1 Corinthianschapter 1
31 verses · Paul · AD 54 or 55 · Paul's letters
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Introduction
Paul, Paul's letters, 1 Corinthians Overview.
Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus to a church he had planted in Corinth a few years before. Word had reached him that the believers there were splitting into camps around their favourite teachers. The chapter begins with a greeting and a thanksgiving, then turns to the quarrel without delay. Listen for how often the name of Christ is spoken in the opening lines, and for the questions Paul fires at the church. Then listen for the long answer, which moves from the teachers to the message itself. Read it as the ground the whole letter stands on.
Context
- Who
- A young, mostly Gentile congregation quarrelling over which teacher they belonged to.
- What
- A greeting and thanksgiving, then Paul's answer to the factions in the church, which he meets with the message of the cross and God's choice of the weak.
- Where
- Written from Ephesus in the province of Asia to the church at Corinth, the capital of the Roman province of Achaia.
- When
- About AD 53 to 55, during Paul's long stay at Ephesus on his third journey, some three or four years after he founded the church.
- Why
- To end the rivalry over teachers by showing that the church belongs to Christ alone, and that God saves through a message the world despises.
Historical context
Old Corinth had been destroyed by Rome in 146 BC and refounded a century later as a Roman colony, settled largely with freedmen. That made it a city with money but no aristocracy of ancient blood, where status was newly won and fiercely displayed. Nobody there inherited standing; everybody competed for it.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
In such a city, attaching yourself to a famous teacher was a way to rise. Travelling speakers gathered paying followings, and a patron's household took on the prestige of the sage it hosted. The Corinthian factions, I am of Paul, I of Apollos, I of Cephas, look less like doctrinal parties than status groupings around impressive names.
"Chloe's people" who brought the report were probably her slaves or workers travelling on business between Corinth and Ephesus. Paul names his source openly, which took nerve.
Crucifixion is the point of the chapter's argument because of what it meant socially. Rome reserved it for slaves and rebels, and Roman citizens of any standing found it too degrading to discuss in polite company. Preaching a crucified Lord in a status-obsessed colony was, as Paul says, an offence to Jews and idiocy to Greeks.
Significance
The first hearers were told to look around at themselves: not many were wise by human standards, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. God had chosen the low and despised things precisely so that no one could boast in his presence.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
That cut the legs out from under the factions. If the gospel came through a shameful death and to unimpressive people, then ranking yourself by which celebrity baptized you was a joke.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Enriched in Everything, Waiting for the Day
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
Paul, called to be an apostle: The address widens past Corinth to all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. A divided church hears first that it belongs to a larger body.
1 Corinthians 1:1
“And Sosthenes - A Corinthian, St. Paul's companion in travel. It was both humility and prudence in the apostle, thus to join his name with his own, in an epistle wherein he was to reprove so many irregularities. Sosthenes the brother - Probably this word is emphatical; as if he had said, Who, from a Jewish opposer of the gospel, became a faithful brother.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
1 Corinthians 1:1
“Gallio had driven the Jews who accused Paul from the judgment-seat. The Greek mob, who disliked Jews, took the opportunity then of beating Sosthenes the ruler of the Jewish synagogue, while Gallio looked on and refused to interfere, being secretly pleased that the mob should second his own contempt for the Jews.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
those sanctified in Christ Jesus: Paul addresses a quarrelling church as the church of God, and Chrysostom reads the phrase as a rebuke to faction. The church belongs to God and to no party leader.
1 Corinthians 1:2
“The Church of God which is at Corinth - This Church was planted by the apostle himself about a.d. 52, as we learn from Act 18:1 (note), etc. Sanctified in Christ Jesus - Ἡγιασμενοις, Separated from the corruptions of their place and age. Called to be saints - Κλητοις ἁγιοις, Constituted saints, or invited to become such; this was the design of the Gospel, for Jesus Christ came to save men from their sins.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:2
“With all that in every place - Nothing could better suit that catholic love which St. Paul labours to promote in this epistle, than such a declaration of his good wishes for every true Christian upon earth. Call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - This plainly implies that all Christians pray to Christ, as well as to the Father through him.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 Corinthians 1:2
“Why did Paul write "to those called to be saints" as well as to those who are already "sanctified" and in the church? Surely this means that the letter is addressed not only to those who are already cleansed from their sins but also to those who still await cleansing, though they are among those whom God has called.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1.1.7patristic
Grace and peace to you: The greeting names God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ together as the one source of grace and peace. Theodoret takes this as a sign that the Father and the Son are one.
