1 Corinthians chapter 1 opens with Paul’s warm greeting to the believers in Corinth, setting a tone that is both personal and deeply rooted in the shared identity we have in Christ. Paul introduces himself as one called by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and he emphasizes that his mission and message come not from human wisdom, but from the power and grace of God. As we read his greeting, we are reminded that our calling in Christ is founded on the generous gift of God’s mercy and that we are part of a community brought together by the same grace.
Paul immediately draws our attention to the transformative work of God. He praises the believers for the grace and peace they have received through Christ Jesus, and he encourages us to reflect on how this grace shapes our lives. For us, this means that every day, we are invited to live in a reality that is far different from the wisdom and values of the world. Instead of relying on our own strength or on the wisdom of man, we are called to depend on God, whose power has been revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
In the midst of his joyful greeting, Paul also addresses a problem that has troubled the community—divisions among believers. Some of us have found ourselves aligning with different leaders, claiming loyalty to Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or even to Christ in ways that create unnecessary competition. Paul reminds us that our unity should not be based on who preached the gospel first or whose teaching seems most impressive. He emphasizes that Christ is not divided and that His message is the true power and wisdom of God. When we find ourselves in disagreement over non-essential issues, we are called to look beyond our personal preferences and to focus on the simple yet profound truth of the cross.
The message of the cross, Paul explains, appears foolish to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the very power of God. This paradox of the cross—that what seems like foolishness to the world is in reality the source of God’s might—challenges our natural inclination to trust in human wisdom. It reminds us that our strength comes not from our own intellect or achievements, but from the humility and sacrifice of Jesus. When we embrace the cross as the center of our faith, we are aligning ourselves with a power that transcends the limitations of this world. It is a call for us to let go of our pride and to find our true worth in the work of Christ.
Paul further argues that God has chosen to use the weak and the foolish in the world to shame the strong and the wise. For us, this is a reminder that God's ways are not our ways. When we look at the world’s standards of success and wisdom, we might feel tempted to measure our own lives by those benchmarks. However, Paul challenges us to see that true wisdom and power come from God alone. The apparent foolishness of the gospel is, in fact, a demonstration of the vastness of God’s love—a love that saves even when it defies our expectations.
In addressing these issues, Paul calls on us to remember that our confidence does not come from our own understanding or from following a particular leader, but from the gospel itself. We are reminded that our boasting should not be in our own accomplishments or in the human figures who helped spread the message, but solely in the cross of Christ. This radical idea transforms the way we view our community. It urges us to lay aside our allegiances to individual teachers and to unite around the central truth of Jesus’ sacrifice. In doing so, we find that our differences become less significant than our shared purpose.
Paul’s message in this chapter is both a correction and a comfort. It corrects any notion that the wisdom of the world is of value when compared to the wisdom of God. And it comforts us by affirming that no matter how divided we might feel at times, the gospel of the cross remains the unifying force that binds us together as one body. As we consider this truth, we are encouraged to reflect on our own lives and on the ways in which we sometimes let petty differences come between us. Paul’s words remind us that our focus should always remain on Christ, who is the wisdom and power of God.
For us, 1 Corinthians chapter 1 is an invitation to reexamine our priorities. We are called to reject the temptation of pride and division, and instead to embrace the simplicity of the gospel—a gospel that depends entirely on God’s grace. When we focus on the cross and on the transformative power of Christ’s sacrifice, we find that we have everything we need. Our identity in Christ is secure, and our unity as believers is guaranteed by the very nature of the gospel.
As we journey together in faith, let us hold fast to the truth that our salvation and our unity do not come from human wisdom or allegiance to particular leaders, but from the life-changing power of the cross. In doing so, we will find that the message of the gospel is not only the power of God but also the wisdom that brings us together as one family, united in love and purpose, shining as lights in a world that desperately needs to see the true power of Christ.