For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. - Proverbs 2:6
There was division within the Corinthian church, caused in part by their misunderstanding of baptism. Regardless of the reason, division in the church often has devastating consequences. In my lifetime, I have seen several churches split or severely decline as a result of unresolved division. When Christians quarrel and contend with each other, they misrepresent Jesus and disparage His holy Name. They also damage their own witness and fruitfulness. For this reason, Paul urged the Corinthian congregation to be of one accord, sharing the same mind and judgment. Unity should be characteristic of all churches.
Another issue present among the Corinthian church was the tendency to follow worldly wisdom rather than godly wisdom. Worldly wisdom focuses on what is best for or pleasing to oneself. Worldly wisdom can lead to success in this life, but it makes no investment in eternity. In fact, worldly, or conventional, wisdom is usually in direct contrast with godly wisdom. Godly wisdom begins by fearing the LORD and abiding by His Word. It is selfless, placing the needs of others before oneself, and it looks forward to eternal life in Heaven.
The secular world around us operates with and by worldly wisdom. People and businesses strive to be successful, influential, and profitable in this present life. It can be very easy for the church to get caught up in this materialistic mindset. In this morning’s message, we are going to read Paul’s comparison of God’s wisdom and the world’s wisdom, and his advice about which we should follow.
I. GOD’S WISDOM SEEMS FOOLISH TO THE WORLD (1 Corinthians 1:18-21)
Paul begins by stating that the word of the cross - that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ - seems foolish to those who are perishing. In other words, lost people who reject the good news perceive it as absurd. On the other hand, those who have accepted Christ and are being saved regard it as the power of God (Romans 1:16). Notice that believers “are being saved”, pointing to the ongoing sanctification process of salvation that will ultimately end with glorification. Those who embrace worldly wisdom often look down on Christians as naive and even ignorant.
Paul cites the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and declares that God will ultimately destroy those who follow worldly wisdom (Isaiah 29:14). No man, scribe, or debater equipped solely with worldly wisdom can stand before God, because the LORD has made the world’s wisdom foolishness. Do you see the irony here? Those who embrace worldly wisdom wrongly view godly wisdom as foolishness, when in fact it is worldly wisdom that is foolishness!
God, in His infinite wisdom, created a world that could not come to know Him using their own conventional wisdom. It is impossible to come to a saving knowledge of God solely by human intellect. Instead, those who come to know God must set aside worldly wisdom and accept that which seems to be, by worldly standards, ridiculous and foolish. Godly wisdom requires faith to believe that Christ is risen, that He has paid the debt of man’s sin, that He has secured man’s pardon, and that in Him sinners can have forgiveness and salvation.
II. GOD’S WISDOM IS GREATER THAN THE WORLD’S (1 Corinthians 1:22-25)
Paul’s message of Christ’s crucifixion was generally dismissed by both the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews were looking for signs and wonders which would visibly demonstrate the power of God (Matthew 12:38). The Gentiles were seeking philosophy, reason, and intellectual knowledge to demonstrate the wisdom of God. This explains why the gospel of Matthew, which was written primarily to Jews, focuses heavily on miracles and wonders while the gospel of Luke, which was written primarily to Gentiles, contains more teaching and parables.
The message of the cross was a stumbling block to the Jews and an absurdity to the Gentiles.However, to those who are called - those who’ve accepted the Lord’s forgiveness and received His offer of salvation - Jesus Christ is both the power of God (sought by the Jews) and the wisdom of God (sought by the Gentiles). Jesus’ resurrection is the ultimate display of God’s power and the gospel is the supreme stroke of His wisdom.
The foolishness of God, as it is perceived by fallen mankind, is wiser than all of the world’s so-called wisdom. The weakness of God, though such a thing does not exist, is greater than all of the world’s strength. As the Old Testament prophet wrote, “God’s thoughts and ways are higher than those of man” (Isaiah 55:9) and “His understanding is inscrutable” (Isaiah 40:28). We cannot even begin to grasp it.
