June 24, 2001
-
God's Wisdom
The Foolishness of God
Understanding the Wisdom of GodINTRODUCTION
A. Human Wisdom
In the previous lessons, we learned that one of the many problems that existed in the Corinthian assembly was the failure of the Christians to break away from human philosophy. The Corinthians were in a very immoral and philosophically oriented society, a world that was based upon the lusts and reasoning of men. Those who became Christians were dragging that immorality and rationalism into the church. The book of 1 Corinthians was written to get the Corinthian Christians to remove from their lives this immorality and rationalism.
Before they became Christians, the people were associated with certain philosophers. After they accepted Christ, they still adhered to their former philosophers--thus bringing different philosophies with them into the church. Because these philosophies disagreed with one another, there was disunity in the church. In response to that situation, Paul wrote from chapter 1 verse 18 through chapter 3 (and even part of chapter 4) telling them that human philosophy was unnecessary, and that human wisdom had nothing to offer them. In this lesson we will continue with Paul's argument against the necessity of human wisdom.
1. The Profits of Human Wisdom
Please don't misconstrue what is being said here. Man has developed some amazing things scientifically and technologically that have been to our benefit. When I say we should reject human wisdom, I don't mean that we're to reject every possible application of human wisdom; rather, we're to object to human philosophy. We're only to reject that part of man's reasoning which attempts to answer ultimate questions.
Christians aren't saying they have the answer to everything. For example, if my wife's washing machine breaks down, just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I can fix it. I have to call someone to fix it--perhaps an unsaved person. There are some things that human wisdom provides for me that I don't have. If I need my car fixed, I'm not so concerned about whether a Christian fixes it as I am that a good mechanic does it. Some of the greatest teachers I've ever had, and some of the most influential people in my life have been non-Christians who knew their area of education or technology very well. But when the world tries to understand where man came from, why he's here, where he's going, and what his meaning is, it can't do it. When men try to define God, morality, real joy, real peace, and real happiness, they fail. That's what philosophy is: the study of wisdom, and the search for ultimate wisdom.
There are other things that human wisdom has done. Do you know that soon you'll probably be able to select the sex of your child before it's born? Do you realize that very soon there will be genetic controls and microsurgery by radiation and laser beams? The control of the aging process will soon enable us to live as long as a hundred years. Someday tooth decay will be eliminated by welding enamel on your teeth with laser beams. (You'll be able to choose any color you want!) There will be spot welding of the retina, and a bloodless knife in surgery, which is a beam that cuts and cauterizes at the same time.
So, Christians aren't saying that man's technology hasn't helped us. They think that the advancements of medical technology and scientific technology are wonderful.
2. The Problems of Human Wisdom
But one thing that is bothersome about the philosophy of man is that it continues to drown man in print. Did you know there are two thousand new book pages printed every second? There are 365 thousand hardback books printed every year--that doesn't include the paperbacks. There are 60 million pages a year produced. And most of it espouses the philosophy of man. It became so difficult to store all this information that microfilm was developed. But microfilm doesn't work anymore; it's too big. There's a new method of storing information called laser storage. Information is stored on a crystal; a laser beam is shot at it and refracted onto a screen, thereby storing that information in the tiniest part of a crystal. Imagine carrying your education around with a pocket full of crystals! Laser storage, however, is bulky compared to molecular storage. Using molecular storage, the entire Library of Congress can be put on an object the size of a sugar cube. But very few can afford the machine required to read the stored information.
Christians are not denying that man's wisdom has made great contributions. In fact, in some ways, worldly people are lot smarter than Christians are. You say, "Are you kidding?" No, that's what Jesus said in Luke 16:8: ". . . the sons of this age are in their generation wiser than the sons of light. " In other words, the world is smarter about some things in their own domain than Christians are about other things in their domain. This is the principle: If the Christian would apply himself to the gaining of godliness in the same way that the worldly man applies himself to the gaining of worldly things, God would be able to do much greater things through the church.
Human wisdom has its place in the world. But when it's applied toward ultimate truth--the things which deal with God, sin, man's destiny, salvation, transforming lives, morality, and ethics--it is absolutely bankrupt and worthless.
3. The Passages on Human Wisdom
Paul illustrates to the Corinthians that human wisdom isn't necessary in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Using himself as the example, he told them in verse 1 that he didn't come to them "with excellency of speech or of wisdom. " He said in verse 4, ". . . my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom. . . . " The reason for this, according to verse 5, was because he didn't want their faith to stand on human wisdom. Paul said, ". . . I determined not to know any thing among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (v. 2). Paul didn't come to the Corinthians with sophisticated philosophy; he came to them with the simple message of the gospel.
Everything about the gospel is very simple. In fact, it's so simple, that "the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. . . " (1:18a). They say, "This is stupid; it's nonsense! Do you expect us intellectuals, with all of our wisdom, to believe that the crux of human destiny is in the death of one man on a cross?" People still say that today. They think that Christianity is only for little kids and old ladies--that no intelligent man could believe in it.
B. True Wisdom
In 1 Corinthians 2:6, Paul states, "However, we speak wisdom. . . . " In a sense, Paul was saying, "Our words may seem foolish and simple to the world, but we are speaking true wisdom. We reject human reason, and teach only true wisdom. Philosophy can't save you from sin. " Do you realize that even after all the philosophies which have been invented, man is still as bad as he's ever been? Wars, crime, and other things continue to get worse.
1. Its Recipients
Paul says, ". . . we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. . . " (1 Cor. 2:6a). Only the saved have this wisdom. The word "perfect" [Gk. teleios] in this verse means "full grown and mature. " Whenever teleios is used to mean "perfect ones," it has to be interpreted in its context because it can mean "a Christian who's very mature," or it could just mean "a Christian. " Because Paul is saying that a Christian is one who has true wisdom, and one who is complete in Christ, we know that the phrase "them that are perfect" refers to Christians in general. Paul is not contrasting mature Christians with infantile ones; he's contrasting Christians with unbelievers. So Paul is saying, "We are speaking wisdom among those who are believers. "
2. Its Riches
Let me illustrate this: Think back to the time when you weren't yet a Christian. Your reaction to the gospel then was probably one of rejection--you thought of the gospel as foolishness. The fact that Christ died on a cross for man didn't seem very profound to you. But when you became a Christian, suddenly the whole meaning of the gospel acquired unfathomable depth. It seems like the longer you're a Christian, the deeper the Bible gets in meaning. Paul felt this way when he said in Romans 11:33, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" Before you became a Christian, the gospel seemed very simple; after you became a believer, you looked at the gospel and the cross and couldn't even begin to figure out with your human reason all that was involved.
So, the Apostle Paul says, "We are speaking wisdom. The only people who understand it, though, are believers. Unbelievers can't understand it because it isn't human philosophy; it's the wisdom of God. " Ephesians 1:8-9 says that it's God who gives the understanding of His wisdom.
In verses 6-16, Paul divides the text into two points. Knowing these two points will not only be helpful for you to better understand this passage, it will also enable you to share about God's wisdom with others. The first point is that true wisdom is not humanly discovered, and the second point is that true wisdom is divinely revealed.
I. TRUE WISDOM IS NOT HUMANLY DISCOVERED (vv. 6-9)
A. Man's Wisdom Confined (v. 6)
You can't discover God on your own; you can't transcend the supernatural. You can't understand God any more than something lower than you can understand you. Did you ever hear two bugs discussing human anatomy? It's just as ridiculous to hear two men saying to each other that they understand God. Truly knowing God is outside our human realm.
