1Cor 1:22-23 | KingComments | STEP | . In these verses Paul depicts the contrast between the old and the new life. To him there is no way in between. The cross doesn’t allow such a way. It is about perishing or being saved. Between these two ways there is the cross. The “word of the cross” is not popular. At least, how it is presented by God in His Word. I call that the old cross. It often occurs in preaching the gospel to leave out the sharp edges of the “word of the cross” to make it more pleasant and to make it less radical. I call that the new cross. With the new cross one can go on with his life without having gone through a radical change in his motives. He goes on with his own pleasures. The only difference is that many things in his life now have a Christian ‘color’. But with the old cross nothing is left of the old man, he is disappeared completely. The old cross is the symbol of scorn and shame. During the time the Lord Jesus lived in Israel, the people were dominated by the Romans. The Roman way of executing a criminal was by crucifixion. That is the most horrible sentence of death you can imagine. Anyone who was sentenced to this death in that time, walked with the cross on his back through the streets of the city to the place of execution. He had said goodbye to family, friends and acquaintances. He would not come back anymore. There was no compromise with the cross; it was hard and merciless and it killed a man once and for all. The Corinthians had forgotten the real meaning of the cross. You can see that immediately from their quarreling and divisions. But how do you deal with the cross? For it is one thing to know that you are saved through the cross, but to live in accordance with the cross is a completely different thing. To the world, “to those who are perishing”, the message of the cross is foolishness. That the Son of God voluntarily took that place to reconcile a hostile man with God, is foolishness for men who are blind to their own sinfulness and to God Who is holy. But to you the cross was the “power of God” through which you were saved. . All the wisdom and philosophy of the world, hasn’t ever been able to save anyone. Much fantasy and philosophy have been going on (and still are) about what man is and what would lead him to happiness. Many of these theories were constructed and are still being constructed, the one more impressive than the other. But in the Old Testament God already said that He would destroy the wisdom of the wise men and the understanding of their prudent men He would bring to nothing ( ). The wisdom of man is something that comes from man. In Ephesians 4 you can read what man is without God ( ). How could such man ever come up with something meaningful about the origin, the existence and the future of man? All thoughts of man about himself and from himself and all his searching after the truth about himself apart from God, is meaningless. He who yet does that and even admires that – and that was the case with the Corinthians – doesn’t understand anything about the wisdom of God . . The wisdom of God has a totally different approach. God really cannot use anything at all of fallen man to restore him but has to start all over again with him. Someone we might consider the wisest person will never be able to grasp anything of God with his understanding, his intelligence. God does not primarily address the understanding of man, but his conscience. He who begins reasoning about God with his understanding, is judging Him. As if man can grasp God within his own mind! He, who makes God speak to his conscience, acknowledges that it is quite the opposite: God judges him. Such a person becomes aware of the wisdom of God as demonstrated in “the foolishness of the message”. Isn’t it foolish to listen to something that approaches you through words that you cannot see or touch or reason with your understanding? No, it certainly is not, for if you once have believed the truth of those words, you are really saved indeed. . The Jews wanted to see a sign first or concrete evidence before they believed. The Greek people wanted to be able to reason with understanding first before they believed. But that of course is not believing. Believing is the confidence that is focused on God. You trust that God has good purposes toward you, although He yet has to judge you. . Such contradictions cannot be proved by signs or to be reasoned with the understanding, but to faith it is all to be found in Christ, the Crucified One. The Jews did not want such a Savior. Just imagine what they were thinking: their pride, their Messiah, Who would chase away the enemy (the Romans) out of the land, died on a cross. The Greeks had profound thoughts about the essence of man and believed in their own ideas about it. Just imagine again: such a distinguished being as a man should be saved by something abject as a crucified Man. . However, he who is called by God, as you also are now, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, knows for sure: only through the cross there is salvation. On the cross you see Christ. In Him the power of God and the wisdom of God have become apparent. The power of God is not comparable to the muscular power of a man. The power of God is seen in the triumph that was achieved over sin, satan and death by the Son of God. The enemy has been defeated, not by might, but by the submission of the Lord Jesus to God all the way to death. It is a final victory. It is the power of God’s love that has reached out to you in His Son and Who gained you for Him. . God in His wisdom was the only One Who could have invented such a way for the salvation of sinners. Never ever could a man think in such a way. As long as a person has not been touched in his conscience, he will continually try to make his life meaningful by his own power and understanding. Until now it appears that all human ingenuity has not lead to a happy world. We are sure that it will never happen. Every day we have enough evidence that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. You have understood and experienced that the ‘foolishness of God’ has brought deliverance in your hopeless situation and that the ‘weakness of God’ was the power that lifted you up from your misery and brought you close to His heart. Now read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 again. Reflection: Compare the foolishness of men to the foolishness of God.

