Passage: 1 Corinthians 1:19-31

The Big Idea

Paul draws a line in the sand between the way of the world and the way of God: the kingdom of self versus the kingdom of God, pride versus humility. The world’s wisdom is built on trusting self, and God has made it foolish. He saves through the “foolish” message of Christ crucified, and He deliberately chooses the weak, lowly and overlooked, so that no one can boast before Him. In Christ, God has given us everything: wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. So let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

“Way to Go, Einstein”

Albert Einstein was brilliant. So why is “Way to go, Einstein!” an insult? Because it means, “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”

That’s the vibe of this passage. Paul draws a line in the sand:

between the way of the world and the way of God;
between the kingdom of self and the kingdom of God;
between the life of pride and the life of humility.

The world still thinks its way is better than God’s. It thinks it’s so smart.

The Message of the Cross (1:18)

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 Corinthians 1:18).

The message of the cross is the gospel of grace. The cross shouts the truth:

Death: Jesus died, and you died with Him.
Life: Jesus rose, and you’ve been given His resurrection life.
What happened to Him happened to you. His cross is your cross. His tomb was yours. And His new life is yours too (Romans 6:4-8).

But the world doesn’t get it. The world has its own plan, built on four letters: S-E-L-F. It thinks it’s foolish not to trust yourself.

And much of the church has bought the same lie. It’s the enemy’s greatest temptation: “You don’t need God’s grace, because you have… you!”

Paul is about to destroy that philosophy by handing us a pair of “grace glasses.”

God Destroys the World’s Wisdom (1:19-21)

God says, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent” (1 Corinthians 1:19, quoting Isaiah 29:14).

The world’s wisdom centers on self: Take care of number one. Focus on yourself. Love yourself.
Jesus came with the opposite message: “If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself” (Luke 9:23). And He gives life to those who follow Him.
So He knocks the world’s wisdom down at its foundation.

Where is the wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1:20).

How well is the world really doing at this whole “life” thing?
Has it solved depression and anxiety? Is the world overflowing with joy and peace?
When we watch the news, is it story after story of love and peace triumphing through our self-focused philosophy?

Anyone honest has to admit that whatever we’re doing as a human race isn’t working.

God won’t let a man-centered philosophy succeed. At its root, it’s an attempt to steal His glory and live without His love.

Since, in God’s wisdom, the world through its wisdom didn’t come to know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe (1:21).

No one can know God through self-centered philosophy. That’s the empty promise behind so much of today’s “self” spirituality.
God has removed self from the salvation equation.
He set up a system where self is crucified with Christ, and now we live by faith in Him instead (Galatians 2:20).

Salvation is 100% received by faith in Jesus: the opposite of self-trust.

Christ Crucified (1:22-25)

Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1:22-24).

The Jews were religious. They wanted a Messiah of power and glory, like Moses in the Exodus but greater. They thought they had God figured out.
The Greeks were secular. They wanted what made sense: the philosophically perfect, self-sufficient man.
Christ meant power, splendor and triumph. Crucified meant weakness, defeat and humiliation. “Christ crucified” was the ultimate contradiction, and it’s exactly what Paul preached!

To those who are called…

Called out of the world’s system of self and into Christ.
Jesus is the power to save, and the way to know truth.
He’s full of grace and truth (John 1:14): grace, the power to save; truth, what we need to know God.

The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1:25).

The cross looks foolish and weak. But through grace glasses, it proves wiser and stronger than anything. With eyes of faith, we see that He can save everyone united to Him by faith.

God Chooses the Lowly (1:26-29)

Look at your calling, brothers: not many were wise by worldly standards, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things to shame the strong, the lowly and despised things, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no flesh should boast in His presence (1:26-29).

God calls and chooses His own way, and His way is humility:

Not wise, not mighty, not noble.
But foolish, weak, lowly, despised, even “nothing.”

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Humility gets you grace glasses!

Why? So that no flesh should boast in His presence.

The Westminster Catechism says that the chief end of man is “to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” Humility and faith are how we do that, because God uses humility to release His power, wisdom and life into the world.

Pride doesn’t fit with that at all. So humility is the way of God: the way of salvation, the way of grace, the path of life.

Everything in Christ (1:30-31)

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1:30-31).

When we simply believe in Jesus, we receive grace upon grace upon grace.
All grace is of Him: from Him, through Him and because of Him.
One translation puts it: God has united you with Christ Jesus, and for our benefit made Him to be wisdom itself. He made us right with God, pure and holy, and freed us from sin.
You are in Christ Jesus: united with Him, one with Him.

What does that mean? What happened to Him happened to you. You were in Him when He died, rose and sat down in heaven (Ephesians 2:6). And He is in you as you walk on earth.

Union.

You’re a saint! You need nothing else!

Need wisdom? He has become your wisdom. Not the world’s self-based wisdom, but true wisdom, based on self-giving love.
Need righteousness? He is your righteousness. The very righteousness of Jesus is credited to your account, totally undeserved. No shame at all!
Need sanctification? You’ve been set apart for His use and service. You belong to Him and have a real reason to live: to serve your Father’s kingdom, not your own.
Need redemption? He has bought you back and set you free.

Everything we’ve been given in Jesus is accessed by faith (Romans 5:2).

There’s nothing more God can give you than what He supplied at the cross. Jesus is everything we need. He is our whole life.

“We Preach Christ Crucified”

Every church should declare, “We preach Christ crucified!”

There’s an old story of a church that carved those very words over the archway leading into its churchyard. Over the years, two things happened at once: the church slowly lost its passion for Jesus and His gospel, and ivy slowly grew over the arch.

At first the words read clearly: “We preach Christ crucified.”
As the ivy grew, the last word was hidden: “We preach Christ.” And the church began preaching Jesus as a great man and moral example, but not as the crucified Savior.
More ivy grew: “We preach.” And Jesus disappeared from the message altogether, replaced by religious sayings and social niceties.
Finally only one word could be seen: “We.” And the church became just another social club, all about us and not about God.

Grace Takeaway

Let’s be people who wear grace glasses, focused on Jesus. His grace has already given us everything we need for life and for a life that honors our heavenly Father: wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, all in Him. The world thinks it’s so smart to live for self. But if we choose that path, there’s only one thing to say: “Way to go, Einstein.” Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

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Way to Go, Einstein!