Church: Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia | Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 | Date: January 10, 2010 | Speaker: Fred Zaspel

I’ll remind you one more time that we just might start a new custom around here after the reading of God’s Word. I will say, “This is the Word of the Lord,” and the congregation will respond, “Thanks be to God.” Alright, now you don’t need any more warnings. Who says you can’t have ritual in a Baptist church? 1 Corinthians 1, beginning with verse 18; the title of the message this morning is “The Foolishness of God.”

“For 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, for it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

This is the Word of the Lord. Let’s bow for prayer.

Father, we thank you that you have given us your Word. What an awesome, awesome privilege it is to be able to open this book and know that this is unlike any other book. This is your Word to us; how we praise you for it. May we never forget the honor that is ours in having it. We ask that you would give us a deep sense of not only our responsibility but the great value of learning this and studying it and having our lives and our minds and our hearts shaped by it. We thank you for the message of this book, the Lord Jesus Christ who has come as our Redeemer. We pray that you will give us a greater appreciation of him this morning. As we have sung already in his praise, we ask that you would give us more and more a heart to love him and to trust him. We ask in his name. Amen.

One of the striking and sometimes amusing things about us—us being people—is that despite all of our advanced learning, despite all of the advanced intelligence that we can display in so many ways, we have this amazing capacity and even a tendency to be wrong when we’re so confident that we’re right. You’ve seen it on just about every level. We’ve seen it in sports. Once in a while it will happen just after halftime in basketball; a man will steal the ball, make a break, and score in the wrong goal. We’ve seen it in football. We’ve seen it in the history of medical science as well. For years they continue a practice which one day finally is proven actually to be harmful to the patient.

We’ve seen it in the realm of historical scholarship. Historians confidently pronounce for us the way things were then, only until some archeologist uncovers something that turns the whole thing on its head. Most of us have experienced that sense of humiliation when we confidently turn a corner on a street only to find that we’re going the wrong way on a one-way, and I suppose most of us know that guy who can best be described as “often wrong, but never in doubt.” Well, it raises an interesting question, and the question is: how much of what you know is wrong? It’s a frustrating question, isn’t it? How much of what you know is wrong? There’s no way to answer that. Somebody asked me once, “Fred, have you ever had any blind spots?” And quickly, I answered, “Not that I’ve ever seen.”

How much of what we know is wrong? Well, actually, that’s a problem that the Apostle Paul often describes in reference to the world and its approach to God. He speaks of it in Romans chapter 1, where he describes there the devolution of religion. That is, although man knew God, they glorified him not as God and became futile in their imaginations and ended up worshiping the creature rather than the Creator. Paul speaks of it in graphic terms in Ephesians 4 that really aren’t that unusual in Paul’s writings. He speaks of the world as going about in the futility of their minds because of the ignorance that is in them. Scriptures describe man as groping at noonday, looking, “Where can I find my way?” and yet they’re in the bright sunlight.

It can be summed up in the words of the famous proverb: there’s a way that seems right to a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death. And that, in a nutshell, is Paul’s point in this passage. You’ll see it in verse 18: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.” And then again in verse 23 he repeats it: “Jews demand a miraculous sign. Greeks look for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” The point is just a humiliating one. It’s one that cuts deep across all of our sense of self-sufficiency and self-esteem. Not only, Paul says, not only does man confidently think of God and his way of approach to God in ways that are wrong, but he actually perceives the right way to be foolishness. Such is the depravity of the human heart.

The World Thinks the Gospel Is Foolish

Now, I’m sure you’ve noticed this yourself, even if you haven’t thought of it quite in these terms: that the world thinks the gospel is foolish. You’ve seen it when you try to witness for Christ. If you’ve done it more than once, you’ve seen this. Maybe the first time you were a bit surprised to learn that they didn’t welcome you with open arms. They weren’t that content to listen. It’s a fascinating thing because you could talk to them about just about any of the world’s religions and they’d be generally content to listen. But speak to them about the gospel; there’s a strange discontentedness. In fact, there’s an unwillingness to believe and a kind of hostility and disdain.

