Day 3: 1:10-17 1:18-31 (The Cross: God’s Wisdom and Power in What Seems Weak)

1. SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
18 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. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 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? 21 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. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

2. OBSERVATIONS :

•   What did this passage mean to its original audience? 

- The Corinthian church lived in a culture that celebrated intelligence, eloquence, status, and achievement. To them, the cross seemed embarrassing—too simple, too weak, too humble.
- Paul wanted them to see that God’s kingdom operates on a completely different value system. The cross redefines greatness, wisdom, and power.  For the original audience, this message was a direct challenge: "“Stop living by Corinth’s values. Live by the values of the cross.”

• What does this passage reveal about God?
  - God’s wisdom is deeper and higher than human wisdom. It sometimes seems upside-down to human thinking.  In the world's eyes, the cross was a sign of defeat; in God's wisdom, it became the ultimate victory of love and salvation.
  - God delights in using the lowly and the weak. He Values the Humble and chooses the humble and the ordinary so that no one can boast in themselves, only in Him.
  - God desires that no one can boast before Him.

What does this passage reveal about people?
- We naturally judge by outward appearance and human standards.
- We trust their own wisdom too much.
- We love to boast.

3. APPLICATION: What does this passage impact my affections, attitudes and actions?

- My Attitude — How I think
I need to stop judging things only by outward success. God values humility, faithfulness, and obedience more than talent or achievement. I let go of the need to prove myself. My worth is not in my wisdom, ability, or performance. It is in Christ alone.

Affections — What I love and desire

• I desire humility instead of recognition. I want people to think I am very smart or very capable. But this scripture shifts my affections toward boasting in the Lord. My joy shouldn't come from my resume or my bank account; it should come from the fact that I am "in Christ Jesus." I want to love the Cross more than I love my own reputation.  

Actions — How I live
I will boast in Christ, not in myself. I want to talk about what He has done, not what I’ve accomplished. Since God chooses the "lowly" things, I should be careful not to ignore or look down on people who seem "unimportant" by social standards. I want to value what God values.

4. PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for the message of the cross. Thank You that what looks weak and foolish to the world is actually Your wisdom and power. Forgive me for the times when I trusted in my own ability, intelligence, or strength instead of trusting in You. Help me to walk in humility and to boast only in Jesus. Teach me to love the cross—not just as a story, but as the shape of my daily life. When Your ways don’t make sense to me, give me faith to follow. When I feel weak, remind me that You work through weakness. Make me someone who reflects Christ in attitude, in heart, and in action. In Jesus’ name, Amen.