1 Corinthians 1:3
“My preliminary remarks on the preceding epistle called me away from treating of its superscription, for I was sure that another opportunity would occur for considering the matter, it being of constant recurrence, and in the same form too, in every epistle. The point, then, is, that it is not (the usual) health which the apostle prescribes for those to whom he writes, but "grace and peace." I do not ask, indeed, what a destroyer of Judaism has to do with a formula which the Jews still use.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Marcion Book Vpatristic
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
I always thank my God for you: Paul gives thanks before naming any fault, for the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus. He names gifts of all speech and all knowledge, the same gifts corrected in chapters 12 to 14.
1 Corinthians 1:4
“He puts the causes for praise and hope among them in the foreground, not to discourage them by the succeeding reproof, and in order to appeal to their better selves. my God-- (Ro 1:8; Php 1:3). always--(Compare Php 1:4). the grace . . . given you--(Compare 1Co 1:7). by . . . Christ--literally, "IN Jesus Christ" given you as members in Christ.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:4
“Paul does not just give thanks for the Corinthians some of the time, nor only when they do good. He puts himself in the position of a father, who is thankful for his children all the time, whatever they may have done.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1.2.1-15patristic
enriched in every way: The riches Paul names are speech and knowledge, the very gifts the Corinthians prized and later misused. Origen draws the line between them: knowledge grasps what is true, and speech goes on to explain it.
1 Corinthians 1:5
“Knowledge shows what there is to know. Speech goes further and explains it.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1.2.29-30patristic
testimony about Christ was confirmed: The testimony is the gospel Paul preached, and Wesley holds that the gifts following it confirmed it among the Corinthians. Their faith came by Paul's hand.
1 Corinthians 1:6
“The testimony of Christ is confirmed in us if we can say, like the apostle Paul, "I am persuaded that neither life nor death etc. can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" [Rom 8:38-39]. But if we are upset by every little thing that happens, then Christ's testimony has not been confirmed in us at all.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1.2.35-40patristic
3 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:6
“Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. By "the testimony of Christ" is meant the Gospel of Christ, which bears a testimony to his deity, his incarnation, his obedience, sufferings, and death, his resurrection from the dead, ascension to heaven, session at God's right hand, and intercession for the saints; to redemption by his blood, justification by his righteousness, pardon and atonement of sin by his sacrifice, and complete salvation by his obedience and death.”
1 Corinthians 1:6
“As the testimony of Christ, etc. - The testimony of Christ is the Gospel which the apostle had preached, and which had been confirmed by various gifts of the Holy Spirit, and miracles wrought by the apostle.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 Corinthians 1:6
“IT is not always the most gifted church which is in the most healthy state. A church may have many rich, influential, or learned members—many that have the gift of utterance and understand all sciences—yet that church may be in an unhealthy condition. Such was the case with the church at Corinth.”
Charles Spurgeon · written before 1892 · The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2875: “Confirming the Witness of Christ” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition)Particular Baptist
eagerly await the revelation: Having every gift, the Corinthians still wait, and their gifts hold them in expectation of Christ's appearing. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read this waiting as the crowning proof that they lacked no gift.
1 Corinthians 1:7
“Although we lack no gift, nevertheless we await the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will then keep us secure in all things and present us unimpeachable when the day of our Lord Jesus Christ comes. The end of the world shall arrive, when no flesh may glory in his sight.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Against the Pelagians 2.8patristic
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:7
“So that - God has so abundantly endowed you with his favors. Ye come behind - ὑστερεῖσθαι hustereisthai. You are not missing, or deficient. The word is usually applied to destitution, want, or poverty; and the declaration here is synonymous with what he had said, 1Co 1:5, that they abounded in everything. In no gift - In no favor, or gracious endowment.”
sustain you to the end: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown take God as the subject, the same God thanked in verse 4, while Aquinas takes Christ as the subject. Either way the keeping is His work. Theodoret hears in the hope of blamelessness on that day an admission that the church stands open to blame now.
called you into fellowship: The whole thanksgiving rests on God's faithfulness. Barnes gives the reason: God finishes what He begins.
1 Corinthians 1:9
PAUL is here arguing for the safety, the perseverance and the ultimate perfection of the saints to whom he is writing. He thanks God for what He has done for them and is assured that He will do yet more—that He will certainly confirm them unto the end—that they may be blameless in the day of Jesus Christ. The Apostle bases his argument upon this Truth of God—"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord."
