Note 4 at 1 Cor. 1:19: Paul is referring to Isaiah 29:14. This passage from Isaiah is very applicable by itself, but it is even better if you take it in its context (see parallel scripture above). In fact, Isaiah 29:14 begins with the word "therefore," which directly links verse 14 to what had just been said.

Isaiah 29:13 makes it clear why God is going to by-pass the wisdom of men. It is because they were only going through the motions of serving God but their hearts were far from Him. They knew about God intellectually, but they didn't know Him personally.

Therefore, the Lord said He would work a miracle (marvelous work) among them that only those who exercise faith can believe. This would stop the "wise" and "prudent" of the world from thinking that understanding the things of God mentally was sufficient for salvation. They would not be able to comprehend God's plan through their minds alone. They would have to have faith.

This was accomplished through Christ. He was born of a virgin. That defies human reasoning. He was meek and lowly of heart which is not the way anyone would expect God to act. He won salvation for us through the cross that to the natural mind looked like the ultimate defeat.

As 1 Corinthians 2:14 states, only those who receive revelation from the Spirit of God can understand these things. Therefore, those who are operating from their minds alone will miss this wisdom of God. To understand God's ways and be born again, you must believe with your heart (Rom. 10:10).