Alright, in chapter 2 of 1 Corinthians,
verse 1, And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with
excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony
of God. For I determined not to know
anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness
and in fear and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in
the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. How be it? We speak wisdom among them that
are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor the princes
of this world that come to naught, but we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before
the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world
knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory. But as it is written, I have
not seen nor heard nor entered into the heart of man the things
that God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed
them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things
of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? A man can only know a man. Even so the things of God knoweth
no man, but the Spirit of God. Now you have received not the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that
we might know the things that are freely given to us of God,
which things also we speak. not in words which man's wisdom
teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual
things with spiritual. But the natural man receives
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto him, neither can he know, because they are spiritually
discerned or judged, But he that is spiritual judgeth all things,
yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind
of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of
Christ. a rather working acquaintance
with the epistle of 1 Corinthians are aware of this fact, that
this was the church, the most problem plagued of all the churches
that Paul preached to and that there was a church raised up. This church had more problems
and any other that Paul had ministered to or had dealt with. And the
whole epistle, as we look at it, is written to correct the
errors and the disorders that had come to trouble the church
after Paul's departure when he left and went on his way preaching
the gospel in other places. Now Paul's writing, the things
that he writes in this epistle, addresses two particular issues
and is the result of two things why Paul wrote this epistle. Let's notice them. In 1 Corinthians
chapter 1 and verse 11, Paul had received a first-hand report
of condition and situation in the church there. For it hath
been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are
of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Again,
in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 18, he said, when you come together
in the church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And the margin has it as schism. And he said, I partly believe
it. That is, I in part believe it. To some extent, I believe the
report. that I am hearing. There's a
second reason why Paul writes this epistle and deals with the
things that he did, and that is other matters or other issues
that Paul addresses because some in the Corinthian assembly had
written the apostle asking for guidance on certain matters and
upon certain questions that trouble them and disturb them. As an example, 1 Corinthians
7 and verse 1, concerning the things wherein you wrote me. And one thing that they wrote
and asked the apostle about was whether a state of celibacy was
to be preferred over a marriage state for a child of God. For in verse 1 there of chapter
7, some claimed it is not good to touch a woman, that is, to
be intimate with one. And Paul, in answering their
question, covers this from almost every angle and every situation
that might come up. taking up all of chapter 7 of
this epistle. Then again, chapter 8 and verse
1, he addresses that matter that so troubled and divided them,
that of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols in the
pagan sacrifices and temple, and sold in the public marketplace,
and found its way upon the table of some in the assembly. And
this was a matter of conscience, and again, Paul answers it from
every angle, covering every situation, chapter 8 and 9 and 10. Now,
for what it is worth, some expositors see the epistle this way. In fact, it's this way outlined
in the New Geneva Study Bible in the King James Version, and
that is that chapter 1 and verse 10 down through chapter 6 and
verse 20 is in response to the report of Chloe and her house. While chapter 7 verse 1 and forward
is in response to the question sent from some in the assembly
wanting Paul's guidance. Now consider this as we focus
in upon our subject and upon our text. And that is, of all
of the problem, even great sin, that existed in the Corinthian
assembly, and such as chapter 1, their division over minister. Chapter 5, there was an incestuous
person in the congregation. Chapter 6, They were suing one
another before the pagan magistrate. Chapter 11, there was all manner
of confusion in their assembly and in their worship. And in
chapter 15, there were those who denied the resurrection of
the dead. Now all of these things are before
the apostle. And my question is, which matter
does the apostle take up first? Which is the first issue that
the apostle chooses to address? What is the issue that he begins
with in the epistle? And not only begins with it,
but from it, he morphs then into the manner of his preaching,
his style of preaching the gospel, and gives a lengthy defense of
how he preached the gospel and why he preached the gospel in
the manner that he did. So in chapter 1, verses 1 through
9, you have the usual introduction containing his official relation
and position to them an Apostle of Jesus Christ the Lord. You
have there his greeting and a very gracious benediction from the
Apostle under that troubled shirt. And then, without further delay,
the apostle confronts them about their sectarianism and their
schisms over their minister. Chapter 1, verse 10 through verse
16. One said, I'm a Paul. Another
said, I'm of Apollos. Another said, I'm non-denominational. Another said, I am of Christ. And he begins to rebuke them
over their contention concerning their minister. And note it,
he shows them how that he had no desire to be the head of a
faction or of a party. He did not want anyone to say,
I am a Paul I was baptized by Paul. He wants none to boast
in that relationship unto them. So he says in verse 13, chapter
1, is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name
of Paul? Now again, moving along, in verse
14 through 16 of the first chapter, he considers it actually to be
providential that he had personally baptized only a small number
of those in the church at Corinth. And he even thanks God that it
had fallen out this way, because of the few that he could remember
baptizing, none could say that Paul was baptizing in his name
or building himself up a following personally, nor could they say
that his name was called out over them in their baptism. He was not the leader of a faction,
And they whom he did baptize were not Paulines, or not Paulists. So let's look at now and read
chapter 1 and verse 17. I think this is a pivotal and
a very important verse. It says this, 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."
