The Logic of God
(We experienced issues with the recording of the sermon. Below is the manuscript Pastor Gabe preached from for this sermon)
Introduction
Throughout the history of Christian symbolism, the Cross was by no means the first. In part because persecution, already evident in the 1st century in the NT writings, intensified in later centuries. Christians were circumspect on how they depicted their faith publicly. But also as a symbol it resisted popularity because it was the implement of Christ’s horrific death (which is totally understandable).
So, symbols like a dove, a fish, a ship, a lyre, and an anchor were used and unless someone knew they referred to Christ or the church, the bearer was safe. They also incorporated symbols from other Bible stories like Noah’s ark, Daniel in the lion’s den, Jonah, shepherds carrying lambs or even abbreviated Greek letters.
Still, historians recognize that though these (and other) symbols represented aspects of following Christ, they were inadequate to represent the whole.
It wasn’t as if the symbol of the cross was a new invention. In antiquity, it was already a widely-known symbol of the intersection of earth (the horizontal beam) and the heavens (the vertical beam). Of course, Christians had other reasons for adopting it as their unifying seal.
John Stott says this in his book, The Cross of Christ:
They wished to commemorate as central to their understanding of Jesus neither His birth nor His youth, neither His teaching nor His service, neither His resurrection nor His reign, nor His gift of the Holy Spirit but His death, His crucifixion.
The cross was the implement of capital punishment adopted by the Greeks and Romans because it was a way to inflict maximum torture: death over an extended time, excruciating (which literally means “from the cross”) in its effect. It was used only for murderers, insurrectionists or armed robbers. Never on Romans as it was considered so vile (like Cicero’s quote on your bulletin). Of course, the Jews regarded it as a cursed way to die from Deuteronomy 21:23.
Over time, however, it did become what Christians drew, engraved or painted. Also, as many of us might know from Catholic backgrounds or exposure, they would “cross themselves.” They didn’t do it as superstition but to sanctify what they were doing as unto the Lord.
Still, to adopt such a symbol given its representation is hard to understand. Right? We think of the alarmed responses people have when they see a Nazi Swastika or clothing of the KKK. The cross was certainly no less offensive than those. It might be to us because we are so far historically from its actual use.
Stott wrote this as to why it might’ve persisted as a symbol despite Roman disgust and Jewish loathing:
The fact that a cross became the Christian symbol, and that Christians stubbornly refused, in spite of the ridicule, to discard it in favor of something less offensive, can have only one explanation. It means that the centrality of the cross originated in the mind of Jesus himself.
The “centrality of the cross” originated with Jesus Himself.
Based on how often the cross of Christ receives reference in Scripture, that seems correct. But why that symbol? Why must a cross be the universally understood symbol for our religion instead of something happier and less gruesome?
Have you ever wondered that?
Proposition
Today in our text, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, we will see why the cross is and should be central to how we look not just at our religion but our lives.
Remember, last week we started what will be a larger section on the impact of worldly wisdom in a local church. When members of a local church embedded in their culture bring too much of that culture into that church bad things happen.
The first effect of bringing too much Corinth into the church was the splintering of the church into personality pockets, “…of Paul…of Apollos… (or)… of Peter.” Paul stays with this theme until mid-way through chapter 4.
We ended last week at verse 17 (we were talking about a common Cross as a key to binding Christian community). Look at that verse again:
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel and not with words of eloquent wisdom lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
This was a summary and a transition for Paul’s argument. In that way, you could say there are three key words in that verse he subsequently hammers together to a sharp point. Those words are “preach,” “cross” and “power.” We will see today, the most basic one is “cross.”
Remember, Paul is methodically unraveling the impact of worldly wisdom at that church. He puts the cross up front as the way to do this. The question he answers in our text today is this: “Why must the Cross of Christ be central for the church?”
I say it that way on purpose. We normally think of the cross as that place where our sins were taken by Christ and killed in His death. The tomb and the resurrection complete the story so we think the cross is just a necessary piece of the puzzle.
In fact, it isn’t just necessary for our justification, our being made right before God. It is also necessary for our sanctification, our progressive exhibiting of godliness. In other words, Paul is talking about the enduring impact of the cross of Christ in the lives of God’s people. They had neglected it; he worked to have them recover it.
