1 Corinthians 1:18-30
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Commentary:
When I was a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of my favorite professors was Dr. John Sailhamer. He is a brilliant scholar and became one of my best friends. One of his three sons, David, was born with down-syndrome. David and I became very good friends too. He would save me a seat at chapel service every week. I came to truly love David. I think about David when I read in 1 Corinthians that “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
David is so humble and his desire is to be a preacher. So he always asks for commentaries and books about the Bible for Christmas and birthdays. Because David truly loves to study God’s Word. Do you know why? It is because he believes that every word that is written in the Bible comes from God. He loves the Word of God, and because of this he is a wise young man!
On the other hand, Dr. Bart Ehrman, the distinguished professor of religion at the University of N.C. at Chapel Hill, believes the Bible contains myths and contradictions. Every semester he takes the next group of students that have registered for his class and he begins to tear down their faith in the Bible. He does this semester after semester.
Dr. Ehrman has been blessed with a brilliant mind. Once he apparently had faith, but that faith began to diminish as he began to learn more and more. Now in saying this, you may think that I am against learning. I most certainly am not. The mind is an incredible gift from God that He expects us to use with all of our energy. 1 Peter 1:13 states, “Prepare your minds for action.” God has given each of us a mind and we should use it for His glory.
But why is it that so often, as men and women grow older and wiser in the world, they tend to move further and further away from God and true wisdom? What is it about knowledge and human reasoning that pushes man further and further from the truth?
In John MacArthur’s commentary on 1 Corinthians he writes:
“Without exception, man’s wisdom elevates himself and lowers God. [Man’s wisdom] always, no matter how … sincere and objective and scholarly, caters to man’s self-will, pride…, and independence…The reason men love complex, elaborate philosophies and religions is because these appeal to human ego. They offer the challenge of understanding and doing something complex and difficult. For the same reason, some men scoff at the gospel. [The gospel] calls on them to do nothing—it allows them to do nothing—but accept in simple faith what God has done …In his own wisdom man inevitably exchanges the truth of God for a lie and worships the creature rather than the Creator. Man’s wisdom is founded in his own will and it is always directed toward the fulfilling of his own will. Consequently, it is always against God’s wisdom and God’s will.” This is a picture of the wisdom of man.
In my own life, I have observed the product of human reasoning. Worldly wisdom tells us that, “If it feels good, just do it!” Here is the truth: Man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom are at war and the mind is the battle ground. This is why Peter commands us to “prepare our minds for action.” Our minds need to be battle ready!
I urge you to re-read our passage of Scripture today. As you read this I want to ask you to use your mind and absorb the Truth of this word from God.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
In the next two devotions we will consider four truths that we learn from this text about God and His wisdom. Stay tuned! Amen!
