1 Corinthians 3:18: 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.
Paul states what he means by this self-deception and at the same time points out how to escape its snare: “If anyone thinks (has the conceit) he is wise among you.” This is the great danger: one may have the conceit that he is truly wise when he in reality is the very opposite. He thinks he is spiritually wise among the Corinthians. It is Paul who appends the phrase “in this world age” to the entire sentence: in this world age a man may flatter himself that he has the true wisdom whereas all that he possesses is what he has obtained from this world age. He is surely badly deceived, for his wisdom is altogether imaginary. 1
Application
- Read Proverbs 27:2. Pray that God’s affirming love would be completely satisfying to your soul.
- To seek the pleasure of God, and not the applause of people, is one of the wisest decisions that we can make.
Thought to Share
To find our identity in Christ, is to find all the security we need. – TWEET IT
Prayer
Lord, please make me fully content with Your sufficiently alone.
1. Lenski, R. C. H. (1963). The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.