One night I was at a meeting, talking with some people who were telling me their opinions about God. I've heard many people say what they think about God. But any opinion that man has about God is irrelevant. Man cannot know God, no matter how hard he tries. He can't know God because he cannot escape the confines of a natural existence and leap into the supernatural dimension. True wisdom--ultimate truth regarding God, man's destiny, and salvation--is not known to man's mind. Yet all the religions of the world are efforts on the part of man to find God.
Christianity teaches that we can't find God; He finds us. In Luke 19:10 we read, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. " We often hear people say in their testimonies, "I found the Lord. " However, they didn't find God; He found them! If you had to look for God, you would never find Him because that is beyond your capabilities. Thank God that He came and found you!
We are not able to transcend our system. Notice how Paul points that out in verse 6: ". . . we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the princes of this age, that come to nothing. " This wisdom is not something available to the philosophers of this age. The word age is the Greek word aion, which can be translated "world," "age," or "era. " Aion is a word that refers to time. Paul was saying, "We're not speaking the wisdom of this particular time. " The wisdom of every era there has ever been doesn't amount to anything. It's rendered ineffective and empty. I'm not here to tell you my opinions and tell you wonderful philosophies. I'm here to tell you what the Bible means by what it says, because it is the revelation of God.
So, Paul says that ultimate truth is outside the boundaries of the wisdom and the philosophers of this era. B. God's Wisdom Concealed(vv. 7-9)
1. The Information Concealed (v. 7)
Paul begins verse 7 by saying, "But [Gk. alla, the strongest adversative in the Greek language] we speak the wisdom of God. . . . " In other words, "We are not speaking the wisdom that is of this world's systems or philosophers; rather, we are speaking the wisdom of God. " Paul is talking about a supernatural, divine wisdom. The world looks at God's wisdom as foolishness, but believers understand that wisdom. Reading more of verse 7, Paul says, ". . . we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom. . . . " The reason the world didn't understand God's wisdom was because it was an unknowable wisdom. God put His wisdom outside the boundaries of man's capacity.
a. The Mystery Defined
The word "mystery" is the Greek word musterion. It doesn't mean something that's occultic, clandestine, or puzzling. It's not referring to finding your way through a maze in the quest for the wisdom of God. The word "mystery," in this context, means "a secret which is impossible for man to penetrate, but which God has chosen to reveal. " The word points to the impossibility of man knowing God's secret, and the love of God which makes it known.
b. The Mystery Displayed
Aren't you glad that even though we couldn't know His wisdom, God revealed it? It would be tragic if we couldn't know it. We can't know it on our own--it's outside of us. Aren't you glad that ultimate truth is outside of man? Man hasn't done much with what he's got. God's wisdom is a mystery; that is, God has hidden it. Verse 7 says that "God ordained [Gk. proorizo=`predetermined'] before the ages" the wisdom which He hid. Before time began, God designed a marvelous salvation plan, and hid it. Through Christ and the New Testament, the mysteries of God's plan were all revealed. In Ephesians 3, Paul says that he was the Apostle who was given the dispensation of the mysteries. (God gave Paul the privilege of writing and explaining the mysteries to others. )
Verse 7 ends by telling us that God has opened that mystery to us "unto our glory [i. e. , our blessing, our eternal excellence]. " For all time and before all time, God planned our eternal blessing. At the right time, He unfolded His mystery. The Old Testament saints never saw God's mystery, yet they believed in His coming revelation, and God accepted that as saving faith. We know the full revelation of the mystery, not because we comprehended it, but because God has now revealed it.
Paul is saying, in effect, "The world can't understand this wisdom; it doesn't come from the world. God has hidden it. Because of that, men will never find God on their own. Men will never develop a religion that is true. God's wisdom cannot come from within man's world. " Verse 8 is a living illustration of this fact:
2. The Illustration Communicated (v. 8)
"Which none of the princes of this age knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. "
The phrase "the princes of this age [era] " refers to the princes of the era in which Paul lived--the New Testament period. The princes at that time were the Jewish and Roman leaders. He says, "Let me give you an illustration of the fact that the world doesn't know God, and that the leaders of the world have never known God by their own reason. The Jewish and Roman leaders didn't know God, for if they had, `they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. '" (The phrase "the Lord of glory" proves that Jesus was God. The word "glory" encompasses all of the attributes of God. )
This is the apex of showing that man's wisdom can't know God.
Brilliant Romans and educated, well-known Jews schooled in the Old Testament together crucified Christ. That shows how much they really knew--they didn't know anything! I love the way Paul calls Him "the Lord of glory" in contrast to the humiliation of crucifixion. The leaders crucified the Lord of glory. This shows how far off human wisdom was from the truth. The Romans, with all their gods and religions, didn't know God. The Jewish people, with all their information, didn't know God. The Roman and Jewish leaders crucified Him.
You ask, "Why is it that men cannot know God? Why is it that God's wisdom is hidden?" Verse 9 gives the answer:
3. The Ignorance Clarified (v. 9)
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. "
Here, Paul quotes part of Isaiah 64:4. This verse is frequently taken out of context. I can remember someone telling me that the verse referred to heaven--that we cannot yet see what heaven will be like. There is no relationship, however, between this verse and heaven. Paul isn't talking about heaven; rather, he is talking about ignorance. He's saying that unbelievers aren't able to know what salvation is like. God, from the ages past, prepared fantastic things for the people who love Him. The people who don't love Him can't know what those things are. The world, in its quest for truth, cannot know about salvation.
There are only two ways you can make a conclusion about truth from a human viewpoint: the first way is objective, the second way is subjective. The objective way is by the external, empirical, experiential method. The subjective way is by reason or logic.
First, let's examine. . .
a. The Objective Way to the Truth (v. 9a)
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard. . . "
There are only two ways that you can assimilate objective truth: through the eye or through the ear. But, ultimate truth cannot pass through the human eye or ear. That's what's meant by the phrase "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard. " Ultimate truth is not observable. You cannot discover God through empiricism.
Second, let's look at the other way men come to conclusions about the truth:
b. The Subjective Way to the Truth (v. 9b)
". . . neither have entered into the heart of man. . . "
The word "heart" here simply means "mind. " In other words, you can't know ultimate truth internally from a subjective thought process. You can't come to God by rationalism.
That makes the situation hopeless for man, doesn't it? God has a great plan for those that love Him, and He has hidden it from the world. It wasn't known by the men of Christ's era. That's proven by the fact that they executed Jesus. Had they known God's plan, they wouldn't have executed Him. People today who reject Jesus continue to prove that man can't know God's truth, or they wouldn't be rejecting Jesus. They can try by experiment to find it, and they can try by logic to find it, but they won't find it--because it is not knowable in those ways. Paul has made his first point clear: The wisdom of God cannot be discovered by the human mind.
Let's look at Paul's second point:
II. TRUE WISDOM IS REVEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT (vv. 10-16)
If human wisdom cannot find God, then the only way man can know God is for God to reveal Himself to man. Some time ago, while I was in high school, I visited a girl who was in an iron lung. It's terrible for a person to have to be in an iron lung. While I was visiting, I couldn't help but think that I was free, able to do whatever I wanted and go wherever I wanted. And here was this lovely girl, unable to go anywhere. Anything that she experienced had to come to her. That's an apt illustration of natural man. He is in the iron lung of his own incapacities. Everything comes to him from the outside in. He isn't going anywhere. Paul tells us in the following verses that the Holy Spirit has invaded man's locked box with the truth. True wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit.