Now, this forms the transition from his rebuke of their sectarianism
to his explanation of how and why he preached the gospel as
he did. He said he was not sent. to be
a baptizer, but an evangelist. We notice that the word far indicates
that there is some connection with what has gone before, and
it explains why he is thankful to have baptized only a few of
their number, because it removed any ground of a charge that he
was building up a party of Paulites to bear his name. But also in
that 17th verse of chapter 1, it sets his apostolical commission
in a clear and understanding light. We see in reading his
word, I thank God that I baptize but few of you. For Christ sent
me not as a baptizer, but he sent me to be an evangelist. He sent me to evangelize, to
preach the cross, to preach and declare the gospel, to declare
the unsearchable riches of Christ, to preach that salvation is only
in, by, and through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the word sent there in verse
17 refers to his apostolic commission. He was a sent one, for thus is
an apostle. But the main thrust of his ministry
was the proclamation of the gospel. Now I'm not saying that the apostles
were forbidden to baptize, they certainly had that authority,
and that was in the Commission. But if we remember that even
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself did not personally baptize His
converts, but He left that to His disciples. You'll find it
in John's Gospel, chapter 4, verses 1 and 2. Though Christ
Himself baptized not, but his disciples did. But let us notice
the last part of that 17th verse further. That he had been sent
by Christ to preach the gospel. But then he adds, not with words
of wisdom. Now we need to put that in our
memory, not with words of wisdom. That is, not using words, not
using speech that could be characterized as or by wisdom. He avoided purposely
using wisdom of word. Look in verse 17. at the reason
or the motive behind his avoidance of words of wisdom in preaching
the gospel. He said, this is why I do it,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. lest
the cross should become vain. Some render it lest the cross
be emptied of its power by preaching words of wisdom. Lest the cross,
the message, the gospel become null and void by the cross of
Christ. Paul does not restrict it to
that wooden edifice to which he was attached on Calvary. or Golgotha. It's not the wooden
cross itself, not the staros or the stake to which our Lord
was fashioned and affixed in his death. For it refers and
is synonymous with Christ crucified. When Paul uses the word the cross,
He's talking about the crucifixion of the Lord. You see that in
1 Corinthians 1, verse 18. You see it in Galatians 6, verse
12, 6 and verse 14, and Philippians 3 and verse 18, where Paul uses
the expression, the cross. It refers to that death that
Christ died on the cross. Philippians chapter 2 and verse
8. But remember what Paul said,
Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. Galatians chapter
3 verses 10-13 in that particular place. Now, as I said, let's
make a note of this word wisdom. And it will be a prominent word
in this section of the epistle where Paul is defending his manner
of preaching the gospel. In fact, I got out the concordance
and I counted 17 times that this exact word is used from 1 Corinthians
1.17 down through chapter 3 and verse 19. 17 times in this section. Paul uses the word wisdom. Much more, he uses that same
word whether he is speaking of human wisdom or divine wisdom. Whether it is wisdom from above
or the wisdom of the world. The word, the Greek word, is
sophia, wisdom. Whether it is higher or whether
it is lower, whether it is worldly or whether it is spiritual, this
is the word that is you. What's more, Paul uses the same
word nine times in the two epistles of Ephesians and Colossians. Wisdom, sophia. can be defined
as insight into the true nature of things. And therefore, Paul
defines the kind of wisdom that he is referring to. He makes
distinctions between the lower and the higher wisdom, the wisdom
of men, the wisdom of God, the wisdom of the world, and the
wisdom that is from heaven. It's true he makes no clear distinction
in verse 17 of chapter 1 of the kind of wisdom that he refers
to, just simply saying, not with wisdom of words. Yet we may infer
from the last part of verse 17 that wisdom that he disavows
is that of the world, for the wisdom that he avoided was such
as would spoil the gospel. It was a wisdom which, if used,
would spoil, make null, and void the gospel. And then the wisdom
of God shines brightly in the gospel we read in our text, and
we'll look at that later. Though it is hid to those who
are lost, and have not eyes to see or ears to hear. And because
of that, the gospel The death of Christ to save sinners is
foolishness to them that are perishing, Paul will write. Beside, in the coming section,
he will very clearly distinguish the two sorts of wisdom, and
he will tell the Corinthians and us why he came not among
them using excellency of speech or wisdom of words in declaring
the divine testimony among them. One sort of wisdom, the lower
sort, and he refers to it, and let's run through this text real
quickly, he mentions it and refers to it in these verses as, chapter
1 verse 20, the wisdom of this world. Chapter 1 verse 19, the
wisdom of the wise. In 17 he said, the wisdom of
words or speech. In 2, chapter 2 verse 4 and 5, Man's wisdom, the wisdom of men. Chapter 2 and verse 6, the wisdom
of this world. Chapter 2 and verse 13, the words