So, again, “Why must the Cross of Christ be central for the church?” One answer:
It protects us from the competing wisdom of the world.
Transition
READ 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.
PRAY.
Main Point
What does it say and mean?
[Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
[Point Statement: the Cross of Christ must be central for the church because it protects us from the competing wisdom of this world.
Before we dig in, if you stop and think about what is the real source of the problems at Corinth (and in every church), isn’t it that the people live by worldly standards rather than godly ones?
Faithful churches have conversion and justification correct. We know it the application of what Christ earned on the cross that we receive by faith we are saved.
The problem that creeps in is how do we live after that? And how is the cross related still?
1:18
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
Paul’s use of language is (as always) very important. Look at the present tense verbs in this verse:
“is folly,” “are perishing,” “are being saved” and “is the power.”
You see that? For Paul, the cross was both in the past and very much a part of the church’s present.
He speaks this way because there is a danger in this topic.
Beloved, in the church, we can become blind to the dangers the world presents to our souls.
We (rightly) rest in the power of Christ given to us by grace when we are saved. But we can neglect the protection we still must have from the ungodly wisdom of this world.
Corinth can creep back into the church and it is always a danger for: the newly converted to the most aged saint.
This is what had happened at Corinth. Paul says this in chapter 3 verse 1:
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready.
So what does he do? He re-preaches the fundamentals: the “word of the cross.”
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
With this verse, Paul connects to verse 17, namely, his concern to preach the cross in a way that safeguards its power.
But, it is an unusual move. If you had just received this letter from Paul, you might find it odd that he says this right after he’s busted our chops about our divisions.
He is taking them back to the basic reason why they cannot allow cultural wisdom to guide them, captivate them or even rebuke them.
It has to do with “…the word of the cross…”
What is the “word of the cross”? It goes by other names: the “gospel” (1:17) or “God’s wisdom” (1:21) or “Christ crucified” (1:23). It’s all the same.
In our culture we love to talk about “the gospel” – “preach the gospel,” “live the gospel” and so on.
What we could (and probably should) be saying just as much is “preach the word of the cross” and “live the word of the cross.”
Even though Paul clearly says many things in his letters to his churches, in his mind he’s applying the single thing:
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.
And in chapter 2:2:
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
The church at Corinth was alive because of the good news but were living as if the cross didn’t still figure prominently in their thinking.
And, as a result: you have all the problems Paul addresses in his letter.
Are you following me? His rebuke then, is all about reviving the cross in their thinking and applying it to their problems.
Paul next explains this message has a predictable sorting effect. People’s responses to it puts them into one of two categories: those who are perishing and those who are being saved.
#1: “…those who are perishing…”
He calls them by other names later in the text: the “wise,” or “scribes,” or “debaters” of this age (in verse 20).
“…of this age” is the key to remember. They don’t reject the word of the cross because they are rich (and educated) or poor (and uneducated), because they are Jew or Greek, male or female.
It is because they are people “of this age” they reject the word of the cross.
The way they interpret the world is through the lens of this age.
Think about it: people who reject God’s sermon, “Christ crucified” order their lives and thinking around their rejection of Christ. Right? He means nothing to them. His cross means nothing to them. They were and remain, “of this age.”
Do you think they still want to influence the world around them – including the church?
The way Paul speaks of them is that they are perishing meaning their end and their way of life to the end are already set and in process.
Why are they perishing? Simple: the word of the cross “folly” to them.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing…
In their judgment, the word of the cross is “folly,” “nonsense,” or “stupid.” The root word is where we get the word “moron.”
To them, the people of the age, the word of the cross represents a ridiculous, embarrassing and outlandish message: the weakness and the humiliating death of God.
Because they view the word of the cross as folly, they are perishing.
I come back to this again: this cross-rejecting, perishing crowd looks at what is central to us, the cross of Christ, and call it stupid.
The unconverted have no interest in receiving the cross; their basic commitment is to mock it and those who hold onto it.
What does it matter?
All over our culture, Christians are mocked. Maybe these days people don’t normally harass us because our so-called God was so weak that He was crucified. That certainly was at play at Corinth.
