The Crucified Christ is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God to Us who Believe

In 1 Cor. 1:23-24, Paul says that the crucified Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God; this One is to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to us who believe, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Wow!

This week we come to the topic, God’s Power and God’s Wisdom, as seen in 1 Cor. 1:2, 23-24, and we want to see what does it mean for us and in God’s economy that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

These two terms, power and wisdom, seem to be quite common among people, and many know what power and wisdom mean.

But according to the Bible, what is God’s power and God’s wisdom?

Paul wrote this word to the church in Corinth, a church that was plagued with many problems including such things as division, fornication, idol worship, etc.

In this church, there were some Jewish believers who were seeking miracles and manifestations of power, and there were also some Greek believers who were seeking knowledge and wisdom.

To such ones, Paul wrote saying that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

We believers in Christ can enjoy and experience Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God, and many times in our prayers, we ask the Lord to give us wisdom or to strengthen us.

Power and wisdom are things that we commonly pray and mention, but have we dived into the depths of what it means for Christ to be God’s power and God’s wisdom?

Especially as we read concerning this matter in 1 Corinthians, where Paul writes to a problem-filled church not by addressing their problems directly but by ministering the all-inclusive Christ to them, we need to know what is God’s power and God’s wisdom.

It is so wonderful to see how Paul deals with the problems in the church in Corinth.

Sometimes we may look at our own local church and we may think that we have many problems; but then we read the first epistle to the Corinthians and realize that our problems are much smaller in comparison with the problems they had.

And Paul’s unique solution to all the problems was Christ – at least twenty wonderful aspects of Christ.

Among these aspects of Christ we see Christ as God’s power and Christ as God’s wisdom.

The Jews were looking for something or someone who is powerful to help them.

The Greeks were looking for someone clever, wise, intellectual, and full of wisdom to answer all their questions.

But Paul did not present such a one to them; rather, he ministered Christ to them, and this Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom.

May we exercise our spirit to see the crucified Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God toward us who believe.

Seeing that the Crucified Christ is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God to Us who Believe

In 1 Cor. 1:24, Paul says that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God; in the previous verse, verse 23, he says that he preaches Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.

Paul didn’t just preach Christ; he preached the crucified Christ. Such a Christ was a stumbling block to the Jews who were seeking miracles and wonders and a foolishness to the Gentiles who were seeking wisdom.

The Jews were expecting someone great, magnificent, and powerful; however, Paul preached the crucified Christ, who seemed to be weak enough to let Himself be killed.

They were looking for someone smart and clever who could handle every situation; however, Paul preached the crucified Christ, who seemed not to get Himself out of being crucified.

Both Jews and Greeks were disappointed and discouraged, for they were not expecting such a person.

However, it is the crucified Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God to us who believe.

This indicates that the Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God for the carrying out of God’s economy is the crucified Christ; this Christ didn’t do anything to save Himself.

If Christ is the Messiah and the Savior of the world, many thought that He would be mighty, powerful, and wise, and nothing and no one could stop Him from what He wanted to do – which they thought it was an outward deliverance from the Romans and the establishing of the kingdom of David.

But here is Christ, who seemed so powerless because He was crucified, and He also seemed not so wise, for He was terminated through the cross.

From man’s point of view, a wise person would find a way to avoid crucifixion, and a powerful person would not allow others to put him to death.

But in God’s eyes and according to His point of view, the crucified Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

If Christ were to save us, but He could not save Himself, how can He save us?

In Matt. 27, when Jesus was on the cross, people sneered at Him and mocked Him, saying, You saved others, but You Yourself cannot save.

Praise the Lord that Christ did not save Himself, for if He saved Himself, we will never be saved.

People mocked Him as He was being crucified, nailed to the cross to die; however, the crucified Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

In man’s eyes, if a person is crucified, he is deemed powerless, because a powerful person would not allow himself to be crucified; nevertheless, the Christ who is the power of God was crucified.

This is such a paradox: How can a crucified Christ save us and help us?

We need to be unveiled from any natural concepts and even from our religious concepts so that we can see that the crucified Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

In the cross of Christ we see a revelation of God’s economy; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways.

From the human perspective, a wise person would find ways to avoid crucifixion – he would maneuver and reason his way out of being crucified. Yet the Christ who is the wisdom of God was crucified (Gal. 2:20). Thank the Lord!

On the one hand, Christ did many miracles when He was on earth, and He even raised some people from the dead.

But He did not perform a miracle to save Himself from death.

This One, the crucified Christ, is both the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Paul preached a Christ who did not do anything to save Himself but went to the cross willingly.

This was a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks, but to those who believe, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Lord Jesus, unveil us to see, know, and enjoy the crucified Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Amen, Lord, may we realize that Christ crucified is both God’s power and God’s wisdom. Hallelujah, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God! Thank You, dear Lord Jesus, for not saving Yourself by performing a miracle to be spared the death of the cross. Thank You for not maneuvering things or reasoning Your way out of dying for us on the cross. We believe into You and we preach You as the crucified Christ, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness. Amen, Lord, though to others You are both a stumbling block and a foolishness, to us You are the crucified Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God! Hallelujah, Christ who is the power of God was crucified, seeming to be powerless on the cross! Praise the Lord, Christ as the wisdom of God was crucified, not using His wisdom to avoid the cross! Amen, Lord, may we see You as the crucified Christ who is both God’s power and God’s wisdom!

How Christ was Willing to be Crucified to Fulfill God’s Purpose and Solve all Problems

We Christians believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was willing to go to the cross for us; He came as the Savior, the Messiah, and He was both God’s power and God’s wisdom, yet He was willing to die on the cross.

