The Secret Wisdom of 1st Corinthians 1–4

Preamble

I had read Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth several times before, but this time was different. As I read, it was like a window had opened; the dark was dispelled and fresh air blew dust from the page. The text came into focus, and I could see what must have been there all along.

Paul was no naïve thinker. Before his conversion, he represented the best of the Jewish tradition—rigorously educated, socially advantaged, and formed within both Jewish and Roman worlds. When he wrote, he did so with precision, rhetorical force, and deep awareness of how arguments shape communities.

The church in Corinth, however, had become fractured. Competing schools of thought and persuasive personalities had divided the community, shifting it into patterns of argument, accusation, and intellectual pride—what Paul called schism.

Paul did not simply address the division; he traced it to its source. He reframed wisdom, authority, identity, and unity around Christ rather than human intelligence or status. This was not correction alone, but repentance in motion—a call to see differently so that a different way of life together could emerge.

What follows is a rhetorical-theological paraphrase that highlights what stood out to me in the text, later tested through exegetical work with the interlinear. At its centre is Paul’s redefinition of wisdom as the key to restoring unity.

You are the foolishness of God (1 Corinthians 1:10–31)

Not many of you were chosen for your intelligence or great virtue in society. Most of you were chosen from among the world’s rejects and misfits. God chose what the world did not want—the weak, the overlooked, those discarded to the island of misfit toys.

You are using human wisdom, and it is fracturing your allegiance to Christ. Hasn’t Christ’s body (that’s you, by the way) been broken enough? Don’t argue like the world, no matter how eloquent it may sound. The world rejected the wisdom of God when it crucified the Christ; therefore God has exposed the limits of their wisdom and is letting it collapse under its own weight. That makes you the foolishness of God.

Be united by having one mind—the mind and judgments of Christ. Quite literally, Jesus himself has become our wisdom, straight from God.

If any of us tried to start a following or build a franchise outside of the unified Christ, it would be a disaster. Only in Christ are right-relationships restored, issues rightly separated, and freedom from past guilt found. Therefore, instead of marketing your own ideas, you should carry a “Jesus” banner together.

A secret wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:1–9)

When we first met, I had no superior wisdom with which to argue with you. I distinguished myself by knowing nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came in weakness and fear, trembling. When I stood up, my message wasn’t delivered with skilful rhetoric, but with the enabling power of the Spirit. So remember where your true conviction comes from—not from human wisdom, but from God’s power.

Now, there is a wisdom—a kind of clarity and intelligence—which we speak among those who have been on the journey for a while and are becoming mature. It is a wisdom ahead of its time, far beyond the ruling class, the rich and famous, whose version of wisdom is already breaking down.

There is a secret wisdom which God had kept hidden, but has chosen to honour us by revealing—things the world has never seen or recognised. That is what we speak. The wider world has never experienced this, and this is exactly what the scriptures meant by:

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, that which God has prepared for those who love him.” — Originally from Isaiah 64:4

These are the things God has revealed to us through the Spirit, who searches everything, even the depths of God.

Understanding this secret wisdom further (1 Corinthians 2:10–16)

Only a person’s own spirit knows their inner thoughts; the same is true of God. Yet we have received God’s Spirit so that we may freely comprehend what God gives us. This wisdom was not taught by human instruction; we speak what the Spirit has taught us, interpreting spiritual realities to those who are being shaped by the Spirit.

The person oriented only by natural human faculties is not receptive to the things of God’s Spirit, because they appear absurd. They lack the capacity to recognise them, because this kind of understanding is discerned through the Spirit.

The spiritual person discerns all things, yet is not rightly understood by those outside this frame of reference.

“Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counsellor? Has the LORD ever needed anyone’s advice?” — Isaiah 40:13–14

The point being: we have the mind of Christ.

However, I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You were still infants in Christ, still operating according to the flesh. You were not ready for solid food, so I fed you milk. And as long as jealousy and strife remain—saying things like “I follow Paul” or “I follow Apollos”—you are not yet ready for the real meat.

How you should regard teachers (1 Corinthians 3:5–17)

I laid a foundation, which is Christ. What others build on that foundation will be tested by fire. What you are made of will be revealed when the storm comes—whether it endures or fails. You are God’s temple, and God’s Spirit lives in you. Therefore, like God’s true temple, you are holy.

Don’t be deceived by the present age. If you think yourself clever and cultivated now, you must become foolish in its eyes in order to become truly wise. After all, the world’s wisdom is exposed as foolishness before God.

“He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd, so that their hands cannot attain success. He catches the wise in their own craftiness.” — Job 5:13–14

“The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.” — Psalm 94:11

Therefore, don’t pride yourselves in human vantage points. You say you belong to Paul or Apollos? I’m saying they belong to you. Whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life or death, the present or the future—all are yours. And you belong to Christ, as Christ belongs to God.

This is how you should regard us who teach—as servants of Christ entrusted with the mysteries of God.

I consider it a very small matter when I am scrutinised by others. I don’t even judge myself. That is not what makes me righteous; God’s judgment does. So don’t pronounce verdicts before the proper time. God will bring to light what has been hidden and reveal the motives of the heart. As you stop positioning yourselves over against God, you will begin to recognise one another’s differences without turning them into weapons.

I have applied all this to Apollos and myself so that you may learn not to go beyond what is written, and so avoid another clash of egos.

So who judges you? (1 Corinthians 4:1–8)

You have been given everything, yet you pray as though you have nothing. You are already enriched in speech and knowledge. You are full; you no longer think you need feeding. You have begun to act as though you are already kings—and I wish you truly were reigning with us.

The fathership of Paul (1 Corinthians 4:9–17)

I think God has displayed us apostles as a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels and to humanity alike—placed at the end of the procession.

We are fools for Christ; you are wise in your own estimation. We are weak; you are strong. We are dishonoured; you are held in esteem. To this day we hunger and thirst, are poorly clothed, roughly treated, and homeless.

Yet when we are cursed, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure. When we are slandered, we speak gently and seek reconciliation. We have become like the refuse of the world, the scrapings wiped away after the sacrifice.

I write this not to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children. You may have countless instructors in Christ, but you do not have many fathers. In Christ Jesus, I became your father through the gospel. That is why I urge you to imitate me. This is why I sent Timothy to you—to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere.

A final warning (1 Corinthians 4:18–21)

Some have become arrogant, assuming I will not come. But I am coming, and I will find out—not the talk of these inflated voices, but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power.

Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a gentle spirit? You decide.