What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 1:24? But to those who are called Paul has just finished saying that the message of the cross seems foolish to unbelievers, yet he adds: “but to those who are called….” Scripture presents this call as God’s gracious summons that actually brings people to faith—“those He predestined He also called” (Romans 8:30). It is: • Personal—John 10:3 records that the Shepherd “calls His own sheep by name.” • Powerful—1 Peter 2:9 says we are “called out of darkness into His marvelous light.” • Purposeful—2 Timothy 1:9 reminds us He “called us to a holy calling…according to His own purpose.” The verse reassures believers that if they hear and respond to the gospel, it is evidence of God’s effective work, not mere human wisdom (John 6:44; Acts 2:39). Both Jews and Greeks In Corinth, ethnicity and culture divided society, yet God’s call crosses every barrier. Romans 1:16 teaches that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” Paul echoes that truth here: the same invitation reaches synagogue and marketplace alike. Acts 10:34-35 shows Peter proclaiming, “God does not show favoritism.” Galatians 3:28 affirms, “There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The cross creates one new people (Ephesians 2:14-16). Christ the power of God To the called, Jesus is not weakness but divine strength. • In His resurrection “He was declared with power to be the Son of God” (Romans 1:4). • At the cross He “disarmed the powers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15). • Even now He “sustains all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). What the world labels feeble—one man crucified—God reveals as the very means by which He shatters sin, death, and Satan. Believers experience that power daily: the same power that raised Christ now works “toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19-20). and the wisdom of God Human philosophies shift, but in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). The cross exposes the limits of human reasoning (1 Corinthians 1:19-21) and unveils a plan devised “before the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7). God’s wisdom: • Confounds the proud—Isaiah 29:14 says He “will destroy the wisdom of the wise.” • Saves the humble—James 3:17 describes heavenly wisdom as “pure…peace-loving…full of mercy.” • Points entirely to Christ—“He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Thus, every answer we need—about God, life, eternity—is found in knowing Jesus. summary 1 Corinthians 1:24 celebrates the miracle that those whom God effectively calls—whether Jew or Gentile—recognize Jesus as both the unstoppable power and unfathomable wisdom of God. The cross that seems foolish to the world is, for believers, the decisive display of divine strength and insight, drawing us into one redeemed family and equipping us to live in confident faith. |
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