1 Corinthians 20-31 Seek God's Wisdom!

1 Corinthians 20-31  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.  Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

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 of the world to shame human understanding.  God's emphasis on the foolish, the weak, the lowly, and the despised things of the world embarrasses man's understanding of life through rational thinking.  Man wants God to prove his existence in some measured or pronounced way, maybe through miracles that prove He exists or through man's natural thinking processes.  Humans want God to come out from behind the curtain, to manifest himself in some special way, to answer our prayers when we congregate in his name or to solve Earth's problems such as wars and conflicts.  We want him as the panacea for all our problems, to come to us when we need him: then He would be God to us.  But if He is reluctant to expose himself on demand in a direct way, according to our wishes, perhaps He should let us discover him through our philosophers and deep thinkers, by revealing himself to them.  Then these men of wisdom and knowledge would help all of us know and appreciate this "unknown God."  Why does not God manifest himself in some reasonable or rational way?  Does it not seem sensible that God would perform marvelous acts here on Earth if He really existed, or that God would give certain learned individuals or wise men the ability to expose the living God--the entity behind the heavenly curtain--if He really exists.  Paul says, Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom.  In our carnal thinking, we say, if God is God, He must expose himself in a way that allows us to understand who He is.  He must reveal himself to us in our context of reality, through our human thinking processes, according to our perspective.  Do not give us this Christ, the wisdom of God, explanation.  We do not and cannot understand such talk.  This Christian idea of life through the cross has no validity for us; it is foolishness.  Who can believe that in one man, a dead man, new life, eternal life, came to all people.  NONSENSE !  As we read in the last breakfast, 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.  (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Yes, Paul tells the Corinthians again, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  We must be saved to understand Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  The cross of Christ is beyond the understanding of the unredeemed.  The natural mind does not want to die to self and become alive to God through the power of the risen Son of the living God.  A rebellious sinner without the call of the Holy Spirit does not want to admit, "I am lost and I need a Savior."  We read in Acts that Paul preached to a group of people, and although some believed, many would not.  He saw the hardness of their hearts and used these words from Isaiah: You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.  For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.  (Acts 28:26-27)  Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have the power to receive Christ, have our hearts cleansed from sin and our ears opened to the voice of God.  We can begin to see clearly the truth of God and to understand his will for our lives.  Outside of Christ, we are lost in a world that lifts up all that is contrary to God and enslaves us to a life of darkness.  In today's verses we read, Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  We see this in Jesus' ministry by the people He interacted with daily: He usually chose ordinary people.  One day Jesus saw a beggar, blind since birth.  Jesus made mud from saliva mixed with dirt.  He put it on the man's eyes and told him to go wash in Pool of Siloam.  When the man was healed, there was much amazement and concern about his healing.  Both the man and his parents are questioned at the temple, but the parents did not want to tell about Jesus for fear of being put out of the synagogue.  Finally, when the Jews wanted the healed man to denounce Jesus as a sinner, the man says, One thing I do know.  I was blind but now I see!  At the end of the interaction, when Jesus hears of the man being thrown out of the temple, He finds him and asks, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  The man asks who he is and how to believe.  Jesus tells him and he says, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.  (See John 9)  This is faith in action: I believe in the wisdom of God rather than in the wisdom of men.

As newborn men and women of God, we no longer follow the precepts of this world:  We live by faith, not by sight.  (2 Corinthians 5:7)  Walking by faith is not always easy.  We cannot see the path clearly at times, and we must depend upon the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom on our journey.  We read in the Word: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  (Hebrews 11:1)  This seems paradoxical: a substance is something we can hold onto, take into our hands; evidence is something real and tangible that holds up in a court of law.  Yet here we are talking about something we cannot see, touch or substantiate: faith in God.  So God asks us to have a belief in him that is as real as something we can actually hold onto and prove to the whole world.  When Paul describes his former life to his spiritual son, Timothy, he goes on to give his testimony.  Every believer can declare today with our brother Paul: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.  (1 Timothy 1:15-17)  Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  We will not find him in a miracle, although the miracle may open our eyes to the reality that He is alive; and we will not find him in the mysteries of the scholars of all the ages.  But we will find him in the simple faith of a child who sings with eyes toward heaven: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so!  This is our anthem.  Jesus loves ME!  I was blind but now I see.  I was lost but now I am found.  Lift up your heads, brothers and sisters of faith; for you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  Rejoice in him, rest in him, go forth in his name.  You are his witnesses.