The Word of the Cross: God’s Wisdom and Human Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:17–21)

The opinions among the Corinthians were so absurd that it would have been enough to ask two or three questions to expose their absurdity and cause those who held them to come to their senses. But Saint Paul determined also to prevent in the future any possibility of similar occurrences by closing off the sources that produced them. These sources were: A) too great a trust in the decisions of one’s own mind, as well as in human wisdom in general, and B) a wrong understanding of what men are, and even the Apostles themselves, in the matter of planting the saving faith of Christ on earth. The first is addressed in 1 Cor. 1:17–2:16; the second in 1 Cor. 3:1–4:16.

d) Too great a trust in human wisdom (1 Cor. 1:17–2:16)

The first source of the opinions is the admission of human wisdom into the realm of faith as an arbiter of questions and a lawgiver of determinations. To prevent the Corinthians in the future from falling into any more vain wisdom, the Apostle now reveals that human wisdom and the Gospel are two opposites. One must renounce the former to accept the latter. The Gospel is true divine wisdom; but to human wisdom it does not appear to be so. Therefore, whoever wishes to be a disciple of Gospel wisdom must renounce human wisdom and agree to be foolish in the eyes of men. This is a lesson of the Apostle for all times, for it determines the relationship of intellectual reasonings to the simplicity of Gospel truth.

The Gospel is true wisdom; but it appears in a completely simple form. Those who have become acquainted with human wisdom and are accustomed to sophisticated reasoning cannot receive it. Only those receive it who are not entangled in this reasoning wisdom. But by accepting it with a simple heart, in its naked simplicity, they become wiser than the wise. What is this, look, says the Apostle: aa) what do we preach? We say: the crucified Christ is the Savior of the world; believe and you will be saved; those who believe become wise to salvation (1 Cor. 1:17–25). But to those who reason according to human wisdom this is not manageable. For how many believers are there in Corinth, for instance! But look, bb) who are they? Are there many wise according to the flesh among them? But these not wise according to the flesh are made wise by God (1 Cor. 1:26–31). Thus God has ordained it to be. Therefore cc) coming to you, I did not offer any wisdom, but spoke only about the Lord Jesus Christ crucified, so that human wisdom had no part in your faith (1 Cor. 2:1–5). But with such simplicity of preaching we appear at the beginning only so that, by themselves, without any participation of human efforts, there may be revealed and separated those who are capable, or chosen by God, to be disciples of divine wisdom. When someone believes and goes the way of the Gospel, dd) then we reveal to him more fully the true wisdom of God, which embraces both heaven and earth, and what is without beginning and without end. And not we alone, but rather the grace of the Holy Spirit, filling those who truly believe and live rightly according to faith (1 Cor. 2:6–16).

1 Cor. 1:17. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not with eloquence of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be emptied of its power.

This text stands at the transition from the previous discourse to the present one. At first the Apostle presents the reason why he did not baptize many. I was not sent for this, he says. The Lord said to the Apostles: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them” (Matt. 28:19). Consequently, they had to perform both. But concerning Saint Paul the Apostle, the Lord said through Ananias: “he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles” (Acts 9:15). And to Paul himself: “open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18). But just as other Apostles could entrust baptism to others, so Saint Paul could perform baptism through others. Saint Paul was always accompanied by helpers, whom he had dedicated to God’s work. Through them he performed holy baptism, while he himself was mainly engaged in preaching; when needed, he performed it himself as well. This is what he wanted to say: my main work is to enlighten by faith, and others baptize those who have come to believe. Thus says Saint Chrysostom: “Preaching is much more difficult, required greater efforts and special steadfastness of spirit, and contained everything in itself; therefore it was entrusted to Paul. But why did he, not being sent to baptize, baptize? – He did this not in opposition to the One who sent him, but from an overflow of zeal. He did not say that it was forbidden to him, but: I was not sent for this work, and for a much more important one. Preaching was entrusted to few, but to baptize could anyone having the priesthood. For a man instructed in faith and who has believed can be baptized by anyone else, the disposition of the one approaching and the grace of God accomplish everything; but to instruct the unbelieving in faith requires great labor, great wisdom, and even presents dangers. There everything is already done, the one wishing to receive the sacrament is convinced in faith, and it is not at all difficult to baptize one who believes, but here great labor is needed to change the disposition, correct character, destroy error, and plant truth. So too now we entrust this work (baptism) to the simplest of presbyters, but teaching of doctrine to the more prudent, because here labor and effort are needed. Therefore he himself says: ‘Let the presbyters who preside well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those laboring in word and teaching’ (1 Tim. 5:17). For just as to train wrestlers there is needed a teacher brave and skilled, while to place a crown on the victor can even one unskilled in wrestling, although the crown glorifies the victor, so too in baptism; although without it salvation is impossible, yet the one who baptizes does not accomplish a great work, receiving one already disposed and prepared for it.”

