Foolishness

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1:18. We will read the text today in three different parts, so just keep your seats and follow along in your copy of God’s Holy Word:

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 NIV

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Foolish Message

For about a year and a half, Paul was in the city of Corinth, a large, thriving port city fixated on a certain social hierarchy—the wise and influential were at the top.

Just listen to some of the Corinthian catch-phrases of that day:

“The wise man is king.”

“To the wise man, all things belong.”

The citizens of Corinth weren’t obsessed with wisdom alone; it’s clear “the Greeks were intoxicated with fine words”—concerned not so much with the truth of what what said as they were with the articulacy and cleverness with which it was said.

It was among these people—the best and the brightest, the wisdom-obsessed, the eloquent and articulate—it was among these people that Paul came preaching.

He came preaching the gospel, the Good News about Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:17 NIV

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Paul came to these wise Corinthians with a message they would not get; a message that was not geared to their sensibilities; a message that was the opposite of their conception of wisdom.

The message of the cross—preaching Christ crucified—is a foolish message. From a worldly perspective, the message of the cross, the word (the logos) of the cross is completely backwards and upsidedown. It makes no sense. It’s illogical.

N.T. Wright: “The Christian Good News is all about God dying on a garbage-heap at the wrong end of the Empire. It’s all about God babbling nonsense to a room full of philosophers. It’s all about the true God confronting the world of their power and prestige and overthrowing it in order to set up His own kingdom—a kingdom in which the weak and the foolish find themselves just as welcome as the strong and the wise, if not more so. Think back to Jesus and the people He befriended. And ask: “Isn’t Paul merely being utterly loyal to His master?”

There’s a very real contrast between worldly wisdom and the wisdom of God.

Wisdom is the word sophia. Sophisticated, Sophomore, Philosopher—all related words.

Paul makes clear what has always been the case (he quotes from the old prophet Isaiah) proclaiming the age-old truth: God’s way stands in contrast with human wisdom.

People always think their way is right, but God confutes their “wisdom”; He reduces their systems to nothing.

There’s a very real contrast between worldly wisdom and the wisdom of the world.

Paul’s not combatting good advice:“Change the oil in your car and rotate your tires, eat your vegetables, speak when you’re spoken to...”; what Paul is combatting is what we must take a stand against here and now: the assumption that there’s any way to know God but through the message of the cross.

God—in His wisdom—chose to save people by the way of the cross and by no other way.

1 Corinthians 1:21 NIV

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

God was pleased...

This is God’s free and sovereign choice. It was never God’s plan that people should come to know Him by their exercise of wisdom. Corinthians, Greeks, New Yorkers, Rich Hill-ians, sophisticates—no one could ever logic their way into a relationship with God.

God was pleased to reveal Himself in a much different way, a way that would seem the height of foolishness. Paul even calls it that—through the foolishness of what was preached.

God reveals Himself and the way of salvation—the only way of salvation—through the crucified Lamb of God.

To the natural man, the message of the cross doesn’t make a lick of sense. The message preached says God saves us through crucified Savior.

Worldly wisdom believes the way would be through some conquering hero, marching victorious into the city, defeating the enemy through force.

But this is not God’s way. This is not how our King operates.

“Jesus is not the type of King that conquers by shedding the blood of His enemies; He is the type of King that conquers by shedding His own blood for His enemies.” - Kevin DeYoung

Christ crucified is a scandalous message; it’s a stumbling block (skandalon) to the Jews. It’s foolishness to the Greeks. And this is just exactly what God intended. It pleased Him, the upsidedown nature of it all.

It’s foolishness to those who are perishing,

1 Corinthians 1:24 NIV

24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

To those whom God has called...

Those who believe are those who have been called by God. The message is the power of God for those who are being saved. It’s a glorious, scandalous, saving, foolish message.

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 NIV

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Insignificant Believers

Think of what you were when you were called—that has to be one of Paul’s best lines. Paul wants his brothers and sisters to think back to what they were when the good Lord brought them out of darkness into His marvelous light.

God could have concentrated on the intelligent, outstanding people in the Corinthian society, but instead God chose people with little to commend from a worldly standpoint.

You see, salvation, by its very nature, does not depend on human values or achievement (if it did, even a little, salvation would cease to be salvation and would instead be merit).

Even those in the Corinthian church who might have been justly admired could not begin to claim that they had been chosen because of any good in them.

Paul doesn’t say none of them were wise or influential or of noble birth; he says “not many were.” The vast majority of them were nothing special.

Now, I’m not going to point out the wise or influential among us. I’m not going to single out the nobility here in the room this morning because that’s not the point (and because I’m pretty sure none of us are nobility, though my beautiful Meghann is quick to remind me that she is the 13th or 31st great-granddaughter of the Emperor Charlemagne).

Not many of the Corinthians were(and, dare I say, not many of us are) anything to write home about; nothing special or standout (from a worldly perspective). None of them are going to have a star with their name next to their handprints memorialized in concrete in Corinthian Hollywood. And here’s the thing: that’s not the point.

It doesn’t matter who they are or how impressive they might be; it’s not about them. It’s all a matter of God’s sovereign call and choice.

1 Corinthians 1:27 NIV

27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

It’s the choice of God. And God is pleased, He’s pleased to choose the foolish, the weak, the lowly, the despised, the things that are not.

He’s pleased to choose first those the world would choose last. God chose a wandering Aramean named Abram to be the father of His people. He chose the last and least of Jesse’s sons to be king of His people. It suited our Savior just fine to have the not-good-enoughs be His disciples, and then to chose Paul as one of His apostles, Paul the murdering persecutor of the Church.

