Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (17) If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (18) Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. (19) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”, (20) and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” (21) Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: (22) whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come – all are yours. (23) And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
The first letter to the CORINTHIANS was written by the Apostle Paul. There were problems there and the first two chapters of this letter addresses them – cults of personalities were causing divisions among the Christians The gospel was being preached by different men in different styles or personalities. The factions took pride in the prestige and status of the leaders they followed instead of embracing the message of the gospel – the Christians at Corinth were so shortsighted and foolish and did not believe that all that mattered was the word of God; the message, not the messenger.
In our verses today Paul is asking these delusional men/women to change something – to stop deceiving themselves and to stop boasting of men. Man’s wisdom is foolishness to God and God’s wisdom is foolishness to unbelievers. The Christians should open their eyes and see how the world they know is passing away; the people, the nations, the cultural “wisdom”, material goods – all is short lived. It is delusional to think otherwise.
Wisdom is the truth of the gospel, of Scripture, of the Cross – the unbelieving world foolishly rejects this. Man’s reliance on his own wisdom brings about his downfall; it trips him up, is futile, arrogant and useless – it is temporal not eternal. Paul tells the Christians at Corinth that all that matters – present or in the future – is their (and our) life in the Spirit. Salvation is the message of the gospel and the revelation of God is through Christ who is in God.