“Not with eloquence of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be emptied of its power”. “Here the Apostle turns to condemn those who gloried in outward wisdom and speaks against them with particular force” (Saint Chrysostom).

The wisdom of speech means a word adorned with the are of eloquence and seasoned with all manner of intellectual reasoning. I was sent, says the Apostle, to preach without these instruments of human wisdom, sent to present only the bore truth about the cross of Christ – he says: God became incarnate, suffered, died on the cross and saved us; believe this and you will be saved. Thus I have always done and continue to do: I do not embellish the word, I do not frame the cross with pathetic pictures, I do not devise any intellectual reasoning about the necessity and fitness of such a death for the work of our salvation; I preach everywhere only this bore truth: God died on the cross and saved us; believe – and you will be saved. To hearts and minds I entrust the action of this very truth itself, without any intervention of human aids. It finds its own. It is all the same as if you bring a magnet near particles of different metals, the magnet selects from all of them and draws to itself the iron particles; thus, when I stretch forth the word of preaching before an assembled crowd of people, my word itself finds its own, and those who are of the truth themselves turn to it and cleave to it. That my word produces such an effect must be ascribed not to my speech, but to the truth itself, naked and unadorned: God died on the cross and saved us. If I were to embellish it, then with it would happen the same as with a magnet when you wrap it in something that prevents it from acting on iron. If I were to embellish the word of the cross with ornaments of speech and reasoning of human wisdom, I would block its path to act on simple hearts. And by this I would empty it of its power. I would convert no one. And this is very natural. Let us divide the listeners into two halves: those acquainted with human wisdom and those not acquainted with it. For the first, the word about the cross, however much you embellish it, however much you frame it with reasoning, can in no way be received. To labor for them over such a word means to waste time and effort in vain. If it is possible for any of them to believe, it would be only from the presentation to them of the bore truth about the cross. But in embellishments and reasoning they will always find many objections against this truth, which will not allow it to become established in their mind and reach their heart, so as to lay the beginnings of faith there. Thus for the learned, embellishment and reasoning are not a help to the success of the word of the cross, but rather an obstacle. They are an obstacle also for the unlearned, because for an unaccustomed mind they entangle the truth in the intricacies of speech and reasoning inaccessible to the simple; and also because the tricks of speech and contortions of thought always arouse suspicion – is the truth being presented? If it is truth, speak directly and simply: why hide? Such is the law of simple hearts.

Thus, the embellishment of speech and entanglement of it with reasoning would empty the cross of Christ of its power. Saint Paul was not commanded to mix this wisdom of speech with his preaching. And he did not do this.

This discourse of the Apostle was very instructive for those who, valuing human wisdom too highly, had created so many opinions in Corinth. He spoke as it were to each of them: “Why do you boast in what you should be ashamed of? For if this wisdom is hostile to the cross and opposed to the Gospel, then you should not boast but be ashamed of it” (Saint Chrysostom).

Even to this day one of the strongest proofs of the truth of the Gospel is that it conquered the world through its artless simplicity. Saint Chrysostom well depicts this side of the matter: “For this reason the Apostles were not from among the wise, not from lack of gifts, but so that the preaching would not suffer harm. The wise did not help the preaching, but hindered it; the unwise, on the other hand, established it. The preaching won victory not by human wisdom, but by the grace of God. So when it is said that the Apostles were simple men, we will add that they were also uneducated, unlettered, poor, unknown, unwise, and obscure. It is not to the dishonor, but to the glory of the Apostles, that they, being such, appeared more glorious than the whole universe. For these simple, unlettered, and uneducated ones defeated the wise, the mighty, and the powerful, who boasted of wealth, glory, and all external things, in such a way as if these were not men at all. From this it is clear that great is the power of the cross and that all things were accomplished not by human power. For such deeds are not in the nature of things, but above nature.”