which man's wisdom teaches. So, he distinguishes that sort
of wisdom very clearly. Now interwoven in all of this,
in this long discussion, Paul will give his reasons why he
did not use the wisdom of words to preach the gospel. He's already
said in chapter 1 and verse 17, he acted so to keep from spoiling
the gospel. Now in chapter 1 verse 18, is
another for that we meet with in the scripture declaring that
the state of a person dictates their respective view of the
preaching of the cross. The very same message that to
one is foolishness folly and absurdity is to another sort
the wisdom and the power of God. The very same thing, the very
same message, the very same word, the very same gospel, one will
hear and declare it foolishness to another the power and the
wisdom of God. Now the preaching of the cross,
which John Gill called the doctrine of salvation by a crucified Christ,
the doctrine of peace and reconciliation by the blood of his cross, unquote,
the description of Gail. This message, this preaching,
Christ crucified, is foolishness in the eye, the ear, and the
heart of many who hear it, or, as Gill put it this way, quote,
is very disagreeable to the carnal reasoning of man, unquote. It seems an absurd thing to preach. It is viewed as folly. and it
is openly rejected and despised. It is reckoned as fallacious
and deceptive to the lost as they hear it and think upon it. To the wise of this world, to
the rationalists out there who would rationally reason out everything,
salvation by the death The cruel death of Christ upon a cross
is foolishness, or the word might be rendered as folly. And so,
what did it please God to do? Here's a message that is reckoned
foolishness and folly by the wicked. So what did it please
God to do? Well, in verse 21 of chapter
1, It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Now mind you, not foolish
preaching, that's not what he said, but the foolishness of
preaching. Of course there is a lot in Christendom
today that is foolish preaching and that is done by fools. But as Marshall's Greek English
interlinear, renders the last half of that verse, God thought
well through the folly of the proclamation to save the ones
believing, unquote. God was well pleased to do that. It was according to the good
pleasure of God through the foolishness of preaching to save believing
ones. Gil, again, called it his purpose
and decree within himself, his sovereign goodwill. It pleased
God to do so, that he would not save the wise on account of their
wisdom. He would not save them because
they attained to a certain level of wisdom. not those who learned
to a certain degree, nor the disputer of this world who can
adequately debate, nor the reasoner, nor the rationalist, nor the
sign seeker, nor the worker, but the believer, him that believes. The foolishness of preaching
the cross of Christ. What does Paul mean, therefore,
by the foolishness of preaching? The preaching that he has in
mind is not heresy. It is his very own preaching
of the gospel. It's the message of the cross. It's Christ crucified upon Calvary. It is the Lord dead. by the hands
of cruel and wicked men upon the cross of Calvary. How then
does he speak of the foolishness of it here in this particular
section, when in chapter 2 he speaks of the wisdom of God in
the scheme of the cross? How then does he on one hand
say it's foolishness, and on the other hand say that it is
the wisdom and the power of God. The point is that foolishness,
folly, is the estimation of the preaching of the cross put upon
it by those who consider themselves wise, learned, and reasonable
in the things of the world. This is the estimation of those
who seek to reason out things and consider themselves wise
and seek after wisdom. One commentator put it this way,
rather quaintly, God revenged Himself upon the wisdom of the
world by using that which they considered to be folly to bring
many to faith and conversion in the Lord Jesus Christ. You
get another dose of this in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 27 and verse 29. But God had chosen The foolish things of the world
to confound the wise. God has chosen the weak of the
world to confound the things that are mighty. And base things
of the world, which are despised, hath God chosen. And yea, things
which are not, that they might bring to naught things that are. Paul says God has been pleased
to operate in this fashion. He has taken this course for
the reason expressed in verse 29, to remove any and every ground
of glorying and boasting, that none can say, by my wisdom, I
have come to the knowledge of Christ and of the gospel. Verse 29, verse 28, to bring
to nothing the things that are, to nullify them, to devalue them
as having no saving value whatsoever when it comes to salvation. Let
Paul now tell us why he did not preach the wisdom of words or
use enticing words of man's wisdom, Why He did not come among them
using excellency of speech or of wisdom? He gives some reasons
why He avoided that. Let's look at 3 or 4 Arsat. First
of all, in 1 Corinthians 1, and verse 19, Paul cites a passage
of Scripture found in Isaiah chapter 29 and verse 14. And that is that God would bring
to nothing the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent. The context there in Isaiah 29
and verse 14 is of a completely different subject than Paul is
discussing in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2. But there is a like principle
that is involved, and that's Paul's point. And that is that
God will when he pleases, avenge himself with a particular kind