You could go to them with a lie that they would be more willing to believe. You could go to a man and say, “Look, if you’ll keep the Ten Commandments, you can go to heaven.” He’ll believe that. Knowing full well that he himself has never kept the Ten Commandments, knowing that he himself on that ground must perish, he’ll go away believing that. But go to him with the gospel, and there’s a strange disdain, isn’t there? “Ah, don’t tell me about that.” And not only is there a kind of misunderstanding, but there is this kind of hostility as well. And you’ve experienced it if you tried to witness very much at all for Christ. They may hate you for it. They may cuss at you for it. If it’s a good friend or family member, they may come up with something like, “Look, I love you. You’re my friend. I love you. But if you want this friendship to continue, you’re going to have to lay off this Jesus stuff.” You’ve heard that, haven’t you? They know better. And you seem to insult them when you speak to them about the message of the cross. And you put your friendship, even your family relationships, in jeopardy when you speak of it.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. Now, this is not a new problem. It’s an old problem. It’s as old as gospel preaching itself, and Paul mentions it here again in verse 18 and also in verse 23. Paul himself was confronted by this problem. In its historical context, part of the problem was simply the ugliness and the reprehensibility of the cross itself. We are so far removed from crucifixion and we have so long been accustomed to having a cross as jewelry or decorations that we fail to comprehend the reprehensibility of the cross in that setting. It would be like talking about a guillotine, a beheading, a hanging, a firing squad. It’s the kind of thing that’s just ugly. And you certainly don’t bring up things like this in polite conversation. And in cultured situations, you don’t talk about crucifixion. It’s a dirty word. It’s a four-letter word you just don’t bring up in polite company.

And yet, here come the apostles and say, “We have nothing to preach except the cross. The cross of Jesus.” You don’t talk about these things. Crucifixion was such a horrendous event, such a shameful, shameful way to die, full of agony, full of disgrace, and it was intended to be slow and torturous in order to shame and humiliate the victim in the extreme. And then you come up and say, “I have nothing to preach but a cross.” And they’re looking at you like you have two heads. You have a crucified Savior? Those two words don’t belong together, buddy. It’s an oxymoron. A crucified Savior? How can he save anybody if he’s crucified? It’s an oxymoron. It’s like frozen steam, jumbo shrimp, government intelligence.

Crucified Savior? You’ve got to be kidding. Worse than that, you insult me when you tell me that my only hope before God is bound up with such a person. You want me to place my trust in a person who was debased, defeated, humiliated, and killed in the most awful way imaginable? That’s my hope, right? Yeah, right. You’ve got to be kidding. You want me to commit myself to the keeping of a man who died in that kind of weakness and shame? And you want me to believe that I am such a sinner, so bad off that God will not have me on any other terms but faith in a defeated, weak man who died in disgrace? You’ve got to be kidding.

And so the Jewish mind says, “Come on, show me. Give me a sign. Give me some grand display of the supposed power of this supposed Savior. Some demonstration that he is the Lord that you say he is.” And I’ve always thought that’s just an amazing request of a man who had not only raised the dead, but raised himself from the dead just like he had predicted he would. But there it is. Give us a sign, some display of his power. And to the Greek mind, it is just as foolish and just as easily dismissed. Worship a crucified king? You’ve got to be kidding. What we want is to subject God to our analysis. And if we do not approve, we won’t believe.

And it all has a very contemporary ring to it, doesn’t it? “God shouldn’t condemn me for just my little things that I do, all my peccadilloes. We all have our own problems. God shouldn’t condemn. I don’t want to believe in a God like that. I tried that Jesus thing. My daughter got sick and she died. Why should I believe in him? I tried that Jesus thing you talk about and I lost my job. Why should I believe in him?” And on it goes. It’s all the same old, same old. I will go to God but on my terms. I will decide what he should be like. I will decide what he should do and then I will worship him accordingly. And rather than worshiping the God who is, rather than worshiping the God who created us in his image, we recreate God after our image and then pretend to worship that God. We subject the God who is to our own analysis and we disapprove. And the irony is, the irony is, we think ourselves wise for it.

God Has Set Out to Destroy Human Wisdom

But God, you see, verses 19 and 20, has set out to destroy human wisdom. It is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” And so Paul asks, “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” That is to say, God is not concerned to flatter us. He’s not concerned to pump our self-esteem. He has set out instead, rather, to humble us. And he has brought human wisdom to nothing. And we are so blind, we don’t even see it.

Think of it. How well have all of the philosophies of this world done in terms of changing and transforming lives? How well have these philosophies of this world done at bringing man a real, true, deep sense of peace with his Creator? How well have they done? In this context, we may be speaking of the Platonists, we may be speaking of the Epicureans, the Stoics, the very Sophists of his day. In our day, we might be speaking of anything from Hedonism to Asceticism or Marxism to Capitalism or whatever. What philosophy has really made headway at transforming human lives? Think of it even in terms of our own society’s experts: the ethicists and the psychologists, the social analysts. What have they done to bring man into a deep sense of peace with his Creator, and what have they done to accomplish real transformation of the human life?