There are three steps in the Spirit's transmission of God's truth: revelation, inspiration, and illumination. Let's look now at the first step, which is. . .
A. The Revelation of the Holy Spirit (vv. 10-11)
1. Revealing God's Message (v. 10)
a. The Agent of Revelation (v. 10a)
"But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. . . "
Whereas we would never have been able to know God on our own, He came to us and revealed Himself. He came to our little locked box--our iron lung--and gave us information about Himself. The word "revealed" here is the Greek word apokalupto, which means "to disclose something that was previously hidden," or "to unveil something that was veiled. " God made Himself known to us through the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit, who is the agent of transmission for the Trinity, who brought the revelation of God to us. He discloses God's truth to us.
b. The Source of Revelation (v. 10b)
". . . for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. "
The Holy Spirit is the One who knows the deep recesses of the mind of God. The phrase "searcheth all things" doesn't mean that He's ignorant and has to search around to find out the things of God. He's God too, and knows everything. That phrase simply means that He is the One who penetrates the inner being of God--He's God's own Spirit. Aren't you glad that the Bible wasn't written by some secondhand angel, but instead, God's Holy Spirit? Angels aren't capable of being perfect instruments of God's revelation--Satan was once an angel. God didn't entrust the transmission of His Scriptures to anybody outside the Trinity. The Holy Spirit was dispatched with the information because He's the One who knows the inner recesses of God's nature.
2. Revealing God's Mind (v. 11)
a. The Hidden Things of a Man (v. 11a)
"For what man knoweth the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him?. . . "
I can come up to you and say, "I know you!" and describe your ears, your nose, how you react to things, and your personality; but I can't know you as well as you know yourself. You will never know me in the same way that I know myself. I know things about myself that you will never know. The only thing that will ever really know the depths of you is your own spirit. Even after many years of marriage, there are certain things people never unveil about themselves.
Paul is saying here that the thing that knows a man best is that man's own spirit.
b. The Hidden Things of God (v. 11b)
". . . Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. "
The Holy Spirit knows the deep recesses of God just as a man's spirit knows the deep recesses of that man like no one else does. When God revealed Himself to us, He didn't send a secondary messenger. He sent the Holy Spirit, and no one knows God better than Him. This is what revelation is: The Holy Spirit brings the deep things of God to man. In a sense, He comes from heaven with a package for us from God. You ask, "What is the package that He brings it in? How does revelation come to us?" That leads us to the second step of the Spirit's transmission of God's truth:
B. The Inspiration by the Holy Spirit (vv. 12-13)
1. The Method of Delivery (v. 12)
"Now we have received. . . that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. "
Some people say that the Bible is just the opinion of man. I tell them to look at that verse: It's saying that we have received God's revelation "that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. " Where did the Bible come from? It was given by God. What did the Apostles do with it? They received it. Inspiration was the vehicle for carrying the revelation. The Spirit of God brought it, and the Apostles received it.
Notice the word "we," which appears twice in verse 12, and once again in verse 13. That does not refer to Christians in general. It refers to the Apostles and the writers of Scripture. They are the ones who received God's revelation and recorded it, and we have received it from them. Paul was among those who received God's revelation. The Spirit gave God's revelation to the Apostles and Scripture writers, and they in turn made known "the things that are freely given to us of God. " In John 14:26 the Lord said, "When I leave you, the Comforter will come and He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said. " That was not a promise for all believers. That was spoken to those who would write the New Testament. It was to them that the Holy Spirit would give recall of all that Jesus said. Have you ever wondered how John could have written the whole Gospel of John (21 chapters) and recorded all the exact words of Christ? He could do it because the Holy Spirit brought everything to his remembrance. The method by which the Holy Spirit did this was inspiration. Second Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God. . . . " In the Greek, the phrase
"inspiration of God" is one word, theopneustos.
It means "God-breathed. " God breathed it into the minds of the Scripture writers. The Bible was not made up by men, and it is not the opinion of men. It was "freely given to us of God," a gift brought by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:12).
2. The Method of Documentation (v. 13)
"Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth. . . "
Paul is saying, "When I speak to you, it is not with my words, but the Holy Spirit's words. " This verse clearly teaches that the very words of Scripture were given by the Holy Spirit.
That's what is called "verbal inspiration. " Some people say, "God inspired the general thoughts to the Apostles, and they wrote them in their own words. " Such thinking denies what this verse is saying. Besides, how could you have a thought without words? Paul writes emphatically, "We are not speaking to you in our own words, but in the words which the Spirit has graciously given us in the revelation of God. " When Paul sat down to write 1 Corinthians, the Spirit of God took control of that man, went into his brain, and pulled out the words that were in his own vocabulary and arranged them in the order that He wanted them written. The Holy Spirit selected the words, using the life and personality of Paul so that the words reflected him as well.
Sometimes people ask me, "Why do you preach in such detail? You study every verse and every word. " I do that because every word came from the mouth of God. When Satan was tempting Jesus, the Lord didn't generalize Deuteronomy 8:3 and say, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by the general principles of God. " He quoted it specifically: ". . . Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). God breathed the right words into the minds of the Apostles, and they wrote them. That is inspiration. The word scripture means "writing. " The inspiration of the Scriptures didn't stop in the minds of the Apostles, but was transmitted into their writings.
The revelation of God was given into the minds of the Apostles, who wrote it out. But the whole process doesn't stop there. There are a lot of people who have a Bible and either don't know what's in it, or they misinterpret it. Some people read the Bible and say, "Jesus isn't God. " There are many things people misunderstand about the Bible. The reason is that they don't have. . .
C. The Illumination of the Holy Spirit (vv. 14-16)
This is the third step of the transmission of God's truth by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enlightens us to understand the Scripture, because you can read a Bible and not understand it.
1. Evaluating the Bible (vv. 14-15a)
a. The Natural Man (v. 14)
"But the natural [Gk. psuchikos] man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. "
The natural, fleshly man lives in a physical, material world, and can't know or sense God. He can't get out of his little box. You can hand him a Bible and tell him to read it, but he won't understand it. He will think it's all foolishness. He can't know it because it is spiritually evaluated. A spiritually dead man cannot discern that which is spiritually discerned.
The psalmist, in Psalm 119:18, prayed a beautiful prayer: "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. " We don't just need God to give us the law, but we also need God to open the eyes of our understanding. The Spirit has to illuminate the mind. Truth is available, but only those that are illumined will understand that truth. The natural man may have God's revelation in his hand--he may have the inspired writings-- but without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, they won't make sense to him. He's like a blind man who can't see the sun; he can't see the Son of righteousness. He's like a deaf man who can't hear sweet music; he can't appreciate the sweet song of salvation.
Martin Luther said, "Man is like a pillar of salt, like Lot's wife, yea, like a log and a stone, like a lifeless statue which uses neither eyes nor mouth, neither sense nor heart. . . . until he is enlightened, converted, and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. " The Holy Spirit is needed in order to understand the things of God.
b. The Spiritual Man (v. 15a)
"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things. . . "
The person who has the Holy Spirit can evaluate all things.
He who has the resident truth teacher has a point of reference in himself, and has the anointing of 1 John 2:27. He does not have any need for human philosophers. It's through the Holy Spirit that the Word of God becomes alive and meaningful to us. This is true for all Christians! The world doesn't know the truth, and the world can't know the truth. You know the truth because the Spirit of God dwells in you and teaches you the truth and makes the Bible come alive.
