Paul
the apostle continued to share how God used “the
foolishness of preaching”
to save people from their sins, and because He did, it “brings
to nothing the understanding of the prudent”.
In chapter one and verse twenty-one of
First Corinthians, Paul told the the
church members about God's pleasure to use “the
foolishness of preaching to save”
where we read:
For
after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,
it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe.
The
verse begins, “For
after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,...”
Paul began
with the word, “For”
which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and
therefore” “after” or
“when now, since, of which cause and forasmuch” “that
in” or “by
and through” “the wisdom”
which means “the broad and full of intelligence, knowledge of very
diverse matters and skill in the management of affairs” “of
God” which
refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God
the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “the
world” or
“the circle of the earth with its riches, advantages and pleasures”
“by wisdom” which
means “the broad and full of intelligence, knowledge of very
diverse matters and skill in the management of affairs”
“knew not God”
which means “did not perceive, get a knowledge of, be acquainted
with and understand”. Paul declared how God used His “wisdom”
so people in the “world”
would not be “acquainted” with Him.
The
verse goes on to say, “...it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe.”. Paul
continued with the words, “it
pleased” or
“seemed good to, chose, determined, decided willingly to prefer and
take pleasure in and was favorably inclined toward” “God”
which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”
“by the foolishness”
or “absurdity and silliness” “of
preaching”
which means “heralded, cried and proclaimed” “to
save” or
“to keep safe and sound, rescue from danger or destruction and to
preserve those in danger of destruction” “them
that believe”
which means “the people who think to be true, are persuaded of,
credit and place confidence in”. According to Paul, God was
“pleased”
to use the “silliness and absurdity” of “preaching”
to bring
salvation to people who “believe”
or “rely upon, trust in and cling to” His Son Jesus Christ.
When
we consider these words from Paul, we see how God purposed to have
the “wisdom of the world” to be insufficient for people to
know God. Rather than “worldly wisdom”, God chose the
“foolishness of preaching” to bring people to His Son
Jesus Christ. Though it may seem “absurd and silly” when a person
“preaches” the gospel, God uses it to “save”
all who “believe”. When we hear the “preaching”
of the gospel, let us remember, God Himself chose this means to bring
“salvation” through His Son Jesus to all mankind.
Next
time Paul shares how, “the
Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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