Charles Spurgeon · written before 1892 · The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2580: “Partnership With Christ” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition)Particular Baptist
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:9
“Believe in Christ always, because you were called for no other purpose than to be one with us in him.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1.3patristic
1 Corinthians 1:9
“God is faithful - That is, God is true, and constant, and will adhere to his promises. He will not deceive. He will not promise, and then fail to perform; he will not commence anything which he will not perfect and finish. The object of Paul in introducing the idea of the faithfulness of God here, is to show the reason for believing that the Christians at Corinth would be kept unto everlasting life.”
Chloe's Report: A Church Split Four Ways
1 Corinthians 1:10-12
I appeal to you, brothers: Paul appeals that there be no divisions among you, a church united in mind and conviction. Verse 12 gives the quarrels as slogans naming leaders and no doctrine, from I follow Paul to I follow Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:10
“Who, then, is so wicked and faithless, who is so insane with the madness of discord, that either he should believe that the unity of God can be divided, or should dare to rend it-the garment of the Lord-the Church of Christ? He Himself in His Gospel warns us, and teaches, saying, "And there shall be one flock and one shepherd." And does any one believe that in one place there can be either many shepherds or many flocks?”
Cyprian · written before 258 · Treatise I On the Unity of the Churchpatristic
there are quarrels among you: Paul names his informants, and Chrysostom and Theophylact both see the purpose: the Corinthians cannot deny a report whose witnesses are known. Barnes observes that the church's own letter, answered from chapter 7, had said nothing of the quarrels. Ancient readers disagreed over who Chloe was.
1 Corinthians 1:11
“For it hath been declared unto me - Of the contentions existing in the church at Corinth, it is evident that they had not informed him in the letter which they had sent; see 1Co 7:1, compare the introduction. He had incidentally heard of their contentions. My brethren - A token of affectionate regard, evincing his love for them, and his deep interest in their welfare, even when he administered a needed rebuke. Of the house of Chloe - Of the family of Chloe.”
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:11
“It hath been declared to me by them of the family of Chloe - Whom some suppose to have been the wife of Stephanas, and the mother of Fortunatus and Achaicus. By these three the Corinthians had sent their letter to St. Paul, chap. xvi, 17. That there are contentions - A word equivalent with schisms in the preceding verse.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Individuals among you are saying: Theodoret holds that Paul used his own name and those of Apollos and Cephas to cover the real party leaders. He added Christ's name to show how absurd the contest was.
1 Corinthians 1:12
“Every one of you saith - It seems from this expression that the whole Church at Corinth was in a state of dissension: they were all divided into the following sects 1. Paulians, or followers of St. Paul; 2. Apollonians, or followers of Apollos; 3. Kephians, or followers of Kephas; 4. Christians, or followers of Christ. See the Introduction, Section 5. The converts at Corinth were partly Jews and partly Greeks. The Gentile part, as Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, might boast the names of Paul and Apollos; the Jewish, those of Kephas and Christ.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:12
And was it not Paul himself who was there foretold, destined "to be taken away from Judah"-that is, from Judaism-for the erection of Christianity, in order "to lay that only foundation, which is Christ? " Of this work the Creator also by the same prophet says, "Behold, I lay in Sion for a foundation a precious stone and honourable; and he that resteth thereon shall not be confounded."
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Marcion Book Vpatristic
Is Christ divided?: Three questions, beginning Is Christ divided, answer the party spirit of verse 12. Each answers itself: Christ is one, Paul was not the one crucified, and no one at Corinth was baptized into Paul's name.
1 Corinthians 1:14-16
I thank God that I did not baptize any of you: Paul is glad he baptized only Crispus and Gaius at Corinth, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. By his own example he takes away the ground for a following built on the minister who baptized.
1 Corinthians 1:14
“I thank God that I baptized none of you - None of those who now live in Corinth, except Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, Act 18:8. And Gaius, the same person probably with whom Paul lodged, Rom 16:23 (note). Dr. Lightfoot observes: “If this be Gaius, or Caius, to whom the third epistle of John was written, which is very probable when the first verse of that epistle (3Jn 1:1) is compared with Rom 16:23, then it will appear probable that John wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians. I wrote, says he, unto the Church - What Church?”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:14
“Baptizing was the office of the deacons (Ac 10:48) rather than of the apostles, whose office was that of establishing and superintending generally the churches.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
baptized into my name: Paul wanted no one to claim he had gathered disciples to himself. Clarke notes that careless observers could have mistaken baptism at his hands for enrolment in his party.