2. Evaluating the Believer (vv. 15b-16)
a. Judging a Christian (v. 15b)
". . . yet he himself is judged of no man. "
Have you ever noticed how difficult it is for the world to evaluate Christians? There is no way that a natural man can evaluate a spiritual man. A natural man cannot know a Christian any better than he can know Christ. What did the world do to Christ? They crucified Him. What is the world going to do to us? They'll laugh at us, mock us, call us fools, and in some places, kill us. Quoting from Isaiah 40:13, Paul tells in verse 16 why the world will treat us as they did Christ:
b. Judging Christ (v. 16)
"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. "
In other words, nobody can judge a spiritual man, for to do that would be to judge the Lord Himself. We have the mind of the Lord. Because of that, the world can't understand us, just like they couldn't understand Christ. Isn't it nice to know that the reason the world can't understand us is because we have the mind of Christ? We're as big a mystery to the world as He was. That's good company to be in!
When someone denies the claims of Jesus, he is really saying, "God, let me correct a few misconceptions You have. " When a person tells me, "I don't believe that stuff about Christ. Let me tell you my opinion," I say, "Oh, so you're going to tell God what He should believe?" I can say that because the Lord dwells within me, and He's my Teacher. If someone wants to instruct me, they are really trying to instruct the mind of Christ, because I have the mind of Christ.
CONCLUSION
To summarize, Paul is simply saying that man, with his human reason, can't know God. God has to reveal Himself to man. God has revealed Himself in three steps by the Holy Spirit: through revelation, inspiration, and illumination. When a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit illuminates God's revelation so that he might understand it. Because the Spirit of God dwells in us, He is our Teacher and we know the truth.
Man's desire to acquire knowledge is great. If you want to know the truth, here's how to do it: Commit your life to Jesus Christ, and He'll plant within you the resident truth teacher and you'll know the truth. Once you have come to know the truth of God, you'll be free. Free from what? Free from the quest of truth. You will have found it. You'll be at rest.
Focusing on the Facts
1. Is all of human wisdom to be rejected? Explain.
2. What important principle can be learned from what Jesus said in Luke 16:8?
3. Using 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, explain how Paul used himself as an example to prove that human wisdom was unnecessary for the Corinthians.
4. Who are the recipients of true wisdom? To whom does the word "perfect" refer in 1 Corinthians 2:6? How do we know this?
5. Why can't man know God? What has man attempted to do through the different religions in the world?
6. People sometimes say, "I found God. " What is wrong with saying that? Explain.
7. Why can't men know the wisdom of God? Define the word "mystery" as it is used in 1 Corinthians 2:7.
8. When did God ordain the wisdom which He hid (1 Cor. 2:7)? When were the mysteries of God's plan revealed?
9. To whom does the phrase "the princes of this age" refer? How does Paul prove that the Jewish and Roman leaders didn't know God (1 Cor. 2:8)?
10. How is 1 Corinthians 2:9 commonly misinterpreted? What is Paul really talking about in that verse?
11. What are the two ways you can make a conclusion about truth from a human standpoint? Explain what is involved in each. What is it that cannot be discovered by either method?
12. What is the only way that man could ever know about God? What three steps were involved in the revealing of God to man?
13. What does the word "revealed" mean in 1 Corinthians 2:10? Through whom was God's truth transmitted to man?
14. Explain what is meant by the phrase "for the Spirit searcheth all things" in 1 Corinthians 2:10. Why didn't God use angels to transmit His revelation?
15. What was the "package" in which God's revelation came?
16. Who are the ones being referred to by the word "we" in 1 Corinthians 2:12-13? Support your answer with scripture.
17. What is meant by the term verbal inspiration? Describe how this process occurred.
18. Why is it that many people don't understand the Bible? What does it mean for the Holy Spirit to illuminate the mind?
19. A spiritually _____ man cannot discern that which is spiritually _____.
20. Why is it difficult for a natural man to evaluate Christians? What happens when a natural man judges a Christian, or tries to instruct a Christian?
Pondering the Principles
1. In this lesson, we learned that not all of human wisdom is to be rejected. Write a list of the things that man has invented or done which are to your benefit. Go over that list, and check the things that you would find very difficult not to have. Can man really take the credit for the abilities that he has to make the things on your list possible? Read and memorize Psalm 139:14: "I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well" (NASB).
2. The word "mystery" in 1 Corinthians 2:7 refers to that which cannot be understood in the human realm, but only understood with divine revelation. Read the following verses: Psalm 25:14; Proverbs 3:32; Amos 3:7; and Colossians 1:26. What do those verses say about the secrets of God? Read 1 Peter 1:10-12. In verse 10, how does Peter characterize the prophets who prophesied God's unknown plan of salvation? What does verse 11 say these prophets were searching for? Whom were the prophets indwelt by? The last part of verse 11 says that the Spirit of Christ "testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. " Can you imagine the great curiosity the prophets of the Old Testament had regarding the promised Messiah? What does Peter say about the angels in regard to God's revelation, at the end of verse 12? Do you have the same desire that the Old Testament prophets and the angels expressed for learning more about the revelation of God? Take time now to pray and thank God that you live in an age in which the mysteries concerning Christ can be clearly understood, and that you will continually desire to learn from God's revealed truth made available through the Scripture.
3. There are many people today who deny that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Read the following verses: Exodus 4:10-12; Jeremiah 1:4- 9; 30:1-2; Ezekiel 3:10-11; Acts 22:14-15; Galatians 1:10-12; Hebrews 1:1-2; and Revelation 1:10-11, 19. Who was the source of the words each of these men spoke? Read 2 Peter 1:20-21. What does this verse say about prophecy? What does 2 Timothy 3:16 have to say about the Scriptures? Using what you've learned about the divine origin of the Bible, how would you refute those who say that the Holy Spirit only gave the Scripture writers the general idea of what was to be written, and it was up to the writer how he worded it?
The Foolishness of God
The Foolishness of God, Part 1
INTRODUCTION
A. The Circumstance Presented
The book of 1 Corinthians is divided into Paul's discussions of the various problems that existed in the Corinthian church. The entire book, beginning in verse 10 of chapter 1, deals with the problems in the assembly. The first problem that confronted the Apostle as he wrote was the problem of division. The church was divided into factions and parties that were quarreling with one another. In fact, their church had split. This was a very grave problem; so the Apostle, from chapter 1 verse 10 to the end of chapter 3, deals with the problem of division in the church.
Now, as we come to 1:18, Paul continues to deal with this problem. We're going to be looking at 1:18 through 2:8 as a unit, and call our study on this portion of Scripture, "The Foolishness of God. "
This, I think, is one of the greatest sections in all of Scripture because it gives a contrast between the foolishness of men (which they think is wisdom), and the wisdom of God (which they think is foolishness). In other words, it contrasts human wisdom with divine wisdom. Now, you say, "But, John, how does that relate to the subject of division in the church?" Well, let me tell you how:
1. Human Wisdom in Greece
The Greeks were in love with philosophy. In college I took a course in Greek philosophy, and learned that just about every philosophy of modern times is Greek in origin. The Greeks were the great philosophers. They would go around propagating various philosophies and attracting people to them. And so the whole of Greek culture was philosophically divided into little groups.
America's political system fairly well divides itself between the Republicans and the Democrats. There are also American Independents, Freedom Party members, Communists, Socialists, and so forth; but they are a rather small minority. Predominantly, America is divided into two main parties. In Greece, however, there may have been as many as fifty dominating philosophies, so the populace was split into groups that held varying viewpoints regarding man's meaning and destiny.
