First Corinthians 1:24 says that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God for those whom God has called, both Jewish and Gentile believers. Paul is pointing to the crucified Christ, which many people found weak or foolish, and claiming that God’s own power and wisdom are revealed there. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Corinth, a busy port city where believers had begun to argue about which teachers were best.
But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:24 (WEB)
What 1 Corinthians 1:24 Means
The phrase “to those who are called” tells us that Paul is speaking about people who have responded to God’s invitation through the gospel. Those people may come from very different backgrounds, but the message reaches them the same way, so the verse holds Jews and Greeks together in one hope. Paul does not say that everyone perceives Christ as powerful or wise. He says that for those whom God has called, Christ is seen to be exactly what God’s power and wisdom look like.
The words “power of God” and “wisdom of God” are two ways of describing how God acts in the world. Power means God’s ability to save and overcome what is broken. Wisdom means the good and deep design by which God accomplishes that salvation. Paul places both in a single person, Jesus, which is why he can say that Christ himself is these things. The verse does not promise worldly success or easy answers to every question. It tells believers where God’s saving power and wisdom have been made known most fully.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 1:24
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to correct a church divided by rival loyalties and by a fascination with impressive speech and status. Many of the Corinthians admired clever rhetoric, and some of them likely looked down on a message about a crucified Messiah. Just before verse 24, Paul notes that Jews asked for signs and Greeks sought wisdom, and that the cross seemed a stumbling block to one and foolishness to the other. Verse 24 answers that response by showing that what looked weak was the true power of God.
Right after the verse, Paul continues that God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and God’s weakness stronger than human strength. He then reminds the Corinthians that God chose what the world counts as foolish and weak to shame those who think themselves wise. Read in that setting, verse 24 is not a general praise of wisdom or power. It is a corrective that lifts up Christ crucified as the place where God’s wisdom and power are truly displayed.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 1:24
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.
(WEB)
This verse comes just before the passage and states the theme that Paul develops in verse 24. It explains that the message of the cross seems foolish to those who are perishing but is the power of God to those being saved. Reading it alongside verse 24 helps you see how Paul sets the cross against human expectations of wisdom and strength.
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
(WEB)
Paul writes that he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, Jew first and also Greek. The same concern for both Jews and Greeks appears here as in 1 Corinthians 1:24. Together the two verses show that Paul saw the gospel’s power as a message for all believing people.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 1:24
Lord Jesus, you are the power of God and the wisdom of God, and you have shown us that your ways are higher than ours. When we are tempted to measure success by what the world admires, remind us that your cross is where your true strength was revealed. Give us the humility to trust your wisdom, even when it looks foolish to others. Hold us steady in our weakness, and let your power be seen in our lives. Amen.
