Ancient Wisdom or Modern Foolishness

 

Jeremiah 6:16; 8:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (texts)

January 4, 2014 •  Download this sermon (PDF)

Introduction

Dear Congregation of Christ: On this first Lord’s Day of the year 2015, our minds are definitely thinking about what God has in store for us. Is it prosperity or hardship? Sickness or health? Happiness or sorrow? Life or death? Is this the year I will find whom the Lord has for me as a wife or husband? Is this the year that God will provide a new pastor for our church? Will there be peace and progress, or war and economic depression in our country and in the world? So much uncertainty and anxiety in our minds.

In the past, we have meditated on planning for the coming days, months and years. The apostle James has the most excellent counsel for all of us, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring… Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (Jas 4:13-15”).

crossroads1“If the Lord wills”: this short saying must always be part of all our plans, big and small. We Reformed have a term for this, “D.V.” or “Deo volente.” James tells us that this is part of wisdom from heaven, from God himself. Any thought or plan that does not include a plea for God’s help is not wisdom from above: it is “earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (Jas 3:15). And the result of this worldly wisdom is bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, boasting, falsehood, disorder and wickedness (Jas 3:13-16).

In our text, the Apostle Paul also contrasts two kinds of wisdom: wisdom of God, and wisdom of man, which he calls “foolishness.” These are infinitely different and diametrically opposed to each other. Even the Greek words used for wisdom and foolishness are very different. Wisdom is the word sophia, a beautiful girl’s name. And foolishness is the word moros, from which we get the English word “moron.”

Our theme this afternoon is Ancient Wisdom or Modern Foolishness under three headings: (1) Man: The Wisdom of the World; (2) Christ: The Wisdom of God; and (3) Boasting: In Worldly Wisdom or in the Lord.

Man: The Wisdom of the World

Why is the wisdom from God the all-important wisdom in our lives, whether in 2015 or in all the years of our lives? Paul transitions from rebuking the church in Corinth because of divisions to his discussion about wisdom and foolishness in verse 17, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” Human eloquence, even the use of highfalutin words are of no use to God. Whether it is Paul, Apollos, or Cephas preaching, the only thing that matters is the good news of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for their sins. The power of God is in the message, the gospel of Christ’s perfect life, death and resurrection, not in the messenger. We know that there were many people among the Corinthians who prided in their speakers’ eloquence and rhetoric, so much so that they criticized Paul for his lack of speaking skills (2 Cor 10:10).

What are the characteristics of man’s so-called wisdom?

In contrast to unbelievers, Paul says that “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing” (verse 18). To unbelievers, the good news of the cross of Christ is foolishness. They ridicule the Christian faith as foolishness, when they themselves are “morons” or “fools” in the sight of God. The end of this rebellious fools is destruction. So in verse 19, Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14, where the prophet judges the Israelites for their evil hearts and deeds, pretending to be wise and discerning. Why are they judged? “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men” (Isa 29:13). As James says, they are merely hearers of the Word, not doers.

Among these foolish people are the “scribe,” the “wise,” and the “debater” of this age (verse 20). These are people who pride in their godless arguments. Even when they use Scripture, they twist it for their own shameful gain and claim to popularity. How often we see them in their blogs and Facebook posts, glorifying in their fame. If the motivation of the post is to edify and impart true knowledge in humility, then it is God’s wisdom. But it is displeasing to God if they have false humility in their arrogant claims, when in fact, they have little knowledge of Scriptures, because “the world did not know God through wisdom” (verse 21). How often do we see unbelievers challenge us to a debate about God and the Bible? They do not know their foolish hearts when they say, “There is no God” (Psa 14:1). There is no point in engaging them, because only the Holy Spirit can persuade them of their eternal destiny in hell. Therefore, the best thing to do is to pray that the Spirit will regenerate their hearts.

Like Jews, people who rely on their own “wisdom” demand signs. But even in most churches, many take most pleasure in spectacular signs and wonders, miracles, and speaking in tongues. All they want to get in their churches are fireworks, hip pastors, spectacles and other displays of human creativity. If you wanted your church to shrink, how about preaching the Word of God, the gospel of the cross, and salvation from sin and hell? These are “stumbling blocks” or “scandals” to their desires. Many will be turned off.

Like pagans, those who visit our church will say that Reformed worship is obsolete. What kind of foolishness is the Reading of the Law and Confession of Sin? What kind of boring songs do we sing? How can the creeds written 500 years ago be relevant for me in this high-tech age? Aren’t the Psalms sung by people who lived 3,000 years ago, so how can they make me a better person, or find me a job, or make my relationships better?

But Paul’s sober warning against those who live according to worldly standards is this: if they think they are wise and strong and are boastful of their knowledge, their “wisdom” will be destroyed (19), and will be shamed by the power and wisdom of God in Christ (26-29). In many Reformed circles, the standard of the arrogant is how many books one has read and how many famous authors they can quote with the blink of an eye. But Paul warns, “This ‘knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know” (1 Cor 8:1b-2).

Christ: The Power and Wisdom of God

In contrast to human wisdom—which is in reality foolishness—the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16). It is by this wisdom of the gospel that believers do not perish, but are saved from sin and destruction in hell. Why? Because, even the unbelievers’ ignorance of the gospel of Christ is from God. It is only because God has revealed Christ to believers—and not to unbelievers whom God passes by—that we are saved.

