Monday 06 March 2023
Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. (vs 18-19a)
Background
1 Corinthians in the New Testament is a letter written by the apostle Paul, in approximately AD 55. Corinth in Greece at that time was one of the most important trading ports in the ancient world. The inhabitants were prosperous and there was much promiscuity in the city. Paul had founded the Church there a few years earlier but there were many divisions within it. These themes are prominent in Paul's letter.
The passage we are studying today comes after Paul has discussed these divisions and also the foundation upon which the Church had been built – not in a literal, but in a figurative sense. It is followed by a discussion of the importance of trustworthiness among stewards.
The quotations in verse 19b and verse 20, echo the sentiments in Job 5:12 and Psalm 94:11 respectively.
What Paul is getting at, is that many people in the Corinthian Church were relying only on their intellect and their earthly wisdom. This was not wrong in itself, but it was resulting in arrogance and meant some people looked down on others. Those who had this attitude assumed that they were always right and therefore were not open to learning new ideas and keeping an open mind. In other words, in order to become wise, one has to realise one’s foolishness.
And then Paul reminded the Corinthians that ultimately they all belonged to Christ. Apollos, referred to in verse 22, was a learned man from Alexandria who preached in Corinth and Cephas is another name for the apostle Peter.
To Ponder:
- How would you define wisdom?
- To what extent do people, especially in leadership, rely on their own wisdom and intellect?
- How do you respond to Paul’s assertion that one needs to become foolish in order to be wise?