<p>1:21 <em>For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know God</em>- This is the paradox; that worldly wisdom does not lead to relationship with God. 'Knowing God' refers to relationship and salvation, not simply claiming some form of belief in the existence of a Divine being or force. Life eternal, living the Kingdom life we shall eternally live, is to 'know God' (Jn. 17:3). The Gospel message begins with the statement that to know God is a gift (Mk. 4:11; Lk. 8:10); for those to whom it is not given, everything about God remains in parables. And so faith is not reached by reading learned books about science, creationism, archaeology or the historical fulfilments of Bible prophecy. For that is the wisdom of the world, which is foolishness with God. If that indeed were the path to faith, then the illiterate and simple would be unable to come to faith. Yet the poor of this world are those &quot;rich in faith&quot;. But the gift of faith is available for all- who will look to the cross of Christ as Israel looked to the lifted up serpent, and allow the power of it to transform them. Yet faith therefore is not arrived at by intellectual process; it is a gift. From God. And it is the cross of Christ (:18), the foolishness of the thing preached (:21), which leads to knowing God. There can be no real belief in God nor knowing of Him without Christ- for He is the only way to the Father. Any attempt to reach faith in God by intellectual process is therefore ultimately doomed; it can only be reached through encounter with Christ.</p><p><em>It was God's good pleasure through the apparent foolishness of the message preached to save them that believe- </em>1 Cor. 1:21,25 speak of the Gospel as &ldquo;the foolishness of the thing preached&rdquo; (RV) &ndash; not that it <em>is</em> foolish, but it is perceived that way. The thing preached is clearly the cross- &quot;For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness&quot; (:18).</p>