Chaos in Corinth

Paul writes about this wisdom in his first letter to the church in Corinth. There were all kinds of derailments there. One could classify this community as “chaotic”. Many things went wrong. There were disputes, in some the way of life was dangerously derailed, in others there were questions concerning spiritual gifts. Different views tried to assert themselves. Everywhere there were problems in Corinth.

The apostle’s letter tries to bring some order here. In doing so, he must get down to the nitty-gritty. He must uncover important connections. Paul needs to explain why it is really going so that the church can get back on track. This is what he wrote:

I am when I came to you, brothers,
not come with superiority of word or wisdom,
to proclaim the testimony of God to you;
because I had decided to do it,
to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ,
and this one as crucified.

Yes, I came in weakness,
in fear and much trembling to you,
and my word and herald message
did not consist in persuasive words of human wisdom,
but in demonstration of the spirit and power,
so that your faith is not in the wisdom of men,
but be founded in the power of God.
1Cor 2,1-5

Christ crucified

Paul had a spiritual concern. The Corinthians’ faith was to be grounded in the power of God. Let’s think about this for a moment. Our faith – founded in the power of God. Would that be enough power? Just as God is the Most High, the source of our trust should be in that Most High and His power. This is what Paul envisioned for the Corinthians.

This should also appeal to us. But who could claim to achieve such a thing through their own efforts? Such a lofty goal does not allow for sideshows like self-righteousness or human half-truths. Paul does not dwell on sideshows. Therefore, he explicitly does not come with “superiority of the word or wisdom.” He doesn’t want to please anyone here. Everything unimportant must make way before what is really important. The testimony of God has a central statement, and it concerns a person: Jesus Christ. The testimony of God speaks of Him. However, a precise specification still follows so that the image of Jesus Christ is not misused or misinterpreted. Paul proclaimed Jesus Christ as crucified.

What kind of message is that? There Paul comes into conversation with other people and preaches a crucified Jesus. This seems to be rather a sign of weakness. This Messiah was killed. It really has nothing at all to do with what has meaning in the world around us. Whoever dies is eliminated; he no longer has a say. Living things have to assert themselves. The world we live in is about many things, but not about placing a crucified man centrally. This goes completely against the grain.

But Paul places this crucified man centrally. He proclaims Jesus Christ – as crucified. He is the anointed one, the Christ. The Crucified One is the Anointed One. Kings and prophets were anointed. The fact that the one anointed by God was crucified is precisely the core of Paul’s proclamation. It seems – to say the least – strange. Against the background of the chaotic church in Corinth, however, this radical entry is almost therapeutic. While there is much ado about nothing in the church, Paul introduces us, so to speak, to the silence of God’s wisdom. Among the Corinthians, Paul wanted to know only one thing: Jesus Christ as crucified. This is God’s power and God’s wisdom (1 Cor. 1:23-24).

Wisdom among the matured

Paul was not concerned with the “wisdom of men” but with “the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5). That’s an interesting juxtaposition. He speaks of power (gr. dunamis) as the opposite of wisdom. Inevitably, a statement like “not words, but deeds!” comes to mind. It is about the reality of God speaking and working into this world. It’s not about empty words.

God’s wisdom is always anchored in His work. God has no pious desires. He speaks: Let there be light! And light became (Gen 1:3). This is how God works. At His Side. Now God’s wisdom, of this very different category from our reasoning, is always based in concrete action, whether now, in the past, or for the future. To perceive this, however, requires a certain maturity. We must then leave quarrels like those in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:11-13) behind us.

But wisdom we speak among the mature,
but not wisdom of this eon
nor of the superiors of this eon, which are dismissed.
But we are talking about God’s wisdom in a mystery,
from the hidden one,
whom God predestined before the eons for our glory.

This wisdom has not been recognized by any of the superiors of this eon.
For if they had known them, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Cor 2,6-8

We see Paul here lifting the Corinthians to a new level. While the Corinthians became entangled in strife and remained in the here and now with all negative thoughts, Paul directs their gaze to God’s activity. God’s wisdom does not correspond to the wisdom of this eon (this age). He mentions the expression three times. God’s wisdom is greater. It is not limited to this time, but has something more comprehensive in mind. If this is true, we must look more closely, because something is mentioned here that was secret and hidden before.

God’s wisdom speaks of something that God had already predestined for us before the eons. These expressions make short work of the usual interpretations of an “endless eternity”. After all, we are talking about limited time. And God has already worked before these ages. He is not limited to these ages (often translated as “eternities”). Even before the eons, He planned and foresaw things. This world is His world. However, some things were hidden for a long time. It was not only for us, but it was also hidden for the so-called rulers of this world, for the “superiors of this eon”. Whether these “superiors” refer to secular or spiritual powers is not directly evident. It is here also most likely about the coinage of the time, in which for God’s wisdom no look at all exists.

Satan is called the “god of this eon” (2 Cor. 4:4). He is the counter-thrower, also the diabolos or “mess-thrower”. Satan has only one plan: to thwart God’s plan. Jesus, the Son of God, had to be executed. For this, Satan even entered Judas (Luk 22:3). It seems that he did this to be quite sure that Judas would actually betray Jesus. (This fact is reluctantly considered, but it raises questions about the God and fate of Judas Iscariot. But that is beyond the scope of this article). It would later turn out how short-sighted this plan was.

But back to the letter to the Corinthians. Here it was about the wisdom of God, which none of the superiors of this aeon recognized, “because if they had recognized this, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory”! This can only be explained in the light of the resurrection (about which Paul writes in detail in chapter 15 of the same letter). Satan tried to eliminate Jesus, as did the religious leaders of the people. However, if the rulers of this world had recognized what in God’s wisdom had been planned long ago, they would not have crucified Jesus. Unknowingly, the rulers of this world have carried out God’s plan through the crucifixion.

This was God’s wisdom in a mystery.

Cross and resurrection

The reality of the crucifixion is death. But death is more than made up for by resurrection. The cross and resurrection are what Paul is talking about. In the crucifixion, completely unworldly and without visible wisdom, God veils His power and in it is wisdom. In resurrection and being made alive beyond the power of death, God’s power is then revealed. In this we may base our faith. It is not about wisdom of men, but about the power of God, which could only fully unfold through a crucified Christ.