1 Cor. 1:18. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Why was I sent to preach not with the wisdom of speech? – Because the word about the cross, in itself, for those being saved is the power of God. Consequently, its purpose is achieved even without the wisdom of speech. But for those perishing it is foolishness; and however much you embellish it and frame it with reasoning, it will be of no benefit; those perishing will always consider it foolishness and will perish.

“The word of the cross” is this: God became incarnate, died on the cross, and saved us; believe in Him and you will be saved. “Those perishing and those being saved” – as though they were determined – some to destruction and others to salvation; so that however hard the perishing one struggles, he will perish, and however far the one being saved deviates at times from the path of salvation, he will be saved. Observation of people suggests that there is something as it were fated in the paths of human life. But faith assures us that the life of man is entirely the work of his free will, and if he perishes, he destroys himself, and if he is saved, he is not drawn to salvation against his will. By the manner of his life, one indeed reaches the point where he cannot receive the word of the cross; and another by the same manner of life reaches the point where he willingly receives this word. The first perishes, the second is saved. The course of life with all its circumstances, although not in our power, yet the moral character is always in our power. For this reason, that one does not receive the word of the cross, by the nature of his thoughts and established character, and through this perishes, is his own fault; and that another encounters no resistance to this word either from his mind or from his character, and therefore willingly receives it and is saved, this also has nothing determining him to faith mechanically, apart from his will. The holy Apostle takes those and these persons as they appeared before his preaching. He speaks the word in the synagogue, in the Areopagus, or in a private house: some mock, others pose questions, and still others, hiding the word in their hearts in silence, secretly come to the Apostle’s house and finally turn. Who attracted these last? And who repelled the first? – We do not know who, but we can say and add: but not God repelled the first, for He desires all to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth; He alone did not draw even the last, for if He began to draw everyone, all would be saved. Thus we confess. Although there is something incomprehensible here, it is certain that there is nothing opposed to God’s goodness and justice. The Apostle with his word only states the fact, what he derived from observing conversions. One word, and people of one kind and one locality hear it, but some believe and are saved, while others do not believe and perish. Those are his being saved, and these are perishing.

The word of the cross for those perishing is foolishness; one might expect that for those being saved it is wisdom, but he says: for those being saved it is the power of God. Did not the Apostle wish that those reading would supply the omitted opposites, and add weakness and powerlessness to foolishness, and wisdom to power? At least in the further unfolding of his thought he touches on both opposites, and toward the end brings it about that the Crucified Christ is both God’s power and God’s wisdom. Or the Apostle wished to set forth that by which the one perishing is more repelled from the cross, and by which the one being saved is more attracted to it. To the first the cross seems foolishness, and he turns away from it; to the second it appears as power, and he clings to it.

The Apostle’s intention is only to say that the word of the cross itself produces its work where needed, and does not require any aid from human wisdom. But one cannot fail to see that he regards human wisdom very unfavorably and understands by those perishing chiefly those acquainted with this wisdom, following it, and considering it alone their true guide. In outward life this wisdom truly rules, and harmlessly; but whoever enters with it in this same sense into the realm of salvation always spoils the matter. God determines the manner of salvation; it must be received with submissiveness, as it is presented. But our wisdom, without its submitting to God’s command, both in the beginning prevents the reception of saving faith, and if, after submissive reception of faith, it then meddles, it always muddies everything. The path of salvation is decidedly incompatible with human wisdom. It can understand nothing about the word of the cross; and this word is the beginning and end of everything.

Saint Chrysostom says: “For those suffering mortal sickness, even healthy food becomes repugnant, friends and relatives become unpleasant, whom they often do not even recognize and even are burdensome by their presence. So it usually happens also with those suffering spiritually: they do not know what is needed for salvation, and are burdened by those who care for them. This happens not from the nature of the matter itself, but from sickness. Just as those mad in mind do not bear those who care for them, and even condemn them, so do unbelievers act. Let us weep for them, for the fact that the word of the cross, which is wisdom and power, is to them foolishness. ‘The message of the cross,’ says Paul, ‘is foolishness to those who are perishing.’ Since among the pagans the cross was subjected to mockery, they probably called the teaching about it contrary to their wisdom and inconsistent with their teaching; therefore Paul, enlightening them, says: do not consider it strange and absurd; this matter is such by its nature that those perishing cannot grasp its power, for they have lost their mind and fallen into madness. Therefore they revile and hate the saving remedies. What do you say, man? God became a slave, taking for you ‘the form of a slave,’ was crucified and rose; you should bow down before the Risen One and marvel at His love for mankind, how all that neither father, nor friend, nor son did for you, He did for you, His enemy and offender; you should wonder at Him for this; yet you call foolishness a deed full of such wisdom! And it is not surprising; for it is characteristic of those perishing not to know what is necessary for salvation. Therefore do not be disturbed; there is nothing strange or unexpected in that the foolish laugh at great matters. Such people cannot be convinced by human wisdom; and if you try to convince them in that way, you do the opposite: for that which surpasses understanding requires faith alone. Indeed, if we wish to explain by means of judgments of reason (to the wise regarding themselves) how God became man, dwelling in the womb of the Virgin, and do not consider this a matter of faith, then they will only laugh. Those who wish to grasp this by means of reason, they are the ones who are perishing.”

