Scripture: 1
Corinthians 1:18-31
In this letter to the church at Corinth Paul urges them to
see themselves as part of the broader Church which includes all who believe in
Christ. He wants them to be unified with the Church, living in and under the
Lord Jesus Christ. This reading uses as its first verse the last verse of last
week’s reading. It focuses us on folly and wisdom and urges us to hold to the
cross and its folly over the wisdom of this world. This lesson challenges us to
consider what authority we let stand over us and to look at where we have
submitted to the wisdom of the age over the foolishness of the cross as it is
revealed in God’s Word.
Teaching
Folly. It is a strong word, isn’t it? It is a word that doesn’t
seem to belong with the word of the cross and the message of our salvation. Yet
for those who do not believe, those who do not have the salvation the cross of
Christ gives, it seems like folly. “How can one man die for all?” Perhaps we
can sympathize and are tempted to take the folly out of our faith, to make it
all rational, fill it with our wisdom, or offer signs and proofs that what we
believe really makes sense to the human mind. God does not offer these things
however. He saves all who believe through the folly of the cross.
We are in an age that believes that what we can see, what we
can quantify, what we can measure, dissect, and reassemble is what is real. We
assume our fallen knowledge is sufficient. While there is openness to mystery
among some people, the dominant thought is that things must be empirically
proven to be truly true. God does not work that way, however. His paradigm is
that when we believe we experience the reality of Jesus’ salvation.
Life
Who will you listen to? There are many that treat the
message of the Scriptures as folly. Others are ambivalent and appreciate and rejecting
God’s Word by bits. Where else, however, can you learn of God’s love and
salvation in Jesus Christ? Will you receive it through discipline, hard study,
and deep conversation? It is only in the Word of God revealed from Genesis to
Revelation that we find the message that saves sinners.
When we consider what action points we might take to grow in
our faith, deepen our understanding, or be more vital in our faith-life we
often come up with prescriptions for varying tasks and disciplines. Some of
these are good, but they don’t gain salvation for us. To grow in faith, here is
a strategy that is ancient, but often overlooked: Pray for the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gave him to us to give us faith, to teach and guide us, and to deliver
the power of the cross into our lives by faith.
Prayer
O God, the word of the cross may be folly to those who are
perishing, but to us it is your power on display to save us from our sins.
Thank you for the cross. Thank you for revealing yourself and your love in
foolishness and weakness that supersedes all human wisdom or strength. Forgive
us for longing for proofs and easy faith; for longing to be wise and reasonable
and powerful when you choose self-sacrifice, weakness, and lowliness. Give us
your Holy Spirit that he might teach us, shape us, and guide us to live each
day by faith. Help us embrace the folly of the cross and find our salvation
there. Amen.
Comments