1 Corinthians 3:18 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Let no man deceive himself.— It was not necessary for St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, who knew the matter of fact, to particularize what it was wherein the craftiness of the person here mentioned had appeared: therefore it was left us to guess; and possibly we shall not be much out, if we take it to be the keeping the fornicator from censure, so much insisted on by St. Paul, ch. 5. That by σοφος, or wise,—[seemeth to be wise in this world] the Apostle means a cunning man in business, is plain from his quotation in the next verse, where the wise spoken of are the crafty. "If any man seemeth to himself or others wise in worldly wisdom, so as to pride himself in his parts and dexterity in compassing his purpose, let him renounce all this wisdom, that he may become truly wise in embracing and owning no other knowledge than the simplicity of the Gospel." See Locke. Some would render the latter part of this verse, If any one be wise among you, let him be a fool in this world, that he may become wise. See Bengelius, and 1 Timothy 6:17.