The Folly of What We Preach (1 Cor. 1:18-31)

Introduction

The apostle Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, a city in Greece, where he spent over a year and a half during his second missionary journey. This was a church whose members had been enriched by God in the area of speech and knowledge.

The art of rhetorical persuasion was highly valued in the Greco-Roman world, so the Corinthians valued especially the gifts of speech and knowledge. As God had gifted and enriched the church in this area, this enrichment would become a source of pride and division within the church.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds them that before they came to faith in Christ, many of them would not have been considered to be among the educated and elite of Corinthian society; they were not wise or powerful, or of noble birth.

But now, being gifted in the areas of speech and knowledge, Paul also reminds them that it was not the wisdom of the world, but wisdom from God that had been bestowed on them by God.

So, while the Corinthians were indeed a gifted group, they were still immature, for there was jealousy and strife among them. There was division as some pledged allegiance to those who had baptized them.  

Paul addresses this by pointing the Corinthians back to Christ, by reminding them that the power of the gospel lay not in the teachers (Paul, Apollos and Cephas – you have to admit, that’s quite a line-up), nor in their teaching, but in Christ alone. If there was any boasting to be done, it would have to be in the Lord alone.

Paul used himself as an example, reminding the Corinthian church that he did not proclaim the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom (2:1). His preaching of the gospel was done in weakness, fear and much trembling – not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

The Word of the Cross

God has chosen to bring people to salvation through the message of the cross. For those who are perishing, both Jews and Gentiles, the message of the cross is folly; it is foolish, silly and irrational. For those who are being saved, for those who have been appointed to eternal life, the message of the cross is the power of God. Those who hear and believe cannot boast of coming to God through intellectual assent, and those who preach the gospel cannot boast in their rhetorical skills or persuasiveness. The power – and thus the glory – belong to God.

We see this in Acts 10 when Peter brings the gospel to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion. It was not Peter’s idea to bring the gospel to the Gentiles (it was probably the furthest thing from his mind); he went in response to a vision and a command from the Lord to go. Neither was it was it Cornelius’ idea to find out more about this new sect that was proclaiming Jesus of Nazareth.

While Peter was telling those assembled in the house of Cornelius about Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. The only thing left for Peter to do was baptize these new Christians.

Every other religion in the world requires that man do something to earn eternal life. Along comes these Christians who proclaim Christ crucified, who proclaim Christ taking sins of men on himself, who proclaim Christ’s resurrection from the dead. While the rest of the world is looking to works to be acceptable to God, the Christian message is that it is the work of Christ that saves us.

The only answer to the question of What must I do to be saved? Is Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts16:30-31).

God uses a foolish message, and he uses foolish people (in the eyes of the world) to proclaim the saving message of the gospel. As Paul would write in his letter:

“God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise…
God Chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are…:

The idea of a crucified Messiah was unthinkable to the Jewish leaders. Even though it was clearly written in the Scriptures, they rejected and crucified Jesus of Nazareth. And just when they thought they had rid themselves of this troublesome man, they were then confounded by 12 rough and tumble Galileans whom God used to proclaim Christ crucified – with signs and wonders!

The idea of a crucified Jewish man being raised from the dead was folly to the Gentiles, until God’s power came upon those who were appointed to eternal life, and they believed. They, in turn, would shape the rest of the Gentile world for centuries to come as they proclaimed Christ crucified.

The idea of the resurrected Christ is still foolish today as the unbelieving world celebrates the season of Christ’s birth, but ignores him, and instead makes Santa Claus the hero of the story and indulges in material excess.

The unbelieving world celebrates the season of Christ’s resurrection by again ignoring him and celebrating with bunnies, candy and painted eggs.

And as some churches struggle to remain relevant, as they struggle to attract and retain new members, they have diluted, distorted or outright disregarded the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) as it was handed down to us. Instead of contending for the faith, they have compromised and even controverted the message of the cross.

These churches need to be reminded that the message of the cross is the power of God for those who are being saved – perhaps we need to be reminded as well.

For those who are being saved, the word of Christ crucified is the very power of God and wisdom of God, which creates faith in the hearer, creates life in those who are dead in their sins and raises them up to be seated in the heavenly places with Christ himself.

