What Does 1 Corinthians 1:18-24 Mean?
1 Corinthians 1:18-24 explains how the message of the cross seems foolish to those who don't believe, but it's actually God's powerful way of saving people. Paul shows that God chose something weak and foolish by the world’s standards - Christ crucified - to defeat human pride and reveal true wisdom. While Jews wanted miraculous signs and Greeks wanted clever arguments, God’s answer was the cross. And for those who believe, Christ is both the power and wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18-24
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Key Facts
Book
Author
Paul
Genre
Epistle
Date
circa 54-55 AD
Key People
Key Takeaways
- The cross is God's power, not human weakness.
- True wisdom comes through faith, not intellect.
- God chooses the weak to shame the strong.
Why the Cross Seems Foolish: Paul's Answer to Corinthian Divisions
The message of the cross sounds foolish to many, but Paul introduces it here as God's powerful alternative to the human wisdom dividing the Corinthian church.
In 1 Corinthians 1:10-12, we see that believers in Corinth were splitting into groups, each boasting about following a different leader - Paul, Apollos, or Cephas - like fans of rival teams. Paul confronts this pride by pointing back to the cross: if Christ wasn't divided, then His followers shouldn't be either (1:13). He then shifts focus from baptism, which some were using as a badge of loyalty, to preaching the gospel - not with clever speeches that impress people, but with the simple, startling message of a crucified Messiah (1:17).
This sets up 1:18-24, where Paul explains that the cross is God's deliberate strategy to overturn human pride by using what the world sees as weakness and foolishness. It is not merely a historical event.
Christ Crucified: God's Power and Wisdom Against Human Expectations
Building on his critique of pride in the church, Paul now digs deep into why the gospel message - centered on a crucified Messiah - clashes so sharply with human expectations.
To Jews, a suffering and dying Messiah was unthinkable. They expected a conquering king who would deliver Israel with powerful signs, like those seen in the Exodus or prophesied in Isaiah. To Greeks, the idea of salvation through execution was absurd - philosophers valued logic, rhetoric, and abstract reasoning, not a criminal's death. Paul uses two strong Greek words to capture this: 'σκάνδαλον' (a stumbling block) for the Jews, meaning something that causes them to trip in unbelief, and 'μωρία' (foolishness) for the Greeks, meaning sheer nonsense. He insists that neither group recognizes God’s true power because they’re looking for greatness in the wrong places - signs of dominance or displays of intellect.
Paul supports this by quoting Isaiah 29:14: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' In its original context, Isaiah warned that God would judge proud Jerusalem by confusing its leaders’ plans. Paul re-applies this to show that God’s plan - salvation through the cross - deliberately overturns human wisdom. The same God who confused the wise in Isaiah’s day is now using the 'foolish' message of Christ crucified to save those who believe, not those who think they’ve figured it all out.
The cross, though seen as weakness and foolishness, is where God reveals His true strength and wisdom to those who believe.
This means the gospel isn’t an upgrade to human wisdom or power - it replaces them. The cross stands as God’s answer to both miraculous sign-seekers and intellectual truth-seekers: real power is found in sacrifice, and true wisdom in what the world calls weakness. The next section will show how this shapes the identity of believers, most of whom were ordinary, overlooked people.
The Cross and the End of Boasting: Why God Chooses the 'Less Than' to Show His Strength
Having shown how the cross defies human wisdom and pride, Paul now highlights who it actually reaches: not the elite or impressive, but those the world overlooks.
In 1 Corinthians 1:26, Paul tells believers to 'consider your calling' - most weren’t wise, powerful, or from noble families. This wasn’t an accident. It was God’s design to show that salvation isn’t earned by status, talent, or intellect.
God didn’t come to upgrade our resume - He came to save the overlooked, the weak, and the ordinary, so no one could brag about being 'good enough.'
God chose what is foolish, weak, low, and despised in the world 'to shame the wise' and 'bring to nothing things that are' (1:27-28). By saving ordinary people through the scandal of the cross, He ensures that no one can boast in themselves - our faith rests entirely on Him, not our achievements. This flips today’s culture of meritocracy on its head: eternal value isn’t found in degrees, influence, or success, but in being called by God. The next section will explore how Christ Himself becomes our wisdom, righteousness, and redemption - not something we build, but something we receive.