1 Cor. 1:19. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.

This is written by the Prophet Isaiah (Isa. 29:14). There, as it is supposed, these words are spoken as a rebuke against the wise men of that time, who to King Hezekiah, finding himself in difficult circumstances, offered counsel that seemed to them wise and very appropriate to the matter. But God, through the Prophet Isaiah, declares that what He has determined in His divine counsel will take place. This counsel is a sealed book which no one can read; there the literate and the illiterate alike. Let no one guess what I will do, and when I do it, let no wisdom discern why it was done thus… “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will hide.” Wisdom will be shamed by this, and understanding will be hidden, humiliated, as if it will hide itself. Wisdom will be shamed because all its methods will turn out to be good for nothing, and understanding will be hidden because it will comprehend nothing in how things are done by Me. Such in general are the providential judgments of God, repeatedly vindicated in the history of Israel. Saint Paul brings this passage not as a prophecy, but as a law of God’s providential actions. He says as it were: that it pleased the Lord to do thus is nothing to marvel at; such is the law of God’s Providence, that no one can comprehend the turns in His judgments. No one can comprehend either why He ordained our salvation through the cross, and commanded the preaching of it to be conducted not in the wisdom of speech. It is therefore unnecessary to thrust oneself in here with one’s own wisdom, and because it can understand nothing here, to justify one’s unbelief and consider the manner of salvation proposed by God to be foolishness. Throughout all history it was so that what God ordained seemed to human wise men to be inconsistent with the course of things and not leading to the goal, yet in fact it turned out to be the most expedient and by this shamed human wisdom. So it is with the word of the cross! The wise look at it and say: what kind of means of salvation is this? How can one save and be saved by this? Yet in fact it turns out that it is the most effective means of salvation, and those who receive it with faith are saved, keenly sensing its saving power. The Lord destroyed wisdom for them and rejected the discernment of the discerning – repelled it, so that all it had left was to flee and hide.

1 Cor. 1:20. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

That I speak truth, let the Apostle’s discourse continue, here is proof for you: behold the cross, the word of which saves believers. Its saving power cannot be denied, for its proofs are before everyone’s eyes: they hear the word of the cross, believe, receive baptism, and appear as a new creation; they feel themselves new, others see them as new. They have another mind, other feelings, other deeds. Those who an hour before were the same as everyone, upon coming out of the font became completely different. There they shared in the power of the cross. So is not the power of the cross saving? But explain it to us! Where are you, wise ones? Where are the scribes? Where are the questioners of this age? Come, probe this wonderful deed with your wisdom and explain to us, why is it that if you only believe that God, becoming incarnate, died on the cross for our salvation, and are baptized – suddenly you become completely different! Here you have whole societies of people renewed in this marvelous way! And not a word from anyone. And behold a deed by which God showed that all the wisdom of this age is foolishness, has made it foolish – rendered it senseless. And that they call the word of the cross, the preaching of the Crucified One, and faith in Him, foolishness, by this they further expose their own foolishness: for is it not foolish to call a deed foolish when it justifies its own wisdom before the eyes of all?

“Having said: ‘it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,’ he adds proof for this from deeds and says: ‘where is the wise man?’” (Saint Chrysostom) – All of them were overcome by the preaching of the cross. He calls “wise” one who adorns himself with Greek eloquence, “scribe” – a Jewish teacher who boasts of knowledge of the Law, and “questioner” – a Jew and Greek who has long exercised himself in the are of disputation (Theodoret). The Apostle meant to say: of whatever rank a man may be who glories in human wisdom, the cross shamed them all; through it God “made foolish” their wisdom, that is, “showed that it is senseless and unsuited to the work of faith. Since people thought highly of it, He directly exposed it. What kind of wisdom is this if it cannot only find, but even understand where our chief good is? He exposed its foolishness, because it had beforehand exposed this about itself” (Saint Chrysostom).