1 Corinthians 1:15
“Lest any should say that I had baptized in my own name. The Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version, read, "lest anyone should say that ye were baptized in my name"; and the Ethiopic version renders it, "that ye might not say we have been baptized in his name".”
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:15
“Lest any should say - Lest any of those who had been baptized should pervert his design, and say that Paul had baptized them unto himself; or, lest any others should, with any appearance of truth, say that he had sought to make disciples to himself. The Ethiopic version renders this, “that ye should not say we were baptized in his name.” Many of the ancient mss. read this, “test any should say that ‘ye were baptized’ into my name.” Mill.”
the household of Stephanas: Paul corrects himself mid-sentence, and Chrysostom finds the lapse telling. An apostle who cannot recall whom he baptized never sought honor from it.
1 Corinthians 1:16
“And I also baptized the household of Stephanas,.... The same name with "Stephanios", or "Stephanio" in Pliny (e). Before he says he had baptized none but Crispus and Gaius; but recollecting things, he corrects himself, and observes, that he had also baptized the household of Stephanas, who by the Greek writers is thought to be the same with the jailer baptized by the apostle at Philippi, but was now removed from thence to Corinth, and was become a famous and useful man there.”
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:16
“The household of Stephanas - From 1Co 16:15, we learn that the family of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, probably converted and baptized by the apostle himself. Epenetus is supposed to be one of this family. See the note on Rom 16:5. I know not whether I baptized any other - I do not recollect that there is any person now residing in Corinth, or Achaia, besides the above mentioned, whom I have baptized. It is strange that the doubt here expressed by the apostle should be construed so as to affect his inspiration!”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
For Christ did not send me to baptize: Paul's commission rules out words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. Those words are a manner of speech, the polished rhetoric Corinth prized.
1 Corinthians 1:17
“Lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect - The whole effect of St. Paul's preaching was owing to the power of God accompanying the plain declaration of that great truth, "Christ bore our sins upon the cross." But this effect might have been imputed to another cause, had he come with that wisdom of speech which they admired.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:17
“But they roll back an objection from that apostle himself, in that he said, "For Christ sent me not to baptize; " , as if by this argument baptism were done away! For if so, why did he baptize Gaius, and Crispus, and the house of Stephanas? However, even if Christ had not sent him to baptize, yet He had given other apostles the precept to baptize.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Baptismpatristic
1 Corinthians 1:17
“For Christ sent me not to baptize - That is, not to baptize as my main business. Baptism was not his principal employment, though be had a commission in common with others to administer the ordinance, and occasionally did it. The same thing was true of the Saviour, that he did not personally baptize, Joh 4:2. It is probable that the business of baptism was entrusted to the ministers of the church of inferior talents, or to those who were connected with the churches permanently, and not to those who were engaged chiefly in traveling from place to place.”
The Cross Looks Like Folly Until It Saves
For the message of the cross: The cross divides its hearers: foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. The verse heads the wisdom argument that runs through chapter 2.
1 Corinthians 1:18
“For the preaching of the cross - Ὁ λογος γαρ ὁ του σταυρου, The doctrine of the cross; or the doctrine that is of or concerning the cross; that is, the doctrine that proclaims salvation to a lost world through the crucifixion of Christ. Is to them that perish foolishness - There are, properly speaking, but two classes of men known where the Gospel is preached: απολλυμενοι, the unbelievers and gainsayers, who are perishing; and σοζομενοι, the obedient believers, who are in a state of salvation.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:18
“God's powerful instrument of salvation; the highest exhibition of God's power (Ro 1:16). What seems to the world "weakness" in God's plan of salvation (1Co 1:25), and in its mode of delivery by His apostle (1Co 2:3) is really His mighty "power." What seems "foolishness" because wanting man's "wisdom of words" (1Co 1:17), is really the highest "wisdom of God" (1Co 1:24).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 Corinthians 1:18
“NOTE well that in the 17th verse Paul had renounced the "wisdom of words." He says that he was sent to "preach the Gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of no effect." It is very clear, therefore, that there is an excellence, elegance and eloquence of language which would deprive the Gospel of its due effect.”
