Daily Scripture Reading 1Corinthians 1:26 - 2:16
The conventional wisdom in the world today is that God is a myth, the universe and everything in it came into existence via evolution, sexual freedom is good, abortion is an acceptable choice, and all forms of marriage deserve approval. Our culture considers those ideas to be wise, academic, sophisticated, and civilized. When we Christians proclaim Biblical truths that contradict all those ideas, the world treats us as foolish, archaic, oppressive, and evil.
In today’s passage, we will see that although the world regards Christianity as being silly, stupid, and senseless, the truth is our belief system is the true wisdom.
At the end of the passage we read yesterday, Paul began contrasting the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God. The cross of Christ is foolishness to those who are perishing, but the foolishness of God is wiser than men.
1Cor. 1:26 ¶ For consider your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.
Amongst the church in Corinth, there were not many people who the world would consider wise, mighty, or noble.
1Cor. 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
1Cor. 1:28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may abolish the things that are,
1Cor. 1:29 so that no flesh may boast before God.
There are many people in the world today who deny the existence of God and insist everything in the universe came into existence by chance via a process called evolution. The conventional wisdom of our culture also proclaims that it is enlightened to believe in sexual freedom, including the right to marry someone of the same sex. Some people do not even acknowledge the differences between male and female.
While the world considers all those beliefs to be wise and intelligent, the reality is they lead to unhappiness and will not save people from eternal condemnation.
Those who become Christians are regarded as fools by our world, but Christians are the only ones who will spend eternity in heaven instead of eternity in hell. Therefore, while Christians endure scorn and derision on earth because of our belief system, eternity will demonstrate the correctness of our claims.
1Cor. 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
The only way to be saved from an eternity in the lake of fire is to believe in the resurrection of Jesus and make Him Lord of your life.
1Cor. 1:31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
This is a quote from Jeremish 9:24. In this passage, Jeremiah quoted Yahweh proclaiming that the reason Israel was in ruins was because the Israelites had forsaken the Law of Yahweh and followed their own wisdom and desires. Yahweh did not want men to boast in themselves. Instead, they were to boast that they knew Yahweh.
Likewise, today, men cannot save themselves, they must believe in Jesus in order to be saved.
1Cor. 2:1 ¶ And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the witness of God.
Those who deny the existence of God and believe in evolution use big words and fancy theories to describe their beliefs, and they sound very intelligent. Paul did not use those tactics to preach to the Corinthians.
1Cor. 2:2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
Paul spoke the truth about Jesus, His crucifixion, and His resurrection.
1Cor. 2:3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
1Cor. 2:4 and my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
1Cor. 2:5 so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Paul performed miracles in order to prove the power of God. Paul wanted the Corinthians to be servants of Jesus because they believed He is God, not because there was a fancy, intelligent-sounding philosophy convincing them to follow Jesus.
1Cor. 2:6 ¶ Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature, a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are being abolished.
1Cor. 2:7 But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom which has been hidden, which God predestined before the ages to our glory,
1Cor. 2:8 which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
True wisdom is the worldview proclaimed in the Bible.
1Cor. 2:9 But just as it is written,
“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
1Cor. 2:10 But to us God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
1Cor. 2:11 For who among men knows the depths of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
1Cor. 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the depths graciously given to us by God,
1Cor. 2:13 of which depths we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual depths with spiritual words.
The world has the so-called wisdom of men. Christians have the wisdom of God because we have the Spirit of God.
1Cor. 2:14 ¶ But a natural man does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually examined.
Since the world considers Christianity to be foolishness, it is difficult for non-Christians to apprehend the truth.
1Cor. 2:15 But he who is spiritual examines all things, yet he himself is examined by no one.
1Cor. 2:16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL DIRECT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
So-called intelligent people who are opposed to Jesus think they are wise and enlightened. However, true wisdom is the ideas and beliefs recorded in the Bible.
What are other philosophies espoused by the world that contradict the teachings in the Bible?
What are tactics used by the world to shame Christians regarding our beliefs and pressure us to either renounce Biblical beliefs or be silent about them?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”