Who is Paul addressing in 1 Corinthians 3:18 and what must he do to get real wisdom?
Paul addresses an unbeliever who seems wise in the things of this world. To get real wisdom, that person must become a fool and change his approach to life, so that he may be wise; he must not deceive himself.
Les explains that in 1 Corinthians 3:18 Paul says, “let no man deceive himself,” a strong statement for our day because people are barraged with deception, and advertisers are masters at making bad things look like great deals. Paul warns, “if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise.” Les suggests Paul is here digressing and addressing an unbeliever who thinks he is wise in the things of this world. If that person wants real wisdom, he must change his approach to life, and Les points back to 1 Corinthians 1:18.
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
More Questions
Who is Paul addressing in 1 Corinthians 3:18 when he says 'let him become a fool that he may be wise'?
In 1 Corinthians 3:18 Paul digresses for the first time to address an unbeliever: if he thinks he is wise in the things of this world, yet wants real wisdom, he must change his approach to life.
What does it mean that a person must become a fool to become wise in 1 Corinthians 3:18?
1 Corinthians 3:18 says that if any man seems to be wise in this world, he must become a fool so that he can really become a wise man.