How Is Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God?

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Christian Living Based on 1 Corinthians 1:24

“But to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” — 1 Corinthians 1:24

In 1 Corinthians 1:24, the apostle Paul makes one of the most profound declarations regarding the identity and role of Jesus Christ: He is “the power of God and the wisdom of God.” This statement, though brief, encapsulates the core of gospel truth and reveals the divine strategy that underlies redemption itself. It is a message that confronts human expectations and dismantles worldly notions of strength and intellect. To the natural mind, the crucifixion of Jesus appeared as weakness and foolishness—a failed movement, an executed teacher, a disgraced would-be king. But to those who understand the plan of God, those whom Paul calls “the called,” the cross of Christ stands as the ultimate display of divine power and the supreme expression of divine wisdom.

Paul writes these words to the church in Corinth around 55 C.E., a congregation plagued with divisions, pride, and misplaced confidence in human philosophy. Corinth, a city known for its cultural sophistication and moral corruption, was filled with competing ideologies, rhetorical eloquence, and worldly measures of greatness. Many in Corinth, both Jews and Gentiles, viewed the message of a crucified Messiah with disdain. The Jews, as Paul notes earlier in the chapter, demanded signs—miraculous displays of divine intervention that would validate messianic claims according to their expectations (1 Corinthians 1:22). The Greeks sought wisdom—rational, philosophical arguments that conformed to their standards of intellectual sophistication. But the gospel provided neither in the way they desired. Instead, it offered the message of the cross, which seemed to the unbelieving world to be both weak and foolish (1 Corinthians 1:23).

Yet Paul boldly declares that what the world considers foolishness and weakness is in fact the power and wisdom of God. Jesus, in His crucifixion and resurrection, accomplishes what no human effort, no philosophy, no sign-seeking could achieve: the defeat of sin, the provision of atonement, and the demonstration of God’s righteous plan. This devotional will explore what it means that Christ is the power of God, how He is the wisdom of God, why these truths stand in contrast to human expectations, and how they shape the life and faith of every true believer.

Christ as the Power of God: Divine Strength Displayed in Apparent Weakness

The phrase “the power of God” (δύναμις θεοῦ, dynamis theou) draws attention to the might and sovereign ability of Jehovah. Throughout Scripture, God’s power is displayed in acts of creation (Psalm 33:6), deliverance (Exodus 15:6), and judgment (Psalm 29:4). Power, as defined by human standards, often focuses on physical strength, political dominance, or military conquest. Yet in the gospel, power is demonstrated through the humiliation of the cross—the execution of the Son of God as a criminal.

To the Jews, who anticipated a conquering Messiah who would overthrow Roman rule and establish earthly dominion, a crucified Messiah was scandalous, an offense to their expectations (1 Corinthians 1:23). The cross symbolized defeat, shame, and helplessness. How could such an event reflect the power of God?

The answer lies in understanding what Christ accomplished through His death. Far from being a sign of failure, the cross was the instrument by which Jesus achieved victory over sin and death. Colossians 2:14–15 affirms that God canceled the certificate of debt against us by nailing it to the cross and disarmed the rulers and authorities, making a public display of them through Christ’s triumph. Hebrews 2:14 adds that through death, Jesus destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.

The resurrection of Jesus on the third day stands as the ultimate vindication of this power. Death could not hold Him, for He was raised by the power of God (Romans 6:4; Ephesians 1:19–20). The cross, followed by the resurrection, is thus not weakness but omnipotence displayed according to divine wisdom.

Christ as the power of God means that salvation is not achieved through human effort but through God’s mighty intervention. The gospel is not merely advice or moral teaching—it is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). This power delivers from sin, transforms lives, grants forgiveness, and secures eternal life (zōē aiōnion, ζωήν αἰώνιον).