‏ 1 Corinthians 1:22-23

Christ – the Power and Wisdom of God

1Cor 1:18. In these verses Paul depicts the contrast between the old and the new life. To him there is no way in between. The cross doesn’t allow such a way. It is about perishing or being saved. Between these two ways there is the cross.

The “word of the cross” is not popular. At least, how it is presented by God in His Word. I call that the old cross. It often occurs in preaching the gospel to leave out the sharp edges of the “word of the cross” to make it more pleasant and to make it less radical. I call that the new cross. With the new cross one can go on with his life without having gone through a radical change in his motives. He goes on with his own pleasures. The only difference is that many things in his life now have a Christian ‘color’. But with the old cross nothing is left of the old man, he is disappeared completely. The old cross is the symbol of scorn and shame.

During the time the Lord Jesus lived in Israel, the people were dominated by the Romans. The Roman way of executing a criminal was by crucifixion. That is the most horrible sentence of death you can imagine. Anyone who was sentenced to this death in that time, walked with the cross on his back through the streets of the city to the place of execution. He had said goodbye to family, friends and acquaintances. He would not come back anymore. There was no compromise with the cross; it was hard and merciless and it killed a man once and for all.

The Corinthians had forgotten the real meaning of the cross. You can see that immediately from their quarreling and divisions. But how do you deal with the cross? For it is one thing to know that you are saved through the cross, but to live in accordance with the cross is a completely different thing. To the world, “to those who are perishing”, the message of the cross is foolishness. That the Son of God voluntarily took that place to reconcile a hostile man with God, is foolishness for men who are blind to their own sinfulness and to God Who is holy. But to you the cross was the “power of God” through which you were saved.

1Cor 1:19-20. All the wisdom and philosophy of the world, hasn’t ever been able to save anyone. Much fantasy and philosophy have been going on (and still are) about what man is and what would lead him to happiness. Many of these theories were constructed and are still being constructed, the one more impressive than the other. But in the Old Testament God already said that He would destroy the wisdom of the wise men and the understanding of their prudent men He would bring to nothing (Isa 29:14).

The wisdom of man is something that comes from man. In Ephesians 4 you can read what man is without God (Eph 4:17-19). How could such man ever come up with something meaningful about the origin, the existence and the future of man? All thoughts of man about himself and from himself and all his searching after the truth about himself apart from God, is meaningless. He who yet does that and even admires that – and that was the case with the Corinthians – doesn’t understand anything about the wisdom of God.

1Cor 1:21. The wisdom of God has a totally different approach. God really cannot use anything at all of fallen man to restore him but has to start all over again with him. Someone we might consider the wisest person will never be able to grasp anything of God with his understanding, his intelligence. God does not primarily address the understanding of man, but his conscience. He who begins reasoning about God with his understanding, is judging Him. As if man can grasp God within his own mind!

He, who makes God speak to his conscience, acknowledges that it is quite the opposite: God judges him. Such a person becomes aware of the wisdom of God as demonstrated in “the foolishness of the message”. Isn’t it foolish to listen to something that approaches you through words that you cannot see or touch or reason with your understanding? No, it certainly is not, for if you once have believed the truth of those words, you are really saved indeed.

1Cor 1:22. The Jews wanted to see a sign first or concrete evidence before they believed. The Greek people wanted to be able to reason with understanding first before they believed. But that of course is not believing. Believing is the confidence that is focused on God. You trust that God has good purposes toward you, although He yet has to judge you.

1Cor 1:23. Such contradictions cannot be proved by signs or to be reasoned with the understanding, but to faith it is all to be found in Christ, the Crucified One. The Jews did not want such a Savior. Just imagine what they were thinking: their pride, their Messiah, Who would chase away the enemy (the Romans) out of the land, died on a cross. The Greeks had profound thoughts about the essence of man and believed in their own ideas about it. Just imagine again: such a distinguished being as a man should be saved by something abject as a crucified Man.

1Cor 1:24. However, he who is called by God, as you also are now, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, knows for sure: only through the cross there is salvation. On the cross you see Christ. In Him the power of God and the wisdom of God have become apparent. The power of God is not comparable to the muscular power of a man. The power of God is seen in the triumph that was achieved over sin, satan and death by the Son of God. The enemy has been defeated, not by might, but by the submission of the Lord Jesus to God all the way to death. It is a final victory. It is the power of God’s love that has reached out to you in His Son and Who gained you for Him.

1Cor 1:25. God in His wisdom was the only One Who could have invented such a way for the salvation of sinners. Never ever could a man think in such a way. As long as a person has not been touched in his conscience, he will continually try to make his life meaningful by his own power and understanding. Until now it appears that all human ingenuity has not lead to a happy world. We are sure that it will never happen.

Every day we have enough evidence that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. You have understood and experienced that the ‘foolishness of God’ has brought deliverance in your hopeless situation and that the ‘weakness of God’ was the power that lifted you up from your misery and brought you close to His heart.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 again.

Reflection: Compare the foolishness of men to the foolishness of God.