1 Corinthians 1:24 Commentary: The Power and Wisdom of God in Christ

The letter to the Corinthians addresses a church fractured by attachments to particular teachers and by a culture that prized rhetorical skill (1:10, 17). Corinth, a prosperous Roman colony, was a melting pot of Jewish and Hellenistic traditions. Jewish audiences looked for a Messiah who would confirm his identity with visible “signs”, miracles that validated divine authority (Matthew 12:38). Greek audiences, especially the educated elite, admired philosophical argument and elegant speech. To both, the gospel of a crucified messiah was an offense: to Jews it seemed weak, a contradiction of the messianic conqueror; to Greeks it seemed intellectually embarrassing, a story of a failed leader.

Paul introduces the term “the called” (οἱ κλητοί) as the community that sees past these obstacles. This word echoes the Old Testament concept of God’s chosen people (Isaiah 41:9) and becomes, in Paul’s letters, a regular designation for believers, those whom God has summoned and who have responded in faith (Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 1:2). The calling is not a general offer but a powerful, effective work. In verses 26, 31 Paul will point out that most of the believers in Corinth were not intellectually or socially elite, reinforcing that their insight into the cross’s meaning comes from God’s choice, not human status.

The claim that Christ is “the power of God” (δύναμιν θεοῦ) redefines power as the ability to save and transform, which the cross accomplishes. The term “wisdom of God” (σοφίαν θεοῦ) aligns Christ with the personified Wisdom of Proverbs 8, the craftsman by God’s side in creation. Paul thus presents the crucified Christ as the ultimate revelation of God’s plan, a plan that human wisdom could never contrive. This verse stands as the hinge of Paul’s argument: the cross, despised by the world, is exactly where God’s true power and wisdom are most clearly seen by those who are called.

The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Greek text is stable across the manuscript tradition, and the reading is undisputed.

This verse has served as a theological anchor for the Christian understanding of the cross throughout church history. Early Fathers such as Origen and Augustine appealed to it in debates with Greek philosophy, arguing that true wisdom is found not in speculative systems but in the humility of the incarnate Christ. The medieval schoolmen used it to discuss the relation of divine attributes. The Reformers, Luther and Calvin, as seen in the supplied excerpts, made it central to the theology of the cross (theologia crucis), insisting that God hides his power and wisdom under their opposites. In more recent centuries, the verse appears in hymns and sermons that highlight the paradox of the cross. It continues to comfort believers who find themselves at odds with worldly standards of success and intelligence, reminding them that in Christ they possess what the world cannot give: the very power and wisdom of God.

Three-point outline

1. The People Who See Differently: The phrase “to those who are called” opens a gap between how the world judges the cross and how believers receive it. As Adam Clarke observes, “the called” is a title for genuine Christians, those who have heard God’s invitation and believed. They are not a separate class of super-Christians but everyone who has responded to the gospel. Their perception has been reshaped not by intellect but by grace.
2. Power That Looks Like Weakness: Jewish skeptics wanted a majestic sign; the cross seemed the opposite. But the power of God, as Barnes notes, is not about outward display. It is the power to forgive sins, break the hold of guilt, raise the dead spiritually, and ultimately give eternal life. The same Christ who hung weak on the cross is the one who was “declared to be the Son of God with power” in the resurrection (Romans 1:4).
3. Wisdom That Outflanks Philosophy: Greeks chased deep ideas. But Paul insists that the most profound truth is found in the story of a crucified redeemer. Calvin highlights that Christ is “the wisdom of God for taking away the empty show and mask of human wisdom.” This wisdom is not abstract but personal: in Christ, God’s plan to save and transform is fully revealed.

Five-point outline

1. The call creates a new community: Paul uses “Jews and Greeks” intentionally, the cross erases old dividing lines. All who are called share one Lord.
2. Christ displaces signs and arguments: He himself is both the sign that Jews wanted and the wisdom Greeks admired, but on God’s terms, not human terms.
3. The cross unleashes divine power: It is not a symbol of helplessness but the instrument of salvation, the release from sin’s penalty and dominion.
4. The cross reveals divine wisdom: It shows God’s ability to bring good from evil, redemption from murder, life from death.
5. The called live by this paradox: Their lives are shaped not by power and wisdom as the world defines them but by trust in a crucified Lord who is both.

Illustration hooks

• A broken marriage that, through forgiveness and humility, becomes stronger than it ever was, the “weakness” of apologizing becomes the foundation of real power.
• A church that thrives not because of a dynamic preacher or perfect programs but simply through people gathering around the Word and sacraments, what the world would dismiss as lowly, God uses.
• A moment when a person’s carefully planned life falls apart, and in that collapse they discover a trust in God they never had, the loss of human wisdom becomes the gain of divine wisdom.

Questions your congregation is asking

• How does the cross still have power in my daily life when I have heard it so many times?
• If the cross is God’s wisdom, why do so many intelligent people reject it?
• What does it mean for me to “be called”? How does that identity affect how I see my circumstances?

This verse sits at the center of Paul’s argument that the cross, though offensive to human expectations, is the very place where God’s power and wisdom are displayed. For those who are called, who have heard and believed the gospel, Christ is not a problem to be overcome but the answer to the deepest human needs. As you discuss this passage, consider how your own assumptions about strength and intelligence might be reshaped by the cross.

Discussion questions

1. Read 1 Corinthians 1:22, 24. How does Paul describe the different reactions to the cross? Why do Jews and Greeks each reject it for different reasons?
2. The word “called” (klētoi) appears in verse 24. What does it mean to be “called” according to this passage? How is it different from simply hearing the gospel?
3. If Christ is “the power of God,” what kind of power does the cross represent? How is it different from the power the world values?
4. In what ways does the cross display “the wisdom of God”? Can you think of examples from Scripture or your own life where God’s plan turned out to be wiser than human reasoning?
5. Paul says that to the called, Christ is both power and wisdom. How can you personally come to see the cross more as the power of God and less as a religious symbol?
6. How does this verse challenge the way you measure success in your work, family, or church?
7. Spend time praying for one another that God would deepen your sense of being called and your appreciation of Christ as your power and wisdom.