1 Corinthians 3:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"

NIV: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness" ;

NASB: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: 'He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE BY THEIR CRAFTINESS';

CSB: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness;

NLT: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, 'He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.'

KJV: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

NKJV: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”;

Paul has urged his readers to become foolish according to limited human wisdom in order to become truly wise according to God's wisdom. Now he writes that you can't hold on to both at the same time. Human wisdom and God's wisdom contradict each other. God knows the wisdom of the world to be folly or foolishness and so should all who trust in Christ.

The issue here is not that human beings are incapable of knowing any truth, or any wisdom, at all. God places reason and evidence in our lives and expects us to use them (Psalm 19:1; Colossians 2:8). The problem with worldly human wisdom is the self-deception Paul mentioned in the previous verse. Those wise according to the world's standards believe themselves to be ultimately wise and enlightened. That includes their arrogant rejection of faith in Christ and His death on the cross for human sin. Nonbelievers can be scholars, thinkers, intellectuals, speakers, and teachers (Romans 1:18–23).

God doesn't care. Paul quotes from Job 5:13 to show that God catches those who are supposedly wise in their craftiness. He knows all their supposedly wise ideas and teachings will not help them to escape a face-to-face meeting with Him in the end.

First Corinthians 3:16–23 is the third metaphor Paul uses to explain the relationship between works, spiritual growth, and God's judgment of our efforts. An emphasis here is on the superiority of God's wisdom compared to the fallible knowledge of man, echoing statements from chapters 1 and 2. Paul's main point here, again, is that we ought to focus on allegiance to Christ and His will, rather than being divided over loyalty to different human teachers.

Paul cannot call the Corinthian Christians ''spiritual'' people. Though they are in Christ, they continue to live to the flesh. They are spiritual infants, not ready for solid food. Divisions among them prove they are still serving themselves, picking sides in a senseless debate between Christian teachers. Paul insists that both he and Apollos are mere servants of the Lord and co-workers. They are not in competition. Those who lead the Corinthians must build carefully because their work will be tested on the day of the Lord. Christian leaders who build the church will have their work judged by Christ to see if they have built on the foundation of Christ. All human wisdom will be shown to be futile and worthless.

First Corinthians 3 follows Paul's teaching that only spiritual people can understand the wisdom of God. Paul cannot fully call the Corinthian Christians spiritual people, though, because they continue to live of the flesh, as if they were still infants trapped in an immature condition. Evidence includes the divisions among them. Paul insist that he and Apollos are both servants of the same master. The Corinthians should follow God, not them. Those whose work is worthless will suffer loss, but they will be saved. After this, Paul will expound on the idea that believers ought to set Christ as their example, rather than being defined in terms of their earthly leaders.

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.