Introduction
This series is
entitled “The ‘Backward’ Wisdom of God.” Key
biblical teachings often strike us as contrary to common sense,
counter-intuitive—even foolish. This is why Paul says
1 Cor. 1:18a (read). I want to come back to this passage
later this morning, but first let’s get familiar with one of
the ways that the Bible communicates its “backward”
wisdom.
Biblical Paradox
Biblical authors
(especially Jesus and Paul) frequently utilize a special form of
instruction called paradox to communicate God’s
“backward wisdom.” Most of this series is going to
unpack the paradoxes, so we need to understand what paradox is and
how it works.
G. K. Chesterton
defined biblical paradox as “truth standing on her head to
attract attention.” Paradoxical statements arrest our
attention because of their apparent contradiction—and motivate
us to resolve the contradiction by learning and reflection (i.e.,
verbal equivocation &/or questioning our own presuppositions).
EXAMPLE: “In
order to get big, you have to stay small.” On the surface,
this sounds contradictory. But since we presume rationality, this
statement invites us to listen more closely to the context and
explanation—that churches can only grow large effectively by
utilizing small groups that build community.
NOTE: Biblical
paradox is very different from Zen Buddhist koan paradoxes.
These statements seek to deliver us from rationality as
a precondition to spiritual enlightenment.
Biblical paradox presumes rationality (including the law of
non-contradiction) and affirms it as integral to spirituality.
BIBLICAL EXAMPLES:
Read Matt. 20:16.
Does Jesus mean that in God’s future kingdom the physical
front of the line literally becomes the rear—and vice-versa?
No, he means that many who are first in this age according to its
values will be last in God’s future kingdom according to God’s
estimation—and vice-versa. Many in this room who will never
make any “Who’s Who” list will be famous in
heaven!! And many of the “movers and shakers” in our
culture will be non-famous or absent altogether from God’s
kingdom!
Read
2 Cor. 6:9,10. Has Paul lost his mind? How can the
obscure be famous, how can the sorrowful rejoice, how can the
destitute give others wealth? Paul is contrasting the way the world
assesses him according to its values to the way he actually is
according to God’s assessment. Once you understand this, it
makes perfect sense. He was a loser to Jewish and Roman society—but
famous in God’s eyes and those who knew Jesus. He endured much
sadness from his persecutions—but God’s Spirit imparted
his joy to him in the midst of these sufferings. He had no monetary
wealth—but he spiritually enriched many people through his
knowledge of Jesus. This saying thus emphasizes two very different
standards of success.
Why does God’s wisdom seem “backward?”
Even when the biblical authors do not use paradox,
God’s wisdom often seems strikingly “backwards” to
us (EXAMPLES: Acts 20:35; Rom. 12:17,19 & Luke 6:27,28;
Matt. 7:3).
Why is this?
According to the Bible, this is because our way of thinking is
so backwards! When biblical statements strike you as backwards,
counter-intuitive, crazy—this is God’s loving alert that
you are brainwashed!
KOREAN WAR
PRISIONERS: Because they were brainwashed, they had to undergo a
process of political deprogramming and reprogramming in terms of
their political presuppositions (from Marxism to democracy) in order
to return to normal and productive life in American society.
The Bible says the
same thing is true of every one of us on a far deeper level! They
were brainwashed politically—but we are brainwashed in every
key area of life (how we think about God, ourselves, other people,
purpose of life, etc.). They started out with the “correct”
political presuppositions—but we never had them to begin with
(cf. Eph. 2:1,2) We are all deeply brainwashed and in
desperate need of both deprogramming from its teaching and
reprogramming through God’s Word.
This is why Paul
tells those who want to grow spiritually Rom. 12:2a (confirms
brainwashing). This is why Solomon tells those who seek wisdom
Prov. 14:12; 3:5 (lean against what seems right). This is why Paul paradoxically challenges
the Corinthian Christians 1 Cor. 3:18.
This is why one
way you can mark spiritual growth in your life is when truths that
seemed total nonsense to you now make living sense—because
you have learned his truth, acted on it—and experienced the
impact of its profound wisdom in your life.
That’s my goal for this series—to
facilitate God’s deprogramming/reprogramming you by studying
some of the “backward” wisdom of his Word. Most of this
series will focus on key counter-intuitive ways God wants us to
respond to him —but first we need to
understand and embrace the counter-intuitive way he has provided
for us. Turn to 1 Cor. 1 . . .
The “foolishness” of the Cross
Paul (the author) is writing to a group of people
who had responded to the message of Christ, but were now becoming
embarrassed by this message. This was because they were buying back
into the “wisdom” of Greek philosophy, which emphasized
humanity’s ability to solve life’s deepest problems
without the help of God and his revelation.
