Our society is one of constant
change. We are always seeking new innovations and new ideas of thinking. We are
surrounded by electronic books, iPod models that change so fast we can't keep
up with them, and computers that are smarter than we are. We attribute these
advances to the intelligence and skill of man and thinking about all of this
blows my mind, but today God enabled me to think of it in a new light. A person
who is intelligent enough to invent something revolutionary, publish the newest
research on gene therapy, who can know everything there is to know about physics
and quantum mechanics, could in fact, know nothing. This person could die
without ever knowing the power of God, who is everything.
I'm not in any way saying that all scientists don’t know God, those aren’t my intentions and I’m not trying to speak for all
scientists or inventors, because I don’t have the authority to do so. But today
when I read in 1 Corinthians 1, the people I just mentioned were comparable to the groups of people Paul was
talking about. In verse 19 he says, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard
the intelligence of the intelligent.” He directed this towards all of the
philosophers, scholars, and brilliant debaters of the day. Paul tells them in
verses 20 and 21, “God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God
in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human
wisdom.” The point that Paul was really trying to get across here is how
seeking worldly knowledge could never lead someone to God. You can never know
God through the world, because God is not of the world. God’s way of thinking
is not the world’s way of thinking. We can spend a lifetime accumulating wisdom
and yet never learn how to have a personal relationship with God.
A man who is brilliant by the world’s
standards, could be completely poor by heaven’s standards. “For the foolishness
of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than
human strength.” (1 Cor 1:25) We can never even begin to compare to God. Our
efforts are useless! I find myself frustrated, how can all of these brilliant
people just not get it! Verse 27 says, “Instead, God chose
things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are
wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.”
God wants us to submit to Him and His power. Not our own. That means admitting
that we know nothing and that we are absolutely weak without Him. It is through
this humbling obedience that we begin a relationship with our Creator. The
message of Christ’s death seems foolish to those who don’t believe. The idea of
receiving everlasting life by trusting Him as Savior sounds too simple for
many, and it goes against their rational thinking. But Paul makes it clear that
skill and wisdom do not get a person into God’s Kingdom, simple faith alone
does. Let us rejoice that we don’t need to earn salvation, we only need to
accept what Jesus has already done!
“For it is by grace
you have been saved, through faith
—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God
— not by works, so
that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
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