Thesis: If we try to add worldly wisdom to the gospel message, embodied in the cross, we will lessen its power to miraculously change lives.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (New International Version)
18For 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. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."[a]
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For 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. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
Although there is no scientific research to support the claim I am about to make, I can tell you from firsthand experience that the following statement is at least partially true. The organization that calls itself Alcoholics Anonymous with its twelve steps of recovery has played a significant role in saving millions of lives, marriages and families. I would even go so far as to say that AA has been at least as effective several secular and religious organizations. One of the reasons I can say this is because the sole purpose of AA is as define on Wikipedia:
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who share a desire to stop drinking alcohol.[1]
Notice it said “the desire to stop drinking” ; seems pretty simple doesn’t it? The “program” as its members familiarly call it, is not complicated- at least not at first. “Don’t drink, read the big book (not the Bible) and go to meetings” the old timers say. “Fake it ‘til You Make It” is counsel given to those who don’t really believe they can live a life apart from drinking, “KISS- which stands for Keep it Simple Stupid”, “Stinkin’ Thinkin’”.
Now, I wouldn’t exactly call these pithy sayings great pieces of literature written by the likes of Shakespeare or Oliver Wendell Holmes or C.S. Lewis. These are most likely not even quotes from famous people, but these sayings that have kept millions of men and women from drinking themselves to death. These cute little pearls of wisdom have saved marriages- not all but a great number. These “lightweight” sayings from infamous people have taken families that were ripped apart by alcoholism and helped put them back together. There is a part of me that wishes these cute little pearls of wisdom were written by famous philosophers or some great theological minds; that the words he or she created could be dissected and torn apart, thought about until the cows came home. Analyzed, magnified and fill in the blank… until the end of time!
Sayings like “Let go and Let God”, “One Day at a Time” among others, were put to good use, if not created, by the two men that founded AA those many years ago. Two men, both down on their luck, both reaching for the last straw that life would offer them, came together and had one goal in mind: To help each other stay sober. That’s it- help each other stay sober. Everything else that may be accomplished in each of their lives had to follow the decision to stop drinking and everything else in the recovery process was to be built upon that foundation- the central message of a life restored to sanity. Well just as the road to recovery and sobriety starts with a decision; the road to Jesus starts with a decision. The decision is one to give up; to stop fighting; to admit that we need God’s help; that we must come to the cross.
Our scripture comes from the opening section of 1 Corinthians, chapter 1:18-25. Paul addresses a church divided and in conflict. Two parties seem to have developed. There were those who followed Paul and those who followed Apollos. Apollos was a "native of Alexandria... a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures", Act.18:24-28. Paul had obviously come in for some heavy criticism, so he seeks to calm the dispute in the church while defending his role as an apostle and his gospel, so Paul develops a contrast touched on in verse 17. The contrast is between "words of human wisdom" and the gospel of the "cross of Christ." Paul argues that the gospel is not something that we need to improve by adding human wisdom to it. In fact, the message concerning the cross of Christ has no sense to it. As far as human reasoning is concerned, the gospel is foolishness. So, beware of testing it by human wisdom.
Place yourself in the church at Corinth. These folks were proud of what they knew about philosophy. They prided themselves on being smarter than the average Greek. The Jewish community of Corinth wasn’t much better. One commentator said:
“They (the Jews) clamored for miraculous demonstrations and the Greeks went in for philosophical wisdom.” “The Corinthian church gloried in the superficially impressive human wisdom of the age. They boasted about their own possession of wisdom and rhetorical eloquence.”
Does that sound familiar?
He goes on…
“God however, has revealed in Christ another kind of wisdom that radically subverts the wisdom of this world. God has chosen to save the world through the cross, through the shameful and powerful death of the crucified Messiah.”
This makes sense because the Jewish experience, up to that point, taught them that God worked in some strange, unusual and even miraculous ways. (Think about the parting of the Red Sea, the burning bush and so forth.) Paul told the church gathered at Corinth: “Folks, if we stay focused on the primary mission of Christ- the gospel of Christ- then everything else will take care of itself. We don’t have to add anything to the Cross, it is enough; it is sufficient. That doesn’t mean we can’t grow in the knowledge and wisdom of Christ. It’s just that we must remember that the “wisdom” of this world is foolishness to those who are perishing.”
So, is Paul saying that we should stop trying to learn about God? No, that isn’t what he’s saying. Paul is telling the Corinthian Church to not put all of their eggs in one basket. Basically, he said, “Don’t seek to learn just for the sake of accumulating knowledge so that somehow, you might simply get their “cards punched”. You may think that once you learn enough or know enough about the Christian life- that’s when I’ll … . That sounds like works salvation- “If I could just do more. If I could just out hustle other Christians, I’d be satisfied- God would be satisfied. Can you and I embrace the paradox of being fools for Christ? I’m not talking about a willingness to be embarrassed or ashamed of the Gospel. The Bible says that, if we are to become Disciples of Christ we must take up our cross, and this is one of the ways we can do that. The world tells us that getting ahead is simply being able to outsmart our competition. The Christian life is not about winning or losing. It is not a competition. It’s about following Jesus, even if the world says we’re “losing!” But Paul said, “No, my Corinthian brothers and sisters, we must become willing to throw conventional knowledge out the window-we must become willing to turn conventional knowledge on its ear when it comes to following Christ, because following Christ is about one thing and one thing only- the cross.
Dietrich Bonheoffer said “It is no small thing that God “allowed himself to be pushed out of the world on a cross.”
You see, if not for the cross- there would have been no defeat. But if not for the cross there wouldn’t have been victory over the grave! If not for the cross, all of our destinies would not have such peaceful endings. If not for the cross- we would never have known what sacrificial love is all about.
Don’t be discouraged during this season of Lent. Because if not for the cross- a sign of defeat- is also a sign if victory.
Conclusion:
The cross of Christ has the power to and has, in fact, changed people’s lives ever since Jesus died on it some two thousand years ago. And even though it is unlikely that we will ever witness anything as tragic or traumatic or as triumphant as seeing someone, but not just anyone-but one who was called “to take away the sin of the world” suffer the worst type of death- embarrassing, humiliating, and agonizing- death on the cross.
We are called to believe that which we may not be able to understand. We are called to- not just believe, but to live the great paradox of the Christian Faith: Our powerlessness is made perfect in his power! When we are powerless- we are given God’s power through Jesus Christ.
When life gets hard- Christ on the cross
When money gets tight- Christ on the Cross
When a loved one is taken from you unexpectedly, Christ on the Cross
During this season of Lent when we find ourselves reflecting and contemplating our lives and in relationship with God, will you really be surprised come Easter morning? The feeling of surprise should come for Christians because of the scandal and seeming insanity of the Cross. After all, me might be found saying, “God you’ve done some mighty miracles, you’ve raised Lazarus from the dead. You’ve given sight to the blind and now… now you’re allowing the crucifixion. You’re not going to stop it? Can’t you see what people will think of the Christ hanging on the cross? People might think he’s not worth following if he can’t save himself! This is foolishness!
