What If God's Wisdom Makes No Sense to You
What happens when the wisdom of God contradicts the wisdom of man? In today's ScriptureLinks Daily Dose of Inspiration, we're looking at 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21–31 and Paul's challenging message about the cross, the wisdom of God, and the things the...
Key Takeaways
- The wisdom of God frequently contradicts the wisdom of man, challenging us to look beyond societal measures of success.
- God deliberately chooses what the world considers foolish and weak to reveal a power that human understanding cannot match.
- Our salvation and standing before God provide no grounds for human boasting, as everything comes from Him.
- Jesus Christ is ultimately our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
- True spiritual growth requires us to allow God's Word to challenge our understanding rather than judging God's Word by our own logic.
Today's Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21–31 (KJV)
The central message: God's wisdom does not depend on human approval, and our salvation is not something we can achieve or boast about through our own ability.
Key points to consider:
The cross divides human wisdom from God's wisdom. What the world sees as foolishness is the power of God to those who are saved (verse 18).
Human wisdom cannot bring us to know God through its own efforts. God chose the preaching of the cross as the means through which believers are saved (verse 21).
People look for different kinds of proof. Some demand signs, others seek wisdom, but Paul proclaims Christ crucified (verses 22–25).
God's calling challenges our ideas about importance. God chose the foolish, weak, and despised things of the world so that no one could boast before Him (verses 26–29).
Our confidence belongs in Christ. He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (verses 30–31).
Questions to consider:
Have I ever rejected what God says because it didn't make sense to me?
Do I measure truth by what the world considers intelligent, successful, or powerful?
Am I taking credit for what God has done in my life?
What would change if I trusted God's wisdom over my own understanding?
Today's takeaway: God's truth doesn't need the world's approval, and God's work in our lives isn't a reason to boast about ourselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 1 Corinthians 1 teach about Gods wisdom vs human wisdom?
The passage explains that God's wisdom often looks like foolishness to the world, contrasting human values of power and education with God's paradoxical choice to work through the weak and despised.
Why does God choose foolish things according to the Bible?
God chooses the foolish and weak things of the world so that no human being can boast in His presence, keeping the focus entirely on His glory and grace.
How does Gods wisdom vs human wisdom apply to daily life?
It calls us to stop judging God's commands by human logic and instead let His Word challenge our perspectives, trusting His higher ways in a world full of distractions.
ScriptureLinks (00:00)
Good morning. Have you ever looked at something that God says in his word? And you thought, that makes no sense. Yeah, we probably all have been there. We probably all have done that. And maybe it just doesn't fit what we've been taught. Maybe it's not what we experienced. Or maybe it's something that the world says, no, that's not right. This is right.
ScriptureLinks (00:30)
Here's a question for you to think about. Are you willing to trust God's wisdom?
ScriptureLinks (00:39)
when it contradicts our own. We've been looking this week here in the book of First Corinthians, chapter number one, and we've been studying about is the preaching of the cross foolishness to you? When when someone talks about Jesus, when someone talks about his death and resurrection, do you look at that and say that's impossible? That's foolish. No, it didn't happen. And we looked at some things uh the other day on I think it was Tuesday.
ScriptureLinks (01:09)
We looked at some examples of of things that were done in man's wisdom. Things like Aaron making the golden calf, things like um the riot in Ephesians, um, where we were putting our livelihoods and our own knowledge ahead of the things of God. We also looked at at the apostles con Paul's conversion.
ScriptureLinks (01:33)
Because remember, Paul was going out persecuting the church because he thought that's what God wanted him to do. And we looked at those and we saw how those things were done in the wisdom of man. Now, today we're gonna take a look at some things about the wisdom of God. We're gonna look at the power and the wisdom of God. And then tomorrow we're gonna take a look at some at some examples of that power.
ScriptureLinks (02:02)
And that wisdom that we could find in the Bible. Um, so let's take a look here. Let's kick it off. First Corinthians chapter one. We're going to look at some verses we've been looking at all week, um, because I think it's important to make sure that we have this as our foundation here for this study. And he says here, Paul says in First Corinthians chapter one, verse number 18, he says, For the preaching of the cross to them that perish is foolishness, but unto us which are saved.
ScriptureLinks (02:32)
It is the power of God. Let's jump down to verse twenty one. For after the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.
ScriptureLinks (03:03)
But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. That's what I want us to focus on, the power and the wisdom of God. We already established um earlier in the week that God uses the things that are weak and foolish in the eyes of the world, instead of the things which are strong and noble.
ScriptureLinks (03:32)
In the eyes of the Lord. Why? Why would he do that? That again makes no sense. But this is where we need to trust in him and trust in his wisdom. Why would he do that? Let's jump down to verse number 29 through 31. He says, And the base things of the world and the things which are despised hath God chosen. I'm sorry, I started there in 28. Verse 29, that no flesh
ScriptureLinks (04:00)
Should glory in his presence. Verse thirty, but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. That according as it is written, he that gloryeth let him glory in the Lord. Now we see several times here the word glory or glorious, and that simply means to take personal credit or to brag.
ScriptureLinks (04:31)
on on what God has done, what God is doing. Verse 29, we can read it as so no man can take credit for what God has done. You know, we all like to brag or we all like to to build ourselves up. We like to to make things that make us look good, to make things that that make us stand out.