1 Cor. 1:21. For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what we preach.

“He brings the reason why it was done thus” (Saint Chrysostom); that is, why it was pleasing to God to arrange our salvation in such a way that it seems to human wisdom like foolishness. God was saving with wisdom, they did not understand: and He was pleased now to save through the foolishness of preaching, that is, through the word of the cross or the God Crucified, which seems foolishness to our wisdom. – By what wisdom did the world not know God, that is, men? – By that which He implanted in us, reason, capable of distinguishing good from evil, of knowing God and rendering Him due worship. In what wisdom did it not understand? – In the wise arrangement of the world, where God impressed His traces so palpably that ignorance of Him in creation is inexcusable. The Apostle speaks here of natural knowledge of God and worship of God; but not in the sense that they would be sufficient for salvation if they appeared in perfection, but in this sense: you, who contend for reason and set human wisdom so high that you will not accept anything that seems unintelligible to it, although God Himself vouches for the truth of it, arranging and revealing it, tell me, did you by your reason accomplish what you could have done and ought to have done? Before you God opened His great book – a wisely arranged world. The testimony here about God is so evident that one could almost touch it. Tell me, did you understand God in this wisdom of God? – No. If then you did not understand, why then demand something reasonable? You have lost all right to it by not knowing how to make use of reason. If you did not know how, confess this and humbly submit to God’s will to save us through the foolishness of preaching. But let us leave the discourse to Saint Chrysostom.

“For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom,” then the cross appeared. What does “in the wisdom of God” mean? – In His works, through which He was pleased to reveal Himself, He arranged everything so that man, passing from visible objects to the Creator, would marvel at Him. Great is the heaven and boundless is the earth; marvel then at their Creator, for this great heaven was not only created by Him, but was created easily, and this boundless earth was produced by Him as nothing. Therefore of the first it is said: “the heavens are the work of your hands” (Ps. 101:26); and of the earth: “he made the earth like nothing” (Isa. 40:23). Since the world did not wish to know God through this wisdom, He taught through what appears to be “foolishness of preaching,” not through judgments (reasonings of mind), but through faith. Where the wisdom of God is, there is no need for human wisdom. For to say that the Being who created so beautiful and so great a world is God, having boundless and unspeakable power, this was a matter of judgments (reasoning of) human wisdom and meant grasping Him through them; but now what are needed are not judgments, but faith alone. To accept and be convinced that the Crucified and Buried One rose and sits on high, this requires not judgments, but faith. The Apostles went not with wisdom, but with faith, and proved themselves wiser and higher than external philosophers, and so much more because the reception of divine matters through faith is higher than reasonings, for it surpasses human understanding. How then did He destroy wisdom? – By revealing Himself to us through Paul and men like him, and showing that it is useless. For to the reception of Gospel preaching, wisdom does not help the wise at all, nor does ignorance hinder the uneducated at all; and even to one’s amazement it must be said that ignorance can receive it far more quickly and easily than wisdom. A shepherd and a farmer, not carried away by reasonings and giving themselves over to the Lord, will receive it sooner. Thus He destroyed wisdom! Since it had already shamed itself beforehand, it became thereafter good for nothing. For when it ought to have shown itself and known the Lord from His works, it would not; and now although it might wish to contribute to this, it cannot, because the position of things is now different, there is a way to the worship of God far better than it. Now simple faith is needed, it must be sought everywhere and preferred to external wisdom. For if this wisdom revealed nothing then, when it was possible to inquire through reasoning, what success is to be expected from it now, when matters higher than it appear, when faith alone is needed, not the are of reasoning. Thus God showed its foolishness, and was pleased to save through the “foolishness of preaching,” yet a foolishness not actual, but apparent.

The Apostle expressed it thus: “through the foolishness of preaching”; but his thought is this, that God saves believers through the highest wisdom, such wisdom before which even the greatest mind becomes foolish, comprehending nothing in it. Just as we call a great light a blinding light, so the highest wisdom is wisdom that makes the mind foolish. Through the preaching of this very wisdom God was pleased now to save believers. For when the mind is made foolish by this wisdom, then there is nothing left to receive it by except faith.