<p>3:18 <i>Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise</i>- At this stage in the letter, there was in view a particular damaging of the church, God's temple. It was in the belief and teaching of human wisdom. For this stands opposed to the Spirit of God, as Paul has laboured from the start of the letter to this point. Paul is appealing here for a re-conversion- to 'foolishness', in the eyes of the world, by quitting human wisdom. The true wisdom was of the Spirit, which had already potentially been given to them. Chapter 1 has said that they are already enriched with all spiritual wisdom; they had to reject human wisdom, becoming 'foolish', in order to access it.&nbsp;</p><p>Job was the greatest of the men of the east (Job 1:3), people who were renowned in the ancient world for their wisdom (cp. Mt. 2:1; 1 Kings 4:30). Thus Job as the Jews would have been full of worldly wisdom, and this is maybe&nbsp; behind Paul's words of 1 Cor.3:18,19: &quot;If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written (quoting Job 5:13, which is Eliphaz speaking about Job), He taketh the wise in their own craftiness&quot;. Job is equated with the false wisdom of the Judaizers, who were using &quot;excellency of speech&hellip; wisdom... enticing words of man's wisdom&quot; (1 Cor. 2:1,4), to corrupt the believers from the &quot;simplicity that is in Christ&quot;, &quot;as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty&quot; (2 Cor. 11:3).&nbsp;</p>