ScriptureLinks (04:59)
And and there's danger in that because we can't who am I to take credit for what God's done in my life? I know the things God brought me through. I know what things He saved me from. And who am I to take credit for that? And verse 28, we could say, He that wants to brag, let him brag in the Lord. That's what we need to do. We don't need to take credit for what God's done.
ScriptureLinks (05:25)
We need to brag in the things that God's done in the in the war in the Lord and in our lives. And once we start doing that, we can get a perspective on where on where we are. We can start getting an understanding of who God is. And we we can't take credit for what God is doing. Verse 30.
ScriptureLinks (05:54)
Bridges the gap between these two things, between taking credit for what God has done and and bragging on God. Verse number 30 here says, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. What Paul is saying here in a nutshell is that that
ScriptureLinks (06:23)
Every spiritual, every spiritual benefit we have is given to us through Christ. Everything we have, everything we've accomplished, everything God's brought us through has been done through Christ. Through Jesus.
ScriptureLinks (06:44)
Because of this, there's no room to brag, there's no room to take credit. All the praise, 100% of the praise and the glory goes to God. Goes to Him. Colossians chapter 2, verse number 10 tells us that we are complete in Him. We are complete in Christ. And we need to remember that. We need to understand that.
ScriptureLinks (07:14)
Because we are complete in Christ.
ScriptureLinks (07:19)
Verse 27 tells us that we put to shame worldly strength. He says, but God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of this world to confound the things which are mighty. God wants us to depend on his strength.
ScriptureLinks (07:43)
God wants us to depend on his strength. He also made us complete in Christ, so God uses us to, verse number 28 says, to bring down earthly status and earthly pride. And the base things of this world and the things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, the things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are.
ScriptureLinks (08:15)
So what Paul is telling us here.
ScriptureLinks (08:19)
Is that we need to get to that spot where we realize I am nothing. God is everything. And if we have our focus on the things of this world, the strength, the pride, the status, you know, if we focus on those things, we're gonna miss everything that God is doing. We're gonna miss all that stuff. I've used this illustration millions of times.
ScriptureLinks (08:48)
in my years of ministry. In that when I was in school, you can count on one hand the amount of times I got up and gave a book book report because I have a tremendous fear of of talking in front of people. But God called me to preach the gospel. I do that primarily online, but I also do in the churches too. And it takes the mighty work of God to get me up on the platform to preach.
ScriptureLinks (09:18)
Why? Because that's a fear. But when I realize and I become and I open myself to God and I say, God, use me, that's when God's work happens. That's when God starts getting in there and doing the work that He wants us to do. And you see, that's a problem for the world is that it doesn't want to submit itself to God. It doesn't want to open itself to God.
ScriptureLinks (09:45)
Because it thing it it thinks that the things of God is foolish, when actually it's the things of the world that is foolish. We want to chase after our own wants. We want to chase after our own desires. So therefore, we're gonna do things to give us the worldly strength. We're gonna do things to to get our status and our our place in this world, our our our pride in this world. And we're gonna
ScriptureLinks (10:14)
neglect God. And that's a sad thing. That's a sad thing for us all to do. There's a warning back here in the book of Deuteronomy. I'm gonna go over here. Deuteronomy chapter number eight. Deuteronomy chapter number eight gives us a warning here.
ScriptureLinks (10:37)
See, verse 11, beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God in not keeping his commandments, his judgments, his statutes, which I command thee this day. Moses is warning Israel here as they're getting ready to go and to take possession of the promised land. He's saying, Don't forget God. Don't forget his commandments. Make sure you keep them. Don't forget his statutes. Don't forget his judgments. Never forget those things.
ScriptureLinks (11:05)
And then in verses 12 through 16, he's saying that he's giving some examples here of when you get full, and when you have good houses, and when you have money in the bank, and when you you have great possessions, don't forget God. You see, that's what the world does. The world forgets God when it gets its possess possessions, when it gets its good things, when it gets its big 401ks.
ScriptureLinks (11:35)
In bank accounts. All of a sudden we say, Hey, look what my hand's done. Look what I did. We forget God. We forget Him. Let's pick up the story in verse 17. And I'm going to read down through verse 20. And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is He that giveth thee.
ScriptureLinks (12:04)
power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant, which he swear unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish, as the nations which the Lord destroyed before your face.
ScriptureLinks (12:31)
So shall ye perish because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God. Friends, these are some of the saddest verses in scripture I firmly believe.
ScriptureLinks (12:44)
Because people has got to a point where they say, I'm the one that got this stuff. I made my wealth. I made my fame. I made my fortune. When really in reality, it was God that allowed those things for you. It was God that gave gave you those things. And we forget, God, we forget where we get this stuff.
ScriptureLinks (13:08)
What's our application today? What can we take home?
ScriptureLinks (13:12)
We need to trust in the foolishness of God.
ScriptureLinks (13:19)
Yes, I said that right. We need to trust in the foolishness of God. Because what the world looks at as foolish, God looks at as great power. And when you've come to a point and you realize you need God and you need to surrender to Him, then you need to get down there and you need to pray and you need to make things right with God. Maybe God's given you great wealth. Maybe He's given you the desires of your heart.
ScriptureLinks (13:49)
Well have you recognized him as the one that did that?
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Think about that as he goes through this day. And remember, get into God's Word and allow God's Word to get into you. Then share that word with someone today. Have a blessed day.
