1 Corinthians 1:18-25 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, which read,
v.18, 19 - For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside."
Paul has been writing to the Christians in Corinth about the sin of pride and elevating themselves over others rather than elevating Jesus. This sin of pride is causing division in the church and many are grouping up and using holy men's names and even Jesus' name to show how important "they" are. Paul is going to go all out again with who Jesus is and He alone.
I can't help but think about the two thieves on the crosses on each side of Jesus who was also on a cross. They both started by thinking it was foolish for Jesus to be there and ridiculed Him. They thought they were wise in their opinions and clever with words along with the majority of those who were throwing insults at Jesus. But one of the thieves or criminals saw Jesus for who He truly was. The cross was not foolish anymore but it became the power of God for his salvation. "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." I have to notice here also in light of our Sunday morning emphasis on sowing that it is the "word" of the cross. Here is again the emphasis that something is spoken (sowed) of Jesus that is used by God and orchestrated by God to lead to salvation.
v.20, 21 - Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater 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 come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
Paul is asking a lot of questions here about those who think they have all the answers, the wise, and those who think they have all the right answers, the scribes, and those who want to argue over those answers, the debaters. In the midst of the church, those types of people will vanish because we drop the ways of the world to take on the ways of God. We drop our answers for His answers and we drop our so-called righteousness for His righteousness and we drop our arguments for His solution.
It is interesting here that God is "well-pleased" with the process of the human side of what is happening in the process of salvation, that we come to Christ by belief or faith. There is this time on our end when we recognize the call of God, that has been there from before time began, on our lives and we step toward Him and then fall in behind Him to follow in His direction. God is "well-pleased" that because the message looks like foolishness to some and what the world would call wise that the true believer would go against that to follow Christ.
v.22-24 - For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
What the world, represented by the Jews and the Greeks, was looking for is what Paul was preaching about through the cross of Christ. Jesus was the sign that the Jews were looking for. Jesus was the wisdom that the Greeks were looking for. The cross of Christ was the element that tripped them up. The Jews wanted some other sign than the cross of Christ, maybe something big and spectacular. The Greeks wanted to argue to come to a conclusion or be the winners of the argument rather than total surrender to solution of the cross.
v.25 - Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Paul concludes that if you were going to call God foolish then His foolishness would still be wiser than man and if you were going to call God weak then His weakness would still be stronger than man. How does all this work? How do I see God for who He is in the midst of the wisdom of the world? Because you were "called." With the signification of Jews and Greeks, Paul is staying that people of all nations of the world are being "called" by Christ to see Him for who He is, the Savior of the world. Jesus is your sign and Jesus is your wisdom. Now what you used to believe and follow seems as foolishness in light of the cross. A transformation has happened and is still happening in your life.
"Lord, I don't know how to thank You enough that I see the cross for what it is and You for who You are. My response to You is to share that message of the cross with the world You have placed around me. I know that some with think it foolish and not wise in the culture that we live in but some who are called will accept the word of the cross as true meaning and true life. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.18, 19 - For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside."
Paul has been writing to the Christians in Corinth about the sin of pride and elevating themselves over others rather than elevating Jesus. This sin of pride is causing division in the church and many are grouping up and using holy men's names and even Jesus' name to show how important "they" are. Paul is going to go all out again with who Jesus is and He alone.
I can't help but think about the two thieves on the crosses on each side of Jesus who was also on a cross. They both started by thinking it was foolish for Jesus to be there and ridiculed Him. They thought they were wise in their opinions and clever with words along with the majority of those who were throwing insults at Jesus. But one of the thieves or criminals saw Jesus for who He truly was. The cross was not foolish anymore but it became the power of God for his salvation. "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." I have to notice here also in light of our Sunday morning emphasis on sowing that it is the "word" of the cross. Here is again the emphasis that something is spoken (sowed) of Jesus that is used by God and orchestrated by God to lead to salvation.
v.20, 21 - Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater 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 come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
Paul is asking a lot of questions here about those who think they have all the answers, the wise, and those who think they have all the right answers, the scribes, and those who want to argue over those answers, the debaters. In the midst of the church, those types of people will vanish because we drop the ways of the world to take on the ways of God. We drop our answers for His answers and we drop our so-called righteousness for His righteousness and we drop our arguments for His solution.
It is interesting here that God is "well-pleased" with the process of the human side of what is happening in the process of salvation, that we come to Christ by belief or faith. There is this time on our end when we recognize the call of God, that has been there from before time began, on our lives and we step toward Him and then fall in behind Him to follow in His direction. God is "well-pleased" that because the message looks like foolishness to some and what the world would call wise that the true believer would go against that to follow Christ.
v.22-24 - For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
What the world, represented by the Jews and the Greeks, was looking for is what Paul was preaching about through the cross of Christ. Jesus was the sign that the Jews were looking for. Jesus was the wisdom that the Greeks were looking for. The cross of Christ was the element that tripped them up. The Jews wanted some other sign than the cross of Christ, maybe something big and spectacular. The Greeks wanted to argue to come to a conclusion or be the winners of the argument rather than total surrender to solution of the cross.
v.25 - Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Paul concludes that if you were going to call God foolish then His foolishness would still be wiser than man and if you were going to call God weak then His weakness would still be stronger than man. How does all this work? How do I see God for who He is in the midst of the wisdom of the world? Because you were "called." With the signification of Jews and Greeks, Paul is staying that people of all nations of the world are being "called" by Christ to see Him for who He is, the Savior of the world. Jesus is your sign and Jesus is your wisdom. Now what you used to believe and follow seems as foolishness in light of the cross. A transformation has happened and is still happening in your life.
"Lord, I don't know how to thank You enough that I see the cross for what it is and You for who You are. My response to You is to share that message of the cross with the world You have placed around me. I know that some with think it foolish and not wise in the culture that we live in but some who are called will accept the word of the cross as true meaning and true life. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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