Note 4 at 1Co 1:19: Paul was referring to Isa 29:14. This passage from Isaiah is very applicable by itself, but it is even better if you take it in its context. In fact, Isa 29:14 begins with the word "therefore," directly linking it to what had been said in the previous verse.

Isa 29:13 makes it clear why God is going to bypass the wisdom of mankind. It is because they were only going through the motions of serving God; 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 ("marvellous work") among them that only those who exercise faith could believe. This would stop the "wise" and "prudent" of the world from thinking that mentally understanding the things of God was sufficient for salvation. They would realize that they were not 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. To the natural mind, that looked like the ultimate defeat.

As 1Co 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 (Ro 10:10).