"For the preaching of the Cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved
it is the power of God."
1st Corinthians 1:18
I've often wondered what the reasons are that keep people from coming to the Lord. We've all sat in a funeral parlor and gazed upon the dead body of someone we knew. You'd think that that would prompt a person to seriously consider his own mortality and be concerned about where he will go when he dies. So why don't they? Why on earth don't they?
The Word of God answers that here. It's because the preaching of the Cross of Jesus Christ just seems foolishness to them. To whom? ..."To those who are perishing." They refuse to think about it because “religion” seems foolish, and they distract themselves with the cares of this life. When they have questions they listen to the wisdom of the world. The wisdom of the world seems solid to them. What a paradox, it's just the other way around.
vs 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?"
The wisdom of the world is based on the opinions and conclusions of mortal, limited man, and oftentimes their opinions and conclusions are very wrong, from the simplest issues to the greatest. They used to tell us that we must not eat eggs because egg yolks increase the cholesterol in our body which leads to heart disease. Now they've totally reversed that and they tell us eggs are one of the healthiest foods you can eat.
The "wisdom' of the world of politics is a world of confusion. For every issue there is an array of opposing opinions. What is the truth on any one of them? Who knows? Everyone forms his own opinion. Based on what? Based on opinion, that's all. Look at the issue of "global warming." There are passionate devotees on both sides, each contradicting each other. It's all opinion, contradiction, argument, and ...foolishness. Thus is the "wisdom of the world" - foolhardy at best, because the wisdom of this world, ACCORDING TO THE GOD WHO CREATED IT, is foolishness. Yet instead, those who are perishing put their trust in it and believe the reverse, it is the Gospel that they deem foolishness.
vs 1:
"...but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
There is no power in the wisdom of the world, it will lead you around mazes and endless questions, decisions and the reversal of decisions, conclusions and the refuting of conclusions. It's a world of babel. But there is POWER in the preaching of the Cross of Jesus Christ. When a person surrenders his life to the Lord Jesus Christ, the confusion ends. God changes that person from the inside out, rearranges his thinking totally, teaches him what is TRUE, and leads him in the sure and certain wisdom found only in God.
Many Christians seem "narrow minded" to those outside, and that is because they ARE. Once you know the truth, you can't un-know it. Truth is sure. It's certain. It's immovable. You no longer waft between opinions, you know what is true and there isn't any more argument, things are simply true or they're not. The most narrow-minded person ever to walk this earth was the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not waver on any issue, ever, because he knows the truth - indeed, he said he IS the truth (John 14:6).
Friends, put an end to your confusion. Don't seek wisdom where it cannot be found. The wisdom of the world is foolishness, says God. Believe him. Turn to the true and enduring wisdom that can be found ONLY in him, ONLY in his Word. Settle it forever in your heart. The wisdom of God leads to peace and joy and happiness, all the things people seek for in the world and are never able to find. But these very things are found in him, because he IS our peace, our joy, and our happiness, and you have to experience that to know it.
We will find no peace in our own understanding, but in Christ Jesus is found a peace that is sound and complete, a trust that turns our earthly unrest into heavenly joy.
Turn to him now and find out for yourself.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good
and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:1-2
To a young Christian the idea of presenting his body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, must seem challenging and downright unappealing. "Sacrifice?" A loaded word for sure. God is asking me to give myself up as a sacrifice? How can I be willing to do that?
The willingness comes with understanding.
One of the clever works of Satan is to paint a totally false picture of God, especially to those who don't know him, but also to the young believer, and sadly, even to the seasoned believer. How it must grieve the heart of God to see people view him as an implacable tyrant. The very word "Father" denotes something so entirely different, yet Satan sees to it that people miss that and go instead with the angry-God concept who only cares about moral behavior and who is ready to smack anyone who slips. Understandably then, who would not chafe at the Scripture's command that we present ourselves to this God as a sacrifice?
Satan lies.
Jesus said Satan is the FATHER of lies.
"You are of your FATHER the devil,
and the desires of your FATHER you want to do.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth,
because there is no truth in him.
When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources,
for he is a liar and the FATHER of it."
John 8:44
Our God, on the other hand, has revealed to us in his Word that he is THE TRUE FATHER, in all that that word implies. He LOVES us. As any father, he wants the absolute best for us.
But we are children in his sight, and a child does not have the wisdom of the adult, a child does not have the wisdom of a father, therefore most children simply surrender totally to their father's will. To the obedient child of God, the Lord will move heaven and earth to bless him in all manner and kind and type of blessing.