This has just long amazed me as a point that certainly leaves the world open to all kinds of mocking. And it’s just amazing how the world can miss this. It’s so obvious and yet they’re so blinded to it. “We don’t need the gospel. We don’t need that old way of thinking. We don’t need that old book. We’ve matured now. Humanity’s matured. We don’t need religion. We don’t need that God-crutch that you’re talking about. And we certainly don’t need the kind of God you’re talking about who condemns sin and we have to have a bloody Savior and all of that kind of thing. We don’t need the gospel. With all of our learning and with all of our advancement in sociology and psychology, we know better. We’ve improved.”

And they really think—this is the irony of it—they really think they have improved. And it never seems to occur to them that despite all of the clinics and all of the seminars and all of the counselors and all of the self-help gurus and all of the self-help books and literature and seminars that we have today, all of the institutions that are made available to help all of man’s problems—despite all of that, the problems that they are designed to solve and correct not only remain, but they increase. And it never occurs to them that they think they have solved the problem. They boast of their improvements. And it never occurs—it never occurs to them that they expend all of their energies on masking symptoms and they can’t do a thing about addressing causes. They can’t do a thing about transforming the human heart from which all of these problems grow.

Simple illustrations of it are everywhere. The world really thinks now—they really, truly, deeply believe—that that biblical way of rearing your children is not only wrong, it’s harmful to your children. They believe that. It’s becoming some of the biggest problems for Christians with their kids in public schools because those people deeply believe that their mission in life to be a good person is to rescue those poor children of yours from that awful influence that you’re having on them. And they really, really think they’re right. Never mind that the past couple of generations in which we have thought that with a vengeance, discipline has fallen apart. Discipline in school is worse than ever. Juvenile delinquency is worse than ever, and they scratch their heads. They don’t know why, but they’re sure they’ve made improvements. They’re convinced.

They’re convinced that it would be better for us if we are taught that we are just a highly evolved animal, and the more we act like animals and the more society’s structures just fall apart, they just don’t get why. And it’s a puzzle to them. But they boast of their improvements. “Look at the improvements we’ve made. We don’t need that old way.” It’s just amazing. It’s just amazing to me, the blindness of it. But if you want in on a secret, Paul tells us here, all of that is no surprise to God. In fact, we find in verse 21, God is the one who determined it to be that way.

Notice what Paul says in verse 21: “For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him.” You see that? It is in the wisdom of God that the world, through its wisdom, did not know Him. This is something of a Pauline echo of what Jesus prayed in Matthew 11:25, where Jesus says, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and you’ve revealed it to babes.” God has stood there and said, “No, I won’t give it to you.” And you’re so proud; ingenuity is so idolatrous, and God says, “I will not give you a knowledge of me.” It is in the wisdom of God that the world, through its wisdom, did not know God.

Now, the world is still completely blameworthy in its rejection of God. It’s still completely blameworthy for all of its faults. They do what they do willingly and with malintent, and they’re held accountable for it. But even in its rebellion against God, the wicked do not escape God’s providential direction of all things. It is in the wisdom of God that the world, through its wisdom, did not know Him. But you see the irony of it then. There’s only one message by which man is reconciled to God. And that’s the message that we, in our great wisdom, think is foolish. It’s a message of a cross—an ugly, shameful, reprehensible cross. And it’s by the preaching of a crucified Savior, a man who in shame and weakness mightily secured the redemption of his people. In that message, we find salvation and nowhere else. It is in a message that we in our wisdom instinctively think foolish that God has accomplished mighty things.

Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God

And so notice the contrast then that Paul makes here. Read through first of all verses 21 through 24: “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs, Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews, foolishness to Gentiles. But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Notice the contrast here now in verse 24. To those whom he has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and Christ the wisdom of God. Now this is fascinating. The contrast here is foolishness versus—now you’re going to think wisdom, right? Foolishness versus wisdom, that’s the contrast. And indeed, Paul does speak like that at the end of verse 24. But first of all, notice the contrast is between foolishness and power, which is just an odd kind of a contrast, isn’t it? Foolishness versus power. Verse 24 again: “to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

We have the same at the very beginning of this passage. You remember at the end of the passage from last week, Paul emphasized that his mission, verse 17, is to preach the gospel not with words of human wisdom. And now, verse 18: “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.” Interesting contrast, isn’t it? You wouldn’t normally speak that way. Foolishness versus wisdom is what you think. Paul here is arguing, first of all, though on this level, it is their foolishness that is disproved by God’s power.

