In my readings today I came across 1 Corinthians 1. While reading I was struck by the passage that says:
Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (English Standard Version)
This passage struck me to ask: What then should we consider as wisdom? For even in Proverbs there is the famous passage: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." The knowledge of man is inadequate. That's what these passages mean. It is the capabilities of man that are inadequate for salvation. The foolishness of man is the trust in his own understanding for forgiveness. The trust is the key of the passage in Proverbs. It is not the trust of yourself and your own capabilities, but trust in God that is the penultimate. This is the foolishness that Paul writes about.
Paul talks about giving up the logic and reason and rhetoric that were so cherished in his day. Paul even directly attacks the understanding of both Jew and Gentile. The Jews were to look for a messiah. Therefore, they wanted a sign to show them. They wanted a tangible thing to show that this man was actually supposed to save them. Their belief demanded astonishment: feeling. The Greeks wanted rhetoric, speeches, intelligence, and logic. They were looking for the λογος τον θεου: the divine word. (literally translated: word of God) They wanted the opening of eyes and minds. The Greeks looked for a scholar amongst plebs. They wanted the surprise of knowledge: reason.
Both the astonishment and knowledge are inadequate because it lacks the essential ingredient of salvation, the essence of the belief of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden: Trust in the LORD. Trust in the covenantal, creator God. This is the heart of salvation. While many churches, both denominationally and individually, tend to sway either to the knowledge or the experience, they miss the point of the gospel. The Gospel of God is absolute Trust in God. You do not hold anything back. Nothing! Not a car, or a house, or a toy, or a piece of candy. Not your money, or time; your love, your hope; your life, your death. Yes, even your salvation is not in our hands. For Christ said, "For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother." We are clay in the potter's hands. This leads us to the ultimate question: What are we withholding from Christ? What will you not give up? Is it an item? a relationship? a decision? All things work for our good, because it is not us who is ultimately in control of the work. It is God who causes his loved ones to prosper in Him. This is the assurance we have as Christians. This is the peace that passes all understandings. Αμήν and amen.
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