Why does 1 Corinthians 3:18 say to become a fool to become wise — isn't that double talk?
It is not double talk: the wisdom of this world must be surrendered for the gospel, which the perishing call foolishness. The preaching of the cross—Christ died, was buried, and rose again—appears foolish, yet it is God's power and wisdom. By embracing that seeming foolishness, a person receives real wisdom from God.
Les teaches that 1 Corinthians 3:18 sounds like double talk, but it is not. The verse says that if any man seems wise in this world, he must become a fool so he can really become wise. Les explains this by going back to 1 Corinthians 1:18, the preaching of the cross: that Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead. To those who are perishing, this preaching is foolishness; but to those who are saved, it is the power of God. The unbeliever must recognize that he needs to go into what he thinks is foolishness, and out of that foolishness he can receive the wisdom of God. Les says that is why Paul keeps using the term wisdom throughout these early chapters of Corinthians. We gain wisdom by going to what lost people consider foolishness—the gospel—and then the power of God is poured out on us as His wisdom as well. Verse 19 adds that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, including its philosophy, literature, and works of art.
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
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.
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.