The word philosophy simply means "man's wisdom. " In the Greek, the word literally means "the love of wisdom" (sophia and phileo="to love wisdom").
The Greeks loved human wisdom, and developed many systems of philosophy. The people gravitated to the various systems, causing many factions of philosophy in Corinth.
2. Human Wisdom in the Church
When the church was born and many of the Corinthians became saved, even though they were united in Christ, and even though they identified commonly with the cross, they still held on to the varying philosophies that they had originally held to. As a result, the church also became split into little groups-- each holding various philosophical viewpoints. It would be as if our church was split between the Democrats and the Republicans, and never able to agree on things. That's how it was in Corinth. They were split into little philosophical factions, because when they became Christians, they still held on to their particular philosophy.
Let me tell you something about philosophy: it is unnecessary. Why? Because when it's right, it will agree with Scripture--so you don't need it. But when it's wrong, it will disagree--so you don't want it. You see, philosophy has nothing to offer. You don't need philosophy, because if it's right, the Bible says it anyway. If it's wrong, you don't want it.
The point that Paul is making is, "Look, since you've become Christians and you're united around God's revelation as it comes to a peak at the cross, forget your former philosophies. All they are doing is splitting you into little groups. That shouldn't be. " There are churches today that are divided over philosophical viewpoints. Churches are split over politics, economics, philosophies, and education. Division still happens today.
B. The Contrast Probed
Notice that Paul attacks this problem in Corinth beginning in verse 17: "For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel. . . . " Now, "the gospel" is the good news. What is the good news? The good news is the message of the Bible-- the revelation of God that culminates in the redemptive act of Christ on the cross. Continuing on in verse 17, Paul says, ". . . not with wisdom of words [Gk. sophia logou=`word wisdom,' or `wisdom doctrine'], lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect [or `rendered void or null']. "
Paul introduces the basic contrast that's going to dominate his thinking until the end of chapter 3. He sets human wisdom against the cross. "I came to preach the gospel, not human wisdom. The doctrines of human wisdom are opposite the truth of God--they are opposite the gospel. "
Paul is saying to the Corinthians, "Look, don't split over human philosophy. The gospel--the revelation of God--is all that is necessary. All the truth that God intends you to have is here. You do not need a human philosopher. " The Word of God stands alone; it needs no additions of worldly wisdom. Paul sets human wisdom against the gospel. In fact, throughout the rest of chapter 1 he uses the word sophia sixteen times. So, this is his main point.
1. Philosophy Threatens God's Revelation
Philosophy has always been a threat to God's revelation. It certainly has never helped God's revelation. You don't need to add human opinion to the divine Word. You don't need to say, "God said such-and-such. . . and I personally would like to add . . . . " No. Once God has said it, it's done being said. You can't say, "In addition to what God has said, I would like to add. . . . "
Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "The whole drift toward modernism that has blighted the church of God and nearly destroyed its living gospel may be traced to an hour when men began to turn from revelation to philosophy. " Now, you may not know much about the history of doctrine or the history of the church, but that is a very accurate statement. The Bible was accepted by people until modernists began to introduce human philosophy. That isn't anything new; they've been doing it ever since the Corinthians did it.
2. Philosophy Dismisses God's Revelation
Let me tell you something else: Whenever philosophy gets mixed with revelation, revelation loses. We call that modernism, but it isn't. There's nothing modern about it.
Let me give you four illustrations of how philosophy dismisses God's revelation:
a. Rationalism
The first five books of the Bible--Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy--were written by one man. Who was that man? Moses. In fact, the Jewish people call these books "the law of Moses" or the "Pentateuch" (Gk. penta=five, teuchos= scroll). About a hundred years ago, a group of men called the rationalists came along with the following criterion for truth: only that which is rational to the human intellect is true. They said, "If something cannot fit into our minds and be conceived by us to be true, then it is not true. " So they looked at the Old Testament and said, "There are several things here we can't understand. First of all, we do not agree that Moses wrote the first five books, because Moses couldn't have known that much information that long ago. The evolution of law came a lot later; he could never have written the Ten Commandments that early. " Well, if Moses did not write that, who did? They said, "J, E, P, and D did. " You say, "Who's that?" This is their explanation: "Every time the word Jehovah appears, it was written by the Jehovah writer. When the word Elohim appears, it was written by the Elohim writer. Then there's the P, which stands for the priestly writer, and then the D, which indicates the person who wrote Deuteronomy.
The only problem is, sometimes the elements of J, E, P, and D are all in the same verse. At that point, the rationalists have a major problem. But they try to get out of it by saying, "There were a lot of editors who came along and edited everything. They're the ones who really wrote it. It wasn't really written by Moses at all. "
Notice, when human philosophy was imposed on revelation, which one lost? Revelation! Incidentally, Moses did write those books. Those people who said there couldn't have been a developed system of law lost their argument not too many years ago when somebody discovered the Code of Hammurabi--a very sophisticated legal system that predates Moses.
b. Theistic Evolution
In Genesis 1, the Bible says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. . . . the first day. . . . the second day. . . . the third day. . . . the fourth day. . . . the fifth day. . . . the sixth day" (vv. 1, 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). Then on the seventh day, God rested. The Bible explicitly states that God created all things. But human philosophy says, "No, the only explanation for the existence of things is evolution. " Well, does the Bible say anything about evolution? Does the word evolution appear in the Bible? No, it doesn't! The Bible does not talk about evolution, human philosophy does. Human philosophy says everything began from a primeval puddle. And in the primeval puddle was a one-celled thing that was very, very distressed about being a one-celled thing. It wanted company, so it split and became two. And then, of course, everything went wild--and here we are! That, in a nutshell (and a limited scientific explanation), is evolution.
The Bible says that God created everything in six days. Evolution says everything originated from a primeval puddle and developed over millions of years. Well, somebody came along and said, "Of course the Bible says everything did emanate from God. I believe that. But I also believe in evolution. " So, he came up with theistic evolution--a conglomerate of both! Theistic evolution believes that God made the puddle, and life evolved from that puddle. Then, once life came to the place of becoming man, God gave him a soul. In other words, God started it, then interjected the soul. The rest was an evolutionary process. This is called progressive creationism, or theistic evolution.
Do you know what happens, again? Philosophy is imposed on revelation, and revelation loses out. We don't need evolution. . . and God certainly doesn't need it, either.
c. Psychology
Today we have a so-called science called "psychology. " However, it is anything but a science! Now, the Bible tells us a lot about how to live, doesn't it? It also tells you a lot about how to get rid of guilt--confess your sin. I never knew any therapy that could do as much as confession could do. I never knew of any psychiatrist who could deliver anybody from sin. But I know Christ can. The Bible says a lot about that. It also says a lot about counseling and exhortation. But what happens is that some people take the Bible and try to combine it with fourteen years of Freudian education. Guess which loses? The Bible. The patterns of life in the Scripture do not need Freud to help them along. God did not need Freud; Freud needed God!
d. The Social Gospel
There are those who say, "I know the Bible teaches the gospel, but we must add to the gospel. " These people created what is called the "social gospel. " You know what happens? Eventually, the true gospel is lost.
Philosophy never did any favors for revelation--ever.
Listen, you don't need human wisdom or human philosophy. All you need is the Word of God. If you know and understand the Word of God, you understand what you need to know, and you have the source of solutions to your problems. You see, there are only two views of anything: man's and God's. Man's view is indulgent, shallow, short-sighted, and unrealistic. It panders to the flesh, elevates desire, supports pride, advocates independence, and makes man the center of everything.
