The Foundation Of All Our Hopes

Will wisdom make me seem smart to the world? Will biblical wisdom make my life easier or harder?

The deep pool of wisdom of where we are headed will make you seem to be a fool to the world. It will not make your life easier, but even though it makes your life harder, it will make it simpler. I like simple.

Wisdom is the ability to discern between right and wrong and in this postmodern world in which we live the Bible is foolishness to most. The cross is foolishness to those who are perishing Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthian church and a few verses later he tells them this:

    “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)

The Jewish people always demanded a sign, a miracle for them to believe and the Greeks were wisdom-seekers, but of the kind that the human mind could reason with, not heavenly wisdom. The resurrection was foolishness to the Greeks because they considered the body defiled and not something to be rescued. They did not understand what a heavenly body would contain.

They considered the preaching of the cross foolish. That’s why Paul described it as “the foolishness of the message preached.” So are preachers who preach the cross foolish? No, it is the content of the message that many consider as foolish.

Jesus Christ is somewhat of an anomaly for people because first it is hard to imagine God becoming a human being and then living the life He lived. Greek philosophy was prevalent throughout many of the regions Paul preached and the gospel confused many of his hearers. An example is the Colossian church where this philosophy was infecting the church. Paul wrote a letter to the church to refute heretical teaching within its church. He wrote:

    “For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:1-3)

In modern times many a “theologian” has tried to explain away Christ being crucified with silly theories such as the “swoon theory.” While many scoff at the cross and Christ crucified we as born-again believers lay the foundation of our faith at the cross. Matthew Henry writes:

    “Paul had been bred up in Jewish learning, but the plain preaching of a crucified Jesus, was more powerful than all the oratory and philosophy of the heathen world. This is the sum and substance of the gospel. Christ crucified is the foundation of all our hopes, the fountain of all our joys. And by his death we live. The preaching of salvation for lost sinners by the sufferings and death of the Son of God, if explained and faithfully applied, appears foolishness to those in the way of destruction. The sensual, the covetous, the proud, and ambitious, alike see that the gospel opposes their favorite pursuits. But those who receive the gospel, and are enlightened by the Spirit of God, see more of God’s wisdom and power in the doctrine of Christ crucified, than in all His other works. God left a great part of the world to follow the dictates of man’s boasted reason, and the event has shown that human wisdom is folly, and is unable to find or retain the knowledge of God as the Creator. It pleased Him, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. By the foolishness of preaching; not by what could justly be called foolish preaching. But the thing preached was foolishness to the worldly-wise men. The gospel ever was, and ever will be, foolishness to all in the road to destruction.”

We are going to find that even as born-again believers many of our favorite pursuits will find opposition in the gospel. Are you ready to give up those pursuits? Are you ready to have some of your hobbies and hopes revealed as covetousness? Even our pursuit of biblical wisdom can become idolatrous if we seek it with a wrong heart.

As we go deeper the pressure to change our ways will become greater and our conviction to share the gospel will increase. And with this increase will come an increase in persecution, from those closest to you in some cases.

Do you still want to wade into the deep end? It is very deep. If you wade with a right heart, proceed with pure motives, you will never drown. If you build your house on biblical wisdom, you will have a solid foundation.

And as is the case with all buildings, the foundation must first be poured.

Will do that tomorrow…

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2010 David Jeffers

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