Sermon Tone Analysis

The Cypher of the Spirit

German Cypher

divine wisdom which brought about Christ’s saving act in the cross is the real wisdom, and further, that this wisdom is in total opposition to the worldly wisdom so beloved in Corinth.

Beginning of wisdom: ; 111:10; 1:7; 4:7

The World’s Wisdom vs.

The Wisdom of the Spirit

Paul takes up the major catchwords which had become embedded in the life of the church at Corinth, and his most urgent task at this point is neither to reject their validity nor to bypass what was important for his readers, but to reclaim the terms for the gospel by redefining them in the light of the nature of God and of the gospel.

In particular the use of σοφία, wisdom, at Corinth had misdirected attention to issues of status and human achievement rather than to wisdom as a sheer gift of God given in and through Christ.

Paul has attacked their false “wisdom” in 1:17–2:5, but now he wishes to make it clear that a true wisdom remains both part of his own teaching to Christian believers and an essential mark of a mature Christian community

The reason the message of the Gospel seems like foolishness to natural men is that it doesn’t make sense that God would reveal Himself in humiliation of the cross to show His love for those who reject Him.

That seems foolish to an unbelieving world.