Get Foolishness

The ancient wise king instructed his son: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” A few chapters later he added, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” So, to truly understand what wisdom is, we must begin with the fear of the Lord. To fear the Lord in this context means to honor and respect Him. The best way we mortals can do that is to delve deeply into His Word, perhaps meditating on it day and night as the psalmist recommended.

What we learn through the process of study and meditation is that there is more than one type of wisdom. When Paul described his approach to the Corinthians, he said his message was founded on Christ, “the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.” Human wisdom is described by James as, “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” The word James used for “unspiritual” is usually translated as “soulish.” The human soul is comprised of intellect, emotion, and volition. James implies that the wisdom that appeals to the intellect is of this world as opposed to from heaven. More frightening is his assertion that human wisdom can be demonic. That is not surprising since the human soul is often the playground of the devil.

One of the devil’s favorite tricks is to mess with believers’ minds. According to Paul, we are supposed to be aware of his schemes, but too often, that is not the case. In the Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis creates an imaginary dialogue between a demon and his protégé. The subtlety Lewis imagines is evidence of demonic wisdom. He doesn’t suggest tempting Christians with outright unrighteousness; rather he advises getting them to doubt the wisdom of God’s plan. It sounds like the serpent in the garden: “Did God really say…. Surely, he didn’t mean it.”

So, we have Paul saying that the gospel is the wisdom of God. I must admit, at first glance, the gospel seems like a crazy idea. I can’t imagine hearing God say, “I know; let’s send my only Son to earth and have Him killed.” It’s not just crazy; it’s inhumane. What human would sacrifice a child for a bunch of reprobates? We would be inclined to agree with Fredrich Beuchner: “If the world is sane, then Jesus is mad as the hatter, and the Last Supper is the mad tea party.” (from The Faces of Jesus) But since we believe the Bible is truth, and God is all-wise, we must be missing something.

What is it in the monstrosity of the Cross of Calvary that makes it the epitome of wisdom? In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul announced that anyone “in Christ,” meaning anyone who identified with His death in Christian baptism, is a new creation: the old has passed away; the new has come. What does Paul mean by the old and new? The old way, the old covenant, is superseded by the new covenant initiated with Christ’s death. (Heb) The new covenant was instituted to reconcile the world to God, Paul says. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” Reconciliation implies a separation that must be reversed. That world-changing separation occurred when Adam rebelled against God and brought “death” to humanity. So, the act of reconciliation requires regeneration. Paul told the Ephesians, “We being dead in trespasses, he made alive together with Christ.” Paul made the astounding declaration to the Corinthians that God had entrusted the message of reconciliation “to us,” adding the analogy of us being ambassadors of Christ, begging the world (unbelievers) to be reconciled to God.

I have mentioned previously that we have the awesome privilege of revealing the age-long mystery of God to the “rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Add to this our status as ambassadors of Christ to the world and you have the complete answer to the universal question: why are we here? The church is a physical demonstration of God’s love for His creation and a platform for delivering the love-based message of reconciliation to the lost and dying world. Remember, God so loved the world that He [insanely] gave His only Son to save it. The wisdom of God is indeed foolishness to [some] men.

Paul used this idea sarcastically on the Corinthians when he pointed out their false wisdom: “We are fools for Christ’s sake,” he said, “But you are wise.” Satan was apparently using one of his favorite schemes on the Corinthians, inciting their pride so that God’s wisdom looked foolish to them. Here we see another possible meaning for the “new” thing Paul mentioned. Most people who read 2 Corinthians 5:17 believe that the new thing is the creation: us. This is clearly an honest reading. Although creation itself still groans under the weight of sin, Paul said believers rise from baptism to a new life. He counsels us to put off the old man and put on the new. He also makes it clear that this human newness is not a one-and-done deal; we are “being made new,” a present progressive reality.

So, if one of God’s first and best evangelists was considered foolish, even by some who called themselves Christians, it is no wonder that the twenty-first century world thinks believers are crazy or naïve or deluded. We must become firmly grounded in the wisdom of God so that we can stand against the fiery darts of the accuser when we are called foolish. We must take Paul’s approach: if we look foolish it is because we are fools for Christ’s sake. It would be a good thing if more of us embraced foolishness now and then.