His point then is not simply that God has outsmarted them, although he is arguing at least that. His point is that simply he’s not concerned to give simply a philosophical vindication of the gospel. There may be a way—there is a way—to sit down with these guys and show them with what we call apologetics that we’ve got the goods. But Paul’s not after that here. His point is simply that this message which the world so instinctively thinks is foolish, it’s the only message that works. It’s powerful. You think it’s foolish, but it has great power. Preaching this message, men and women are brought to God. Preaching this message, human lives are transformed. This message has a power, even though you think it is foolish. And this is something that no other message can accomplish. God has set out to destroy human wisdom, idolatrous as it is, and he does it by making a message which they think is foolish—making that message accomplish great things.

Now, I think that’s clear enough, but I’m going to take the time to read you something, and I know you’re not supposed to read lengthy passages. It’s hard for you to follow, but I think you’ll enjoy this, and I think it makes the point so powerfully. When I first came across this story, I thought of it in terms of 1 Corinthians 1 here. It’s a remarkable illustration from the life of Harry Ironside. Many of you have heard the name, I’m sure, a popular dispensational teacher of a couple of generations ago.

Early in his ministry, Ironside was living in the San Francisco Bay area working with some Christians called the Brethren. One evening as he was walking through the city, he came upon a group of Salvation Army workers holding a meeting on the corner of Market and Grant Avenues. When they recognized Ironside, they asked if he would give his testimony. So he did, and he gave a word of how God had saved him through faith alone in Jesus Christ. As he was speaking, Ironside noticed that on the edge of the crowd, there was a well-dressed man who had taken a card from his pocket and written something on it. As Ironside finished his talk, the man came forward and lifted his hat, very politely handed Ironside the card. On one side was the man’s name, which Ironside immediately recognized. The man was one of the early socialists who had made a name for himself, lecturing not only for socialism, but also against Christianity.

As Ironside turned the card over, he read, “Sir, I challenge you to a debate with me to debate with me this question: Agnosticism versus Christianity, in the Academy of Science Hall next Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock. I will pay all expenses.” Ironside then re-read the card aloud and then replied something like this: “I’m very much interested in this challenge. Frankly, I’m already scheduled for another meeting next Lord’s Day afternoon at 3 o’clock, but I think it will be possible for me to get there in time or, if not, to arrange a substitute speaker for me at the meeting already advertised. Therefore, I’ll be glad to agree to this debate on the following conditions, namely, that in order to prove that this gentleman has something worth debating about, he will promise to bring with him to the hall next Sunday two people whose qualifications I’ll give in a moment as proof that agnosticism is of real value in changing human lives and building true character.

First, he must promise to bring with him one man who was for years what we may commonly call a ‘down and outer.’ I am not particular as to the exact nature of the sins that had wrecked his life and made him an outcast from society—whether a drunkard or a criminal of some kind, or a victim of sensual appetite—but a man who for years was under the power of evil habits from which he could not escape and could not deliver himself, but who on some occasion entered into one of this man’s meetings and heard his glorification of agnosticism and his denunciation of the Bible and Christianity, and whose heart and mind as he listened to such an address were so deeply stirred that he went away from that meeting saying, ‘Henceforth I too am an agnostic.’ And as a result of imbibing that particular philosophy, found that a new power had come into his life. The sins he once loved he now hates. Righteousness and goodness are now the ideals of his life. He’s now an entirely new man, a credit to himself and an asset to society, all because he’s an agnostic.

Secondly, I’d like my opponent to promise to bring with him one woman—I think he may have more difficulty in finding the woman than the man—but just one woman who was once a poor, wrecked, characterless outcast, the slave of evil passions, the victim of men’s corrupt living, perhaps one who had lived for years in some evil resort, utterly lost, ruined, and wretched because of her life of sin. But this woman also entered the hall where this man was loudly proclaiming his agnosticism, ridiculing the message of the Holy Scriptures, and she listened. And hope was born in her heart, and she said, ‘This is just what I need to deliver me from the slavery of sin.’ So she followed the teaching, became an intelligent agnostic and an infidel, and as a result, her whole life and her whole being revolted against the degradation of the life she had been living. She fled from the den of iniquity where she had been held captive so long, and today, rehabilitated, she has won her way back to an honored position in society and is living a clean, virtuous, happy life, all because she’s an agnostic.

