For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; (23) but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, (24) but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  (25) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger then men

The first letter to the Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul.  Paul is writing to the faithful reminding them that they have been called by God – that they should let go of their division and pride; the seeking of status by belonging to certain factions of personalities.    The gospel is shameful to unbellevers while to the faithful the gospel is the power of God for salvation.  There is a huge unbridgeable chasm between divine wisdom and how the secular view these matters.

The right order of things was for men to see God in light of His works.  The understanding God gave men in their nature has been reversed  by sin.  Only through the eyes of faith do we see God – we lack not only the ability to discern the wisdom of God on our own, we also lack the inclination to do so. The Jews despise the gospel and want evidence of divine power and the Greeks want to know God through the power of human intelligence.  But the faithful preach Christ crucified which seems weakness and folly and so a stumbling block to the Jews.  To the Greeks it seems like a fable:  nothing will convince them, as faith has to come from the Lord and once the blinders  are removed we will go from darkness into the light.  To be aware of having been called by God removes all merit from human wisdom.  God works in ways contrary to human wisdom – the entirety of salvation history is to glorify God and what is important is not what man thinks of God but what God thinks of man

God chooses the “weak and foolish” to shame the “wise and strong” ,not because we are any better but He uses the disdained so that all glory might belong to Him and not men.  Salvation is of the Lord from first to last.