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Foolishness And Wisdom
June 10, 2012
Man puts a lot of stock in his accumulated knowledge and alleged wisdom. To God, it is foolishness. To the truly wise man, it is also foolish. God has truth, knowledge, and wisdom -- and He shares it with us through Jesus Christ. If we learn the truth that God gives us, it makes us truly wise and knowledgeable.
Bernie Parsons
Foolishness and Wisdom
by Bernie Parsons
Presented to Globe church of Christ on 06-10-2012
Presented to Load church of Christ on 06-17-2012
We recently studied a little on the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of man.
Today I wish to delve a bit deeper into that topic. Man puts great stock
into degrees granted by educational institutions of so-called higher
learning. It is a reflection of one’s willingness to embrace the wisdom of
men. But where does true wisdom originate, and where does it reside?
Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools
despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the
knowledge of the holy is understanding."
Proverbs 2:5 "Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the
knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and
understanding."
True wisdom comes to us through the knowledge of God, and His ways and
expectations. When we fear God and respect His power, we want to know what
He expects of us. The more we learn, the wiser that we get.
Romans 11:33 "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him
again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory
for ever. Amen."
Many read this and insist that we cannot understand God and His ways. The
above is a quotation from the Old Testament, from:
Isaiah 40:13 "Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his
counsellor hath taught him?
14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the
path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of
understanding?"
Yet, the apostle Paul had this to say on the matter:
1 Corinthians 2:16 "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
Christ has revealed to us what God wants, what God is thinking.
John 10:30 "I and my Father are one."
John 15:15 "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not
what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I
have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."
John 12:48 "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the
last day.
49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me
a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak
therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."
As the apostle Peter testified of Jesus, “Thou has the words of eternal
life”, John 6:68. In Jesus, we have the word of God in the flesh, and now we
understand what God expects of us. The apostle Paul also witnesses to this
fact.
1 Corinthians 1:30 "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:"
We achieve knowledge when we study the words of Christ, and we receive
wisdom when we study the life of Christ. It is a spiritual knowledge, and a
wisdom from above.
1 Corinthians 1:17 "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the
gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of
none effect.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but
unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring
to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this
world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto
the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of
God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God
is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise;
and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God
chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the
Lord."
Man’s knowledge and wisdom is foolishness to God. Are we surprised that the
knowledge and wisdom of God appears to be foolishness to men? Men often say
that belief in Jesus as savior, belief in heaven and eternal life, and
belief in God are nothing more than myths and superstition.
Debaters and orators do not persuade God with their stylistic or bombastic
oratory. The gospel of Jesus Christ is very simple and easy to understand.
It does not take a genius to understand it.
1 Corinthians 2:1 "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with
excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and
him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of
God.
6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of
this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which
God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is
in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which
is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with
spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of
no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we
have the mind of Christ."
We know Christ through the witness of the apostles and early believers, as well as confirmation by way of God’s Holy Spirit. He shows us the mind of God. The mysteries are solved, the truth is made plain. If we want knowledge and wisdom, we know the right place to find them!