The Cross in God's Bigger Story: How Weakness Becomes Strength Across the Bible
This truth - that God uses what the world sees as weak and foolish to accomplish His purposes - is a consistent thread woven through the entire Bible, not merely a theme in 1 Corinthians.
Paul’s emphasis on Christ crucified as God’s true wisdom echoes in Colossians 2:3, where he says all the 'treasures of wisdom and knowledge' are hidden in Christ - meaning real understanding isn’t found in human reasoning, but in a person: Jesus. This flips the script on how we pursue truth. It is about surrendering to Him, not mastering ideas. Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 4:6, Paul reminds us that God, who said 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give 'the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ' - showing that divine revelation comes not through intellectual power, but through the humble, personal work of God.
The idea that the cross is a 'stumbling block' also appears in Romans 9:32-33, where Paul quotes Isaiah 8:14 and Psalm 118:22: 'They stumbled over the stumbling stone... Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.' This shows that from ancient times, God’s chosen way - whether a suffering Messiah or a rejected cornerstone - has always offended human pride. Likewise, 1 Peter 2:8 calls Christ 'a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense' to those who disobey, confirming that the cross divides people not because it’s weak, but because it challenges our need to be in control. These passages reveal a pattern: God’s power is made perfect in weakness, His wisdom in what looks like folly, and His victory through apparent defeat.
This changes how we live: personally, it frees us from the pressure to have it all together - our flaws don’t disqualify us, they create space for God’s strength. In church communities, it means we stop valuing people based on status, eloquence, or success, and instead honor humility, faith, and love. When we embrace this, our churches become safe for the broken, the quiet, and the overlooked - because we know God often works most powerfully through them.
God’s power is made perfect in weakness, not despite it - so we can stop striving to look strong and start trusting His strength in our brokenness.
The next section will explore how Christ Himself becomes our righteousness, holiness, and redemption - not through our effort, but through grace - showing that everything we need is found in Him alone.
Application
How This Changes Everything: Real Life Impact
I remember sitting in my office after another late night trying to prove I was smart enough, capable enough - enough. I was exhausted from the constant pressure to perform and look like I had it all together. My exhaustion was not simply due to work. Then I read Paul’s words again: God chose the weak things to shame the strong. It hit me - my weakness was the very doorway to God’s use. It was not a barrier. The cross is for those who’ve fallen short and know it. It is not for people who’ve arrived. That changed how I pray, how I lead, how I fail. Now, when I feel overwhelmed or insecure, I don’t see it as a sign of failure but as an invitation for God’s strength to step in. The gospel isn’t for the impressive - it’s for me, and for anyone willing to stop pretending and start believing.
Personal Reflection
- Where in my life am I relying on my own wisdom or strength instead of trusting God’s power shown in weakness?
- When have I treated someone as 'less than' because they don’t meet the world’s standards of success or intelligence?
- How does the message of the cross challenge the things I typically boast about or find my identity in?
A Challenge For You
This week, identify one area where you're trying to 'look strong' - whether at work, in your family, or in your faith - and intentionally admit your need for God’s help. Then, encourage someone who feels overlooked or ordinary, reminding them that God often works most powerfully through people like them.
A Prayer of Response
God, thank you that your power is made perfect in my weakness. I admit I often try to rely on my own wisdom, strength, or reputation. Forgive me. Help me to find my pride not in what I can do, but in what you’ve done for me on the cross. Teach me to trust you when I feel small, and to value others not by the world’s standards, but by your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Related Scriptures & Concepts
Immediate Context
1 Corinthians 1:17
Paul states he was sent to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, setting up the contrast with the cross.
1 Corinthians 1:25
Paul concludes that God's foolishness is wiser than men, reinforcing the paradox of the cross.
Connections Across Scripture
Isaiah 29:14
Directly quoted by Paul, this verse shows God's plan to thwart human wisdom.
Romans 9:32-33
Paul reiterates that Christ is a stumbling block, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.
2 Corinthians 12:9
Paul shares how God's power is perfected in weakness, reflecting the cross's message.