This Day in History: 0000-08-13

August 13 – 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction!
But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.
Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.
It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.
So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.
Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.
And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

God has united you with Christ Jesus.
For our benefit God made Him to be Wisdom itself.
Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.
Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

Are we willing to be considered foolish for the Name of Christ? Are we willing to reject the wisdom of this world in order to proclaim the Truth of Scripture? It’s not going to be easy, especially in our culture.

Sadly, much of Christian culture has gone in the direction of secular culture. We’ve somehow tried to blend human wisdom with Scripture, and when they’ve stood in contradiction, we’ve allowed human wisdom to win. As a result, the religion the world knows as “Christian” is really just a confusing amalgam of foolishness with puzzling bits and pieces of wisdom peppered in. Those who call themselves Christians turn out looking much the same as the rest of the world.

But friends, the message of the Bible isn’t foolishness. It is the very power of God!

Are we willing to accept it? Are we willing to believe it wholly? Are we willing to reject “science” and philosophy if they don’t line up with Scripture? Are we willing to shun the things we’ve been groomed to believe are “good” if they don’t line up with what God says is good?

The truth is, it’s not going to feel great at first when we do. It’s going to rub us all wrong. We’re going to wriggle and squirm as we take each step of faith towards the offensive, nonsensical, foolish plan of God. But we’ll also begin to have our eyes opened to the fact that the foolishness of God’s plan is wiser than the wisest of human plans! As we live in obedience God will “destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

Friends, Jesus Christ IS Wisdom itself! His message has made us right with God. It has made us pure and holy. The message of Christ has freed us from sin and made us His very own! It has taken everything in us that was foolish, powerless, despised, and worthless and used it to bring to nothing the things of this world. So let’s reject everything else, and be wholly devoted to the Truth! Let’s boast only ever about the Lord! For in following Him, we have been made whole!