SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:18
¶ Nadie se engae a sí mismo ; si alguno entre vosotros parece ser sabio en este siglo, hgase loco, para ser de veras sabio.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:18
Verse 18. If any man among you seemeth to be wise] ei tiv dokei sofov einai? If any pretend or affect to be wise. This seems to refer to some individual in the Church of Corinth, who had been very troublesome to its peace and unity: probably Diotrephes (see on chap. i. 14) or some one of a similar spirit, who wished to have the pre-eminence, and thought himself wiser than seven men that could render a reason. Every Christian Church has less or more of these. Let him become a fool] Let him divest himself of his worldly wisdom, and be contented to be called a fool, and esteemed one, that he may become wise unto salvation, by renouncing his own wisdom, and seeking that which comes from God. But probably the apostle refers to him who, pretending to great wisdom and information, taught doctrines contrary to the Gospel; endeavouring to show reasons for them, and to support his own opinions with arguments which he thought unanswerable. This man brought his worldly wisdom to bear against the doctrines of Christ; and probably through such teaching many of the scandalous things which the apostle reprehends among the Corinthians originated.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 18. Let no man deceive himself , etc.] With vain notions of serving God and religion, and of doing the churches good by his carnal and worldly wisdom, and with false hopes of escaping the vengeance of God for sowing the tares of error, heresy, and discord among his people. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world ; either a member of them, or a preacher among them, who thought himself wise in worldly wisdom; or was desirous to be thought so by others; or would be a truly wise man in this world, whilst he lives in it, and before he goes out of it: let him become a fool that he may be wise ; not that, properly speaking, folly is the way to wisdom; but that that man that would be wise in a spiritual sense, must first learn to know himself; must be convinced of, and acknowledge his own folly, embrace the Gospel of Christ, which is esteemed foolishness by the world; submit to the ordinances of Christ, which are despised by men; and take up the cross of Christ, and follow him, bear reproach and persecution for his sake, than which nothing is more ridiculous with carnal men: he must deny his worldly wisdom, his carnal and righteous self, and wholly rest and rely on Christ, and his righteousness, for eternal life and happiness, and so will he become truly wise unto salvation. The Jews have a saying, that everyone wmx[ lbnmh , that makes himself a fool, for the words of the law, at the end, shall be exalted. Ver. 19. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God , etc.] The wisdom of the Jewish, or Gentile world. It is had in no account with him; it is despised and neglected by him; he makes it foolish, destroys it, and brings it to nothing; he lays it aside as useless, to make men wise unto salvation, and by the foolishness of preaching saves them that believe; he passes by the wise and prudent, and hides the things of the Gospel from them; so, that, with all their learning and wisdom, they can neither apprehend nor comprehend the mysteries of grace, whilst he reveals them unto babes, and chooses the foolish things of this world to spread the knowledge of himself, his Son, his Gospel, and the truths of it, and whom he makes successful, to the confusion of the wise and learned. For it is written , bytkdk , an usual form of citing Scriptures with the Jews; it is in ( Job 5:13) he taketh the wise in their own craftiness, or by it. What Eliphaz says of the wise politicians of the world, who are often disappointed of their crafty devices, and cannot perform the enterprises they have took in hand, but their schemes are broken, and the snares they laid for others they are taken in themselves, is applied by the apostle to the Jewish doctors, or the Gentile philosophers, or rather to the false teachers among the Christians; whose schemes they have formed to corrupt the churches, and demolish the Gospel, prove their own destruction; nor will they, with all their cunning, be able to get out of the hand of God, and escape his awful vengeance. The allusion is either to the taking of wild beasts and birds in snares and nets, or to the taking of men in flight, laying hold of them with the hand, and grasping them hard, that they cannot get loose. The Targum interprets the words of the wise men of Pharaoh, and of the Egyptian astrologers, schemes they have formed to corrupt the churches, and demolish the Gospel, prove their own destruction; nor will they, with all their cunning, be able to get out of the hand of God, and escape his awful vengeance. The allusion is either to the taking of wild beasts and birds in snares and nets, or to the taking of men in flight, laying hold of them with the hand, and grasping them hard, that they cannot get loose. The Targum interprets the words of the wise men of Pharaoh, and of the Egyptian astrologers.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 18-23 - To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit. The wisdom tha wordly men esteem, is foolishness with God. How justly does he despise and how easily can he baffle and confound it! The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them. All this should teach us to be humble, and make us willing to be taught of God, so as not to be led away, by pretences to human wisdom and skill from the simple truths revealed by Christ. Mankind are very apt to oppose the design of the mercies of God. Observe the spiritual riche of a true believer; "All are yours," even ministers and ordinances Nay, the world itself is yours. Saints have as much of it as Infinit Wisdom sees fit for them, and they have it with the Divine blessing Life is yours, that you may have a season and opportunity to prepar for the life of heaven; and death is yours, that you may go to the possession of it. It is the kind messenger to take you from sin an sorrow, and to guide you to your Father's house. Things present ar yours, for your support on the road; things to come are yours, to delight you for ever at your journey's end. If we belong to Christ, an are true to him, all good belongs to us, and is sure to us. Believer are the subjects of his kingdom. He is Lord over us, we must own his dominion, and cheerfully submit to his command. God in Christ reconciling a sinful world to himself, and pouring the riches of his grace on a reconciled world, is the sum and substance of the gospel __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
μηδεις 3367 A-NSM εαυτον 1438 F-3ASM εξαπατατω 1818 5720 V-PAM-3S ει 1487 COND τις 5100 X-NSM δοκει 1380 5719 V-PAI-3S σοφος 4680 A-NSM ειναι 1511 5750 V-PXN εν 1722 PREP υμιν 5213 P-2DP εν 1722 PREP τω 3588 T-DSM αιωνι 165 N-DSM τουτω 5129 D-DSM μωρος 3474 A-NSM γενεσθω 1096 5634 V-2ADM-3S ινα 2443 CONJ γενηται 1096 5638 V-2ADS-3S σοφος 4680 A-NSM
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:18 {Let no man deceive himself} (medeis heauton exapatw). A warning that implied that some of them were guilty of doing it (me and the present imperative). Excited partisans can easily excite themselves to a pious phrenzy, hypnotize themselves with their own supposed devotion to truth. {Thinketh that he is wise} (dokei sofos einai). Condition of first class and assumed to be true. Predicate nominative sofos with the infinitive to agree with subject of dokei (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 1038). Paul claimed to be "wise" himself in verse #10 and he desires that the claimant to wisdom may become wise (hina genetai sofos, purpose clause with hina and subjunctive) by becoming a fool (mwros genesqw, second aorist middle imperative of ginomai) as this age looks at him. this false wisdom of the world (#1:18-20,23; 2:14), this self-conceit, has led to strife and wrangling. Cut it out.