Now,” Ironside said, addressing the gentleman who had presented him with the card and the challenge, “if you will promise to bring these two people with you as examples of what agnosticism can do, I will promise to meet you at the Hall of Science at 4 o’clock next Sunday, and I will bring with me at least a hundred of such men and women who for years lived in just sinful degradation as I have been depicting, but who have been gloriously saved through believing the gospel which you ridicule. I will have these men and women with me on the platform as witnesses to the miraculous saving power of Jesus Christ and as present-day proof of the truth of the Bible.” Ironside then turned to the Salvation Army captain. The girl said, “Captain, have you any here who could go with me to such a meeting?” She exclaimed with enthusiasm, “We can give you forty just out of this corps! We can give you a brass band to lead the procession!” “Fine,” Dr. Ironside answered. “Now, sir, I will have no difficulty picking up sixty others from the various missions, gospel halls, and evangelical churches of the city. So if you’ll promise to bring just two such exhibits as I’ve described, I will come marching in with the band ahead of me with a procession, the band playing ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers,’ and I’ll be ready for the debate.”

Apparently, the man who had made the challenge had some sense of humor, for he smiled wryly, waved his hand in a deprecating kind of way as if to say, “Nothing doing,” and then edged out of the crowd while bystanders applauded Ironside and the others. Well, this is Paul’s point exactly. This is what the gospel does. There’s just nothing to compare with its power. You call this message foolish if you like, but look what it does. There may be room, there may be a place, for more philosophical vindication of things. But this is Paul’s argument here. This message which man thinks so foolish is a message which accomplishes great things. It brings men to a deep sense of peace with God and it transforms lives.

God has set out to destroy human wisdom. He’s willing to take all challengers. In verse 20, “Where’s the wise man? Where’s the scholar?” Bring him on. Show me somebody who can do what this message does. And so Paul concludes in verse 25, “the foolishness of God”—so he just adopts their language—”the foolishness of God is wiser than men’s wisdom. The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” Don’t you love it when God brags a little? Who out there can do what I’ve done? I’ll destroy your wisdom, and I’ll save by means that you think are foolish.

And isn’t that exactly the testimony that every one of us gives? We thought we had it together. The problem with every man or woman outside of Christ: he thinks he doesn’t need Christ. Thinks he’s got it together. “I’m okay. I can handle it. I can make it.” With an idolatrous kind of self-sufficiency, and God just cuts against it and says, “I’ll accomplish these great things by this message that you think so foolish.” And every one of us has to come together and say at this point, this is exactly what happens to us. While all the details differ, each of us has to say that God brought us to an end of ourselves. And He brought us to see that this message, which at first was so reprehensible—that which we wanted to run away from—it was through this message that I’ve been brought to peace with God.

All of the other philosophies of this world, all of the other philosophies of life, they leave you with your problems, unfulfilled lives, dysfunctional lives. This message—this message transforms life. Paul is simply saying here: the advantage of the Gospel is exactly this. It works. It is the power of God unto salvation. And that’s why the Apostle Paul will say in the very next chapter, “I determine not to know anything else among you, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” There’s nothing else that works. And all through this passage, there’s that same emphasis: verse 17, verse 18, verse 21, verses 23 and 24—all of these emphasizing there just is no message that works, but this one works powerfully.

The world can clamor for all of its improvements, but for us who have experienced this power, we say they can keep their improvements. What we want is to hear this message and to hear it again and hear it again and hear it again. This is why we feel that we must continue to bear witness for Christ even when it creates such an offense. Whether you know it or not, you need this message. And this is why when we meet together, as Christians even, our whole meetings revolve around preaching and teaching this message. This is the world’s only hope. This is God’s ordained means of accomplishing great things.

If you have not yet come to Christ, if you don’t know what it is to bow your knee to this crucified Savior and find redemption in one who was crucified in such weakness and shame, you’re kidding yourself. You think you can get along without it. You think you’ve got it together. In the whole message of the Gospel, God is coming to you saying, “Give it up. Give it up. There’s nothing you can do to improve. What you need is help, and that help is found in a crucified, risen Savior.” Don’t be offended by it. This is the only message that saves. Amen.

Father, we are impressed at how you have done as you have said in bringing the wisdom of this world to nothing. Father, we thank you for the great way in which you have brought us to Christ. Who would have imagined? Who would have imagined that we who were rebels against you could be redeemed back to fellowship with you through the giving of your only Son, who stood in our place to bear our sins? Who would have imagined the great joy in bowing the knee to this Lord and this Savior? Lord, we praise you for the gospel. We praise you for the great provisions that you’ve given us in Christ. Draw our hearts, we pray, to a greater, more firm faith in Him. In His name we pray, Amen.