This may seem to be unreasonable and illogical for a powerful and wise person to die in the prime of his life, to simply be terminated through the cross.

However, we need to realize that, apart from the crucifixion of Christ, God cannot save us.

We are not saved by merely agreeing with what God says; we are saved by believing in the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.

It is by believing in the crucified Christ that we are saved.

This is what the New Testament reveals to us – apart from the cross of Christ, God cannot save anyone.

There are many problems in this universe; Satan is a problem, the world is a problem, and sin is a problem.

Furthermore, man fell and became sinful, so man became a problem.

Even though God created man according to His image and likeness for His purpose (Gen. 1:26), man fell to the uttermost until man became flesh (Gen. 6:3).

Now there is the flesh, the natural life, and the corruption working in man and in nature. Everything in the universe is old and corrupt, becoming rotten.

So God has all these problems to deal with: Satan, sin, the world, and man with sin, the flesh, the natural life, and the whole universe with oldness, corruption, ruin, and death.

On top of all these problems, there are also the ordinances and regulations given by God for man’s living.

The way God deals with all these matters is not to reason, unentangle, or improve anything related to these problems; He takes the unique way of the cross.

God deals with all the problems in the universe through the cross.

This is why Christ had to come and be crucified.

Christ came and put on the human nature; the infinite Creator, even the very instrument through which all things were created (John 1:3) became a creature (John 1:14).

God Himself became a creature in the person of Jesus Christ, the first God-man.

He came not only to embody God and express God but also to accomplish redemption for us on the cross.

Furthermore, on the cross and through the cross, Christ dealt with and solved all the problems.

On the cross and through the cross, Christ solved the problems of Satan, the world, sin, fallen man, the natural life, the flesh, oldness, and ordinances.

All these have been judged, terminated, and dealt with through the cross.

This is one of the reasons that the crucified Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Christ could have refused death by crucifixion; however, He went willingly to the cross.

According to many around Him at that time, Christ was captured, judged, tried, and executed by others.

However, according to the Lord’s understanding, He was willing to go to death. In John 10:11, He said that, as the Good Shepherd, He lays down His life for the sheep.

Furthermore, He said that no one takes His life away from Him, for He lays it down of Himself – He has the authority to lay it down and to take it up again (v. 18). Wow!

So Christ could have asked for legions of angels to deliver Him, and He could have just refused to lay down His life, yet He did not do it.

Rather, He accepted the death of the cross (Luke 22:42; Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:36) and was willing to be crucified in order to accomplish redemption and solve all the problems in the universe. Hallelujah!

This is indeed foolishness to the smart people, who seek wisdom, and a stumbling block to those who want to see miracles and wonders from God.

But to us who believe, this is the power of God and the wisdom of God!

Dear Lord Jesus, we love You and we thank You for not saving Yourself from dying on the cross but rather dying for us to redeem us and solve all the problems. Thank You for coming as the incarnated God-man and being willing to lay down Your life for Your sheep. How we appreciate You, Lord Jesus, for being willing to go to the cross, even though You had to die and have Your human life terminated. Hallelujah, through the cross, Christ judged and destroyed Satan, sin, and the world. Praise the Lord, through the cross Christ dealt with fallen man, the natural life, the flesh, oldness, and ordinances once and for all. We praise You, Lord Jesus, for Your death on the cross. Unveil us to see You as the crucified Christ. May we be filled with appreciation for the crucified Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God! Amen, Lord, though others consider Your crucifixion a foolishness and a stumbling block, to us You are the power of God and the wisdom of God!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother James Lee in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msg. 6 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2) (2024 December Training), week 15, God’s Power and God’s Wisdom.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – Christ as wisdom to us from God, a portion from, Enjoying the Riches of Christ for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ, Chapter 7, by Witness Lee.
  – 1 Corinthians (Program #10) – Christ Crucified, the Focus of the Apostle’s Ministry, via, Bible study radio.
  – Christ becoming our wisdom, a portion from, The Normal Christian Faith, Chapter 6, by Watchman Nee.
  – Appreciation of the leading brothers’ faithful speaking, with supporting verses, via, Living to Him.
  – Christ crucified, God’s power and God’s wisdom – a portion from, Life-Study of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 7.
  – Jesus the Lamb of God, via, Bibles for America blog.
  – Power, a portion from, Conclusion of the New Testament, The (Msgs. 001-020), Chapter 11, by Witness Lee.
  – The Word of the Cross for New Jerusalem, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – How Christ Crucified Becomes God’s Power and God’s Wisdom to Us, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – O God, in Christ all focused is / Thy wisdom with Thy grace; / As wisdom Thou mad’st Him to us, / In Him Thy way we trace. / What Thou has planned is all in Him, / Thy way of grace is He; / In Him, Thy Wisdom, we have all, / That glory be to Thee. (Hymns #24 stanzas 1-2)
  – Our old man has been crucified with Christ; / Yes, all we are in oldness He sufficed / To bring to naught upon the cross that He / Himself as our new Husband fully be / Enjoyed by us. / Yes, all our strength of independence died, / For we with Christ were fully crucified. / Now we’re so glad to be His proper wife, / Dependently enjoying Him as life / Forevermore. (Hymns #1140 stanzas 1-2)
  – Thy wisdom shuts up all in sin, / That mercy may be shown, / That none may boast in anything / But in Thyself alone. / In wisdom, by the cross, Thou hast / For us redemption made, / That in our spirit we may have / Thyself, the treasure, laid. (Hymns #23 stanzas 3-4)