Job 5:12-14

12He afrustrates the devices of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success.
13He bcatches the wise in their own craftiness,
and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
14They meet with darkness in the daytime
and cgrope at noonday as in the night.

Isaiah 29:14

14therefore, behold, dI will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and ethe wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

1 Corinthians 1:9-26

9 fGod is faithful, by whom you were called into the gfellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10I appeal to you, brothers,
Or  brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God’s family, the church; also verses 11, 26
by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no idivisions among you, but that you be united jin the same mind and the same judgment.
11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is kquarreling among you, my brothers. 12What I mean is that leach one of you says, “I follow Paul,” orI follow mApollos,” orI follow nCephas,” orI follow Christ.” 13 oIs Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you pbaptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except qCrispus and rGaius, 15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also sthe household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and tnot with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

18For the word of the cross is ufolly to vthose who are perishing, but to us wwho are being saved it is xthe power of God. 19For it is written,

y“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 zWhere is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? aaHas not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach
Or  the folly of preaching
to save those who believe.
22For acJews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ adcrucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ aethe power of God and afthe wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26For consider your calling, brothers: agnot many of you were wise according to worldly standards,
Greek  according to the flesh
not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

1 Corinthians 2:6-8

Wisdom from the Spirit

6Yet among aithe mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not aja wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, akwho are doomed to pass away. 7But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, alwhich God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8None of amthe rulers of this age understood this, for anif they had, they would not have crucified aothe Lord of glory.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20

18 apLet no one deceive himself. aqIf anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19For arthe wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, as“He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20and again, at“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

2 Corinthians 4:3

3And even auif our gospel is veiled, avit is veiled to awthose who are perishing.
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