The following three verses set the tone for the message I’m trying to communicate here today.
1 Corinthians 3:18–19 — Let no one deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish so that he may become wise; for the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 — For the word 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 1:27 — God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.
Lazarus was no more alive physically before Jesus called him to life than we are spiritually from birth. As David proclaimed in:
Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” And if, by the will of the Lord, he calls us out of death and into life in his Son, Christ Jesus, we are saved.
John 5:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
I have grown to understand that it really is this profoundly simple. Some people use a lot of time arguing doctrinal or philosophical points, yet in the end, all of that will fall away—all of it. None of us are passing through the narrow way because we scored a 98% on God’s biblical doctrinal exam. Again, though, this does not mean that I don’t think reading your Bible and pursuing truth and understanding aren’t important. On the contrary, these are of the utmost importance!
Undeniably, though, I think it’s within our fallen nature as humans to allow any kind of intelligence to cause us to feel superior. As believers, we should be constantly praying for this wisdom with a healthy portion of humility. The Bible is always warning against pride and boasting as precursors to destruction. Two Proverbs here:
Proverbs 16:18 — Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.
Proverbs 11:2 — When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Up to this point I’ve only taken the time to talk about biblical wisdom and intelligence among believers. Now let’s talk about another kind of intelligence: worldly wisdom. There is so much in the Word addressing this subject. The Lord makes it clear He has set up His wisdom in direct opposition to that of the world—two antagonistic paradigms. It seems He’s done this so that only regenerate believers, whose hearts have been softened by Him, can understand.
1 Corinthians 1:18 — For the word 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 2:14 — But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. Unbelievers can’t understand the things of the Spirit of God, including Scripture, because the Spirit is not in them.
In the moment that they believe and become regenerate, they are able to understand. This would be one way to feel assured that you have been saved. Feeling compelled to read the Bible and through understanding developing a thirst for it.
So, with this knowledge, what does an unbeliever have left to rely on? Their own understanding, of course. And where do they get this? The world, of course. And who is the god of this world, who sets himself against all that is God? Unfortunately, the answer is Satan—our enemy.
2 Corinthians 4:4 — In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
A key characteristic that should be seen between a believer and a nonbeliever is where they turn for answers and enlightenment. For now, I’ll describe this in black-and-white terms: on one end of the spectrum, a very mature Christian person will seek understanding and direction through God—godly paths, the Bible, books by reputable authors, pastors, godly groups of men and women, and finally (and probably most importantly) prayer.
As you know, even many Christians share different opinions and views. Regrettably, to unbelievers, this can present believers in an ununified light. But the simple truth is that every believer is at varying places in their walk with Christ. We are all being sanctified (separated from sin), edified (built up), corrected, and disciplined. All this is grace and mercy poured out on us by a loving Father whose goal is to make us like His Son, Jesus. We all must be patient with one another.
1 Peter 2:1–3 — Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
John 16:13 — But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. As believers become more and more like Christ, the more unified under God we all become.
Ephesians 4:13–15 — Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.
The world—unbelievers—has a proclivity toward the anti-knowledge of God. It may or may not be that there are more vigorous distractors and opposers of the Christian faith today than ever, but there is certainly more information available and connectivity at our disposal than ever before, with the internet and social media. There is equal opportunity for those who are for and against the faith.
For me personally, watching the direction we’re headed and our current state as a nation is heartbreaking. This becomes even more sobering when looking beyond our country. Honestly, this is getting to the heart of why I felt the need to write this.
Isaiah 29:14 — I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.
When I watch young people gather to debate the faith and God’s existence, I usually come away sickened. Most are not showing any desire to really understand, or to be open to the idea of Jesus. Most have a demeanor of defiance and hate—only there for the purpose of tearing down, in the spirit of the god of this world, clearly offended by the truth. They spit venom and disgust for the faith and what it represents.
It seems that, in today’s climate, a polarization is happening. The line in the sand has been drawn, and those who are for God and against Him are making themselves known. God says in Revelation to pick a side, and that there’s no middle ground.
Revelation 3:15–16 — I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Matthew 6:24 — No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
1 Kings 18:21 — How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if it is Baal, follow him.
For me, watching unbelievers operate and live in utter defiance to the Lord is like watching someone blindly walk into a pit, only to find death and destruction. I also want to make something else clear. My prayer is that all would come to faith. I don’t believe that any one is beyond the grasp of God’s love, grace, and mercy.
So, for us as believers, we must remain steadfast in our faith, always living each day as an opportunity to put Jesus on display in our lives—knowing that, somehow, in God’s providence, someone’s heart might be reached because we were faithful.
1 Peter 3:15 — But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.