For it is written: Paul cites Isaiah 29:14, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. Isaiah spoke it against the political cleverness of Judah, and Paul applies it to Corinth's love of polished speech.
1 Corinthians 1:19
“For it is written - This passage is quoted from Isa 29:14. The Hebrew of the passage, as rendered in the English version is, “the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” The version of the Septuagint is, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of the prudent I will hide” κρύψω krupsō, corresponding substantially with the quotation by Paul. The sense in the Hebrew is not materially different.”
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:19
I will destroy--slightly altered from the Septuagint, Isa 29:14. The Hebrew is, "The wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." Paul by inspiration gives the sense of the Spirit, by making GOD the cause of their wisdom perishing, &c., "I will destroy," &c. understanding of the prudent--literally, "of the understanding ones."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Cross references
1 Corinthians 1:19
- QuotingIsaiah 29:14Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”
'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise' ('it is written')
1 Corinthians 1:20-21
Where is the wise man?: Three questions ask where the wise man, the scribe and the philosopher of this age have gone. The titles name the Greek sage, the Jewish scholar and the professional debater, and God made foolish the wisdom of the world.
1 Corinthians 1:20
“Where is the wise - the scribe - the disputer of this world? - These words most manifestly refer to the Jews; as the places (Isa 29:14; Isa 33:18; Isa 44:25) to which he refers cannot be understood of any but the Jews. The wise man σοφος, of the apostle, is the חכם chakam of the prophet; whose office it was to teach others. The scribe, γραμματευς, of the apostle, is the ספר sopher of the prophet; this signifies any man of learning, as distinguished from the common people, especially any master of the traditions.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:20
“Where is the wise? &c. - The deliverance of Judea from Sennacherib is what Isaiah refers to in these words; in a bold and beautiful allusion to which, the apostle in the clause that follows triumphs over all the opposition of human wisdom to the victorious gospel of Christ.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
the foolishness of what was preached: God arranged it so, that in His wisdom the world, reasoning its own way, failed to know Him. Ambrosiaster says the world worshipped created things, so God chose a message that would look foolish to it. Wesley stresses the condition, that salvation comes to those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:21
“For after that - ἐπειδὴ epeidē. Since, or seeing that it is true that the world by wisdom knew not God. After all the experience of the world it was ascertained that human beings would never by their own wisdom come to the true knowledge of God, and it pleased him to devise another plan for salvation.”
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:21
“Given that men had rejected the contemplation of God and were looking for him in nature and in the material world, making gods for themselves out of mortal men and demons, the loving and general Savior of all, the Word of God, took to himself a body and walked about like a man, in order to meet the senses halfway, so that those who think that God is corporeal might perceive the truth by observing what the Lord accomplishes in his body, and through him recognize the Father.”
Athanasius of Alexandria · written before 373 · On the Incarnation of the Word 15patristic
1 Corinthians 1:21
“The deistic theory that man can by the light of nature discover his duty to God, is disproved by the fact that man has never discovered it without revelation. All the stars and moon cannot make it day; that is the prerogative of the sun. Nor can nature's highest gifts make the moral day arise; that is the office of Christ.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 Corinthians 1:22-24
Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom: , and against both Paul sets Christ crucified. Verse 24 names the crucified Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God to those who are called.
1 Corinthians 1:22
“The signs the Jews craved for were not mere miracles, but direct tokens from heaven that Jesus was Messiah (Lu 11:16). Greeks seek . . . wisdom--namely, a philosophic demonstration of Christianity. Whereas Christ, instead of demonstrative proof, demands faith on the ground of His word, and of a reasonable amount of evidence that the alleged revelation is His word.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:22
That He also is both the wisdom and the power of God, Paul proves in his first Epistle to the Corinthians. "Because the Jews require a sign, and the Creeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews indeed a stumbling-block, and to the Gentiles foolishness; but to them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
Cyprian · written before 258 · Treatise XII. Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews.patristic
1 Corinthians 1:22
“For the Jews require a sign - Instead of σημειον, a sign, ABCDEFG, several others, both the Syriac, Coptic, Vulgate, and Itala, with many of the fathers, have σημεια, signs; which reading, as undoubtedly genuine, Griesbach has admitted into the text. There never was a people in the universe more difficult to be persuaded of the truth than the Jews: and had not their religion been incontestably proved by the most striking and indubitable miracles, they never would have received it.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
we preach Christ crucified: Jews asked for signs of power, and Aquinas notes that they sought strength and saw weakness suffering. Theophylact adds that the Greeks mocked the mystery as folly. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown observe that the Greek describes a lasting character, Christ who remains the Crucified.
