QT 2/20/2025 1 Cor 1:22-31, Choosing real wisdom

1 Corinthians 1:22–31 (ESV) —

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

 

NOTE: You actually see verses 26-28 working out in real life. I used to work in a Fortune 100 company as well as one of the top think tanks in the world (although they hated to be called a think tank). In the offices I work or led, more than half of the employees were PhD's and almost everyone else had Masters. There was a disdain for the Christian or Christian views. They are what we would call the "elite" in society and they saw Christians as uneducated and foolish. I was the outlier which was hard for them to explain, because I had an advanced degree, and I could defend my positions. They live isolated in their circles and echo chambers, such that it does not occur to them that there are quite a few educated people (Paul writes "not many" meaning some) who do believe in the gospel. But even if there weren't any, the "elite" will be shamed by the simple faith of those who were called and responded to the gospel. And the absolute scary thing is that these people, the "elite," will stand before God, and think they are ready to "stun" God with their questions. In reality, they will stand before God stunned and unable to open their mouth. They will find that the gospels are true, there is a creator, and they rebelled against God in order to become their own gods.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I listen to the educated voices or do I listen to the God whose "foolishness" is wiser than men's wisdom?
2. Do I try to mix the world's wisdom into God's word, or do I trust the wisdom of God over the wisdom of men?

 

PRAYER: Father, I want to know you and the power of your son's life in my life. I want to focus on the word, the bible, because it has the real answers to life. I want to teach truth, the word only.