Read 1:18a. From
this perspective, the central event of Christianity—Jesus’
crucifixion (the ultimate biblical paradox)—was the height of
foolishness.
Read 1:22,23. The
heart of the Christian message is “Christ crucified”—that
the execution of Jesus as a capital criminal is the most significant
event in human history and the source of human salvation. This
message was “scandalous” to first-century Jewish theology
and “moronic” to first-century Greek philosophy.
This was a
“scandal” to Jews—not ultimately because it was not
prophesied in the Old Testament (cf. Isa. 53)—but because
they sought for "signs." Most Jews defined their main
problem as political subjection to Rome, and they looked for a
great political deliverer/king who would perform dramatic
signs to break Rome's political oppression. Jesus performed
miracles, but he deliberately avoided the spectacular, refusing to do
dramatic signs (Matt. 12:38-40). He refused to be made king
when they wanted to draft him (Jn. 6:15), and instead submitted
to Rome’s political power to the ultimate extent: death by
crucifixion. Because they conceived of salvation as
political deliverance, a crucified messiah was a contradiction in
terms—"If he was the Messiah, he couldn't be crucified; if
he was crucified, he can't be the Messiah."
This was “moronic”
to the Greeks. Most Greek philosophy held that the first
characteristic of God was apatheia—inability to be
emotionally impacted by the human condition. Therefore, a God who
lamented human lostness (Matt. 9:36), who wept over death
(Jn. 11:35), and who suffer the agony of death was an inferior,
barbaric concept. Instead, they sought a humanistic "wisdom."
They were convinced that they had within themselves the intellectual
capacity to understand ultimate Truth. They delighted in debating
complex, esoteric ideas about ultimate reality that only
intellectuals could comprehend. Therefore, any teaching that was
simple enough for the masses to understand (cf. Matt. 18:3) must
be “fools’ gold.”
Behind both of
these objections is human pride and self-sufficiency—what Paul
calls “boasting” later in this passage. Here is a key
principle: As long as you believe you can define and solve your
deepest problems, the message of the Cross will be either irrelevant
or offensive. EXAMPLES:
In the university,
which is dominated by humanistic philosophy (whether modernist or
post-modernist), a message that insists that "Jesus died for our
sins" is viewed as either primitive or arrogantly intolerant.
In the
market-place, which is dominated by materialism and the will
to power, the claim that success was personified in the One who lived
a life of voluntary poverty and submitted to his enemies is the key
to life is despicable.
In secular
therapy, which is dominated by humanistic theories of
self-authentication and victimology, the assertion that humble
confession of our own sinfulness and forgiveness of our offenders is
the key to psychological healing is outrageous.
In the religious
world, which is dominated by the notion that people make it to
God through their good works and religious observance, the
declaration that we are so sinful that we need charity purchased only
by the death of God's Son is offensive in the extreme.
On an individual
level, as long as we think that another DEGREE, a higher SALARY, a
better JOB, a new LOVER, a bigger HOME, a different CITY, etc. is
what we need to make life work—we will have no use for the
Cross.
But when you allow God to diagnose your deepest
problems, the message of the Cross becomes both profound and
wonderful. Read 1:24,25.
God’s
diagnosis is far more radical—our root problem is that we
separated fro him because of our true moral guilt, and every area of
our lives is damaged and corrupted because of this, and we are headed
for judgment and eternal alienation from God.
But God’s
solution is far more radical and wonderful. Through Jesus’
death on the Cross, he solved our deepest problems in a way that we
never could. This is what Paul means in 1:30 (read).
“Righteousness”
here refers to justification—acquittal from true moral guilt.
Because Jesus was willing to take God’s judgment for your sins,
God is now free to attribute Jesus’ perfect righteousness to
you as your permanent standing before him. Talk about security!
“Sanctification”
refers to spiritual healing and character transformation. The cross
makes it possible for God’s Spirit to indwell your heart and
give you a whole new motivation and power to begin to follow God.
Talk about freedom!
“Redemption”
here refers to the resurrection of your body when Jesus returns (cf.
Rom. 8:23). Because Jesus defeated death on the cross, you will
one day be raised from the dead with a glorified body to inherit and
enjoy eternal life with God and his people. Talk about hope!
What about you? Are you ready to admit that your
diagnosis/solution hasn’t worked? Are you ready to submit to
God’s diagnosis? Then call out to Christ and ask him to
forgive you and forge this spiritual union by indwelling you with his
Spirit! If you do this, he will make himself known to you personally
and begin to revolutionize your perspective on all of life . . .
Footnotes
Copyright 2003 Gary DeLashmutt