1 Corinthians 1:23
“Christ crucified is a stumbling-block to the Jews. They could not get over it. They had a conceit that their expected Messiah was to be a great temporal prince, and therefore would never own one who made so mean an appearance in life, and died so accursed a death, for their deliverer and king.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:23
“Christ crucified--The Greek expresses not the mere fact of His crucifixion, but the permanent character acquired by the transaction, whereby He is now a Saviour (Ga 3:1) crucified was the stone on which the Jews stumbled (Mt 21:44).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
to those who are called: The called come from both peoples alike. Ambrosiaster pairs the terms: believing Jews see God's power, believing Greeks His wisdom. Theodore of Mopsuestia reads both titles of the preached cross, while Clement of Alexandria applies them to the Word Himself.
1 Corinthians 1:24
“But unto them which are called - Τοις κλητοις. Those, both of Jews and Greeks, who were by the preaching of the Gospel called or invited to the marriage feast, and have accordingly believed in Christ Jesus; they prove this doctrine to be divinely powerful, to enlighten and convert the soul, and to be a proof of God’s infinite wisdom, which has found out such an effectual way to glorify both his justice and mercy, and save, to the uttermost, all that come to him through Christ Jesus.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:24
“In Him, at any rate, and with Him, did (Wisdom) construct the universe, He not being ignorant of what she was making. "Except Wisdom," however, is a phrase of the same sense exactly as "except the Son," who is Christ, "the Wisdom and Power of God," according to the apostle, who only knows the mind of the Father. "For who knoweth the things that be in God, except the Spirit which is in Him? " Not, observe, without Him. There was therefore One who caused God to be not alone, except "alone" from all other gods.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Praxeaspatristic
1 Corinthians 1:24
UNBELIEF toward the gospel of Christ is the most unreasonable thing in all the world, because the reason which the unbeliever gives for his unbelief is fairly met by the character and constitution of the gospel of Christ. Notice that before this verse we read—“The Jews required a sign, the Greeks seek after wisdom.”
For the foolishness of God: The verse puts the chapter's paradox in its shortest form. Foolishness and weakness are the world's own verdict on the cross, taken up by Paul to overturn that verdict.
1 Corinthians 1:25
“The very "stumbling-block" which he declares Christ to be "to the Jews," points unmistakeably to the Creator's prophecy respecting Him, when by Isaiah He says: "Behold I lay in Sion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence." This rock or stone is Christ. This stumbling-stone Marcion retains still. Now, what is that "foolishness of God which is wiser than men," but the cross and death of Christ? What is that "weakness of God which is stronger than men," but the nativity and incarnation of God?”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Marcion Book Vpatristic
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:25
“Because the foolishness of God - That which God appoints, requires, commands, does, etc., which appears to people to be foolish. The passage is not to be understood as affirming that it is really foolish or unwise; but that it appears so to people - Perhaps the apostle here refers to those parts of the divine administration where the wisdom of the plan is not seen; or where the reason of what God does is concealed. Is wiser than men - Is better adapted to accomplish important ends, and more certainly effectual than the schemes of human wisdom.”
God Picks the Nobodies
1 Corinthians 1:26-29
Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Paul's evidence is the Corinthians' own roll: Not many of you were wise by human standards, nor powerful, nor of noble birth. Verse 29 gives the reason God chose them, so that no one may boast in His presence.
1 Corinthians 1:26
“Ye see your calling - Την κλησιν. The state of grace and blessedness to which ye are invited. I think, βλεπετε την κλησιν, etc., should be read in the imperative: Take heed to, or consider your calling, brethren; that (ὁτι) not many of you are wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: men is not in the original, and Paul seems to allude to the Corinthian believers in particular.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:26
“However, English Version accords well with 1Co 1:24. "The whole history of the expansion of the Church is a progressive victory of the ignorant over the learned, the lowly over the lofty, until the emperor himself laid down his crown before the cross of Christ" [OLSHAUSEN]. wise . . . after the flesh--the wisdom of this world acquired by human study without the Spirit.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
God chose the foolish things: God chose people the world counted foolish and weak. Theophylact observes that nothing shamed the Greeks more than a common craftsman outdoing them in philosophy.