Human philosophy just fulfills Romans 1:25: It changes the truth of God into a lie and worships the creature more than the Creator. Paul says in Romans 1, "The knowledge of God was there. You had the knowledge of God. You had the revelation of God. It was all there. But you imposed human philosophy on it and turned the truth of God into a lie. " Listen, God wants us to accept His revelation, not to split into philosophical factions. Human wisdom added to divine truth renders the cross null and void (1 Cor. 1:17b).
So, in verse 17 Paul launches into a lengthy contrast between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of men.
C. The Confusion Pronounced
Moving on to verse 18, we read, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. " Now notice this verse carefully: ". . . the preaching of the cross is to them that perish [i. e. , `those who are without God, those who are dying in sin, those who will spend eternity in hell, those who do not know God, those for whom God's heart is grieved'] foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. " It's foolishness to them because they have elevated their own philosophies. The cross looks stupid and foolish to them. They have such complex philosophies, that to come along and say, "I want to give you a simple message: God in human flesh died on a cross, paid the penalty for your sin, and by faith in that act and His resurrection you can be saved and your eternal destiny be secured in heaven forever," will get a negative response. The world will say, "How stupid to believe that the death of one man on one hill on one piece of wood at one moment in history is the determining factor of destiny for every man who ever lived! That's ridiculous!" They just can't believe it. It's foolish to them. By the way, the word "foolishness" is the Greek word moron, from which we get moron. It means "moronic, stupid, and silly. "
1. The Contrast
Notice the word "preaching" in verse 18. It's
the Greek word logos, which literally means "the word. " So it literally reads, "For the word of the cross . . . . " In verse 18 we read, "For the word of the cross. . . ," and looking back at verse 17, we read, ". . . the word of wisdom. . . . " Paul contrasts the word of wisdom with the word of the cross. Human wisdom is set against the cross.
2. The Clarification
The phrase "the word of the cross" means "all that is involved in the cross. " The logos is the total revelation. You say, "John, what is the word of the cross?" Did you know that everything before the cross pointed to it and everything after the cross explains it? The word of the cross is the revelation of God.
The revelation of God, which peaks in the cross, is set against the wisdom of men. Paul says that these things are opposite each other. That's why the people who hold to worldly wisdom think that the cross is moronic. But we who are saved know it to be the power of God. This is basically what Paul said in Romans 1:16: "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Even though the world thinks I'm stupid, and even though the philosophers think I'm uneducated, I still am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It may be moronic to them, but it is the power of God to those who believe. "
So, the word of the cross, which looks like foolishness to men, is really the power of God. Men, because of their rationalism, their elevation of the human ego, and their desire for their own philosophies, can't stoop to something as simple as that. It is so simple, in fact, that Jesus Himself said, "Unless you become as a little child, you can't enter the Kingdom" (Lk. 18:17). It is simple. It is not a complex philosophy.
3. The Challenge
When Paul arrived in Corinth, he arrived in a maelstrom of philosophies--a melee of words flying all over Corinth.
What was he going to do? Was he just going to offer another philosophy and get caught in the whirlwind? Look at chapter 2. Beginning with verse 1, he says, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom. . . . For I determined not to know any thing among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (vv. 1-2). Do you know why he said that? Because there was already enough verbiage flying around. He wasn't about to offer them another philosophy; it would just have been another thing to hang on the wall. He wanted to give them something real, not something superficial; something simple, not complex; something historical, not ethereal; something concrete and objective, not subjective and foggy. He preached to them the cross--and kept it up in Corinth for at least eighteen months.
4. The Conclusion
If you study human philosophy, you'll find that every religion man has ever developed (which is all of them except Christianity) is complex. The complexity appeals to his brain-- to his ego. Man won't crush his ego to come down to the level of the cross. When he's told it doesn't matter how smart he is, but that he's saved by faith, he doesn't like it. He doesn't like the cross because it forces him to admit that he's a sinner. That's the problem. The cross is still the issue. God's revelation peaks in the cross. Human philosophy doesn't understand that.
To give you an illustration, even Peter didn't understand the cross.
a. Peter's Opinion Depicted
Peter had a philosophy. Instead of the word philosophy, we could use the word opinion. Peter had an opinion: He thought the Messiah would come and set up His Kingdom and everything would be just rosy. In Matthew 16, when Jesus said, "I'm going to die" (v. 21), do you remember how Peter reacted? "No, Lord. You're not going to die!" (v. 22). Now, one thing revelation doesn't need is Peter's opinion; it was at variance with the truth. Jesus then said to Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan. You've got a satanic philosophy" (v. 23).
Later on in John 18 when the soldiers came to the Garden of Gethsemane to capture Christ, Peter took out his sword and started slashing at the crowd. But Jesus said, "Put that thing away! Haven't you got the message yet?"
b. Peter's Opinion Destroyed
Finally, after the resurrection, Peter understood the cross. In Acts 3 he said, ". . . those things, which God before had shown by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled" (v. 18). When he wrote 1 Peter, he said, "Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree. . . " (2:24). You see, Peter eventually learned the meaning of the cross. But at the beginning, his philosophy (opinion) was at odds with the cross. He couldn't see or understand it. He was like any other Jew. To him, ". . . Christ crucified, unto the Jews [was] a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles [or `Greeks'] foolishness" (1 Cor. 1:23). The cross doesn't fit in to human reason. It can't be rationalized, as if the intellect were supreme.
So, the contrast is established, then, in verses 17 and 18. The cross is the power of God to salvation, and is the source of our salvation. But to the world, steeped in human wisdom, it is moronic. With that as an introduction, in 1:19-2:8 Paul gives five reasons why he considers God's wisdom superior to man's. The first point is. . .
I. GOD'S WISDOM: ITS PERMANENCE (vv. 19-20)
A. Paul's Quote (v. 19)
In verse 19, Paul uses an Old Testament passage to show that man's wisdom will be swept away--that it is very temporary. Quoting Isaiah 29:14, Paul says, "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. "
1. Isaiah's Announcement
a. Its Future Fulfillment
This verse can have a very general ultimate fulfillment. There is coming a day when all of the philosophies of men will be swept away. Christ will reign as King of kings, and all of man's wisdom will become ashes. In the book of Revelation, we read that the Tribulation period will be a time of the disintegration of all of man's wisdom. Isaiah 29:14, however, has more than just a future fulfillment; it had a very interesting meaning at the time that it was given. Like many other prophecies, it has an immediate fulfillment and a future fulfillment.
b. Its Immediate Fulfillment
1) God's Promise Declared
This is the context in which Isaiah 29:14 was given: There was a mighty king named Sennacherib who ruled over a nation called Assyria. The Assyrians wanted to conquer Judah, and made preparations to attack Judah. God, through the prophet Isaiah, said to Judah, "Don't worry; deliverance will come, and Sennacherib will fail in his conquering. But, it won't be because of your wise men--it won't be because of the strategy of the political advisers to King Hezekiah [who was the king of Judah at the time]. You're not going to escape the hand of the Assyrians because of your wisdom. I will protect you Myself because I want to demonstrate to you the impotence and impermanence of human wisdom. When all of your wisdom has run the gamut, I'll just destroy it all. I Myself will do what all of your wisdom couldn't do. " That was quite a promise, because Sennacherib had a huge army.
2) God's Power Displayed
You say, "If God's going to deal with Sennacherib, He's going to have to do a mighty work. " He did. He just called one of His angels, and we read in 2 Kings 19:35 what happened: "And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. " One angel slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand men. The few men remaining rose up early in the morning and found themselves surrounded by all those dead bodies.