In our day and age, the attack against us is that we are close-minded, bigoted, judgmental or dogmatic. We are homophobic, racist, sexist or misogynist. As an example, The Atlantic ran a story asserting VP Mike Pence’s no-lunch-with-women rule is bad because it hurts women’s progress.
Where do all these attacks come from? Mostly, from those who are perishing. Sure, do we sometimes have a problem with how we share Christ or how we live? Of course. But even if we were honest and humble about our failings, people would still reject us because they have rejected the word of the cross.
It may never come up in a conversation but those who mock followers of Christ for what we believe or how we live (if it is consistent with the Bible) are simply fools in the clothing of the wise.
They see us live in light of “deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Christ” and can have no real idea what that means. And, they aren’t curious: they are angry.
So, the prom date who wants to run down a path of sexual immorality, when you refuse (as you should) will call you the name.
The classmate who wants to copy your work and turn it in for himself, when you refuse (as you should) will gossip about you on Snapchat.
The coworker who lies or manipulates, when you turn him in (as you should) will blame you for his failing.
Beloved, we aren’t welcome or popular or understood in our spheres for a single reason: the word of the cross has taken us from being citizens of this age to citizens of the kingdom of God. The world cannot comprehend as wisdom what they call folly.
So, if our unpopularity in our circles is a result of us simply living for Christ, then the more unpopular, the better.
Transition
But that’s only one of the two groups.
#2: What about “those who are being saved”?
“Those who are being saved” is simply Paul’s way of describing those whom God has saved (justified), is saving (sanctifying) and will save (glorifying).
Who are they?
We’ve seen him answer this already.
They are, “church of God,” “sanctified in Christ” “saints” (1:2).
In our passage, they are the “called” (1:24), but also the “foolish and weak” (1:27), “low,” and the “abandoned with no standing” (1:28).
Don’t let those descriptions mislead you: this group shows no compelling outward difference from the first. People are people.
These aren’t the uneducated, sickly, impoverished, slave group as if the others were the educated, elite and respectable group.
In fact, what makes this group different is simply their response to the word of the cross. They say it “is the power of God.”
For the word of the cross…to us who are being saved…is the power of God.
“Power” at Corinth was highly prized and associated with eloquence and rhetoric which was the pathway to riches and fame.
“Christ crucified” is not eloquent or flashy and rarely leads to riches and fame.
What does it matter?
The perishing group sees nothing but folly in the cross, those who are being saved see things very differently. In the “word of the cross” we see:
The way in which God reveals His Son: as the suffering Servant that we must have since we are helpless.
We see how He saves people from their sins: Christ taking their pain and penalty upon Himself. Where does that happen? The cross.
We see how He destroys the works of the devil: in His death, He crushes and buries the guilt Satan spreads like seed:
We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we longer are enslaved to sin.
(And, perhaps most relevant for the context) the cross is the paradigm for the way of wise living: denying ourselves, taking up our crosses and following Christ.
What of these things can we have apart from the words of the cross? None.
How else might we summarize the words of the cross? It is our very life.
Transition
Paul doesn’t just state what is true. In what follows, he explains why it is true. And we see it is because of something God did.
1:19-25
1:19
For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’
“For” prepares us for the answer our question: why is the cross folly to so many?
Using the word of the cross, God destroys the wisdom of the world.
By “destroy,” we mean, makes it useless and meaningless; makes it unable to rightly understand and judge the world.
This verse is quoted from Isaiah 29:14. The context there is what is called the “woe oracles.” (Like, “woe is me.”) God is pronouncing judgment on Judah for their arrogance.
…this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips while their hearts are far from Me.
So, in that part of Isaiah, God promises to do something in response:
…wonderful…with wonder upon wonder and [the result is] the wisdom of their wise will perish and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.
Or, as Paul cites:
…‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’
What’s that “wonderful” thing that brings such destruction?
God uses the “word of the cross” to destroy everything man might use to rightly understand God and the world, particularly the onward march of history to final judgment. He says it this way in verse 28:
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.
The word of the cross bring science does nothing…
Psychology to nothing. Economics, politics, all the ways of thinking, philosophies and self-help tools of mankind God makes them useless in penetrating the reality of God, mankind and the world.
God has destroyed them; He has made them into nothing; meaningless, helpless.
How? By making the cross the only proper way to view God, the world and ourselves.