of punishment visited on the people. And it consisted in causing
the wise and the prudent to lose their reason and make absurd
decisions that lead to the ruin of themselves and of the people,
that hurt the people. Just look at the example in the
thought and in the action today in our country and society, yea
the whole world, of political and of religious leaders in the
country, in the world, and the stupid anti-biblical decisions
that they come to. So Paul said, I don't preach
wisdom, for God has promised to bring to nothing the wisdom
of men, to show that it has no saving value in it whatsoever. Secondly, let's look at 1 Corinthians
1 and verse 21 for that After, in the wisdom of God, the world
by wisdom knew not God, especially the last part, the world by wisdom
knew not God. Now the world of beings, humanity,
failed miserably by its wisdom to attain the greatest need of
all, and that is a knowledge of God. they having only the
light of nature, did never come to a saving knowledge of God,
God who created all things and left great evidence of His wisdom
and His power upon creation. Not only did the world, by its
wisdom, fail to come to a saving knowledge of God, but it went
the other way. even further, that instead of
worshipping the creature, they worshipped and served that which
had been made or created itself. They worshipped and served what
God had created, making idols out of the things that God had
made. So as Paul seems to indicate,
the society, world, humanity, had had ample time to apply their
wisdom to come to the knowledge of God and had failed to know
God savingly. God leaves the world to its own
wisdom the more they prove their depravity and their ignorance,
and the further they stray away from the truth and away from
God. As long as God lays the reins
upon the neck and lets the world go by its wisdom. One more thing
on verse 21. The word after could be rendered
sense. Sense, the world by wisdom knew
not God. It pleased God to use the foolishness
of preaching, that is, what the world calls folly, to save those
believing. There is a parallel in this,
in that while most believe that they must perform some act or
some work or some goodness, it pleased God to save sinners by
pure grace, asking nothing from their hand whatsoever. But then
thirdly, there's another reason. Why Paul refrained from the use
of wisdom. That's evident among them and
among all congregation. 1 Corinthians 1 and verse 26. He would have them to see it
manifested in their own congregation. He says to them, see your calling
brethren. Look out your number. Then he
says, Not many wise are called. That is, wise after the flesh. For one must be called to believe
and to be converted. The point, many in the churches
had coveted the wise, the highly educated, the intelligent, and
the brilliant person for Christ. Many still do that. They covet
the greatest educated ones for Christ, as if they would use
that wisdom, that wisdom of the world, to advance the cause of
Christ better. Should God call them, however,
they must count their wisdom as dung, for Christ is made unto
us wisdom, verse 30 of chapter 1. So He says, look at your calling,
not many wise, Not many of these educated, those that are highly
trained in speech and wisdom are called. Now there's a fourth
reason Paul avoided the wisdom of word, and that's in chapter
2 and verse 5. which is called a purpose clause
in the Greek. This is a purpose clause, that
is, it is expressing a purpose that is behind it, which was
so that, in order that, their faith should not be, their faith
should not stand, their faith should not consist, their faith
should not be founded upon human wisdom or learning in any way
or in any degree. Hear this very carefully. If
great oratory could turn them one way, then greater oratory
could turn them another way. So think about that. As a modern
example, how many preachers will you see today who use emotion
and sentimentality to draw forth what they call, quote, a decision
for Christ, unquote, out of people. They'll say things like, oh,
don't you want to see mother again? Why don't you become a
Christian? Mother's yonder in heaven, and
why don't you become a Christian so that you might see mother
again? Others are who clearly use music to motivate the invitation. Little Willie graves and sad
tales to get someone to walk down the aisle. and to come forward. How much better to be moved by
the power of God, that our faith stand in the power of God, that
it was God's power that worked in us through the Spirit and
by the Gospel. It was not the persuasive words
of man's wisdom. It was not a fancy-pants preacher. that came with great swelling
words of wisdom and of vanity. So, let us look at chapter 2,
verse 6 through 16, making that jump. For despite all that Paul
has said, against the use of wisdom in salvation and in the
gospel. This does not mean that the gospel
lacks wisdom or is void of wisdom. Look what he said in verse 6. However, we speak wisdom. I'm talking about chapter 2 and
verse 6. And yet, such wisdom is perceived
only by those who have an enlightened heart, mind, and ear, and have
been given spiritual discernment by those who have the Spirit
of God. To be saved, it must be revealed
unto them, that by the Spirit of God. Again, in the end of
that sixth verse, not the wisdom of the world, nor the princes
of this world, which come to know, that literally become are
as nothing. But look at verse 7. We speak
the mystery of God, a mystery having been hidden, therefore
known only by revelation. But it was ordained, he said.
