1 Corinthians 1:18-31--Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God​
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

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Colossians 1:18 is one of those verses that I think every Christian needs to memorize.  No one can understand the gospel without God revealing it to them.  To those who are perishing in their sin and sin nature, the cross is nothing but utter foolishness.  Some have said this makes the field of apologetics (defending the truth of the Scriptures and the Christian worldview) illegitimate, but you never know when God will open someone's eyes and rescue them from being "the perishing" so that they too may understand the power of the cross (the gospel) unto salvation.  God uses the things that are "weak" and "foolish" according to the world to tear down and oppose those who are "strong" and "wise" according to the world so that everyone and everything might be put in subjection to Christ--the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

It is impossible to know God through the wisdom of the world even if you are a scholar (like the scribes were) or philosopher or champion debater.  We kind of see here that we are preaching a gospel that will only be received by those whom God has already saved.  How does that work?  I don't have a good answer other than the work of the gospel is of God and not of works so that no man can boast--you will confess and will change your works when you believe, but even the faith to believe is a gift of God, as is the repentance to turn away and definitely the regeneration to bring us from death to life is a work of God.

The Jews would demand signs that Jesus was who He said he was even though they had received many signs and did not believe.  They wanted to keep their seat on the gravy train to see if they could ride it all the way into the kingdom of God that they thought would be a physical kingdom of this world and they needed to get everything they could out of the Messiah and ensure themselves a good position in His coming kingdom.  The Greeks insisted that the gospel be "proven" to them by logic and philosophy, but you cannot convince someone of something they don't want to believe in no matter how sound your logic or how beautiful and eloquent your philosophical arguments.  If they are living in darkness, they will hate the light and will hide themselves from it.  The "foolishness" of the gospel is something that makes it hard for those who are not regenerate.  There is no "easy believism" and if people "say the magic words" to get out of hell because it sounds easy to them, then they haven't believed the real gospel.

Paul takes the church in Corinth as an example to say that it is not normal for God to take the elite and save them, but rather that God takes the people that are considered worthless to the world and changes them into something invaluable to Him so that all marvel at the work of God.  It is only through God's work that we have the understanding and wisdom of God and that God makes all things new and bright and beautiful in and through Christ.  All this is accomplished through the redemption and sanctification (especially of our minds) that comes from Christ.  In this way, God gets all the glory that only He deserves.