You understand? The only way to know God truly, the world He’s made accurately, our purpose properly or the eventual end of everything is by the “word of the cross.”
We can’t miss how big this is.
I’ll put it bluntly: there is nothing in all the world that can lead us to knowing God, rightly understanding the world He’s made or our part in it.
Any so called “wisdom” or “insight” apart from being anchored in who Jesus is and what He has done is nonsense. It will always lead us astray from God’s purposes. Always.
1:20-25
1:20a. How do we know? Look what Paul asks next:
Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?
Where are those professional philosophers, scientists, engineers or doctors – using their philosophy, science, math or medicine – where are they in helping us understand God or the world? Where are the worldly geniuses in explaining the wisdom of God?
They are all still out there; but you know what is their judgment of all things related to “Christ crucified”? What they think?
It’s “folly.” It’s “madness.” It’s “ridiculous.”
1:20b-21. Why are they unable to provide help in figuring out the world?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through [its] wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
God has made worldly wisdom foolish in understanding the world.
It was God’s wisdom that the world not be able to know Him by their methods.
If they had the wisdom of God, Paul says,
None of the rulers of this age understood…for it they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
How are we to understand our age? Our God. Our world. Ourselves.
It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
1:22-24
Jews demand signs and Greeks see wisdom but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.
When Jesus walked the earth, the Jews repeatedly asked Him for signs to prove His claims.
His signs abounded, didn’t they? Miracle after miracle He demonstrated the authenticity of His calling.
But God had crushed their own logic that said the Messiah would cast off the Romans and elevate Abraham’s children above all else.
He crushed that with a humiliated, suffering and crucified Servant.
The Greeks? To them logic linked ideas with realities.
The logic of an unseen God being born in a humble undeserving, unconnected woman, living a sinless life and then instead of inheriting what sinlessness earned, He was killed on a thieves’ cross.
There is nothing logical about that.
1:24
But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Those who call the wisdom of God “wise” and the power of God “powerful” are only those He has called to see.
They are not of a certain ethnicity, race, education or sex. They are simply the “called,” the “chosen” of God.
What does it matter?
Beloved, we know that the world, animated by its master, the devil, has a contrary outlook on life than we do. But, do we realize how insidious it is? How easily it can coopt our flesh, our remaining inclination to love it?
So that what once defined our faith, cruciform living, is no longer on the landscape of our lives? The world says:
Competition and self-exaltation are good; the cross says self-emptying service is good.
Comfort and ease and plenty are good; the cross says sacrifice and suffering for Christ are good.
Reputation and self-esteem are good; the cross says humility and honoring others are good.
Attainment and accomplishment for our glory is good; the cross says glorifying God is good.
Self-reliance and independence are good; the cross says depending on others and sharing life together are good.
Experimentation and self-exploration are good; the cross says self-control and restraint are good.
If we are honest, church of Christ in America allows these philosophies right in through the front door. How many of us are making real sacrifices for other church members? How many of us more greatly esteem reputation and likeability over being Christ’s ambassadors in tough circumstances?
What do we get mad about here? Why aren’t we praying more here? Why are we forsaking Sunday school, Life Groups or Bible studies?
Simple: the way of looking at God, the world and ourselves through the cross of Christ is gone in our sight. Beloved, what slays all of these? The “word of the cross.”
Conclusion
One commentator says this,
The cross makes hash of all secular and religious attempts based on human wisdom to make sense of God and the world.
Beloved, the cross is central to making sense of God and of the world. Is that what you think of it? When we were first converted it completed our picture of the world because suddenly we saw God at its center.
Nothing has changed: not the wisdom of the cross or the competing ideologies of the world. How would we understand suffering without the cross? How would we understand justice without the cross? How would we understand freedom without the cross? How would we know what it means to follow God without the cross?
There is no doubt the cross is a wicked and complex symbol. But, Paul tells us it is God’s wisdom and His power and so beyond our ability to fully probe:
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
The word of the cross isn’t a competing philosophy. It doesn’t just make more sense or provide more benefit or have more adherents. It isn’t something that you can tack onto your worldview or your lifestyle. Where you can integrate a little Christian here with a little worldliness there.
It is a message that says “nonsense” to some. But for those who believe and are being saved, God has given it to us to be our pride, our boast and our possession.