1 Corinthians 1:20-22 - Where are the wise?

1:20

NIV has “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?”, ESV has “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?”. People of whatever age claim to be wise, they claim to understand what is going on in the world, and where the world is going. In Isaiah one of the themes is that only God knows the future. The wisdom of the world will be shown up for the foolishness that it is. This is why the church is so foolish if it chooses to go along with the world’s “wisdom” as against following the teaching of the Bible.

1:21

See what the measure of wisdom is here. It is whether or not it leads to knowing God. Man in his self-sufficiency cannot find God. We need to appreciate the depths of our rebellion against God. Sin is deeply pervasive, and the path it leads us down is one of futility. So man glories in his so-called wisdom, boasting of how right he is. But we should not fear, for God has determined that it will lead nowhere. Faith, not intellect, is the key to true wisdom, ie knowing God. In referring to the “foolishness of what was preached” Paul is using rhetorical language, saying “yes, they say our message is foolish, but this is the way that God has chosen to reveal Himself”. The emphasis is on the message, not the preaching. We want to make our message understandable, but we need to be aware that in the world’s eyes it will always be foolishness, but it is by this message that those who believe will be saved.

1:22

The gospel causes problems. Why is this? It is because we are all sinners by nature, by nature we are all in rebellion against God. The gospel confronts that reality head-on. So the notion that the gospel is all about being nice to each other, and if only the church was nicer to people and more relevant then many more people would come to believe is the product of naive thinking. The reaction against the gospel is an example of man’s attempt to suppress the truth. This shows itself in various ways. The Jews demanded signs. Jesus was on several occasions confronted with the demand for a sign, despite the fact that He had carried our miracle after miracle. The Greeks demanded wisdom, in their own terms. The world demands that God meets them on their terms, but God demands that we meet Him on His terms.