Sunday of Moses (NTA)

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

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. ¹⁹ For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. ²² For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰ And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹ so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

St Paul talks about wisdom as a bad thing. The wise are not good. People should seek after wisdom. God gives Wisdom to people. The problem really is the understanding of wisdom. If i think I am wise, is it wisdom of the World or is it wisdom of God.

St Paul concludes with boasting in the Lord. This can really give insight into our wisdom. If you have the good wisdom given by God then you can not take pride or confidence in that wisdom. If your wisdom comes from yourself or the fallen creation, then you have nothing of real meaning. Many people want to use the reason of a fallen creature with the logic of a fallen creation to develop an understanding of God, or who God should be.

God shames the fallen creature. God shames the fallen creation. God reminds us that sin has corrupted God’s perfect creation. The only thing unaffected by sin is God himself. Therefore, he uses the weak, the less intelligent, the uninformed, and the foolish with respect to this world to shame the wise of this world.

There are many people in the world today that call Christians foolish, unenlightened, and incompetent. They do this with regard to the reason, or wisdom, of this world. But the truth is that these people have fallen short. They will be put to shame by those who can actually believe in the truth. The truth is that Christ died for the forgiveness of sins.