1 Corinthians

1:18-25

1. Maintaining unity in the church, 1:1-4:21

iv] We preach Christ crucified

This passage comes from the opening section of 1 Corinthians, 1:10-4:21. In this section Paul addresses a church divided and in conflict. Two, possibly even four parties/groups seem to have developed: the Paul, Appolos (Apollos was a "native of Alexandria... a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures", Act.18:24-28), Peter and "Christ" parties/groups. Paul had obviously come in for some heavy criticism, so he seeks to calm the dispute in the church while defending his apostolic role and his gospel. Clearly, the Corinthians had overvalued human wisdom and devalued the gospel, so in 1:18-25 Paul sets out "to expound the true meaning of divine and human wisdom, and of the gospel", Barrett.

It seems fairly clear that 1:18-2:5 divides into three paragraphs which together argue that human wisdom and the gospel are mutually exclusive. "How can the gospel of Christ be a form of sofia (wisdom) when (a) the message concerns a crucified Christ, 1:18-25; (b) its recipients at Corinth are far from 'wise' or influential in the sense understood by the world at large, 1:26-31; and (c) Paul's own preaching when he came to Corinth was not characterized by the kind of cleverness designed to impress an audience, 2:1-5?", Thiselton.

In this passage Paul contrasts "eloquent [human] wisdom" with the "wisdom of God". The content of the wisdom of God is the gospel, "Christ crucified". The content of human wisdom, or "knowledge", a kind of secular pragmatic rationalized world view which virtually supplants the gospel, is not actually detailed. The reason probably lies in the multiplicity of groups/parties operating within the Corinthian church, a multiplicity of parties possessing a multiplicity of world views. At one extreme there is a "touch not, taste not" nomism/legalism in the church, and at the other extreme an "all things are lawful" libertarianism, a spirituality that transcends the flesh. So, at this point in his letter Paul simply denounces "knowledge" which supplants the gospel, before addressing the specific problems that are troubling the church.

oJ logoV "the message" - the word [of the cross].

tou staurou (oV) "of the cross" - Objective genitive where the cross is "the object of the act of proclaiming", Thiselton, and therefore "the cross" is the substance of the message. The cross is central to the gospel message in that it is the means by which we attain the gift of eternal life.

toiV ... apollumenoiV (apollumi) pres. part. "those who are perishing" - the ruined, lost, perishing. Participle as a substantive, "those who are on the way to destruction." Indicating future judgment.

mwria abstract noun "foolishness" - stupidity, nonsense. It is a nonsense that the wisdom of God can be found in the public crucifixion of an accused blasphemer.

gegraptai (grafw) "it is written" - write. "It stands written." Quote is from the LXX, Isaiah 29:14.

thn sofian (a) "the wisdom" - The wisdom of the wise is a way of thinking, a worldly reasoning.

aqethsw (aqetew) "I will frustrate" - set aside, disregard, repudiate. The LXX has "I will hide"

tou suzhththV "the philosopher" - disputant, debater.

tou aiwnoV (wn onoV) "of this age" - Used here of the age stretching out to the dawning of the new age, eternity. The word has a similar meaning to "this world" and the "world to come."

emwranen (mwrainw) aor. "made foolish" - regard something as a nonsense, as dumb. "God revealed the world's wisdom as folly", possibly made it a folly, but "revealed" is closer to the meaning of the text.

en "in" - Either i] local, ie. sphere of influence, place. God's wisdom is seen in his creative works, but the world did not recognize it. ii] Instrumental, "by" referring to God's plan of salvation. "For since, by God's wise plan, the world, exercising its own wisdom, did no know God, God chose to save those who had not wisdom, but faith, not by their own wisdom, but by the folly of the Christian preaching", Barrett.

th/ sofia/ (a) "wisdom" - Here it is a good wisdom, God's wisdom. If option [ii] above is chosen, the wisdom is God's plan of salvation. God's wisdom focuses on the cross and is therefore, regarded as foolishness by the standards of human reasoning.

egnw (ginwskw) aor. "know" - Although God's presence is clearly observable in creation, flawed human reasoning (a wisdom affected by the fall) devalues the evidence and therefore does not produce a knowledge of God. The knowledge of God comes by faith/folly, not by human reasoning (wisdom). It is possible Paul is arguing against those who contend that they can know God through wisdom.

eudokhsen (eudokew) aor. "was pleased" - "please", but also an act of the will like "choose" , as here "chose."

tou khrugmatoV (a atoV) "of what was preached" - the proclamation, Christian preaching. Paul is using the word of gospel communication, even the content of gospel communication, namely the cross, but not of preaching in church.

epeidh conj. " -" - since, because. A repetition of the beginning of v21, but it's causal strength must be limited otherwise v23 doesn't quite work.

aitousin (aitew) pres. "demand" - ask. They are without faith and therefore ask for a visible evidence.

EllhneV "Greeks" - here the same as Gentiles, or maybe particularly those who seek to know God through worldly wisdom.

zhtousin (zhtew) pres. "look for" - seek

khrussomen ( khrussw) pres. "preach" - proclaim as heralds. Modern meaning is "communicate."

estaurwmenon (staurow) perf, pas. part. "crucified" - having been crucified. The participle is adjectival, modifying Christ, "who has been crucified." The content of the communication is "Christ crucified." Everyone brings their own bias to the exposition of this phrase. For example, the atonement is a popular focus. Yet, Paul is into comparing a worldly wisdom with a divine wisdom. The worldly person seeks to know the divine through reason (wisdom) - a reaching up to God. Yet, the gospel proclaims that God has graciously reached down to us through the cross such that knowing God is through faith rather than wisdom. To the child of human reasoning, such is a foolishness. So "Christ crucified" is probably best expounded in the terms of God's grace.

skandalon (on) "stumbling block" - something that trips someone up, a cause of stumbling.

autoiV de toiV klhtoiV (kalew) "but to those whom God has called" - but to the called ones, those who are called. The call of God is always a difficult concept, given that Paul never fully teases it out. It may simply mean "invitation", but then it may mean "effectual call". God's call of a people to himself is often described in "effectual" terms, although of individuals it is often in terms of "invitation." Robertson and Plummer suggest that the phrase is parallel to v18, "us who are being saved" - "actual believers." So, we are probably dealing with "an appeal to personal experience" rather than an effectual call or invitation to salvation.

Criston (oV) "Christ" - Most likely "Christ crucified" is implied here rather than the person of the messiah.

dunamin (iV ewV) "power" - For those being saved the cross is not a scandal, a useless sign, but is rather the power of God unto salvation.

sofian (a) "wisdom" - Here the wisdom of God may be something more than his wise plan, it may be his effectual plan.

to mwron (oV) adj. neut. "the foolishness" - the foolish. The cross of Christ is God's foolishness.

sofwteron (sofoV) comp. "wiser"

to asqeneV (hV) "the weakness" - the weak thing. God's weakness is stronger than men. Again referring to the cross. The cross provides the way of salvation where human reason has failed.

1 Corinthians Introduction.

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