we look for signs, proof, or logic to believe? Paul reminds us that the cross, though it defies these expectations, is the ultimate revelation of God’s wisdom and power. We are called to trust in God’s plan, even when it doesn’t align with our own understanding.

---

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - God’s Choice of the Weak and Lowly

- **Verse 26**: "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth."

- **Verse 27**: "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;"

- **Verse 28**: "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,"

- **Verse 29**: "so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

- **Verse 30**: "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,"

- **Verse 31**: "so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

Paul now appeals to the Corinthians’ own experience. Most of them were not powerful, noble, or wise by worldly standards, yet God chose them. This is the divine pattern: God uses the weak, the lowly, and the despised to display His glory. Why? So that no one can boast before God. Salvation is God’s work alone, not a product of human effort, status, or intelligence.

**Allusion**: Paul alludes to **Jeremiah 9:23-24**, where the prophet warns against boasting in wisdom, might, or riches, but rather in understanding and knowing the Lord. In the same way, Paul emphasizes that our only boast should be in the Lord and His saving work through Christ.

**Application: This passage challenges our natural inclination to seek recognition, power, and influence. God calls us to humble ourselves and recognize that His power is perfected in weakness. Our value does not come from our achievements but from our identity in Christ, who is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

---

**1 Corinthians 2:1-5 - Paul’s Preaching in Weakness and the Spirit’s Power**

- **Verse 1**: "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom."

- **Verse 2**: "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

- **Verse 3**: "And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,"

- **Verse 4**: "and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,"

- **Verse 5**: "so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

Paul’s own method of preaching reflected the content of his message. He did not rely on rhetoric or philosophical arguments, but on the **power** of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s weakness—his trembling and fear—became a platform for the Spirit’s power to be displayed. The focus of his message was Christ crucified, not human wisdom.

**Application**:This is a call to embrace vulnerability in our witness for Christ. When we rely on our own strength, we diminish the power of God’s message. Like Paul, we must lean on the Holy Spirit, trusting that it is not our eloquence but God’s power that transforms lives.

---

**1 Corinthians 2:6-16 - The Wisdom of God Revealed by the Spirit**

- **Verse 6**: "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away."

- **Verse 7**: "But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory."

- **Verse 8**: "None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."

- **Verse 9**: "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.'"

- Verse 10: "These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God."

Verse 11: "For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."

Verse 12: "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God."

Verse 13: "And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual."

Verse 14: "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

Verse 15: "The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one."

Verse 16: "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

Paul now delves into the deeper wisdom of God, which can only be discerned by the Holy Spirit. The rulers of this age—whether religious or political—did not grasp this wisdom; if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But God’s wisdom is not like human wisdom. It is secret, hidden, and can only be revealed by the Spirit. The **Holy Spirit** enables believers to understand the mysteries of God, giving them the "mind of Christ."

Application: This passage is a powerful reminder that true wisdom comes not from the world, but from the Spirit of God. If we are to grasp the fullness of God’s wisdom, we must be spiritually discerned, guided by the Holy Spirit. It challenges us to depend not on our intellect but on the Spirit’s work in our lives.

---

**Conclusion: The Power of the Cross**

The message of the cross is foolishness to the world, but to those who are being saved, it is the **power** of God. In this passage, Paul calls us to reject the wisdom of the world and to embrace the wisdom of God, which is revealed in the cross. This wisdom may look like foolishness, but it is the ultimate expression of God’s power. As we embrace the foolishness of the cross, we will find true wisdom and life.

Let us boast, not in our own strength or wisdom, but in Christ crucified, who is the power and wisdom of God for all who believe.