III. BOAST IN THE LORD (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Paul asked the Corinthians to consider who they were when Christ called them to salvation. There weren’t many geniuses or university scholars among them. There weren’t a lot of brave warriors or champions in the congregation, and few, if any, wealthy elites with privileged social status. Instead, they were mostly just common, ordinary people like everyone else. Yet, God had chosen them to be His church.
God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things of the world to shame the strong, the base and despised things to shame the exalted, and the things that “are not” to nullify the things that “are”. This is the paradoxical nature of God. In accordance with His divine wisdom, God has chosen regular people - just like you and me - to be the recipients of righteousness, sanctification, and redemption in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, there is nothing in this world and nothing of ourselves that we can boast about. Boasting means to “talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.” Paul cites the ancient prophet Jeremiah when he concludes, “Let he who boasts, boast in the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) Worldly wisdom is the road to death and judgment, but godly wisdom leads to light and life.
CONCLUSION
In addition to their theological misunderstanding of baptism, the division that plagued the Corinthian church was also fueled by pride, arrogance, and worldly wisdom. Many people within the congregation were focused upon themselves and their own needs, rather than upon Christ and one another. Their misplaced confidence in the world’s wisdom aggravated their situation even further.
Before we close, let’s go over some major points we’ve touched on this morning. First, worldly wisdom views the gospel as foolishness and regards Christianity as nonsense. This deception is by God’s design. Second, the truth is that godly wisdom is far greater than worldly wisdom and it is personified in the Person of Jesus Christ - the Savior who died to atone for the sins of mankind. Third, God has chosen the foolish and weak things of this world to shame the wise and strong so that He might reveal the futility of boasting in earthly things. Those who boast should boast in the LORD!
Perhaps there is someone hearing this message today who has been trusting in and living by worldly wisdom. Perhaps it has brought you to some temporal success and prosperity. Dear friend, the wisdom of this world can never satisfy the longing of your heart or fulfill the purpose for which you were created. Only godly wisdom can do that, and this begins by fearing the LORD. I invite you, right now, to forsake and forget what the world has taught you and to receive and embrace the foolishness of the cross.
There was division within the Corinthian church, caused in part by their misunderstanding of baptism. Regardless of the reason, division in the church often has devastating consequences. In my lifetime, I have seen several churches split or severely decline as a result of unresolved division. When Christians quarrel and contend with each other, they misrepresent Jesus and disparage His holy Name. They also damage their own witness and fruitfulness. For this reason, Paul urged the Corinthian congregation to be of one accord, sharing the same mind and judgment. Unity should be characteristic of all churches.
Another issue present among the Corinthian church was the tendency to follow worldly wisdom rather than godly wisdom. Worldly wisdom focuses on what is best for or pleasing to oneself. Worldly wisdom can lead to success in this life, but it makes no investment in eternity. In fact, worldly, or conventional, wisdom is usually in direct contrast with godly wisdom. Godly wisdom begins by fearing the LORD and abiding by His Word. It is selfless, placing the needs of others before oneself, and it looks forward to eternal life in Heaven.
The secular world around us operates with and by worldly wisdom. People and businesses strive to be successful, influential, and profitable in this present life. It can be very easy for the church to get caught up in this materialistic mindset. In this morning’s message, we are going to read Paul’s comparison of God’s wisdom and the world’s wisdom, and his advice about which we should follow.
I. GOD’S WISDOM SEEMS FOOLISH TO THE WORLD (1 Corinthians 1:18-21)
Paul begins by stating that the word of the cross - that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ - seems foolish to those who are perishing. In other words, lost people who reject the good news perceive it as absurd. On the other hand, those who have accepted Christ and are being saved regard it as the power of God (Romans 1:16). Notice that believers “are being saved”, pointing to the ongoing sanctification process of salvation that will ultimately end with glorification. Those who embrace worldly wisdom often look down on Christians as naive and even ignorant.
Paul cites the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and declares that God will ultimately destroy those who follow worldly wisdom (Isaiah 29:14). No man, scribe, or debater equipped solely with worldly wisdom can stand before God, because the LORD has made the world’s wisdom foolishness. Do you see the irony here? Those who embrace worldly wisdom wrongly view godly wisdom as foolishness, when in fact it is worldly wisdom that is foolishness!
