Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024

Scripture: 1 Cor. 1:18 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.

1 Cor. 1:19 For it is written “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

Teaching: How can the profound truth of the Gospel, or the “message of the cross” as Paul terms it here, be foolishness? It is the truth and power of God that brings hope and assurance of salvation to.... “us who are being saved.” Paul states an important facet of the Gospel here: it is not received as the truth by all; what’s more, it is foolishness to “those who are perishing” (as a result of their unbelief).

If we consider the message of the cross objectively, we may see what Paul is saying here. The message of the cross, on its face, is that 2000 years ago a poor Jewish man wandered the Middle East for three years promising that when we die, we can be welcomed into heaven with him by following him. Then, he was rejected by his own people and killed by the Romans. He was, seemingly, unable and powerless to stop his own death. For this message to bring hope is foolishness when one considers it without the power of God. But this is the way God designed it, and for good reason! Salvation comes from faith, not from deep understanding or impressive intellectual discernment. As Paul will continue to argue in the coming verses, it is not by wisdom but by faith that any accept the message of the cross as truth. In verse 19, Paul quotes Isaiah 29:14 as prophesy for how God would bring salvation – not as a matter of wisdom but of simplicity and foolishness so that salvation could not and would not be a matter of achievement.

Takeaway: We know that it is by God’s grace that we are saved, not by our own works or achievement, so that no man may boast (Eph. 2:8-9). Often we understand this verse in the context of acts of service or being good enough for heaven, both of which are correct. But there is another dimension that Paul is asserting here in 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 – believing the message of the cross cannot be an act of wisdom but rather foolishness, so that no man may boast. If understanding the message of the cross was as complex as theoretical mathematics or a Ph.D. level dissertation, that, too, would elicit boasting in one’s ability to understand faith. If preaching the Gospel was somehow impressive because it showcased one’s wisdom above others who have not yet understood what they have, it would elicit boasting in one’s ability. But preaching the Gospel is foolishness until it is received in faith – and that is an act of God itself by His Spirit. All this sums to this concept: God alone is worthy of praise. Thus, it stands to reason that His message of the cross would be so foolish that receiving salvation by faith in it could be available for all and only by His doing.