He’s pleased to choose those the world would pass by. I bet, in some way, you can see this applies directly to you. I know it does me.

I was certain I’d never speak without a serious impediment (as I’m sure the handful of speech pathologists that worked with me did). I was in 6th grade before I could properly say my name. I wonder if the Lord didn’t smile and say: “Here’s a little bit of fun foolishness; let’s make him a preacher.”

The Lord is, all the time, working through the foolish, the weak, the lowly, the despised; He’s working through them for His good pleasure and for the glory of His name. It’s obvious the Lord has a plan for our good friend, Desiree Ferguson; the world might look at her and dismiss her, write her off as weak or lowly. But God choose her; and she’s going to set the world on fire for Him;

You, friend: the world may consider you foolish or weak or lowly or despised, but God chose you in Christ and the Lord who called you will use you.

It’s important for us to see ourselves from God’s perspective. We are all rather insignificant. The Corinthians, for all their high and lofty thoughts about themselves, were insignificant. It did not matter who they were, how high and mighty they thought themselves, what their last name was, or whose numbers they had in their Rolodex; they did not warrant God’s affection. God didn’t choose them because they were the popular kids.

They were “nobodies”, but God made them “somebodies”—not the sort of “somebodies” the world would recognize as such, but the only kind of “somebodies” that truly matter. God has taken the initiative—100% of the initiative in it all. The Christian gospel is a matter of grace from start to finish.

We are “nobodies”, insignificant.

Jesus alone is significant. We have nothing about which to boast. When we realize that, we’ll boast in the Lord and what He’s done for us in Christ.

Jesus has become for us wisdom from God.

1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV

30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

We have right-standing with God because of what Jesus has done: “He’s my one Defense, my Righteousness.” Jesus is our righteousness, our only hope.

We could never attain holiness in our own strength, but Christ is holiness.

Regardless how wise or important we may be, we cannot accomplish redemption for ourselves. Good thing Jesus is redemption—full and free.

God’s view of power is upside-down. He is more interested in the weak than the strong. He is more interested in those who recognize their low estate than in those who seek to prop themselves up in a lofty, powerful position.

This the Corinthians need to understand; we need to understand: “And it is all grace—unearned, undeserved, unrepayable grace.” We, insignificant as we are, deserve nothing. Jesus, significant as He alone is, gives us everything.

He is our only boast.

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 NIV

1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

Powerful Preaching

Think about Paul and what we know about him. And then ponder for a moment the fact that Paul came without eloquence of human wisdom. Here’s the thing: Paul was probably incredibly eloquent; he was among the wisest of his day—a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee.

Paul was the best and brightest of his day. The smartest student in class. Here, though, Paul groups himself in with the Corinthians, with the lot of us. He could have said, “Not many of us were wise…not many of us influential…not many of us of noble birth...”

He understands who he is in the grand scheme of things—any wisdom or influence or nobility he possesses matters not. He could have come to Corinth with fancy words and impressive wisdom. Instead, he chose a better way.

1 Corinthians 2:2 NIV

2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Paul wasn’t worried about how well he said what he said, just as long as what he said was all about Jesus and the salvation found in Him.

Preaching the gospel is not delivering edifying discourses, beautifully put-together. It is bearing witness to what God has done in Christ for our salvation.

The crucifixion is the heart of the gospel, so it was the heart of Paul’s preaching.

Proclamation of the Good News, preaching of the Good News is powerful. It doesn’t rest on the preacher’s power, though, but is a demonstration of God’s power, the Spirit’s power.

Paul himself was unimpressive all the way around. A second-century work describes Paul as “a man small of stature, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked.”

Paul’s message and preaching, his demeanor among them were similarly unimpressive—weakness, great fear and trembling…not wise and persuasive.

If you think about it, the whole act of preaching is foolish. An imperfect man stands up, opens an old book, and begins to speak its words. It’s foolish, and yet, as the Word is preached, the Spirit moves. God’s power accompanies the preacher’s preaching and lives are changed.

It can never be said that the preacher’s preaching convinced anyone of anything; it’s always God’s power, the Spirit’s work.

Of all things, why preaching? Because it pleased the Lord to have His gospel heralded by His insignificant followers in order to show the surpassing greatness of God.

The weaker the preacher is, the better. That way, nothing can be mistaken for the preacher’s power. That way, faith will rest not on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

The problem with so much preaching—mine included, mine first and foremost—is self-reliance. I think that if I can turn a phrase just right, if I can be persuasive and clever and a little funny, then the sermon I preach might be successful; my preaching might accomplish something.

Preaching—powerful preaching—is the work of God. It’s His Word. It’s His power. Even the preacher is His.

The single concern ought to be that the gospel is proclaimed through human weakness but accompanied by the powerful work of the Spirit so that lives are changed through a divine-human encounter.

>We may not be as obsessed with wisdom and status as the Corinthians were (but we probably are). We may not concern ourselves with our standing before one another (but we probably do).

What we must grasp is that apart from Christ and His cross, there is nothing that can save us; nothing that can even begin to save us.

All the wisdom in the world isn’t enough to save you. “The world has had enough teachers; it needs a Redeemer.”

Stop trusting in yourself, in your wisdom, in your pedigree. Trust in Jesus—the Crucified One; trust in Him alone.

We are insignificant, we are. And the message we have is foolishness. We preach a Christ crucified with the Spirit’s power and help.

And here’s the wonderful truth: God is pleased to use insignificant people and a foolish message to call more people to Himself. And this, He will, by His power.