February 1, 2026
"Real Wisdom Is in Christ"
I Corinthians 1:18-31
In my message for Christmas Eve over a month ago, I stressed how God uses what we might never expect to accomplish His will and purpose. Who would ever have thought that God would use a baby born in a barn to save the world? But that is what God did. The people of the world would never have expected this. I suppose that is why God had Jesus’ birth recorded in the Bible. He had to tell the world this was His plan. People wouldn’t have come to this conclusion on their own. We wouldn’t have understood God’s plan to save the world by Jesus had it not been told to us. A baby born in a barn isn’t something we would have figured was God’s plan.
If we remember, the Israelites complained quite often in the wilderness. One time, God had had enough. He sent venomous snakes to punish the people. Quite a few of them died as a result. But God didn’t intend for all of them to die. He commanded that a pole with a bronze snake on it be made and erected. When those who had been bitten looked at the snake, they would be spared from death. Who would ever have thought that God would use such a means to save people. I'm sure no one had expected this.
So again, God uses what we might least expect to accomplish His purpose. This is His way of showing His almighty power. God wants to show us that He can do great things with what we least expect or look down upon.
In our text, Paul expresses a similar idea. He writes that God uses what the wise of this world consider foolishness to baffle them. The foolishness in this case is salvation in Jesus Christ. The wise of this world think redemption in Jesus is utter nonsense. But God has confounded them. He has shown them that they aren’t as wise as they think they are.
Paul wrote this letter to the church in the city of Corinth. Corinth was a city in Greece. The Corinthians were Greeks, and Greeks were known for the value they placed on wisdom. The Greeks were also known for their philosophers. Maybe some of us are familiar with them: Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and others. These philosophers had made wisdom and truth their life’s pursuit.
What’s ironic here is that their pursuit of wisdom and truth hadn’t lead them to salvation in God Almighty, the greatest truth ever. They had come to the conclusion that there was a higher power in the universe, but they were unable to learn any specifics about this higher power. Their philosophy and wisdom hadn’t brought them to the conclusion that this higher power is personal and loving, that He is both Savior and Judge. It turned out that these Greek philosophers weren’t as wise as they had thought they were.
Paul points out in our text that Greek wisdom, and worldly wisdom in general, is of no value when it comes to salvation in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t lead a person to the ultimate truth.
The Bible says that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. That contrasts with Greek wisdom. Paul’s emphasis is on a wisdom that comes from the Lord. Only that wisdom brings one to the Lord. But this wisdom is foolishness to the wise of this world.
In a sense, Paul puts down the wise of this world. If they are so smart and wise, then why aren’t they able to grasp the truth of Jesus Christ? Why doesn’t their wisdom lead them to the ultimate truth, the ultimate wisdom? Paul is really saying that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. The wise of this world aren’t as wise as they believe they are. If they were truly wise, they would believe in the Lord.
Have the worldly wise gotten any wiser over the years, since Paul wrote this? I certainly don’t believe so. Who are considered to be wise in our day and age? I’m sure the scientists fall into this group. They are so smart. They have figured out how to split and fuse atoms, develop medicines to cure diseases, design satellites to orbit the earth, and so on and so on. But some of them can’t bring themselves to believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Some of them even mock Jesus. But these are considered the wise men of our age.
What about corporate leaders. Aren’t they considered wise in our age? Look at the innovations they come up with. Just look at all the things we can do online like banking, shopping, communicating, and so on. Just look at all the profits these corporate leaders can generate. Not just anyone can do that. Look at how wise these men are. But does this so-called wisdom lead them to Christ? It certainly doesn’t seem that way. Their wisdom doesn’t include Christ.
What about some of the the professors in our universities. Aren’t they considered wise according to the world’s standards? Those with common sense don’t consider them wise, but the world does. Their wisdom more often than not turns a person away from Christ. How many kids have left home to attend the university only to be led astray by the professor’s so-called wisdom?
Those so-called wise are foolish in God’s eyes. Do we remember what king David wrote in the Psalms? He wrote that only a fool believes there is no God. So, the wise of the world who think they are wiser than everyone else for not believing in God are fools. That’s the bottom line.
I don’t want to suggest that there is no value to human wisdom whatsoever. There is. It has made our lives more comfortable in some respects. There is no denying that. But it doesn’t have Christ in mind. Christ isn’t the goal or focus of human wisdom.
The real problem I have with the so-called wise of the world is their arrogance. They think that because they are smart in a worldly sense that they are better than others. And they especially look down on Christians. That’s the problem I have with the wise of this world. It’s sad, really. They are so absorbed in regarding themselves more highly than others that they can’t see Christ. They see no value whatsoever in believing in Jesus Christ. For them, Jesus is the antithesis of human wisdom.
I think we see through the wisdom of this world. We realize that human wisdom isn’t ultimate wisdom. It doesn’t lead one to Christ. It fails to grasp God’s wisdom. God chose what we don’t always expect to do great things. He does this to humble the arrogant. But often times, the arrogant are too proud to submit to God’s wisdom.
This was especially true at Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate. The so-called learned among the people couldn’t bear to have a beat-up Jesus be their king. They stirred up the people to have Jesus crucified. It was better to get rid of Jesus and look for another Messiah. But these so-called learned and wise among the people failed to see God’s wisdom in having Jesus crucified for the sins of the world
I’m sure this isn’t what they had expected from God. They had thought God would send them a strong and powerful king who would make the nation of Israel great. But that wasn’t God’s plan. And because they didn’t possess wisdom from God, they failed to understand God’s plan in Jesus. Jesus was a disgrace to them.
But Jesus is not a disgrace to us. He is our king. And praise God that He has given us the wisdom to understand this. We probably never would have expected God to work out our salvation in this way, but He did. And He has opened our eyes to believe it.
I would encourage us to beware of human wisdom. It doesn’t grasp all things. It doesn’t understand why God does what He does, especially when it comes to salvation in Jesus Christ. Any philosophy or human wisdom that doesn’t embrace Christ should be avoided.
I pray that we will surround ourselves with those who are wise in the Lord and seek God’s wisdom in all areas of our life. His wisdom is what matters most.
Pray for God’s wisdom. The Lord wants us all to be wise in Him. What did king Solomon pray for? He asked the Lord for wisdom. And guess what happened. The Lord gave it to him.
May the Lord keep us wise unto salvation.