1 Corinthians 1:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

NIV: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

NASB: For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

CSB: For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom,

NLT: It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.

KJV: For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

NKJV: For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

Paul is presenting an idea that would have been startling to some people: Faith in Christ and His death on the cross for human sin cannot be arrived at by human intellect, human wisdom, or human logic. It must be believed by simple faith in the foolish-sounding revelation of God's Word. "Knowledge" is not the same thing as "trust," and merely understanding facts does not lead a person to salvation (James 2:19).

Paul now points to the characteristics of the two primary cultures of his day that make this simple faith so difficult. He writes that the Jews demand signs. By this, Paul says that the Jewish people of his era wanted to be convinced by miracles and not by faith. They want the tangible evidence experienced by their forefathers in the parting of the Red Sea and the collapse of Jericho's walls. Christ's death on the cross offers no visible evidence of anything other than a man dying on a cross. Paul will discuss the miracle of the resurrection later in this letter.

While the Jews demand signs, Paul writes that the Greeks seek wisdom. As Paul has shown in the previous verses, this seeking is not for wisdom from the revealed Word of God. The Greeks placed enormous value both on human wisdom and a life dedicated to looking for it. They prided themselves for the conclusions human philosophy could generate.

None of those conclusions, however, could lead them to faith in Christ's death on the cross for human sinfulness. Evidence and philosophy can lead a person to understand the truth, but it does not force them to accept it (Romans 1:18–23). Truth must be accepted, through trust, believed after hearing the "foolish" preaching of the gospel.

First Corinthians 1:18–31 describes the foolishness of the gospel in the world's eyes. Both Jews and Greeks rejected the idea of Christ crucified. Any god who would die on a Roman cross, especially as a sacrifice for human sinfulness, would be seen by worldly eyes as a weak and foolish deity. God, though, will shame the wise and strong by giving the ability to believe in the cross of Christ mostly to the weak and foolish of the world, in human terms. In the end, nobody will boast before him of their own strength and wisdom.

Paul's letter to the Christians in Corinth begins with thanks for the great and powerful gifts God has given to them by His grace and through their faith in Christ. They will stand blameless before God in the end. Right now, though, they must stop dividing themselves according to which Christian teacher they follow and become unified in and around Christ. The gospel message of Christ's death on the cross is weak and foolish to the world, but God has given faith in Christ to those who believe it and find God's power and wisdom.

First Corinthians 1 begins Paul's letter to the Christians in Corinth, a big, bustling city on a major trade route. Paul knows them well, having spent a year and a half leading people to Christ and establishing the church there. He writes from Ephesus to correct some of their wrong attitudes and behaviors and to answer some of their questions. First, though, he thanks God for His grace to the Corinthians, knowing they will stand blameless before Him on the day of the Lord. Still, they must stop being divided and unite in and around Christ.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.