1 Corinthians 1:20 Commentary and Bible Study

Where does his wisdom get the wise man? This may refer to the sages of Egypt already exposed and fallen. Look at the world; look at the news, today, yesterday, last week. Look at the wars and the threats of wars, and the places where there is starvation brought about by human conduct, and troubles which cannot be solved. Every age, every year, every day there are huge international problems that nobody knows the answer to. Where is the wise in all this? How does he solve the problems of human behaviour and human society? Where is the scribe – perhaps this refers to the Jewish scribes and the teachers of the law. They had distorted the word of God and obstructed to the way to God by imposing with man-made rules and regulations that replaced God’s laws and promoted self-righteousness. Therefore Christ chastised them: ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in’ (Matthew 23:13).Where is disputer of this world? Where is the wrangler with words, the one who claims to be able to make fine distinctions and present subtle arguments? Where does his clever speech and superior intelligence get him? Does he arrive at truth, or does he find that all his best ideas are overturned by the those who come after him?Above all, where are all of these in relation to God? What has Greek philosophy of which Corinth was so fond discovered about the nature of reality, the basis of knowledge, or how we should live our lives and obtain righteousness? Has their wisdom brought them one step closer to God, or has it even begun to understand the obstacles that obstruct to way to him?