1 Corinthians 1:27
Incredulity, on the other hand, wonders, but does not believe: for the simple acts it wonders at, as if they were vain; the grand results, as if they were impossible. And grant that it be just as you think sufficient to meet each point is the divine declaration which has fore-run: "The foolish things of the world hath God elected to confound its wisdom; " and, "The things very difficult with men are easy with God."
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Baptismpatristic
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:27
“But God hath chosen - The fact of their being in the church at all was the result of his choice. It was owing entirely to his grace. The foolish things - The things esteemed foolish among people. The expression here refers to those who were destitute of learning, rank, wealth, and power, and who were esteemed as fools, and were despised by the rich and the great.”
the things that are not: Theodore of Mopsuestia reads the phrase as the despised and worthless, set against the respected and powerful. Wesley and Clarke connect it to the Jewish habit of calling Gentiles a people of no account. By such people God brings the great to nothing.
1 Corinthians 1:28
“And base things - and things which are despised - It is very likely that the apostle refers here to the Gentiles and to the Gentile converts, who were considered base and despicable in the eyes of the Jews, who counted them no better than dogs, and who are repeatedly called the things that are not.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:28
“Paul uses the expression "things that are not" differently here from the way he uses it in his epistle to the Romans. Here it means simply that which is vile and contemptible, as opposed to "things that are," which are beautiful, powerful and respected.”
Theodore of Mopsuestia · written before 428 · Pauline Commentary from the Greek Churchpatristic
1 Corinthians 1:28
“Things that are not - The Jews frequently called the gentiles, "Them that are not," 2 Esdras vi. In so supreme contempt did they hold them. The things that are - In high esteem.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
no one may boast: Here Paul states the purpose of God's choosing. Augustine reads the whole passage as aimed at human pride, so that no one glories in human works or in himself. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, following Bengel, add that believers glory in God, while no flesh may glory before Him.
1 Corinthians 1:29
“That no flesh should glory in his presence. That is, "in the presence of God", as some copies, and the Arabic and Ethiopic versions read; not in their blood, birth, families, lineage, and natural descent; nor in their might, power, and dominion; nor in their riches, wealth, and substance; nor in their wisdom, learning, and parts: for however these may be gloried in before men, yet not before God.”
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus: Christ Jesus has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. The chain runs from a sinner's standing before God to his final deliverance.
1 Corinthians 1:30
“Christ was made our sanctification, not so that he might change what he was but that he might sanctify us in the flesh.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · On the Holy Spirit 3.4.26patristic
1 more voice on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:30
“We are guilty, obnoxious to justice; and he is made righteousness, our great atonement and sacrifice. We are depraved and corrupt; and he is made sanctification, the spring of our spiritual life; from him, the head, it is communicated to all the members of his mystical body by his Holy Spirit.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Paul closes the chapter with Jeremiah 9:24, where the wise, the mighty and the rich are forbidden to boast in their own gifts. Clement of Rome cited the same words to this church decades later against its pride. Matthew Henry says the plan of salvation secures it.
1 Corinthians 1:31
“As it is written - This is evidently a quotation made from Jer 9:23-24. It is not made literally; but the apostle has “condensed” the sense of the prophet into a few words, and has retained essentially his idea. He that glorieth - He that boasts or exults. In the Lord - Not ascribing his salvation to human abilities, or learning, or rank, but entirely to God. And from this we see: (1) That the design of the plan of salvation is to exalt God in view of the mind.”
2 more voices on this verse
1 Corinthians 1:31
“But I measure myself, that I may not perish through boasting: but it is good to glory in the Lord. And even though I were established in things pertaining to God, yet then would it befit me to be the more fearful, and not give heed to those that vainly puff me up. For those that commend me scourge me. [I do indeed desire to suffer], but I know not if I be worthy to do so. For the envy of the wicked one is not visible to many, but it wars against me.”