Do you know what that says about angels? Don't mess with them. What all of the political advisers and wise men of Judah couldn't do, God did with one angel. He said, "I'll destroy your wisdom--I don't need it. "
God always told Israel that He would fight their battles for them. When Israel marched to battle, the choir often went first so they could be up front singing praises to God. Why? Because they knew God was going to give them the victory. Instead of trying to solve everything by our own ingenuity, we should leave things to God.
By the way, Sennacherib went back later and lived in Nineveh, which was the capital of Assyria. In 2 Kings 19:37 it says, "And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch, his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon, his son, reigned in his stead. " Sennacherib was killed by his own children. God didn't need any of the wisdom of Judah.
2. Paul's Application
Going back to 1 Corinthians 1:19, Paul says, "Look, you know the passage in Isaiah. God never did need human wisdom; God never did need human understanding. "
3. Scripture's Admonishment
a. Proverbs 14:12--"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. " There are always people who want to give their opinion about things. I think one of the reasons that a lot of people won't read the Bible, come to church, or study Christianity is because they don't want to deal with anything that might threaten their philosophy. They'd rather mask themselves and put their head in the sand. They'd rather just keep their fingers crossed and hope that, in the end, they're right.
b. Jeremiah 8:9--"The wise men are ashamed; they are dismayed and taken. Lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?" Listen, if you reject revelation, what wisdom is left? None. God is set against worldly wisdom and philosophy. He even destroyed the philosophy of Judah.
Man's wisdom is also defined in. . .
c. James 3:15--"This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, demoniacal. " This is obviously referring to man's wisdom, not God's wisdom. Man's wisdom does not come from above. Man's wisdom is "earthly" (it doesn't understand supernatural reality), "sensual" (it is based upon human desire and lust), and "demoniacal" (its source is Satan).
According to James 3:15, then, man's wisdom is set against the wisdom of God.
So, Paul says, "It is written, man's wisdom is impermanent; God's wisdom is permanent. "
B. Paul's Questions(v. 20)
1. The First Question (v. 20a)
At the beginning of verse 20, Paul asks a question with three parts: "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age?. . . " In other words, "Where are all the smart people who are going to solve all the problems?"
Human Wisdom Never Solved Anything
People talk so much about how great education is. But we've educated ourselves into problems we can't solve. Of course, we never could solve them. Human wisdom--all of our education--never really solved anything.
You say, "Wait a minute! We used to live in the boondocks, and now we're in cities and homes. " But we're just as rotten now as we were then. We haven't changed; we're just more comfortable. Our immorality isn't committed out in the woods; it's committed in fancy hotels. We just made our sinning a little more accommodating. Human wisdom, throughout the history of man, has never solved any real problem. It just makes us more comfortable with our problems.
a. Regarding the Wise
Paul refers to Isaiah 19:12 when he says, "Where is the wise?. . . " in verse 20. In Isaiah 19, God was talking to Egypt and He said, "Egypt, you're in trouble. You've gone after false gods and worshiped them. You've denied My truth, and are going to be judged. " He prophesied that Egypt's rivers would dry up, that the sea wouldn't give them water anymore, and that all the reeds would be broken. He prophesied that Memphis, the great capital city, would be destroyed. All of those things came to pass. Afterwards, Isaiah 19:12 says, ". . . Where are thy wise men?. . . " In other words, "Who's going to offer the solution to the destruction of Egypt by God?" The answer is: no one. Egypt went seeking for counsel from her soothsayers, mediums, and wizards, and could get no answers.
b. Regarding the Scribe
Paul then says, ". . . Where is the scribe?. . . "
A scribe was a writer. Paul quotes this statement from Isaiah 33:18, which had to do with the Assyrians. The Assyrians, when they sent their army down to Israel, sent scribes along. The scribes were to write out all of the things that the Assyrians took when they conquered Israel. They were to list all the booty and to record all of the tribute that was to be exacted.
Do you know what happened? They didn't take a victory, and the scribes had nothing to write. So, Isaiah says, ". . . Where is the scribe?. . . "
c. Regarding the Disputer
Paul then asks in 1 Corinthians 1:20, ". . . Where is the disputer of this age?. . . " This part of the question doesn't have an Old Testament counterpart. In the Greek, the word "disputer" is used to mean "one who argues about philosophy. " Paul is saying, "Where are your philosophical arguers now? Where are the people versed in philosophy? Where are the people versed in rhetoric? Where are they when you need them? Their wisdom is folly. "
The world is the same way today, too. Who knows any of the answers?
So, to make clear the futility and fatality of human wisdom, Paul sarcastically says, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? You tell me.
What has human philosophy ever contributed to man? What has it ever done to make him nobler? What has it ever done to make his heart better? What has it ever done to lift him up? Nothing!" The wisdom of the world is stupidity when it tries to redeem men and transform sinners. It can't do these things.
2. The Second Question (v. 20b)
Paul says, ". . . Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" God made the world's wisdom look foolish.
Philosophy is foolish. I'm not dismissing ethics, kindness, and love. I'm just saying that none of these human philosophies, no matter how good they appear on the surface, ever get to the real issue--man's eternal soul.
So God, in His wisdom, allowed learned men of the world to seek, by their worldly wisdom, the solutions to man's misery and suffering. Whenever they thought they saw the solution to a problem, they made a philosophy. But do you know what? They never uncovered the secret. They were left without the one thing they needed most--the knowledge of God. They never knew God.
It is only in God that peace, joy, forgiveness, freedom from guilt, meaning to life, and eternal hope can be found. Because all of human philosophy never met God, men never found those things. Paul says that men thought the cross was stupid; but it was their philosophies that were stupid. And so God moves in to do what human wisdom could never do.
That takes us to our second point:
II. GOD'S WISDOM: ITS POWER (vv. 21-25)
Paul says that God's wisdom is superior to man's: first, because of its permanence; and second, because of its power. It is able to do what man's wisdom couldn't do.
A. The Foolishness of God Reaches to Men (v. 21)
"For after that [lit. `for since'], in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. "
Now notice this: He says the world, with all of its wisdom, never knew God. It never reached the ultimate goal of man--to know God. Since man's wisdom couldn't reach God, God reached man--through the cross.
Just think of it: we have had philosophers for ages. What do they know? What have they offered? Wars have increased. Crime and injustice continue to increase. We still have hate, cruelty, mental breakdowns, drugs, alcohol, and many other problems, all of which will never change. Human philosophy hasn't solved any problems. Men cannot attain salvation by their own wisdom. They cannot transform their nature. They cannot know God by their own wisdom. Even man's religions don't succeed--the philosophies of the world come up bankrupt.
So God says, "It shall please Me, with something as basic and silly in their sight as death on a cross, to accomplish what they couldn't accomplish with their philosophies throughout the ages. " Isn't that beautiful?
In 1 Corinthians 3:18 we read, "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this age[i. e. , if any of you think philosophy makes you wise], let him become a fool, that he may be wise. " In other words, it isn't until you come down to the level of the cross that you become truly wise. In verse 19 it says, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. . . . " He takes the wise in their own craftiness. Verse 20 says, ". . . The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. "
1. Ignorant Man Surrounded by the Wisdom of God (v. 21a)
"[Since], in the wisdom of God, the world. . . "
Now that can mean two things: one, that the wise plan of God was to allow the world to go on in its own wisdom. In His wisdom, He permitted the world to follow its own path.
