13/09/2024
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐๐ฆ๐ (๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ต)?
The church in Corinth was divided because many of the believers, in their spiritual immaturity and confusion, did not understand the power of the gospel message or the true wisdom of God. In ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ดโ๐ฎ๐ฑ, the apostle Paul discussed two different kinds of wisdom: the wisdom of the wise (or human, worldly wisdom) and the wisdom of God. These two wisdoms are like antithetical opponents.
Paul quoted from ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ต:๐ญ๐ฎ, ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ต:๐ญ๐ฐ, and ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ด as evidence that God does not need the worldโs wisdom but instead will destroy it: โFor it is written:
โI will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.โ
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?โ (๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ตโ๐ฎ๐ฌ).
Paul used these Old Testament references to emphasize the stark contradiction between Godโs true wisdom and the worldโs counterfeit wisdom. ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ warned that God would destroy the wisdom of the wise and frustrate the intelligence of the intelligent. He would do this chiefly through Jesus Christโs death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.
Those who think they possess wisdom according to the worldโs standard but view the gospel as foolishness are ultimately shown to be ignorant because they will miss out on Godโs forgiveness, salvation, and gift of eternal life. In the end, they will be destroyed: โThe message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of Godโ (๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ด, NLT).
No one comes to know God by acquiring human wisdom (๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ฎ๐ญ; ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ญ๐ฏ). The Greeks placed great emphasis on the wisdom of the world. They were philosophers, scribes, and great intellectuals who preferred to apply reasoning and debate to create a god of their own imagining. But they laughed at the message of Jesus Christ crucified, saying, โItโs all nonsenseโ (๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ฎ๐ฏ, NLT).
In ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ฒโ๐ญ๐ฒ, Paul noted โa secret and hidden wisdomโ (verse 7, ESV) imparted to believers by Godโs Spirit. Only born-again Christians with the Holy Spirit indwelling them can understand and interpret spiritual truth (verse 13). โBut people who arenโt spiritual canโt receive these truths from Godโs Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they canโt understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit meansโ (verse 14, NLT). People who think they are wise yet only possess the counterfeit โwisdom of this age or of the rulers of this ageโ are โdoomed to pass awayโ (verse 6, ESV). In this way, God will destroy the wisdom of the wise.
Quoting from ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฑ:๐ญ๐ฏ and ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ต๐ฐ:๐ญ๐ญ, Paul continued to stress the folly of worldly wisdom: โLet no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, โHe catches the wise in their craftiness,โ and again, โThe Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futileโโ (๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ดโ๐ฎ๐ฌ, ESV). James also had nothing good to say about earthly wisdom, labeling it โearthly, unspiritual,โ and โdemonicโ (๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฑ).
Another name for human wisdom is intellectualism, which is often seeded by the sin of pride (๐ฃ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฏ:๐ณโ๐ต; ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ณ; ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ฎ๐ฎ; ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ฎ๐ฌ; ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ด; ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ด:๐ญ). Pride rises out of humanityโs rebellion against God and refusal to submit to His way (๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ฑ:๐ฎ๐ฏ; ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ญ:๐ฐ; ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ฎ๐ตโ๐ฏ๐ฌ). God is long-suffering and merciful. He pursues proud sinners to the gates of hell. But if the proud one remains wise in his own eyes, determined to make God fit into his ideas, plans, and desires, his stubborn path will lead to destruction (๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ต; ๐ฎ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ต; ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฎ:๐ญ, ๐ฏ).
If a sinner persists in rebellion, refusing to repent, God deals with such pride as He does with any opponentโHe destroys it (๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ญ:๐ฎ; ๐ญ๐ฒ:๐ฑ, ๐ญ๐ด; ๐ญ๐ด:๐ญ๐ฎ; ๐ฎ๐ฒ:๐ญ๐ฎ; ๐ฎ๐ต:๐ฎ๐ฏ; ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฑ:๐ฑ; ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฐ:๐ฒ).
Following the upside-down principles of His kingdom, โGod chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of Godโ (๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ฎ๐ณโ๐ฎ๐ต, NLT). God will destroy the wisdom of the wise because only Godโs wisdom is true, only Godโs wisdom is wise, and only Godโs wisdom will endure.