before the world unto our glory. This is a truth, this is a glory
that God ordained before the world ever began. Then look at
verse 8, such wisdom or mystery as the leaders of that age knew
not, both Jew and Gentile. For he said, had they known the
wisdom, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. The Apostle
Peter says the same to the Jew on the day of Pentecost, or after
the day of Pentecost, in Acts chapter 3, in verse 14, Acts
chapter 3, that they denied the Holy One, the Just One, and they
desired a murderer. When they had a choice between
Barabbas and Christ, they said, release and free Barabbas, crucify
Christ. Verse 15, you kill the prince
of life. And in verse 17, I know that
through ignorance you did it, as also your rulers did. Out of ignorance they crucified
the Lord of Glory. And how then is this mystery
known? How is it attained? How is this
wisdom made known? How is this knowledge imparted? This wisdom in the Gospel? Let us see what's said here in
verse 9 and verse 10 of chapter 2. Paul cites a passage which
most commentators believe is from Isaiah 64 And verse 4, though
Paul varies again. the application of the prophet,
and by the things which God has prepared. Paul does not refer
to heaven or to eternity. The things which God has prepared
for them that love Him are not those things that await in eternity,
but refer actually to the message, wisdom, and glory of the gospel
of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. which things would never
come or enter into the mind of any, except they were put there
by the Spirit of God, unless they are revealed. Who is sufficient
to reveal these things unto us? The preacher? The teacher? No,
the Spirit of God. Why? He's qualified for He knows
the things of God and can reveal them. And we, says Paul, have
received the Spirit of God, that we might know the things that
are freely given to us of God, chapter 2 and verse 13. Now these are the things which
we speak. as taught by the Spirit," says
Paul. And in verse 14 is a famous and
often quoted verse of the Scripture. Though we speak the things of
God, though we use great plainness of speech in doing so, but the
natural man received not the things of the Spirit of God,
he cannot know them, He does not. In fact, they are foolishness
unto him, for they are only spiritually discerned, judged, known, or
believed. And the natural man is the unregenerate
man. having only the light of nature,
only the light of nature, and only the knowledge out of nature. And so they can go no further
than the light of nature. Now why is the gospel hid to
so many? Why do so many call it foolishness? Well, if our gospel be hid, says
Paul, It is hid to them that are lost. 2 Corinthians chapter
4 and verse 3. The gospel is foolishness to
those that are perishing, to those who do not have a new heart,
do not have faith, and do not have ears to hear. The gospel
is unto them foolishness. Now I close with a saying of
Scripture and of our Lord. Blessed are your eyes for they
see, your ears for they hear, and the heart that understand
how blessed it is to have a hearing ear to the things of God, to
recognize them to be true, and to know in them the wisdom of
God and the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed are
the seeing eye and the hearing ear. And Proverbs said, the Lord
hath made even both of them. the seeing eye, the hearing ear.
So the gospel is foolishness to those who have no heart for
it, but for those who have been enlightened and have the Spirit
of God in it every time we see the power of God, we see the
glory of God, we see the wisdom of God in contriving this great
salvation by His Son becoming incarnate. being put to death
upon a cross, rising again, pouring out the Spirit upon his people. Thank God for the wisdom in the
gospel. Christ is our wisdom. Thank you. Let's stand together
for a word of closing prayer.