It is only through the preaching of Christ crucified that believers are called, regenerated, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. And how do unbelievers see this kind of preaching? They see it as a stumbling block to their pleasures, and worse, as foolishness! Who wants to hear about a bloody crucifixion, condemnation and eternal hell? The Jews looked at the crucified Jesus, and laughed, saying, “How can a dead Messiah save Israel from the yoke of the Roman oppressors?” But like Jews, many people today scoff at the doctrine of a powerful Messiah dying on the cross. Many even reject the idea of One person dying for the many.

And those who reject the gospel of Christ ridicule us Christians as weak and powerless. Only those who are weak and foolish, lowly and despised, and shameful can believe in a crucified Savior who died in the most shameful way invented by man. Some in the Corinthian church even boasted of their “noble birth”: ancestry, accomplishment, or even affiliation with the rich, powerful and famous. Those who believe in the wisdom of the cross certainly have none of these “noble” connections.

But God chose to have nothing to do with the standards of the world, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” (verse 27a). All the magicians and wise men of Egypt could not interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, but a lowly Hebrew slave in prison shamed them in accurately interpreting those dreams. So Pharaoh appointed Joseph to be his vice-regent over Egypt, saying, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are” (Gen 41:39). The wise men of Israel all looked forward to the coming Messiah, but when he was born, he was first announced to lowly, despised shepherds.

He chose the weak to shame the strong, an allusion to the “weakness” of the crucified Christ shaming the “noble” and “strong” Jews and Romans when he arose from the grave and appeared to many. This theme of reversal of worldly status is a common theme in Scriptures. The psalmist exudes the same confidence in the LORD, “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger” (Psa 8:2). Israel was seen by its enemies as weak, but the LORD made them strong as they conquered the mighty Egyptians, Canaanites and Philistines. He chose a lowly shepherd over a mighty, handsome warrior to be king of Israel. The good news is preached to the poor in spirit, the brokenhearted, and the captives to sin (Isa 61:1; Luke 4:18). The mighty will be brought low, but the humble will be exalted; the hungry will be satisfied, but the rich will be depraved (Luke 1:52-53).

In short, God uses those who are of no account and things that are of no significance for accomplishing his purpose: to save his people from their sins through a humble, insignificant, despised Jesus Christ. And to those who are called to believe, this Christ is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (verse 24).

Boasting: In Worldly Wisdom or in the Lord

How is Christ the power and wisdom of God? Because he accomplished God’s wise counsel and purpose to save a people for himself. Therefore, Christ is our “wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (verse 30). He is Wisdom himself, the Wisdom of the Book of Proverbs personified. He is not the “knowledge” that the Corinthians boast about, nor the “secret knowledge” of the Gnostics.

Not only is he our Wisdom. He is also our righteousness. Because he lived a perfectly righteous life, his sinless life and his righteous works are counted to us. Christ the “righteous Branch” of David is called, “The LORD is our righteousness” (Jer 23:5-6). In Christ who had no sin, we became “the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Therefore, God declares all believers in Christ as perfectly righteous, saving us from sin and destruction.

Christ was also raised from the dead for our sanctification, so we “might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4). The Spirit set us apart from all unbelievers, and as saints, the Spirit also transforms us daily into the image of Christ.

Therefore, Christ is called our Redeemer. He bought us from slavery to sin in order that we may be righteous before him, and that we may become “a new creation” walking in righteousness and holiness.

The whole of salvation is from the wisdom of God through Christ who is also our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. His work on the cross for our salvation is finished, complete and perfect. There is nothing we can add to it; nothing else needed. Can any human being say that he has any contribution to his salvation? Faith? Repentance? No, for even these are gifts from the Holy Spirit. Free will? No, for we were all slaves to sin, obeying only what our master Satan commands. God chose the humble and despised Christ “to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast” (verse 30).

Dear friends, this year 2015, let us always be mindful that all our salvation is from the wisdom of God and Christ. Therefore, all our plans and goals are to be subject to God’s wisdom. We might get upset when our plans do not go through, but God is wiser and mightier than all of us. We can trust that in his wisdom that he will do all things for your good, no matter how bleak things might be at times.

God’s wisdom and power are found in his Word alone. And the Bible is at least 2,000 years old. Is there any other book in the world that gives us wisdom, even when it was written thousands of years ago? Is there any other book in the world that has the power to save people from sin and hell? None. This is why Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” Only this ancient Word can direct us to the good way to walk in it. Only this ancient book can give rest to your weary pilgrim souls. No high-tech movie, no modern book, no blog, no Facebook post can give wisdom that saves and sanctifies.

And to those of you who has a higher regard for your own wisdom and power rather than the wisdom and power of God, think again. How many times have your best plans for your life turned out to be bad for you in the end? How many times have your “best friend” turned out to be bad company? How many times have the bad things in your life turned out to be “blessings in disguise”? It is because God is wiser and mightier than you. Trust in the wisdom of God and Christ. Believe and trust in Jesus alone and you will be saved from sin, from trusting in people who are not trustworthy, and in things that are not dependable.

Only Jesus Christ is trustworthy and dependable because he alone is the wisdom and power of God.


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