1 Corinthians 1:18

Context

The church at Corinth was divided into factions according to the leaders its members followed, some saying "I am of Paul" and others "I of Apollos" (1:10-12). After stating that he preached the gospel "not with wisdom of words" (v. 17), Paul begins in verse 18 to explain how the message of the cross differs from the wisdom of the world. He goes on to say that "the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom," but "we preach Christ crucified" (vv. 22-23).

Interpretation

• As the content of the gospel: On this reading, "the preaching of the cross" (Greek ho logos tou staurou) refers to the word about the cross, that is, the message of atonement: that Christ died for sinners. Most denominations understand the phrase in this way.
• As a declaration of God's way of working: On this reading, the cross is not only a message but also reveals God's very way of working through weakness and shame. Luther's "theology of the cross" (a theology that sees God revealed not in glory but in suffering and weakness) draws heavily on this passage.
• As salvation in progress: "Them that perish" and "us which are saved" both translate present participles in the Greek. Some interpreters therefore hold that the verse speaks of salvation not only as a single moment in the past but also as a process now under way. The Wesleyan tradition emphasizes this point in connection with sanctification.

Questions of Application

The verse has at times been used to justify disparaging the intellect and scholarship. Against this, some argue that what Paul rejected was not wisdom itself but the boasting of a world that mocks the cross. The verse is also cited as grounds for self-criticism, on the view that the church, in pursuing growth and success, has lost the message of the weakness of the cross.

In the Korean Church

In the preaching and hymnody of the Korean church, the "gospel of the cross" is the central theme, and this verse is frequently read in Holy Week sermons and at convocation services marking the start of the semester at theological seminaries.

Related Passages

• 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
• 1 Corinthians 2:2
• Galatians 6:14
• Romans 1:16