“20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that 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. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: (1 Cor.1:20-22)
With all the wisdom the Greeks & Egyptians had, with all the wisdom of all the cultures of all mankind in its totality. In the wisdom of God they NEVER found God. The late Dr. Walter Martin said, “The golden ages of Greece lead the Greeks to Plato’s philosophy, utter disaster, moral chaos, and multiple-polytheistic worship. They came up with a god for everything under the sun and one for the sun itself. Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, were the gods they conceived yet they each had human characteristics, including sin, and could overcome and be overcome by humanity.” The totality of man’s wise efforts to find God, ended up in divine bankruptcy. And to rephrase Paul’s sarcastic words towards the ungodly, “In the wisdom of God the world by wisdom couldn’t get itself arrested.” It couldn’t find out anything about God.
I love the dialog in Matthew 16, where Jesus asks His twelve, “But who do you say that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’. 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father which is in heaven’”. Although it is logical and completely reasonable to believe in God, the revelation of God does not come through flesh and blood, not through the wisdom of this world. What is the difference between the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God? Perhaps the following illustration will shed light on this subject.
The Sinking Ship (Taken from the Evidence Bible)
Imagine for a moment that you are standing on the seashore gazing at a large ocean liner. The sun is shining. There is no wind and the sea is calm. To your amazement, about thirty people suddenly dive off the end of the ship and cling to a lifeboat. You shake your head in disbelief at their foolishness. Then without warning, the great ocean liner strikes an iceberg and suddenly sinks, taking all on board with it. Those who looked like fools in abandoning the ship were actually wise, and those who seemed wise by staying on board were, in truth, fools. The world scoffs at those who abandon the ship of this world and cling to the lifeboat of the Savior. But Christians know that this great pleasure-cruiser will eventually come into contact with the immovable iceberg of the Law of God, sink into hell . . . and take all those on board with it.
1. God makes foolish the wisdom of this world.
2. The world’s wisdom does not lead to God.
3. God is pleased when His “foolish” Gospel is preached toward those that believe.
4. Some seek a sign but yet cannot see the “sign” of the Cross.
5. Some seek worldly wisdom to try to know God, but it does not lead to Him.
6. Knowing God comes through a Divine revelation.
God has given His wisdom to His children. He desires His children to appropriate that wisdom to serve Him with one’s whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. God’s wisdom is acquired through conforming to His will. What will you do to walk in His wisdom today?
Until the nets are filled…Blessings, Pastor Phil <><
He Has Magnified His Word 