1 Corinthians 1:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

NIV: but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

NASB: but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

CSB: Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God,

NLT: But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

KJV: But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

NKJV: but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Who would not want access to the very power and wisdom of God? Paul has chosen to use key ideas sought by the cultures of his culture: Jewish spiritual power and Greek wisdom. The religious Jews and the intellectual Greeks cannot accept, however, the gospel message that it is available only through "Christ crucified." That idea is foolishness and a stumbling block. "Foolishness" or "folly" as used by Paul comes from a Greek term which means "moronic" or "idiotic."

Now Paul identifies the one group that not only accepts but fully believes that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, died on a Roman cross to pay with His own blood the penalty for human sinfulness. Jews and Greeks who are called by God believe it. Their faith gives them access, by God's grace, to the power and wisdom of God that all others are seeking.

This group, these believers, are not smarter, wiser, or better educated than those who reject the idea of a crucified Christ. They did not cleverly figure out what others could not. They believed because they responded to God's gift of calling them to faith, opening their eyes to see what others could not or would not. Faith itself is a gift from God.

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.