The Wisdom of the Cross

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Isaiah 29:14
Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Wise men are those who draw on God’s wisdom, for a wise man listens and understands wise instruction and recognizes its source. A fool refuses to listen when wisdom is shared no matter what the source. The fool leans on their own understanding. The fool is proud.

We spend our days accumulating knowledge that we might use it for some purpose, often not for good purposes but for prideful ones. Intellect used not innocently is pride. Knowledge used for leverage is pride. The exploitation of knowledge is always an issue of self-esteem and lack of identity in Christ.

I am a child of God. I have been redeemed by the blood of his Son who willingly went to death to pay the price for my sin, freeing me from the weight of my own past and building the bridge for me to have a relationship with God for all eternity. I was created in God’s image to do His special work at precisely the right times in exactly the right places in order that he will be glorified. He gave me gifts and talents with which to do that work in unique and wonderful ways. I am set apart to be in his family and to dwell in his house forever.

No human lacking can stand in the face of this truth and not be healed.

No human claim to greatness can stand in the face of this truth and not be made small.

But this is not from human wisdom or from sheer intelligence. This is from the truth of God which is undeniably perfect, but which seems foolish to those who cling to man’s knowledge like drowning men to scraps of wood in a flood. “This will save me,” they shout, while being swept away to certain death. Yes, a scrap of wood might give you the illusion of buoyancy for a little while, but high ground is far more certain.