1 Corinthians 3:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

NIV: Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise.

NASB: Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.

CSB: Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise.

NLT: Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.

KJV: Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

NKJV: Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

Paul sums up his teaching on wisdom and foolishness from earlier in his letter (1 Corinthians 1:18—2:16). He urges his readers not to deceive themselves. In other words, he is asking the Corinthian Christians to check their assumptions about what is true and what is false.

Specifically, Paul warns of the danger of wanting to be wise "in this age" or wise by the standards of the world in any given era. As he taught earlier, the wisdom of the world is limited to what can be observed with human senses and what can be worked out based on those observations. Human beings have no access to spiritual truths. So, they reject faith in Christ as foolishness, and turn away from His death on the cross as payment for human sin.

Still, even for those who trust in Christ, it is tempting to want to be thought wise by those in our culture, especially those who are respected or powerful. We are drawn to prove we agree with their understanding of the world, so they will give us respect.

Paul warns that we must become fools in the eyes of the world, according to the wisdom of this time and place. The only way to be truly wise is to receive God's wisdom, and that comes only by revelation with the help of His Holy Spirit. God's wisdom leads to vastly different conclusions than human wisdom based on a partial understanding of what is knowable. This does not mean actual ignorance (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:18–23), but a willingness to follow God's truth even when the ungodly world considers it absurd or unpopular.

Ministers, teachers, pastors, and Christian leaders, especially, must be willing to be foolish according to the world's standards if they hope to lead believers towards the true wisdom of God.

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.