Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this Tuesday,
What in our world causes you to feel inadequate, or foolish in your wisdom, or unprepared for the challenges you face in life? The amount of global information continues to grow at such a fast pace that even huge data centers, with thousands of computers collecting and tracking all information, cannot keep pace. Is it science or technology or AI or global business or social media pressure which causes you to feel so inadequate?
Join me again in 55ad as the apostle Paul has begun writing a very important letter to his Christian friends in the big, busy, bold city of Corinth, where so many of those Christians were feeling inadequate. They were feeling nearly overwhelmed by the mockery and humiliation being poured on them by a city which saw the Gospel of Jesus Christ as nothing more than foolishness.
Yesterday we looked at this bold statement Paul wrote to encourage them and I hope it encourages you if you feel that same pressure in your town: “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.” (1 Cor. 1:18) You see two very different groups of people in that verse, don’t you? So the obvious question is: ‘which group of people is your group and what are the emotions you feel if you are among ‘the perishing’ or ‘those who are being saved’?
Do you see Paul then quotes a very famous part of the Jewish prophet Isaiah’s chapter 29 when Paul quotes Almighty God as saying: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” (1 Cor. 1:19) Can you think back over time and Biblical history to remember instances where that happened? How about Noah and his sons building a huge ark as people mocked them. No one had ever seen a flood. But Noah’s obedience to God’s warning saved their lives when the global flood came. (Gen. 6-8)
Or how about the plagues God sent upon Egypt which neither Pharaoh or his wise advisors could explain or prevent? (Exodus 7-10) Or how about Daniel‘s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar‘s dreams which amazed the King’s court and proved to be true. (Daniel 2,4) Or the miracles of Jesus or the miracles of the apostles? But as we’ll see in Paul’s continuation of 1 Corinthians 1, Paul challenges us to consider that the most powerful, mind-numbing experience that befuddles all human wisdom and intelligence, is the transformation of a sinful person into a sin-forgiven, heaven-bound, Holy Spirit indwelt, follower of Jesus Christ! Have you experienced this remarkable transformation, which only God can accomplish in you, in all its fullness?
Paul challenged the Corinthians, and all who have ever read this powerful letter, including you and me in 2026, to consider this truth: “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Jesus Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 1:22-24) Oh my, it’s so true isn’t it?
Yes, Jews and many other religious or spiritually oriented people, including those drawn to mysticism, expect God to reveal Himself by His power through miracles and things which baffle our understanding of, or experience, with God. Greeks and those who cherish intelligence and the power of thinking, expect God to reveal Himself in logic, reason and irrefutable truths. Romans and others who value power and strength, expect God to reveal Himself in power beyond anything humanity could ever produce.
And Paul declares that ALL of these expectations, from every type of human being, and so much more are met and exceeded in the life transforming work of God when a sinful person becomes a ‘new creation in Christ, the old has gone and the new has come, and all this is from God.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) Paul’s focus of course is the cross and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, but also the resurrection of Jesus three days later in His glorified body, and then Jesus’ visible ascension back to heaven to resume His sovereign reign over all things in heaven and on earth!!! Do we understand how that statement leaves Jew, Greek, Roman and every other type of person, simply spellbound, speechless and without any refute? Nothing in the human experience surpasses the incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension and reign of Jesus Christ in grandeur, power, wonder and impact on our world! Now don’t rush past this paragraph.
Paul concludes his argument with this profound statement: “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus who has become for us wisdom from God – that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Cor. 1:30) Do you see God’s power in these words? Almighty God, in His unlimited wisdom and power, actually draws human beings, whom He has created, into an irreversible, immortal, life transforming union with Himself, through Jesus Christ.
That life transforming union immerses us sinful people into the righteousness of God, and that means we become HOLY people, and we are rescued, redeemed from BOTH our inescapable slavery to sin and our irreversible sin-condemnation which was sending us to eternity in hell, forever separated from God. Now, can you wrap your minds around the wonder, the majesty, and the wisdom of God found in all this? Can you explain it to others, especially your children and grandchildren? It dwarfs in significance anything and everything else in the human experience!
The ‘lessons learned’ study notes will be very helpful to you today at the link below, and a wonderful worship song celebrates this great work in our lives, and I’ll be here ready to meet with you again tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Cor. 1:18-31.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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