(Image courtesy of www.rhodesscholar.org)Paul's first concern voiced in this letter (1:10-17) was divisions in the community of believers in Corinth—divisions having to do with a preference for a particular leader. Sounds like an American presidential primary race, Doesn't it?
But underlying that division there lurked another, perhaps more basic mistake. The Corinthian believers lived in a culture and a society in which human wisdom and eloquence were admired almost to the point of worship. As one who has served on the faculties of four major universities in the course of my long career, I know very well the arrogance and raw ambition that all too often accompany the exchange of ideas and the vying for positions of leadership and prominence. But this problem is by no means limited to colleges and universities. It permeates most of our society's institutions: medical, artistic, legal and business. The "smarts" are the way to get ahead in life. And whoever blocks the fast lane gets trampled in the dust.
18 Unfortunately, such an attitude leads logically to a rejection of the simple message of the cross of Jesus and the inability to accept by faith the power of God to transform your life (v. 18). People who worship this world's wisdom unwittingly disqualify themselves from receiving God's own wisdom, spiritual power and salvation. What irony in Paul's words here! "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." There are some terms here that need explanation.
By "the message of the cross" Paul means much more than the simple announcement that Jesus was crucified. The message of the cross was (1) that Jesus died as your and my substitute, bearing our sins and paying the debt they incurred before God, and (2) that we who accept this gift from Jesus and take Jesus himself as our Lord are united with him in such a way that his death for sin becomes also our death (with him) to sin in our lives. Christian conversion is more than a free ticket to Heaven. It is a radical turning point in life. It involves a break—a repudiation—of a certain kind of living for self and indifference to God's word. So when Paul says that this message for us believers is "the power of God" (see also v. 24), he means that it is the access to God's power to be forgiven and power to live new lives. God's Christmas gifts don't come without the batteries! Nothing needs to be added or purchased. It works from the start.
19 Schooled by centuries of life under God's leadership, the Jews in Old Testament times had a different view of human wisdom than the Greeks did. For one thing, "wisdom" to the ancient Jew was less theoretical than Greek "wisdom". The latter was more associated with systematic reasoning, such as is found in classical philosophy (Socrates, Plato). For the Jew it was more like the common sense that tells someone what is the best way to lay out a field, plant and cultivate so as to be successful. It was what told him the dangers of adultery and lying. It had a moral or ethical strain. For this reason one of their prophets would say "the fear of God is the principal component of wisdom".
For another thing, the prophet Isaiah—in the passage Paul quotes in v. 19—affirmed that God delights in turning the tables on those who were proud of their superior wisdom and scoffed at God's moral law. These wise Jews of the Old Testament, themselves speaking under the inspiration of God, knew a truth that the Greeks did not. God himself is wiser than any human being. And when his human creatures begin to think that they are smarter than he, he is perfectly capable of outwitting them and giving his favors to those humble and simple enough to believe his words (see also v. 25).
The Human Composition of the Corinthian Church, v. 26-31.
What Paul writes here could also be said of communities of believers in Jesus around the world today. That there are some very brilliant and successful people in those communities is admitted, but "not many"! Christian churches should never be the preserves of the successful and sophisticated. They should—and will—always consist of a societal cross-section, with many unemployed persons, many sick and needy. A few Sundays ago we celebrated Disability Sunday in the church we attend. Much of the service was conducted by disabled persons in our congregation. It was wonderful to see their spirit, as well as to appreciate what they offer us all. Christian churches should be palces where the unwanted are wanted.
When in v. 27 Paul says that "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise", he does not mean that there are not foolish people—both highly educated and uneducated—whom God does not choose. Rather, what he means is that those of all segments of society who admit that they are not smarter than God or his written Word, and who choose to believe the "foolish" message of the cross.
No one who winds up in the eternal Kingdom of God will ever be able to claim they got there because they were smarter, stronger, wealthier, or more successful on earth than others. None will be able to say that they earned that right. That is what is meant by the "boasting" that God will not accept (v. 29).
The only "boasting" God will permit is boasting about "the Lord [Jesus]" (v. 31). We can do all of that we want to, both now in this life and later in Eternity!
Let's go boast about him!
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