5 Aug. Paul's message sounds ridiculous to those who are ‘worldly wise’
"The teaching about the cross is foolishness to those who are being lost, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
"It is written in the [Jewish] Scriptures:
'Their wise men will lose their wisdom;
their wise men will not be able to understand'." [Isaiah 29:14)
"Where is the wise person? Where is the educated person? Where is the skilled talker of this world? God has made the wisdom of the world foolish… So God chose to use the message that sounds foolish to save those who believe.”
“The Jews ask for miracles, and the Greeks want wisdom. But we preach a crucified Christ. This is a big problem to the Jews, and it is foolishness to those who are not Jews. But Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God to those people God has called – Jews and Greeks.”
“Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”
“Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence. Not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
“He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. God did this so that no one can boast in his presence.”
“Because of God, you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin. So, as the Scripture says, ‘If someone wants to boast, he should boast only about the Lord’.” [Jeremiah 9:24]
(1 Corinthians 1:18-31)
In this part of his letter, Paul admits that his message about the crucified Christ sounds ridiculous to both Jews and to non-Jews ('Greeks' or Gentiles).
This is because Jews regarded crucifixion as the most degrading method of execution possible, and could not countenance God allowing this to happen to his Son; while non-Jews (Greeks) could not imagine an immortal god dying a human death.
So neither Jew nor Greek could understand Christ's crucifixion. But this is exactly what Paul claims is so amazing about the crucifixion - you don't HAVE to understand it! No matter how clever, sophisticated or wise you are, you don't have to UNDERSTAND it, you just have to ACCEPT it!
Paul says that God planned it this way so that no one can boast how wise he or she is to have discovered God's way of salvation. You are not accepted and saved by God because you are wise; you are wise BECAUSE you've been accepted by God!
It's not YOUR wisdom that has saved you but GOD's wisdom: “Because of God, you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God." (1 Corinthians 1:30) So don't boast about what YOU've done - just rejoice about what GOD's done!
The photo shows the temple of the Greek god Apollo at Corinth. You can read more from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/the-holy-spirit-helps-us…/