Christ as the Wisdom of God: The Divine Plan that Confounds Human Reason

Paul also declares that Christ is “the wisdom of God” (σοφία θεοῦ, sophia theou). In Greek culture, wisdom was prized above all, associated with philosophical reasoning, rhetorical skill, and intellectual achievement. Yet the message of the cross does not conform to these standards. Instead, it confronts them.

The Jews sought miraculous signs to validate claims of divine authority. The Greeks sought reasoned philosophy. But what God provided was the crucified Christ—“a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23). In doing so, God exposed the bankruptcy of human wisdom, demonstrating that no one by their own intellect can come to know Him (1 Corinthians 1:21).

The cross reveals a wisdom that does not fit into the categories of human reasoning. God chose to save through what the world calls foolishness. This is not irrationality but suprarationality—the wisdom of God surpasses the capacity of human intellect to comprehend fully (Isaiah 55:8–9). The plan of redemption, with its centerpiece being the atoning death of the Son of God, was ordained “before the ages for our glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7). It was hidden from the rulers of this age, who, if they had understood it, would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).

Christ, as the wisdom of God, embodies not only the revelation of truth but the very means by which sinners are reconciled to God. He is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). In Him are hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). His person, His work, His sacrifice, and His teaching constitute the wisdom that leads to salvation.

This wisdom is not grasped through human cleverness but is received through revelation by the Spirit, as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 2:10–12. The gospel turns human wisdom upside down, revealing that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:25).

The Called: Those Who Perceive God’s Power and Wisdom

Paul makes clear that only “the called” perceive Christ as the power and wisdom of God. This calling is not a general invitation alone but the effective call of God through the gospel, drawing sinners to Himself (Romans 8:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:14). Those who respond to this call through obedient faith—hearing the Word, believing, repenting, confessing Christ, and being baptized into Him (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3–4)—are those who come to see what others miss.

The contrast in this chapter is between those who perish and those who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18). To the perishing, the cross is foolishness. To the called, it is the demonstration of divine power and wisdom. The difference lies not in the message itself but in the heart of the hearer and the work of God in drawing them to Himself.

This calling breaks down the worldly barriers of Jew and Greek, religious and philosophical, rich and poor. In Christ, the called find the fulfillment of all that the world seeks but cannot obtain apart from Him. The power that conquers sin and death and the wisdom that reveals the path to life are found exclusively in the crucified and risen Lord.

Application: Living in the Power and Wisdom of Christ

To confess Christ as the power and wisdom of God is not merely to make a theological statement—it is to adopt an entirely different way of seeing the world and living in it. This confession shapes the believer’s understanding of strength, success, and wisdom.

Dependence on Divine Power: Believers do not rely on human strength to overcome sin, temptation, or trials. They trust in the power of the gospel and the enabling grace of God (Philippians 4:13).
Rejection of Worldly Pride: The message of the cross humbles human arrogance. Boasting is excluded (1 Corinthians 1:29). The Christian boasts only in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31).
Embrace of God’s Wisdom: The believer submits to God’s revealed truth in Scripture, even when it conflicts with human reasoning or cultural trends. True wisdom begins with the fear of Jehovah (Proverbs 9:10).
Proclamation of the Gospel: Understanding the power and wisdom of Christ compels the Christian to share the gospel, not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but with the message of the cross that alone has power to save (1 Corinthians 2:1–5).
Perseverance Through Suffering: Recognizing the power of the cross enables believers to endure hardship without despair, knowing that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Conclusion: Christ Alone Is the Power and Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:24 stands as a glorious affirmation of the sufficiency and supremacy of Jesus Christ. In a world that values power according to force and wisdom according to philosophy, the gospel presents a different vision: power in self-sacrificial love, wisdom in redemptive grace, victory through apparent defeat.

The cross remains the dividing line between those who trust in human strength and those who trust in the power and wisdom of God. For the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is not weakness, not foolishness, but the very demonstration of divine power and wisdom.

May every believer hold fast to this confession, finding in Christ all strength for the journey, all light for the path, and all hope for the soul.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).