But, there's another potential meaning of the phrase "in the wisdom of God. " It can mean "in the sphere of the wisdom of God. " In other words, man exists surrounded by the wisdom of God. In the midst of the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. Here we are, surrounded by God's wisdom, and ignorant of it. The Bible talks about that in Romans 1: ". . . that which may be known of God is manifest in them. . . " (v. 19).
a. Man's Ignorance in General
God's wisdom is all around men. The invisible things of God can be seen in His creation; but men did not want to retain God in their knowledge. They turned from God, and turned His truth into a lie. They worshiped the creature more than the Creator, and began to worship images (Rom. 1:20-25).
Man is surrounded by the wisdom of God. Every time he looks at a mountain, at his hand, at the stars, or at the intricacies of nature, he sees God's wisdom (Ps. 19:1). But he chooses to live by his own wisdom, rejects God's wisdom, and never knows God. Think about it: The astronomer looks through his telescope and sees stars, but doesn't acknowledge God. The natural scientist studies his biology and botany, but he comes up with the theory of evolution. Religion creates a god who is not God, and then bows to that god.
b. Man's Ignorance in Greece
The Greeks lived in ignorance of God's wisdom, too. Greek philosophy was centered in the great city of Athens. The pinnacle of Athens was the Areopagus (Mars' Hill, which was a law court). In Acts 17 we read that Paul walked up Mars' Hill, where all the Greek philosophers gathered, and saw a great altar there. Inscribed on it was, "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD" (v. 23). Isn't that interesting? With everything that they knew, the one thing they didn't know was the one thing that was the most obvious--God. In the midst of the wisdom of God, as 1 Corinthians 1:21 says, the world by its own wisdom didn't know God. Instead of accepting revelation, they depended on their own wisdom.
2. Inadequate Man Saved by the Wisdom of God (v. 21b)
". . . it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. "
This is the greatest possible blow against all the complexity of human wisdom. God did something so simple, and by it He accomplished what all of the philosophers and wise men of the ages couldn't do. The wisest of the wise men are stupid compared to the simplest message of a wise God.
a. ". . . the foolishness of preaching. . . "
Now notice the word "preaching. " That's a poor translation. It isn't the Greek word euangelizo, meaning "to preach the gospel. " It isn't the word kerusso, meaning "to proclaim. " It is the word kerugmatos, which has nothing to do with the act of preaching, but rather, the content of the message (Gk. kerugma="the message, the content"). What it's saying is this: "It pleased God by the stupidity of the gospel message (the content of the cross) to save them that believe. "
It isn't saying that preaching is foolish. Some preaching is foolish, but that's not the point. The point here is the foolishness of the gospel itself: It seemed so silly, so low, so uncomplicated, so distasteful. To the Jewish people it was a stumbling block. It seemed foolish. But it was that foolish thing--Jesus dying on a cross--that was. . .
b. ". . . to save them that believe. "
You don't have to be smart. Does it say at the end of verse 21, ". . . to save them that are intellectuals"? Does it say, ". . . to save them that have a Ph. D. "? No, it says,". . . to save them that believe. "
God didn't save us because we were smart. It doesn't matter how smart we are--we just need to believe. Faith appropriates what God has done. Faith is the very opposite of human reason unaided by divine revelation. Faith goes beyond the intellect. It puts you right on the same level as everyone else in Christ. That's why you can have a prayer meeting with a college professor, a medical doctor, a laborer, and someone who is disabled all in one group. They can all share together in the same common life, and pray together to the same God. They can experience the same fellowship and the same salvation, because they do not gather on the basis of intellect.
Look a little further on at verses 26-27: ". . . not many wise men. . . not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the foolish things. . . . " Among the people that God calls, there are not many wise, there are not many mighty, and there are not many noble. Most of us are just plain, common folk. God did that purposely to stand as a rebuke for all time against human wisdom. God never needed it in the past; He doesn't need it now. All that is needed is the cross. Those who believe in the cross are saved--that's all it takes. That's the message of salvation.
Focusing on the Facts
1. What is the first problem that Paul deals with in the book of 1 Corinthians?
2. What was the cause of division in the Corinthian church?
3. What does "the gospel" refer to in 1 Corinthians 1:17? What is it that Paul contrasts to the gospel?
4. What criterion for truth did the rationalists set? What is the result of imposing human philosophy on God's revelation?
5. Explain what theistic evolution teaches. How can psychology undermine the Bible?
6. What does human philosophy do, according to Romans 1:25?
7. ". . . the preaching of the cross" is better translated, "the word of the cross. " What is the definition of "the word of the cross"? What does it mean to the world? What does it mean to the saved?
8. First Corinthians 1:19 is quoted from Isaiah 29:14. What is the future fulfillment of this prophetic passage? What was its immediate fulfillment?
9. What was Paul trying to tell the Corinthians by quoting Isaiah 29:14?
10. According to James 3:15, where does man's wisdom not come from? What does James 3:15 describe human wisdom as?
11. To sum up 1 Corinthians 1:19, Paul is saying, in effect, "It is written, man's wisdom is ________, God's wisdom is ________.
12. What three questions does Paul ask in 1 Corinthians 1:20a, and what do they mean?
13. Has human wisdom ever solved any problems? Has man ever changed? What has man really done about his sin?
14. Human wisdom has ________ solved any real problem; it just makes us more ________ with our problems.
15. None of man's philosophies get to the real issue in life; they are superficial. What is the real issue?
16. Could man in his own wisdom reach God? Why or why not? How did God reach man?
17. What two things could the phrase "in the wisdom of God" mean? Which is it more likely to mean (1 Cor. 1:21a)?
18. In the phrase "the foolishness of preaching," Paul isn't talking about preaching or proclaiming the gospel. What is he's talking about (1 Cor. 1:21b)?
19. What is the only thing one needs to do to become saved? Is salvation in any way related to one's intellect? Why or why not?
Pondering the Principles
1. The division in the Corinthian church was caused by those within the church holding on to varying philosophies they had adhered to prior to their salvation. There are churches today hurt by division, often caused by such things as misinterpretations of the Bible and differences of opinion. Such division, however, is unbiblical. To see the importance of oneness in the church, read 1 Corinthians 12:12-14. How does verse 12 describe the body of Christ? According the verse 13, how were we brought into the body of Christ? Does it matter what our background is? Compare verse 14 with verses 4-11 of this chapter. What are the differences that will exist in the body? Verse 7 tells us that the different spiritual gifts of the body are for the common good of everyone. In verses 4, 5, 6, and 11, note the common denominators that work in all of us. With that in mind, can you see now how the source of all disunity is man himself? Read Philippians 2:1-4, and ask yourself if what it says is true in your life. Are there problems that are dividing the people in your church or fellow Christian friends that you know? Ask God for the opportunity to share these verses with those who need to hear them.
2. Paul preached Christ "not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect" (1 Cor. 1:17b). Paul's point here is that the revelation of God does not need human wisdom added to it. Have you ever heard someone say, "I agree with what the Bible says, but I also believe such-and-such a philosophy to be true," or, "God said this, and I'd like to add. . . "? Read Psalm 19:7-10; 119:160; Proverbs 30:5a; and Matthew 24:35. How is the Word of God described in those verses? Read Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19. What happens to the person who adds to the Word of God? Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17. For what is the Word of God profitable? According to verse 17, what was God's purpose in giving man the Scriptures? Knowing this, why can we be confident that the Bible need not be supplemented with man's wisdom?
Comments (2)
Comments are closed.