²⁰ Where is the wise person?^(A) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?^(B) Has not God made foolish^(C) the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world^(D) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save^(E) those who believe.^{(F) 22} Jews demand signs^(G) and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified:^(H) a stumbling block^(I) to Jews and foolishness^(J) to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called,^(K) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God^(L) and the wisdom of God.^{(M) 25} For the foolishness^(N) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness^(O) of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.^(P) Not many of you were wise^(Q) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose^(R) the foolish^(S) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not^(T)—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.^{(U) 30} It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,^(V) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,^(W) holiness^(X) and redemption.^{(Y) 31} Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[a](Z)

2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom^(AA) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^{[b] 2} For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.^{(AB) 3} I came to you^(AC) in weakness^(AD) with great fear and trembling.^{(AE) 4} My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,^(AF) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,^{(AG) 5} so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.^(AH)

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

⁶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature,^(AI) but not the wisdom of this age^(AJ) or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.^{(AK) 7} No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery^(AL) that has been hidden^(AM) and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age^(AN) understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.^{(AO) 9} However, as it is written:

¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed^(AQ) to us by his Spirit.^(AR)

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts^(AS) except their own spirit^(AT) within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² What we have received is not the spirit^(AU) of the world,^(AV) but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. ¹³ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom^(AW) but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.^{[d] 14} The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God^(AX) but considers them foolishness,^(AY) and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. ¹⁵ The person with the Spirit^(AZ) makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, ¹⁶ for,

But we have the mind of Christ.^(BB)