The Foolishness of the Cross

The Foolishness of the Cross
Words of Faith 4-25-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Corinthians 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? [21] For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. [22] Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, [23] but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, [24] but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

One of the big problems in Corinth was people claiming that they were better than others or that their leader was better than another. The thought has always been that some are wiser or more deserving. It is a sort of spiritual elitism.
Paul pointed out that, in fact, the Gospel is the great equalizer in regard to wisdom, scholarship, or special knowledge. God's plan has literally made the wisdom of the world foolish through Christ, particularly through the Cross of Christ.
A foundational declaration of Paul is that God completely dismisses men's wisdom as a means of salvation. No leader can be lifted up as "wiser" or "better" than another since salvation comes completely through God's grace.
To understand these verses, we must understand that the believers in Corinth were a mixture of Jews and Greeks who believed in Jesus. Both had backgrounds that honored wisdom, philosophy, and striving as the way to find truth and, at least in a sense, salvation. Paul pointed out that the Gospel flattens all these notions.
Paul rhetorically asks where "the wise man" can be found who is able to do what the message of the Cross of Christ has done. By "wise man," Paul was probably alluding to the Greeks. The "scholar" was a "scribe" or "teacher of the law," a Jewish professional who was skilled in the law and often emphasized its technicalities.
"The philosopher of this age" was the man who wanted to dispute every issue and solve it by human reason. This last designation could fit both Greek and Jewish culture. Paul declared that God has made foolish the wisdom of the world.
In fact, it was never God's purpose that men, with all their philosophical and religious wisdom and searching, should come to know God that way. God's good purpose was to save those very people. The message of the Gospel is the message of the cross. It is equally accessible and inaccessible to the scholar and to a simple villager.
I came face to face with this fact a few years back while visiting our missionary in Guatemala. I was going to preach, but we were part of a prayer meeting prior to the service. As we prayed and worshiped, I noticed a little lady beside me who was just exploding with joy before the Lord. She was an indigenous woman who had little or no education and an income of only a few hundred dollars a year. But it was so clear that she loved Jesus with the purest of hearts. I had to stop in awe and ponder the mystery that this little indigenous woman knew the power of the cross without any of the wisdom or education that we enjoy. In fact, it seemed clear that she was in a better position to preach the power of the cross than I was. This is the wonder and mystery of the Cross of Christ.
Judaism searched for miraculous signs to validate the coming of the Messiah. Others look for wisdom and scholarship. But it was the preaching of Christ crucified that brought salvation. Paul declared to the Galatians, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). This is the power of the Cross.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. God has foolishness? God has weakness? What Paul means is that God's smallest, least significant thought is more worthwhile than the wisest plans of mankind.
And a seemingly insignificant expression of God's creative and providential power, such as the coming of the dew or the unfolding of a leaf, is significantly more effective than men's mightiest thoughts and acts. He has complete control and fully accomplishes His purposes, while the power, acts, and thoughts of men are, in comparison, nothing.
It was not on man's terms and initiative, but on God's, that man found what he needed: the power and wisdom of God. In the preaching of Christ crucified, God calls people by opening their eyes of faith to believe the gospel.

Thank You, Lord, for the wonder of the Cross of Jesus. May I proclaim the truth of the cross today in all that I do and say. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.