WE come now to the first of the problems that were troubling the church in Corinth. This problem was that there were divisions in Corinth. Members of the church were taking sides saying they were following one or other of the men who had been teachers in Corinth. We are not told what exactly they were quarrelling about, but there was disagreement which was causing disunity and separation.

Disunity in the church is against the will of God, and so what Paul is talking about here has relevance for the church today, and the quest for unity amongst the denominations. The big question is what must be the basis of unity.

There are some grand points concerning unity which Paul presents to us. The first is the source of disunity. Throughout our passage Paul makes a distinction between human wisdom and the wisdom of God. Paul tells us in verse 17 that when he preached in Corinth he refused to allow human wisdom to come into his preaching. Paul tells us in verse 21 that the world in its wisdom did not know God. From this we can deduce that the problem of disunity in Corinth, and everywhere it appears, is when human wisdom is introduced into the appreciation of the Gospel.

Then we are told by Paul in verse 21 that it is God who has arranged things so that the knowledge of God and knowing God can never be found through human wisdom. This action of God is part of his wisdom. God makes the wisdom of the world foolish with regard to the quest to know God (v.20)

We may well ask why this should be so because God has given humanity intelligence as a gift to be used. The reason that Paul introduces us to, is in verses 27-29. The reason is that no person may boast before God. So those who pride themselves in their human wisdom, and question the things of God will find that they are shamed by God in that they never come to the knowledge of the truth.

So how do we approach the quest for the knowledge of God. We must use our minds, not to question God's word, but simply to understand what God is saying, and receive the revelation which is then revealed to us. The trouble is that God's wisdom in the Gospel is always found to be offensive to human wisdom. Pride enters in and disunity and error creep into the church.

When a person receives in humble submission the wisdom of God and believes it and obeys it, then it is found to be the power of God and true wisdom (v.24). In obedient faith we find that what the world accounts foolish, the foolishness of God, is found to be true wisdom, wiser than any wisdom of mankind (v.25).

Because God's wisdom must be received in this humble way and not questioned by human wisdom, those who are chosen are the humble and the weak and the lowly, and although some who are mentally strong also are chosen, there are not many because human pride is not easily brought to humility so that it can accept in obedient faith what God has revealed.

What is the wisdom of God? This is the big question. Paul gives us the answer. He tells us that he preached the cross of Christ (v.23), and that he refused to add any human wisdom to the plain message of Christ crucified (v.17), because to do so would empty the wisdom of God in the cross of Christ of all its power. There is great power to save and bring us to God in God's wisdom of Christ and him crucified, but only if it is preached and received as God has declared it in his revelation. To add human wisdom to it, or allow human wisdom to criticise the revelation, will destroy the power of the cross.

Paul has given us the power of the wisdom of God in verse 30 “But of him (God) you are in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” This is a quote from the Revised Version of the Bible because it is faithful to the Greek text, whereas the NIV, so good most of the time, has allowed human wisdom to creep in and so gives an interpretation.