God, in His infinite wisdom, created a world that could not come to know Him using their own conventional wisdom. It is impossible to come to a saving knowledge of God solely by human intellect. Instead, those who come to know God must set aside worldly wisdom and accept that which seems to be, by worldly standards, ridiculous and foolish. Godly wisdom requires faith to believe that Christ is risen, that He has paid the debt of man’s sin, that He has secured man’s pardon, and that in Him sinners can have forgiveness and salvation.
II. GOD’S WISDOM IS GREATER THAN THE WORLD’S (1 Corinthians 1:22-25)
Paul’s message of Christ’s crucifixion was generally dismissed by both the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews were looking for signs and wonders which would visibly demonstrate the power of God (Matthew 12:38). The Gentiles were seeking philosophy, reason, and intellectual knowledge to demonstrate the wisdom of God. This explains why the gospel of Matthew, which was written primarily to Jews, focuses heavily on miracles and wonders while the gospel of Luke, which was written primarily to Gentiles, contains more teaching and parables.
The message of the cross was a stumbling block to the Jews and an absurdity to the Gentiles.However, to those who are called - those who’ve accepted the Lord’s forgiveness and received His offer of salvation - Jesus Christ is both the power of God (sought by the Jews) and the wisdom of God (sought by the Gentiles). Jesus’ resurrection is the ultimate display of God’s power and the gospel is the supreme stroke of His wisdom.
The foolishness of God, as it is perceived by fallen mankind, is wiser than all of the world’s so-called wisdom. The weakness of God, though such a thing does not exist, is greater than all of the world’s strength. As the Old Testament prophet wrote, “God’s thoughts and ways are higher than those of man” (Isaiah 55:9) and “His understanding is inscrutable” (Isaiah 40:28). We cannot even begin to grasp it.
III. BOAST IN THE LORD (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Paul asked the Corinthians to consider who they were when Christ called them to salvation. There weren’t many geniuses or university scholars among them. There weren’t a lot of brave warriors or champions in the congregation, and few, if any, wealthy elites with privileged social status. Instead, they were mostly just common, ordinary people like everyone else. Yet, God had chosen them to be His church.
God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things of the world to shame the strong, the base and despised things to shame the exalted, and the things that “are not” to nullify the things that “are”. This is the paradoxical nature of God. In accordance with His divine wisdom, God has chosen regular people - just like you and me - to be the recipients of righteousness, sanctification, and redemption in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, there is nothing in this world and nothing of ourselves that we can boast about. Boasting means to “talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.” Paul cites the ancient prophet Jeremiah when he concludes, “Let he who boasts, boast in the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) Worldly wisdom is the road to death and judgment, but godly wisdom leads to light and life.
CONCLUSION
In addition to their theological misunderstanding of baptism, the division that plagued the Corinthian church was also fueled by pride, arrogance, and worldly wisdom. Many people within the congregation were focused upon themselves and their own needs, rather than upon Christ and one another. Their misplaced confidence in the world’s wisdom aggravated their situation even further.
Before we close, let’s go over some major points we’ve touched on this morning. First, worldly wisdom views the gospel as foolishness and regards Christianity as nonsense. This deception is by God’s design. Second, the truth is that godly wisdom is far greater than worldly wisdom and it is personified in the Person of Jesus Christ - the Savior who died to atone for the sins of mankind. Third, God has chosen the foolish and weak things of this world to shame the wise and strong so that He might reveal the futility of boasting in earthly things. Those who boast should boast in the LORD!
Perhaps there is someone hearing this message today who has been trusting in and living by worldly wisdom. Perhaps it has brought you to some temporal success and prosperity. Dear friend, the wisdom of this world can never satisfy the longing of your heart or fulfill the purpose for which you were created. Only godly wisdom can do that, and this begins by fearing the LORD. I invite you, right now, to forsake and forget what the world has taught you and to receive and embrace the foolishness of the cross.