Embracing Divine Wisdom Over Human Understanding
Summary
In reflecting on the words of the Apostle Paul from 1 Corinthians 1:21, we are reminded of the profound truth that human wisdom, in its highest form, has failed to know God. Paul warns the Corinthians against reverting to human philosophy, which he argues is not only futile but destructive to the Christian faith. This message is as relevant today as it was then, as we continue to see the struggle between human reason and divine revelation. The world, despite its intellectual advancements, has not been able to comprehend God through its wisdom. This failure is not due to a lack of evidence but rather the pride of human intellect, which refuses to submit to the divine.
God, in His wisdom, allowed humanity to explore and exhaust its own understanding before sending His Son into the world. This was not a reaction to human achievement but a demonstration of His grace and love. The incarnation of Christ is a testament to God's good pleasure, an act of divine love that was not influenced by human merit. It is through the "foolishness" of the gospel, which appears as folly to the world, that God reveals His wisdom and offers salvation to those who believe.
The coming of Christ is not merely a historical event but a divine intervention that offers us a true knowledge of God, which is life eternal. This knowledge is not intellectual but relational, involving communion and fellowship with God. The incarnation, virgin birth, and resurrection are mysteries that transcend human understanding and are to be accepted with faith and adoration. In this season, as we contemplate the birth of Christ, we are called to abandon our reliance on human wisdom and embrace the divine revelation with humility and gratitude.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Futility of Human Wisdom: Human wisdom, despite its advancements, has failed to know God. This failure is rooted in the pride of intellect, which refuses to submit to divine revelation. True knowledge of God is not achieved through human reasoning but through humble acceptance of God's revelation. [05:25]
2. God's Good Pleasure: The incarnation of Christ was an act of God's good pleasure, motivated by His love and grace, not by human merit. This divine intervention is a testament to God's uninfluenced will and eternal love for humanity. [29:07]
3. The Wisdom of God in the Gospel: The gospel, which appears as foolishness to the world, is the manifestation of God's wisdom. Through the incarnation and the cross, God reveals His wisdom and offers salvation to those who believe. [33:24]
4. The Knowledge of God as Life Eternal: True knowledge of God is relational, involving communion and fellowship with Him. This knowledge is life eternal and is made possible through the work of Christ. [10:41]
5. Embracing Mystery with Faith: The mysteries of the Christian faith, such as the incarnation and resurrection, transcend human understanding. We are called to accept these truths with faith and adoration, abandoning the futile pursuit of understanding the incomprehensible. [41:24]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:13] - Introduction to 1 Corinthians 1:21
- [01:09] - Warning Against Human Philosophy
- [02:37] - The Folly of Returning to Old Ways
- [04:24] - The Battle of Faith and Reason
- [06:40] - The Question of Christ's Coming
- [08:14] - The World’s Lack of Knowledge of God
- [11:10] - The Tragedy of Speculation
- [13:15] - The Declaration of God
- [15:02] - The Failure of Pagan Wisdom
- [18:21] - The Wisdom of God in History
- [20:11] - The Patience of God
- [22:58] - The Inexcusable Ignorance of Man
- [27:13] - The Cause of Man’s Failure
- [29:07] - God’s Good Pleasure in Sending Christ
- [33:24] - The Wisdom of God Revealed in Christ
- [36:41] - Salvation Through Belief
- [38:42] - Embracing the Mystery of Faith
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:21
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Observation Questions:
1. What does Paul mean when he says, "the world by wisdom knew not God"? How does this relate to the Corinthians' tendency to revert to human philosophy? [01:09]
2. How does the sermon describe the relationship between human wisdom and the knowledge of God? [05:25]
3. What examples from history does the sermon provide to illustrate the failure of human wisdom to know God? [16:21]
4. According to the sermon, what is the significance of the phrase "it pleased God" in the context of the incarnation of Christ? [29:07]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. Why does the sermon suggest that human wisdom is inadequate for knowing God, and how does this impact our understanding of faith? [05:25]
2. How does the concept of "God's good pleasure" challenge the idea that human merit influences divine intervention? [29:07]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the gospel, perceived as foolishness by the world, actually reveals God's wisdom? [33:24]
4. How does the sermon define true knowledge of God, and why is it considered life eternal? [10:41]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you relied on your own understanding rather than seeking divine wisdom. How did that impact your relationship with God? [05:25]
2. The sermon emphasizes God's good pleasure in sending Christ. How can you cultivate a deeper appreciation for God's grace and love in your daily life? [29:07]
3. Consider the ways in which you might be tempted to rely on human wisdom over divine revelation. How can you shift your focus to embrace God's wisdom more fully? [05:25]
4. The sermon calls us to embrace the mysteries of faith with adoration. What specific steps can you take to deepen your faith and trust in God's incomprehensible truths? [41:24]
5. How can you foster a relational knowledge of God that goes beyond intellectual understanding? What practices can help you grow in communion and fellowship with Him? [10:41]
6. Identify an area in your life where you struggle with pride of intellect. How can you practice humility and submission to God's revelation in that area? [27:13]
7. As we approach the Christmas season, how can you focus on the true message of Christ's coming and share it with others in a meaningful way? [06:40]
Devotional
Day 1: The Limits of Human Intellect
Human wisdom, despite its advancements, has failed to truly know God. This failure is rooted in the pride of intellect, which refuses to submit to divine revelation. True knowledge of God is not achieved through human reasoning but through humble acceptance of God's revelation. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the world's wisdom cannot comprehend the divine, as it is limited by human pride and self-reliance. In our pursuit of understanding, we must recognize the futility of relying solely on our intellect and instead open our hearts to the wisdom that comes from God. [05:25]
1 Corinthians 3:19-20 (ESV): "For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness,' and again, 'The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.'"
Reflection: In what areas of your life are you relying too heavily on your own understanding rather than seeking God's wisdom? How can you begin to shift your focus from self-reliance to divine guidance today?
Day 2: Divine Love Beyond Human Merit
The incarnation of Christ was an act of God's good pleasure, motivated by His love and grace, not by human merit. This divine intervention is a testament to God's uninfluenced will and eternal love for humanity. God's decision to send His Son was not a reaction to human achievement but a demonstration of His grace. It is a reminder that God's love is not something we earn but something we receive. In recognizing this, we are called to respond with gratitude and humility, acknowledging that our worth is found in His love, not our accomplishments. [29:07]
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Reflection: How does understanding that God's love is not based on your merit change the way you view yourself and others? What steps can you take to live more fully in the light of His grace today?
Day 3: The Paradox of the Gospel
The gospel, which appears as foolishness to the world, is the manifestation of God's wisdom. Through the incarnation and the cross, God reveals His wisdom and offers salvation to those who believe. This paradox challenges the world's understanding of power and success, as it is through what seems weak and foolish that God accomplishes His greatest work. Believers are invited to embrace this divine wisdom, recognizing that true strength and wisdom are found in surrender and faith. [33:24]
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (ESV): "But 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, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."
Reflection: In what ways do you find yourself valuing worldly wisdom over the wisdom of the gospel? How can you begin to align your values more closely with the paradoxical wisdom of God?
Day 4: Eternal Life Through Knowing God
True knowledge of God is relational, involving communion and fellowship with Him. This knowledge is life eternal and is made possible through the work of Christ. It is not merely an intellectual understanding but a deep, personal relationship with the Creator. As believers, we are invited to enter into this relationship, experiencing the fullness of life that comes from knowing God intimately. This eternal life is not something we wait for but something we live in now, as we walk with Him daily. [10:41]
John 17:3 (ESV): "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Reflection: How can you deepen your relationship with God today? What practical steps can you take to cultivate a more intimate fellowship with Him in your daily life?
Day 5: Embracing the Mystery of Faith
The mysteries of the Christian faith, such as the incarnation and resurrection, transcend human understanding. We are called to accept these truths with faith and adoration, abandoning the futile pursuit of understanding the incomprehensible. In embracing these mysteries, we acknowledge that God's ways are higher than ours and that faith often requires us to trust beyond what we can see or comprehend. This posture of humility and wonder allows us to experience the richness of God's presence and the depth of His love. [41:24]
Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Reflection: What mysteries of the faith do you struggle to understand or accept? How can you practice embracing these mysteries with faith and adoration today?
Quotes
The Apostle says 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 he has a good deal to say in this entire section about that and you remember that in the epistle to the Colossians he has a similar kind of warning he he warns them against philosophy and the rudiments of the world as he calls it. [00:01:35]
The world, with its philosophy, was speculating, and it's still speculating. It reasons and it argues, and it may arrive at talking about the absolute or some uncaused cause or something like that. Now that's what the world does—that speculation, that is philosophy—that's not a knowledge of God. [00:11:17]
Men, instead of starting with the Bible and expounding it and explaining it, have been acting as if we hadn't got a revelation at all. They, by processes of thought, have been trying to arrive at a knowledge of God, and they're trying to define God and to determine God, and they're still doing it. [00:12:42]
The world at its best and its very highest, standing on tiptoe, could not arrive at this knowledge of God. And you see, the tragedy of the modern world is that we are still looking to people like that for guidance—all these philosophers. I don't care which—Lord Russell, start with him, any one of them you like. [00:16:28]
The trouble, the final trouble, is always men's pride of intellect, man's confidence in his capacity to comprehend the incomprehensible, man's refusal to admit his creatureliness, man's desire to be as God and to stand up and regard God as an equal and to be able to measure God and assess God and criticize God. [00:27:22]
The Son of God came into this world not because we are as we are, not in answer to our prayers and petitions and desires, not at all. It pleased God, his own good pleasure. He was moved and influenced by nothing but his own Eternal Heart of Love. It gave him pleasure to do it. [00:30:21]
The World by wisdom having failed to know God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching, which should be better translated like this: by the foolishness of the thing preached. The Apostle is not so much talking about the act of preaching as upon the message which is preached. [00:33:16]
The only way to bring men back into that knowledge of God, the only way to reconcile men, the only way to put man back where he was and even above that, what the philosophies of the world that failed to do, God's doing it. This is the manifestation of the wisdom of God. [00:36:58]
He came to give us knowledge of God, the ability to enjoy fellowship and communion with God, and to delight in him. I ask, do we face Christmas like that, or shall I put it in the last word in this form: are you trying to understand the Incarnation? [00:38:34]
Cease from philosophy, cease trying to understand. You and I will never understand the person of Christ, the two natures in the one part. I can't understand this, and the moment anybody says that to me, I say, look here, as long as you're speaking like that, I can't help you either. [00:40:16]
Don't try to understand the atonement, don't try to understand the Resurrection. Cease from this folly of mankind, which before Christ ever came had been proved to be a complete failure. The World by wisdom knew not God. Well, why try still to understand the incomprehensible? [00:41:24]
Let us rather look with adoring wonder and amazement at what it has pleased God to do: to send his son out of the eternal glory as a babe into that stable in Bethlehem and then finally to the Cross. Stand and look at it, ask for the spirit to enlighten you, and then get down on your knees and worship him. [00:41:44]
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