GOD WISE
1 CORINTHIANS 1:20-25
1 CORINTHIANS 1:20-25 NKJ
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
I find myself becoming amused with people who try to make the gospel appeal to the really smart people.
It is as if they have to prove they are not intellectual lightweights when they made Jesus their Lord.
Well, making Jesus Lord is the smartest decision a person can ever do but don't expect the world to be impressed.
Paul is writing to believers in the City of Corinth, an important city in Greece. And while the Romans were brute force, the Greeks were the intellectual and cultural leaders of that day. These Greeks sought wisdom, and the gospel, according to Paul, was foolishness to them.
But God never made the gospel a function of intellectual strength. The gospel, in fact, sounds foolish to the intellect. But the gospel is the power of God and the wisdom of God to all who believe. The gospel is based on faith, not logic or a certain amount of IQ. It's a simple message that must be grasped with the heart. It may seem weak to some and foolish to others, but God's 'weakness' is stronger than men, and God's ‘foolishness’ is wiser than men.
APPLICATION
I am so glad God made the gospel simple. The simplicity makes the message about Jesus available to everyone. Whether you have a Ph.D. or you are illiterate, it does not matter. Do you believe the gospel message? If and when you do, you tap into God's wisdom and God's power that changes your life and eternity. And because the message is simple and may appear weak, you have to humble your heart and get past your pride to accept it. This is why Paul would say just a few verses later. . . "that no flesh should glory in His presence."
Don't try to convince your brainy friends about how intellectually wise it is to receive Jesus. It's not. It is God-wise, not man-wise.
PRAYER
Thank you, Father, that I have received Your message about Jesus. It has changed my life and continues to work in me because I do believe!