The church does not need another growth seminar; it does not need consultants and strategists; it does not need a new approach or new programs to make and keep disciples. Christ doesn’t need a marketing plan; he needs only to be proclaimed.

The church doesn’t need to know what the latest cultural trends are, or the latest techniques to reach this generation or the next. It needs only to know Jesus Christ and him crucified. That was Paul’s approach in Corinth; he chose that approach so that the faith of the Corinthians might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

We need to proclaim Christ and then get out of God’s way. We proclaim him in our weakness and in our fear; we proclaim him not in words of eloquent wisdom, but with simplicity and clarity, relying on God to bring people to faith by the power of His Spirit. Why?

So that no human being, no flesh, might boast in the presence of God.

It is only because of God, that we are in Christ; it is only because of God that more will come to Christ.

“…he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5–7)

A Biblical Response to Pride Month

As you well know, June is Pride Month; it has become the month where our nation observes, celebrates and affirms lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements.[1] The Scriptures have nothing positive to say about the pride of man; it is a characteristic of evil men (Ps. 10:4); it is something that God’s people experience before doing wrong, as evidenced by the kings Uzziah and Hezekiah. The proud are opposed by God, while the humble receive his grace (Ja. 4:6).

In observance of Pride Month, rainbow flags hang from homes, businesses, and yes, even some churches as a demonstration of affirmation and support of the LGBTQ community. On an individual level, we see t-shirts, hats, masks, buttons as people around us display their support for the LGBTQ community. Even within some churches, we see clergy wearing rainbow stoles over their vestments to indicate their affirmation of the LGBTQ community.

About that rainbow…

The rainbow is the sign that God has given us as a reminder of his mercy.

“Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:8–17)

Why did God flood the earth in the first place?

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5–7)

This rainbow, which serves as a reminder of God’s mercy, has been repurposed by evil men as an affirmation of the very wickedness that will incur the wrath of God: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18).

Affirmation of the LGBTQ community remains a divisive issue in the church, as groups such as the RCA and the UMC are splitting over the issue.

I would be remiss in my responsibility as a pastor if I did not address this issue from the pulpit. As the Scriptures are our sole authority in our faith and practice of it (Sola Scriptura), we should all be familiar with what these Scriptures have to say in the matter. After all, it’s one thing to contend for the faith as delivered to us (Jude 3) when we have a congregation around us to say “Amen,” but it is quite another thing to stand as an individual to contend for the faith among family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. If you’ve not been in that position, let me assure you that you will be, as these situations usually begin with the question: “What do you think…?”

When we find ourselves in that situation, we should remember this:

“…the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Tim. 2:24–26)

While the context from 2 Timothy is in Paul’s pastoral instruction, the same applies to everyone, as Peter writes in his epistle:

“…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15)

With these things in mind, let us take a closer look at the things that our nation seeks to redefine.

With respect to gender…

It is becoming a common view in our society that gender is assigned at birth; if a person – even a young child – declares that they are a gender that is other than what their anatomy and chromosomes would indicate, that person’s thinking is now affirmed, and they are encouraged to live as the gender they believe themselves to be.

But what does the Scripture say?

“…God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

“When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.” (Genesis 5:1–2)

You don’t have to be a believer to know that this is true, as Paul says of those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness:

“…what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (Romans 1:19-20)

The things that God has made, e.g., the heavens, the earth and all that is in them, all speak of our creator God. That also includes us; we are part of God’s creation, “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves…” (Psalm 100:3 KJV)

If we subscribe to the teaching of evolution, we head down the road of suppressing the truth. If we subscribe to the teaching of evolution, believing that we came from nothing and that human beings are just a random development of that evolution, then there is no need to honor God or give thanks to him. And when that happens, we become futile in our thinking, and our foolish hearts are darkened. Claiming to be wise, we became fools, and exchange the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:21-23)

If there is no acknowledgement of God, then man is ‘free’ to redefine himself. Here’s what God has to say:

“You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? (Isaiah 29:16)

 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’? (Isaiah 45:9b)

With respect to marriage…

Just as the Scripture is clear about the source of our gender, the Scripture is clear about how those genders relate to each other, specifically in the area of marriage. Although the history of the effort to redefine marriage to include homosexual marriage goes back several decades, it was 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all bans on same-sex marriage, legalizing it in all fifty states, and requiring states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses.

