Jesus the wisdom of God

1.Cor 1:18-31. Christ God’s wisdom – and power. (Who is wise God or the world).

In verses 1-9 Paul and Sosthenes, has been reminding the Corinthians about who God is. Who and what Jesus Crist has done, and who they are in Christ. Paul has expressed that he constant gives thanks for the grace that God had given the Corinthians, that they by grace know Jesus Christ, and was given all that they need in Him. Encouraging them that God is faithful, and that Jesus Christ would keep them blameless on the day when the Lord Jesus comes again. 

Paul also had to address the way the Corinthians were dividing in to groups, of preference and personal connections, choosing to follow different people, and missing that all that are in Christ Jesus are to bare his name only and follow him. Paul addressed: it is not the wisdom of the world and eloquent rhetorical speeches that makes people know Jesus, but the power of the cross of Christ. The good news is the gospel is; that God showed his love for people and send his son, by Jesus’ life and death and resurrection, in that people can be made new in Jesus Christ. (Made right with God, made Holy, and bought free)

Today Paul will encourage the Corintins to look to Jesus for wisdom. Paul wilk discus the word’s wisdom and the wisdom of God. That was very relevant then and also now in our time. (As I often say the word of God the bible; is as relevant now as it always has been).

As I talked about in the introduction, they were many opportunities for people in Corinth to worship many different gods and to seek wisdom from many different people and places, and listen to many debaters and rhetoric skilled people that could argue their case.  

Paul contraststhe wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world. First by writing that the massage about Jesus’ cross is foolishness /moria – stupid, folly, for the people that are lost and being destroyed.

(A small pause that is true today, right people ether know it shows God’s power or think it is kind of stupid).

But to us who are being saved/delivered -it is the power of God. But to us who have see it, believed it is wonderful, shows how God can save and can bring us back to God.   

Paul will now lay out his argument by citing from Isaiah (the book Paul cites the most) and Jermiah and Jesus. 29:14 Where God people have rejected God, and their worship was only lip service they had rejected God and his word, and was remaking God in their image – thinking they were wise. And also citing Jermiah 8:9. Where people have rejected the word of God, and God will shame them and send them to exile, they were too wise in their own eyes to listen to the word of God. (Exalting themselves over God, thinking they were wised, became fools).

20) Paul is asking where are the wise? Where is the scribe (the well-educated) Where is the debater of this age? (Then like today: people that say many things sound wise – today called experts in this and that, influencers, media people, sports people famous people, people on social media – never have there been so many people that sound or think they are wise, reaching many people with their “wisdom”, that in most cases is foolishness). God making people’s minds lift them self against God, thinking they are smarter wiser that God, - and that would make them pretty foolish.  Any one that believes they are wiser that God shows they are a fool. Paul asks has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world? I mean how or what do you mean Paul?

21) Paul: God choses in his wisdom, that the world did not get to know God through worlds wisdom, instead God used the folly of what “We” preached, to save/deliver those who believe. (The good news is a very simple massage of Jesus Christ Lord savior, you don’t need a math, philosophical, geology, astrology, degree to know and believe in God and his word and Jesus his son, small children can understand, by faith grace simple words for many then, and now. Too simple some would say, there must be more a secret knowledge, something more complex. Likely because people’s hearts don’t what to know the truth of God, instead then and now people make up their own god, and a system that points to that. Rejecting God, the creator, and becoming a wise fool, that make up things to make sense of the word).

22 What does the people of the world want: Jews signs, and Greek’s wisdom of the world,

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block for Jews (Jesus said he would be a stumbling block, like Isaiah 8.14 had said and Peter also cites that), and folly to nations/ethnos why would and should the son of God die on a cross? Why should son save by dyeing? He should concur and reign.  Preaching to that crowd/people seems like folly because the people are set against it from the beginning. But the good news is that those called, both Jews, and Greeks, to them Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. (What was not gained by the words wisdom, was found in Christ power of God and wisdom of God, it the power of God by the Holy Spirt, that opened people to understand Jesus Christ and his work, despised and rejected but the wisdom of God).

25 Seems to be a rhetorical move of absurd, God foolishness is wiser that men, (the point being that God is so fare wiser that men, - not that God is foolish). The same is used with weakness of God, that is stronger that any man. (not that God is weak, but to set it in perspective, any perceived weakness is still stronger than all men).  I think Paul is writing this to make the people think, and have their view of God made larger, and the view of people and their strength and wisdom, set in right place – fools and weak, beyond measure compared to God. (You are not God and you are not even remotely close to being God). I am so wise, not even close, to who God is and how wise God is. I am strong, not compared to God. Arrogant and unwise, - is what you are if you boast before God or men. Of wisdom and strength. (And if you are it was a gift from God, why do you boast? You did not give it to yourself the gift, you did not make yourself, skill abilities are gifts). (I don’t have the right to boast in me, in what I got by grace).

In 26 consider how and where you were, when God called you, not many were wise in the world, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. (Some were).

27-29. God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and the weak to shame the strong. The low despised to bring all to see: there is no human, that can bring a boast before God, no human can say to God look at me I am so wise I am so Good, I am so skilled and powerful, - nothing can be taken to boast in front of God’s presences. 

30) God made it possible to be in Christ, - you are in Christ Jesus is the encouragement, Jesus that became wisdom from God (beginning of wisdom is found in Jesus), giving right standing with God, Jesus their righteousness, (Have right standing before God ), sanctification made holy, and redemption paid free, by Jesus Christ work and blood. Therefore it is not the wisdom and accomplishments of people that make us able to stand with God, no it is Christ life and work, death, resurrection, - and his coming back. (they or we should not boast in our self but in God).

31 boasts in the Lord, not yourself, your own wisdom (not the divisions you made, who baptized you, who led you to Christ), but in Jesus Christ the wisdom of God, that made a way for redemption, being made right with God and made Holy in Jesus Christ. 

This is freedom in Christ Jesus, not that we were wise, that Jesus is, not that we save ourself, that Jesus does, not that we redeem ourself that Jesus does. (We and they did not have to be smart or intelligent enough, to find the secret wisdom, not it was and is found in Jesus Christ.)

How much are we listing to the wisdom of the world – our own wisdom? – How much do we stand in Jesus and his wisdom. And what difference has it made? Trusting in our own self leads to arrogance and pride or despair. Self-righteousness, in stead of trusting in Christ Jesus as Paul wrote: his righteousness, - trusting in Jesus to make us holy and sanctified and to redeem us.  If we do trust in Jesus for that I would mean we would boast in Gods work and not ours or some wisdom of the word. But in Jesus Christ as Paul is pointing to  and what the world wisdom rejected in many cultures, that cross of Jesus that is the power of God to save, - I say many times, that theology is not dusty and old it is very practical, what we believe about God comes out as we life, hands feet, mouth, it is not a matter of knowledge it is a matter of knowing so it is trusted and lived out what we believe about God.

Do I you need to repent of pride, wanting to be wise in other people eyes? And I know some of you and me have jobs where people expect us to be wise, - but where is the wisdom from? And who gets the credit?

Boasting in myself and my mind and good works, my gifts to bring me praise? Am I living for Jesus in him for his glory or I am I looking to get that from people. Why boast if it is gift? Why praise of men when we can praise God? And hear from him well done good and faithful servant, that in Jesus we are righteous, holy, and redeemed.