What if the thing the world calls foolish is actually the key to everything? In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, the Apostle Paul lays out a truth that flips human wisdom on its head. The message of the Cross—Jesus crucified and risen—stands as God’s power to save, even as the world scoffs. Let’s dive into what Paul was saying to the church in Corinth and why it still hits hard today.

A Church Divided by Pride

The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, drops the unapologetic truth in 1 Corinthians 1 that still rattles the world today. Writing to a church in Corinth divided by sectarianism—folks bickering over “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas” (1:12)—he doesn’t mince words. The problem wasn’t just their cliques; it was their mindset. Corinth was a city drunk on Greek culture: eloquence, philosophy, and status were everything. The believers were dragging that baggage into the church, turning the Gospel into a display of human credentials. Paul shuts it down fast in verse 17: “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” The Gospel doesn’t need a fancy TED Talk—it’s the simple, unpolished message of the Cross that carries God’s power.

The Cross: Foolishness or Power?

Then, in verses 18-31, Paul lets it rip with crystal-clear force. He draws a line in the sand: the “word of the cross” versus the “wisdom of the world.” To those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness—absurd, even. Imagine the scoffing: “You’re telling me some Jew crucified 2,000 years ago can save me? Save me from what?” To a culture obsessed with strength, smarts, and self-reliance, a Messiah dying on a Roman torture device was laughable. Greeks chased wisdom, Jews demanded signs (v. 22), but the cross? It didn’t fit their boxes. It still doesn’t.

But here’s the kicker—Paul asks, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (v. 20). God didn’t just outsmart human intellect; He has His own ways. He chose the cross—something weak, despised, ridiculous in the world’s eyes—to reveal His power and save those who believe. Look at verses 26-29: “Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things… the weak things… the despised things… to shame the wise.” The Corinthians themselves were Exhibit A—ex-slaves, nobodies, the bottom of the social barrel. God didn’t need the elite; He used the overlooked to prove His point.

The Gospel in a Scoffing World

Fast forward to today, and nothing’s changed. The world still rolls its eyes at the Gospel. “Save me from what?” they sneer. Sin? Judgment? Those sound like relics to a society that’s traded accountability for feel-good, self-made truth. Evolution, secular humanism, whatever you want to call it—these are the “wisdom” of our age, explaining life without a Creator or a cross. But Paul’s words stand tall: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (v. 18). It’s not about out-arguing the world or dressing up the Gospel in slick phrases. It’s about trusting what God did through that “Jew 2,000 years ago”—Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.

The Cross isn’t a debate club topic or a power play. It’s God’s upside-down solution to the sin problem, that has reconciled the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21). The world can keep its wisdom. I’ll take the “foolishness” of preaching any day—because that’s where the real power is (Romans 1:16).

Final Thoughts

So, where does that leave us? The same place it left the Corinthians: with a choice. We can chase the world’s wisdom—its credentials, its systems, its explanations—or we can cling to the Cross. Too often, we see a Church that looks like the world, appealing to the culture with watered-down messages to fit in. But that’s not what Paul preached. The Cross is exclusive but it’s the truth and the world needs to hear because it’s the only means of salvation. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts—leave a comment below!