Lesson 205: 1 Corinthians 1:18

PaulAlso known as the Apostle Paul or Saul of Tarsus, he is the most influential missionary and writer of the New Testament. Originally a Pharisee who persecuted Christians, Paul experienced a dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus and became a devoted messenger of the gospel. He traveled widely, planted churches across the Roman world, and wrote letters that form a... More writes to Corinth, a proud commercial city valuing rhetoric and wisdom. The crucified MessiahA title meaning “Anointed One”, referring to the person chosen and empowered by God to fulfill His redemptive purpose. In the Old Testament, it points to a promised deliverer — a king, priest, or savior who would restore God’s people. In the New Testament, the term identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of that promise, the one sent to save, redeem,... More overturns human standards of power and status, dividing responders into those perishing and those being saved.

After greeting a divided church, PaulAlso known as the Apostle Paul or Saul of Tarsus, he is the most influential missionary and writer of the New Testament. Originally a Pharisee who persecuted Christians, Paul experienced a dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus and became a devoted messenger of the gospel. He traveled widely, planted churches across the Roman world, and wrote letters that form a... More refuses to preach with eloquent wisdom lest the cross be emptied. To the perishing the cross is folly; to believers it is God's saving power.