This father, our Father, is he who fashioned the very DNA in each of us, so he knows exactly the makeup of each individual, he knows every kind of interest each will have, he knows the gifts and talents he has sovereignly placed within each one, he thoroughly understands each one's personality, and he knows what is going to be the deep desires of the heart, all of which he determines to bring together for the child who will surrender to him and obey him. Once we understand this thoroughly, it sure does change the picture of what the "sacrifice" means, doesn't it? It simply means surrender, and to a mature believer it means JOYFUL surrender - to our TRUE Father, who is full of love for us.
The Father goes on to teach us that the world is under the rule of Satan (2nd Corinthians 4:4), and that Satan has filled it with lies. He is first and foremost a liar. Therefore, we are not to believe the picture he paints to us of a tyrant God, and we are not to be conformed to this world which is under the true tyrant, Satan himself.
What child in his right mind would want to be conformed to that world? No, we instead are to follow after the will of OUR Father, subjecting our minds daily to be nourished in his Word, so that we may PROVE the truth of this message, that it's all good. It's all VERY good! And when we understand it, it will become the delight of our hearts to present ourselves totally to him.
Once we understand this, we can rest in the promise that whatever Satan hurls at us in life, and even the wrong decisions we make that bring us into trouble, God WILL work it out to the good. That's a promise!
“And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
"For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh,
'For this very purpose I have raised you up,
that I may show my power in you,
and that my Name may be declared in all the earth.'
Therefore he has mercy on whom he wills,
and whom he wills he hardens.
You will say to me then,
'Why does he still find fault?
For who has resisted his will?'”
Romans 9:17-19
This is undoubtedly one of the more difficult passages in the Scriptures. When you read that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, your human reaction is "that's not fair!" Anticipating that very thing, the Scripture addresses that, saying that some would ask, "Why does he still find fault, or who has resisted his will?" And at this point you're eagerly anticipating the answer…
But here it is.…
vs 20:
"But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God?
Will the thing formed say to him who formed it,
'Why have you made me thus?'"
And that leaves you wondering, because it seems unjust.
The whole matter depends on one thing: whether or not a person trusts the INTEGRITY of God.
To trust the integrity of God means that I have to lay aside my human reasoning and surrender my opinions - to the God who I believe is more intelligent than I, and that he IS fair, IS righteous, and IS right in all he says and does, because that's what he tells us about himself in his Word. If I do not have that level of respect, then the subject ends here. If you do not have that level of respect, read no further for this is not for you.
If you're still with me ...let's start with the statement:
"...he who does not believe God has made him a liar..."
1st John 5:10
Is it possible that God might God be a liar?
According to Scripture, God is THE TRUTH personified.
"I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life..."
John 14:6
You'll say, "you're using Scripture to explain Scripture but we haven't determined the trustworthiness of Scripture."
Exactly. The decision has to be made FIRST - whether or not to trust the Word of God. Do we believe there IS a God who created the universe? If no, then the discussion is over. Go your way. This is not for you.
If yes, we have to put aside our HUMAN REASONING and surrender it to the wisdom of the God who created the galaxies, the universe, created us, and gave us his Word.
When we pick and choose what we'll believe, we're putting our human thinking above the wisdom of the most high God. We're saying in effect, "That can't be right because it doesn't seem right TO ME." By extension, we're saying to God, "You're wrong."
If we do not believe God, if we do not have total respect for the Word of God, we might as well pack it up and move on, put him out of our lives. It is at this point that each person has to make a decision, and I challenge you right now to make that decision, and make it a lifetime decision. Accept the Word of God as truth, or leave him. Don't be lukewarm. Don't be double-minded. Make the decision today.
"...he who does not believe God has made him a liar…"
1st John 5:10
When you make your decision remember that at the end of life it will be shown who was the liar.
If we are to believe the Word of God we have to come to the place where we understand that it is not for us to select something from God’s Word and hold it up to the "light" of OUR understanding and then decide whether to accept it or reject it. When there is a gap between God’s Word and your understanding, you can be sure the fault lies in your understanding. We have to truly understand what he's saying when he says:
"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways,' says the Lord.
'For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"
Isaiah 55:8-9
And that's the answer. His reasoning is not inferior to our reasoning. His wisdom is not inferior to any man's wisdom. His ways are not inferior to ours. His thoughts and his ways are infinitely superior to that of any mortal man. He gives us his Word and it needs to be settled in our minds that when we come to a passage we do not understand, we put it on the shelf - knowing his Word is true and my understanding is limited.
God doesn't just harden a heart because he likes to hardens hearts. If you investigate further you will discover that Pharaoh had already hardened his heart.
"Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part, you will make me to know wisdom."
Psalm 51:6
But know this also, that when one rejects truth, lies fill the void.
A small glimpse into the greatness of God...