Those that would argue against the Biblical definition of marriage maintain that Jesus said nothing about homosexuality in the Gospels, taking his supposed silence as tacit approval. When reading the Bible, we must let those passages of Scripture that are explicit clarify the passages that are implicit[2], so let’s take a look at what Jesus did say about marriage.

When Jesus was asked about marriage (divorce, specifically), his answer to the Pharisees covered all the bases. He answered by quoting Scripture (Genesis 2:24) and stating the Biblical definition of marriage.

He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” – Matthew 19:4-6

By his definition, Jesus affirms gender (male and female); he affirms that marriage is between a man and a woman (“a man shall…hold fast to his wife.”) He also affirms that marriage is an institution of God, not man (“what God has joined together”).

When Jesus taught, he always cited Scripture – in this case, what we refer to as the Old Testament. If the Old Testament was about to be superseded – as some might argue – by the New Testament, then why would Jesus continually cite those Scriptures when he taught? Why would he say, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18)

When Jesus spoke about the evil that is in men’s hearts, he included sexual immorality:

“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” (Matthew 15:18-20a)

Sexual immorality defined by Scripture. The people listening to Jesus knew from the Scripture there were many acts found in the Law (Leviticus 20:10-21) that were described as sexually immoral: fornication, adultery, incest and bestiality, among them. In the case of homosexuality, it was described as “an abomination,” punishable by death under the Law:

 “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination…” (Leviticus 20:13)

Fast forward to the first century when the leaders of the early church met in Jerusalem to consider the issue of their new Gentile brethren. The central issue was whether they should be required to keep the Law of Moses. It was determined that these new Gentile believers were “saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” and simple instructions were sent to them to “abstain from things polluted by idols and from sexual immorality…” (Acts 15).

Once again, how was sexual immorality defined? Go back to the Law; those definitions have not and will not change, as Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

The Scripture describes homosexual relations as “dishonorable passions” describing how “women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another” (Romans 1:26,27).

To say that the New Testament does not address same-sex marriage is not correct. From the very beginning, starting with the first couple in Genesis, all the way through the ministry of Christ and the early church, Biblical marriage is clearly and consistently defined as being between a man and a woman.

There is no Scriptural support for homosexual marriage. Homosexual relations are described as “contrary to nature” – for goodness’ sake, look how men and women are built; the physical union of male and female produces life – life that is evidence of God’s blessing to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).

Are there people in the church that deal with homosexual proclivities? Yes. How are we to deal with them? As with any issue in the church, we deal with love, compassion and truth. We speak truth from the Word of God and encourage our brethren in their walk with Christ as we teach them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us (Mt. 28:20). As with any other issue, we encourage repentance and obedience; we pray with them and provide a listening ear, for it is the kindness of God that leads to repentance (Ro. 2:4), and let’s be clear: repentance and restoration are the goal.

Where there is no repentance, where there is blatant continuation in sin after being encouraged, counseled and warned, then we make room for the disciplined hand of the Lord to fall.

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:9–13)

Are we being too harsh? Are we being intolerant? Are we being bigoted? Are we being homophobic or transphobic?

We have to remember that we are in a battle, which is neither cultural nor political. We are in a battle because our true enemy, Satan, is waging war against the Church; he has been thrown down to the earth and is furiously making war against the saints (Rev. 12). His assaults are two-fold: 1) full frontal, as the church is openly ridiculed as out of step with society and persecuted, and 2) covert, as he seeks to introduce corrupt thinking and practices within the fellowship of the saints.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) It is why we are told to put on the armor of God.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.’ (2 Cor. 10:3-6)

The fact that our nation now affirms the things that the Scripture condemns, shows how far we have progressed, but this is not progress that demonstrates how we have advanced or grown as a society. On the contrary, it shows how far we have progressed down the road of depravity, as our nation’s affirmation is a clear indication that God has given us over to a debased and depraved mind, dishonorable passions and the lusts of our hearts (Rom. 1:18-32). This nation is already under God’s judgment; there is nothing to celebrate.

It’s time for the church to stand in truth and shine the light of Christ into the growing darkness.

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[1] Wikipedia

[2] Explicit vs. Implicit | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org