Ignatius of Antioch · written before 108 · Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallianspatristic
1 Corinthians 1:31
“Lord-- (Jer 9:23, 24) --in opposition to "flesh glorying in His presence" (1Co 1:29). In contrast to morbid slavish self-abasement, Paul joins with humility the elevating consciousness of our true dignity in Christ. He who glories is to glory in the Lord, not in the flesh, nor in the world.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Cross references
1 Corinthians 1:31
- QuotingJeremiah 9:24“But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”
'He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord' ('as it is written')
How this psalm is built
The form: The greeting and thanksgiving of the letter, then the opening of the section on divisions that runs from 1:10 to 4:21, as Aquinas classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The name of Christ in the opening lines | The name of Christ stands ten times in the first ten verses, in every verse except verse 5, and the full title Lord Jesus Christ stands five times. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown record Chrysostom's remark that the name is mentioned more often in this letter than in any other, and read it as Paul drawing the church away from its admiration of particular teachers to Christ alone.Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on 1 Corinthians 1:9. | 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 Corinthians 1:10 |
| Four party cries and three questions | Verse 12 quotes four party cries, each claiming to follow one leader, and the fourth claims Christ as a party name. Verse 13 answers with three short questions. Theodoret of Cyrus holds that the Corinthians in fact named themselves after other teachers, that Paul set his own name, Apollos and Peter in their place, and that adding Christ to the list showed how absurd the whole quarrel was.Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 168, 458, on 1 Corinthians 1:12. | 1 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Corinthians 1:13 |
| Where is the wise man? | Verse 20 asks three questions that open with Where is, then a fourth that asks whether God has made the wisdom of the world foolish. Hilary of Poitiers takes the questions in turn and finds the philosophers of the nations dumb and the scribe of the Law in darkness, with the cross of Christ an offence to him.Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity 2.12, 367, on 1 Corinthians 1:20. | 1 Corinthians 1:20 |
| The called and the chosen | Verse 26 names three kinds of standing few in the church had, the wise, the powerful and those of noble birth. Verses 27 and 28 answer with three choices of God, the foolish, the weak and the lowly, each chosen to shame or nullify its opposite. Theodore of Mopsuestia reads the things that are not in verse 28 as the base and despised, set against what the world counts fine, strong and honoured.Theodore of Mopsuestia, Pauline Commentary from the Greek Church, 428, on 1 Corinthians 1:28. | 1 Corinthians 1:26, 1 Corinthians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 1:28 |
Where the chapter stands
11 more paragraphs on the patterns
The letter opens with a greeting in verses 1 to 3 and a thanksgiving in verses 4 to 9, then turns at verse 10 to the appeal that governs the next four chapters. The section on divisions runs from 1:10 to 4:21, and the moral reports begin at 5:1. Paul writes in his own voice with Sosthenes named beside him. Two voices from Corinth reach the page, the report of Chloe's household in verse 11 and the four party cries of verse 12.
What it leaves open
The thanksgiving praises the church for all speech and all knowledge in verse 5 and for lacking no spiritual gift in verse 7. John Chrysostom asks how a church so enriched can be called worldly, and the chapter leaves that question for 3:1 to answer.
The unit across the seam
The argument turns at verse 17 from baptism to the preaching of the cross and does not stop at the end of the chapter. Verses 18 to 25 treat the message, verses 26 to 31 the hearers God called, and 2:1 to 5 the preacher who brought it. Read together, 1:18 to 2:5 makes one proof in three steps.
The Old Testament cited
Two citations stand under the formula it is written. Verse 19 cites Isaiah 29:14 on God destroying the wisdom of the wise. Verse 31 condenses Jeremiah 9:24, and Clement of Rome, writing to the same church about AD 99, quotes the fuller saying from Jeremiah when he calls the Corinthians to lay aside pride.
The debated readings
The four names. Clement of Rome takes them at face value and judges the old factions less guilty, since they followed highly reputed apostles. Theodoret of Cyrus holds that Paul put his own name, Apollos and Peter in place of the Corinthian teachers the parties really followed.
The power and wisdom of God in verse 24. Gregory of Nyssa reads the phrase of Christ Himself, in whom wisdom is joined with power as maker of all things. Theodore of Mopsuestia reads it of the preaching of the cross.
Baptism in verse 17. Tertullian answers readers who used the verse to set baptism aside and points to Gaius, Crispus and the household of Stephanas, whom Paul baptized, and to the command Christ gave the other apostles.
Keep studying
Studies12
Places1
Words12
Subjects2
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on 1 Corinthians 1:4; Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 165, 458, on 1 Corinthians 1:2 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Corinthians, 1274, on 1 Corinthians 1:4.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES; Augustine of Hippo, PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS 5.9; Charles Hodge, An Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians; Charles Spurgeon, Christ Crucified; Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata Book 1; Clement of Rome; Frederic Godet, Commentary on First Corinthians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians; John Chrysostom; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria; Theodore of Mopsuestia, PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH; Theodoret of Cyrus; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Corinthians.