The Passage
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. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 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?
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.
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
But unto them which 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.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]:
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;
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:
That no flesh should glory in his presence.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 1Corintheans 1:17-31
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. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 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?
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.
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
But unto them which 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.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]:
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;
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:
That no flesh should glory in his presence.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 1Corintheans 1:17-31
A History Lesson:
Wisdom has a very distinct history that many of us never really paid attention to. We read scripture as the one above here and think," well, that makes sense" and give it no more thought. But the story behind the scripture makes it so much more entertaining. Back before Paul wrote the letter to the Corintheans, oh say around 5th Century, B.C. a popular trend was taking place. Early on, those that were considered wise, were craftsmen who were masters, able to teach others to do their skill with "cunning".
And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set [them], and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. Exodus 31:3-5
In this usage of the words wisdom and cunning works, it refers to his depth of skilled ability. This is an important distinction to remember. Later, there were a group of elites commonly known as "sophites", derived from the greek word sophizo (to make wise) who were teachers and philosophers and would travel around and instruct nobles, political leaders and such in the art of rhetoric. This group of professionals were skilled in the arts of language.
It was a common practice to use negativity or words of trickery to influence the audience into believing what they were saying, or in the least, confound the listener to the point of agreement so as not to look like an idiot for not understanding.
It was this particular practice that certain persons such as Socrates and Plato spoke out against, which caused quite a stir in the affluent circles. Socrates did not believe that one should pay for education, and the use of "erroneous reasoning" was ill fitted for a teacher/philosopher.
As a general note here, King Solomon was in fact nick-named the Sophist King by some, and was sought to be visited by many such as Queen Sheba because of his renowned wisdom. Fast forward to the 1st century AD, and we find the beginning of what is known as the 2nd Sophism era
The Importance of Wisdom:
Many places in the Bible it tells us to seek wisdom (Proverbs 4:7), to be filled with wisdom (Colossians 1:9), to ask for wisdom (James 1:5). But, unlike the sophites, God wants us to have His Godly wisdom. This wisdom is based on the spiritual matters, the weightier matters. The sophite would use fancy verbiage to try to persuade and appeal to their intellect. This had brought power and influence to them. This is why Paul wrote that he did not preach with "wisdom of words" as did the sophites, but he preached Christ. When Christ came on the scene, He defied their logic and confounded their reasoning.
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. 1 Corinthians 2:13
The Greeks had many gods, but when Paul preached Christ, and that there was only one God, it flew in the face of their haughty ways. In fact, the wealthier they were, the more gods they worshiped. When a family member came home and said they had accepted Christ as their savior, it went against their societal fabric. It was the belief that the more gods you had, the more powerful and influential you were. No, to preach Christ was a really, really big issue.
The real importance with Godly wisdom is that we can grasp the concept of how God's word and Spirit work together to create life. We can grasp the concept that God lives within us, that we can become perfected through the process of growing the inner man, and being spiritually complete. We get the idea that Christ was crucified for our sins and by being a sinless sacrifice, he was the last sacrifice required for remission of sins. These things confound the wisdom of men, and are stumbling blocks to the Jews who don't believe in Christ. And this is why Paul wrote:
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;
because you don't have to be rich and powerful to believe that Christ died for you!
The Practical application of Wisdom:
The secret to wisdom is that it gives us inspiration to tough situations. We may not understand the reasoning for the answer, but we know it to be the right one. Of the 234 times that wisdom is mentioned in the Bible, it is paired up with understanding 53 times.
Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7
The Holy Spirit Characteristic of understanding is so important to combine with the Holy Spirit of Wisdom. Wisdom tells us how, understanding tells us why! Next week, we will continue with Wisdom, but from a different angle. We need to ask God to fill us with wisdom, just as Solomon did, but remember to give God the glory, and not ourselves for the wisdom He bestows on us. The only reason we have any good thing at all is because of God's gracious love for us.
Wisdom has a very distinct history that many of us never really paid attention to. We read scripture as the one above here and think," well, that makes sense" and give it no more thought. But the story behind the scripture makes it so much more entertaining. Back before Paul wrote the letter to the Corintheans, oh say around 5th Century, B.C. a popular trend was taking place. Early on, those that were considered wise, were craftsmen who were masters, able to teach others to do their skill with "cunning".
And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set [them], and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. Exodus 31:3-5
In this usage of the words wisdom and cunning works, it refers to his depth of skilled ability. This is an important distinction to remember. Later, there were a group of elites commonly known as "sophites", derived from the greek word sophizo (to make wise) who were teachers and philosophers and would travel around and instruct nobles, political leaders and such in the art of rhetoric. This group of professionals were skilled in the arts of language.
It was a common practice to use negativity or words of trickery to influence the audience into believing what they were saying, or in the least, confound the listener to the point of agreement so as not to look like an idiot for not understanding.
It was this particular practice that certain persons such as Socrates and Plato spoke out against, which caused quite a stir in the affluent circles. Socrates did not believe that one should pay for education, and the use of "erroneous reasoning" was ill fitted for a teacher/philosopher.
As a general note here, King Solomon was in fact nick-named the Sophist King by some, and was sought to be visited by many such as Queen Sheba because of his renowned wisdom. Fast forward to the 1st century AD, and we find the beginning of what is known as the 2nd Sophism era
The Importance of Wisdom:
Many places in the Bible it tells us to seek wisdom (Proverbs 4:7), to be filled with wisdom (Colossians 1:9), to ask for wisdom (James 1:5). But, unlike the sophites, God wants us to have His Godly wisdom. This wisdom is based on the spiritual matters, the weightier matters. The sophite would use fancy verbiage to try to persuade and appeal to their intellect. This had brought power and influence to them. This is why Paul wrote that he did not preach with "wisdom of words" as did the sophites, but he preached Christ. When Christ came on the scene, He defied their logic and confounded their reasoning.
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. 1 Corinthians 2:13
The Greeks had many gods, but when Paul preached Christ, and that there was only one God, it flew in the face of their haughty ways. In fact, the wealthier they were, the more gods they worshiped. When a family member came home and said they had accepted Christ as their savior, it went against their societal fabric. It was the belief that the more gods you had, the more powerful and influential you were. No, to preach Christ was a really, really big issue.
The real importance with Godly wisdom is that we can grasp the concept of how God's word and Spirit work together to create life. We can grasp the concept that God lives within us, that we can become perfected through the process of growing the inner man, and being spiritually complete. We get the idea that Christ was crucified for our sins and by being a sinless sacrifice, he was the last sacrifice required for remission of sins. These things confound the wisdom of men, and are stumbling blocks to the Jews who don't believe in Christ. And this is why Paul wrote:
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;
because you don't have to be rich and powerful to believe that Christ died for you!
The Practical application of Wisdom:
The secret to wisdom is that it gives us inspiration to tough situations. We may not understand the reasoning for the answer, but we know it to be the right one. Of the 234 times that wisdom is mentioned in the Bible, it is paired up with understanding 53 times.
Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7
The Holy Spirit Characteristic of understanding is so important to combine with the Holy Spirit of Wisdom. Wisdom tells us how, understanding tells us why! Next week, we will continue with Wisdom, but from a different angle. We need to ask God to fill us with wisdom, just as Solomon did, but remember to give God the glory, and not ourselves for the wisdom He bestows on us. The only reason we have any good thing at all is because of God's gracious love for us.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16
Here's a few verses to consider for our personal quiet time:
2 Chronicles 1:11 Proverbs 1:2-5
Proverbs 24:3-7 Isaiah 33:6
Jeremiah 9:24,25 James 3:15
Revelation 13:18
Revelation 13:18
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