Apostle Paul said that he was
not sent to baptize but to preach the gospel of Christ—not with wisdom and
eloquence, let the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17).
Now he explains why.
“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. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19)
The gospel of Christ is
essentially the message of the cross through which we can understand the
mystery of life. The message of the cross is the way to the Father who lavishly
pours out eternal life. What is the message of the cross? It’s shame, guilt,
despair, suffering, pain, loneliness, and being forsaken. It’s death, the
bloody death. It’s offensive, repulsive, repugnant, nauseating, vile, awful,
appalling, brutal, horrible, and dreadful. No one would like the cross if
understood what it is truthfully.
Christ Jesus voluntarily took
up the cross and obeyed unto the Father even to the point of death. He drank
the cup of suffering not for Himself but for the world which is under the complete
darkness and death. Our Lord Jesus died in our place to save all people from
eternal condemnation and destruction. The world hates the cross of death
because it seems foolish and thoughtless and unreasonable. Why would He die
that way if wanted to save others? Nonsense, says the world. That’s how the
world respond to the message of the cross. It doesn’t make any sense to those
who are perishing.
But to us who are being saved
it is the power of God. In the cross of Christ, the mystery of life is hidden.
That mystery of life is the power of God. No pain, no gain. No cross, no
resurrection. In that painful shame and unbearable guilt and despair, the
promise for the redemption of fallen race has been fulfilled. This was the
moment the whole creation in the universe had been awaited in tiptoe because it
was the moment of paying off the unconquerable debt of sin and death. God
prepared the ransom for the redemption of fallen race and poured out His unrelenting
wrath upon the Son who was made sin for the world on the cross of Calvary.
“God made him who had no sin to
be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2
Corinthians 5:21)
God was pleased to offer His
only begotten Son this way to fulfill the scriptures. “I will destroy the
wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
(Isaiah 29:14) That’s the destiny of human wisdom and philosophy and intelligence.
It’s dead end, no way out. The brilliant and glowing human civilization,
seemingly no ending technological advancement, and the pompous rhetoric of the
intelligent and even courageous statesmen look like promising much but in fact
deliver nothing. History proves that it is so true. Where there are humans
there are unescapably disorder and ruins. Ever trying to solve our problems but
only producing more problems ever. The world never touches the reality of
humanity because it is under the complete darkness and total confusion.
“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? 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.” (1 Corinthians
1:20-21)
God chose the foolishness of
what was preached to save those who believe since the world through its wisdom
did not know Him. God has made foolish the wisdom of the world which is not
from Him but from the devil. That’s the devil’s burden. The devil is craftier
and more cunning than any other creatures. However, he is all but foolish
because he rebels against the ultimate reality, God. Although he is not in the
same league with God, he is lying and deceiving all peoples on earth. It is
true that the devil is the prince of this world. More daunting and tragic truth
is that we do not have a way out of the devil’s trap. Right at the time when we
were powerlessly sinful God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place.
“Jews demand signs and Greeks
look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of
God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human
strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-25)
History says humanity has been constantly
struggling to find out a way out of the deadly trap. Jews search for signs, the
sign for the Messiah. Gentiles follow after wisdom and philosophy. But we
preach Christ crucified, says Apostle Paul. Christ crucified is a stumbling
block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. Ironically that Jews rejected the
blessed Messiah of God even though they had been microscopically searching for
the coming the Promised One. They handed Him over to the Romans to crucify. But
it fulfilled the scriptures according to the wisdom of God. It’s still true
that Christ is a stumbling block to this peculiar people in order to fulfill
the promise of God. Apostle John puts this truth into the blunt statement,
saying “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does
not have life.” (1 John 5:12)
Our Lord Jesus says so plainly
that He is the way to the Father. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jews and Gentiles shall
come to the Father the one and only way that is Jesus Christ our Lord. There is
no other wiser and smarter way to the Father except through Christ crucified
for the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God
is stronger than human strength.
“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. 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. God chose the lowly things of this
world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things
that are, so that no one may boast before him. 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. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the
one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Christ crucified was presented
and witnessed by Paul at Corinth and the people who heard the good news were
changed and joined in the body of the Lord Jesus. Most of them were not wise,
nor influential, nor of noble birth in human standards. In fact, Paul tells them
who they were in the sixth Chapter.
“Neither the sexually immoral
nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor
thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit
the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you
were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by
the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9b-11)
That’s how our God is working
to save the world by choosing the foolish things of the world to shame the wise
and by choosing the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God intently
chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things which are nothing to
abolish the pretenses and facades of humanity, so that no one may be proud
before Him. This is a significant and powerful revelation that we never and
ever forget it. In a condensed phrase, it means nothing is coming from us and
everything from Him. That’s called a new life in Christ under the new covenant.
It is indeed true humanity which God intended man to be even before the time
began. We are made and designed to live on Him from the beginning to the end.
We are in Christ Jesus who has
all resources we ever need and gives us unconditionally. Need righteousness? He
provides because He is our righteousness. Need holiness? He provides because He
is our holiness. Need redemption? He provides because He is our redemption. Are
righteousness, holiness, and redemption not what we really want and need? They
are indeed. Jesus is our wisdom from God. God knows what we are, so He provides
abundantly what we need. Righteousness is a sense of worth before God. Since we
have been made righteous through faith in Christ, we have access to the throne
of grace with confidence and boldness.
Holiness is wholeness in His
sight. No one does not want to be whole. We are born inadequate and
insufficient in Adam to handle our lives. But we have been made holy and
blameless in Christ who has eternal resource and provides for us. Redemption is
liberation from the clutch of sin and death. We have been redeemed and
delivered because Jesus Christ is our ransom forever. So, we boast in the Lord.
Prayer: Thank you Father, You did
not withheld your Son but gave for us to live the life, eternal one which you
intended for man to live before the creation of the world. Christ crucified is
that resource—righteousness, holiness, and redemption. May we never forget that
nothing is coming from us and everything from you and continue to experience never-ending
resource flowing from within rivers of living water. In His name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment