1 Corinthians 3:18

18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.

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1 Corinthians 3:18 in Other Translations

KJV

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

ESV

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

NLT

18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.

MSG

18 Don't fool yourself. Don't think that you can be wise merely by being up-to-date with the times.

CSB

18 No one should deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, he must become foolish so that he can become wise.

1 Corinthians 3:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 3:18

Let no man deceive himself
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 ^F16 have a saying,

``that everyone (wmue lbnmh) , "that makes himself a fool", for the words of the law, at the end, shall be exalted.''

FOOTNOTES:

F16 Raya Mehimua in Zohar in Numb. fol. 104. 2.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible