Incredibly important issue in scripture, is this topic of righteousness. The question I will raise and try to answer today is... Is all right doing true righteousness? My belief according to scripture is that it is not. Another extremely important subject that is connected is... Does God view all righteousness the same way we do and does He reward us according to our own balances?
Righteousness is equity of character or act. Simply put, righteousness is our right doing or that which is the result of our right doing. If we were to talk of my righteousness, we would think of the righteous acts or deeds that I had done. There are two righteousnesses in the bible. All righteousness in the bible is separated into our righteousness (our right doing), and God's righteousness (or God's right doing).
Is our righteousness all counted as good by God? I understand that we humans esteem any act of righteousness as good. We assume that all good deeds hold value. The conclusion we will come to, is that God does not put the same value on all righteousness, as we do. In fact, God says in the scripture that He counts our righteousness as filthy rags.
Isa 64:6 ¶ But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
That makes no sense. How could God count our right doing as filth? I thought that good was good and bad was bad? How could good deeds be filth? What about the apostle Paul here in Philippians?
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul called all His right doing dung. He heaped all his righteousness on a pile, stepped back and called the whole thing a pile of manure. Why? Because as it pertains to your legal standing with God, it is worse than useless. Why you ask? The only righteousness that God truly values, is His own. God's righteousness is the right doing that Jesus Christ did while He was here on earth. That is His righteousness (Jesus being God).
Let's regroup for a moment. God does not value any righteousness that we do in order to increase our standing before Him. We cannot increase our stature or position in His eyes by doing right. We cannot inherit eternal life by doing right. Being a "good person", will not get us into heaven. We are going to look at why that is.
Doing right for our own benefit, God counts as sin. Working for your salvation is sin. Anything not done in faith is sin. All right doing done by an unsaved person, is an affront to God because it is done for purely selfish reasons, and therefore holds no merit or worth to God. It not only is not righteousness, it is sin. This is where the world is fooled. This is where the religious people are fooled. Here a person is, really trying to be good and to do the right thing... But to God it is just filth because it was done selfishly and only for the benefit of the doer.
Here is where the beauty of the gospel and the wisdom of God come in. God gives an undeserving hell bound sinner the free gift of salvation. The sinner suddenly realizes that he deserves hell and eternal judgment but that Jesus died in his place. The sinner perceives the love of God and believes for the first time Jesus died and rose again for him, and suddenly knows that God has saved his soul for eternity! The new born Christian now is free from having to earn eternal life and right standing with God, and joyously lives in this new reality, by faith. Freed from his own righteousness, and freed from believing that he had to do righteousness to gain God's acceptance, he is now free to serve God completely and benevolently (not for his own gain)!
Oh what liberty! How freeing it is to know that eternal life is a sure thing, a bygone conclusion, and to be able to truly serve God with a righteousness that is free from selfishness and now truly honors Him! The grand genius of this salvation is, that God gets all the glory. We were the lost, hell bound sinners and God saved us freely by His grace using ONLY His righteousness! Oh the manifold wisdom of God!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Modern Christianity Effeminate?
Much of what is taught in "churches" in these modern times is effeminate. Most of modern Christianity is effeminate. Most of the teaching is geared towards the feelings and emotions of the passive sheep sitting in the pews, trying desperately to get a resolution out of them. Preachers are using the pulpit in an attempt to manipulate people's feelings so that they'll feel guilty, give a bigger offering, and make a resolution to try harder next week. They just bleed the sheep, week after week. It amazes me how people still have the motivation to keep coming back Sunday after Sunday. Granted there are some that seem to get enjoyment out of it. It is a form of self punishment that makes the hearer feel better and helps relieve some of the guilt.
In many meetings, there is only two or three passages out of scripture, and the rest is out of 1st and 2nd opinions. The goal for the preacher, is to get people to come down the aisle to the "alter", with their feelings all worked up, crying about their sorry condition and deciding to stop doing the bad and start doing the good. The more people that are crying, the more decisions, the more successful the sermon. It is sick. It's effeminate and the bible says that the effeminate shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus was not effeminate. John the Baptist was not effeminate. The men of God, in the bible were not effeminate. They were testosterone filled, manly men. No wonder most "churches" are filled mostly with women and children. The men are at home watching football, hunting or working on their pickup trucks.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not effeminate! It is not geared to work on your emotions and feelings, like religion does. The word of God is not directed at the intellect. Modern preaching denies the power of God. Most modern preachers cannot agree with the apostle Paul that they are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation. They are ashamed of it and prove it because they don't trust that it works. They won't talk about Jesus. They won't talk about hell. They won't talk about the judgment to come. They won't talk about the blood of Jesus. They won't talk about the cross on which our Saviour died. Instead they resort to their own wisdom. The preaching of the cross, which is the wisdom of God, is spirit and it speaks to the spirit. The apostle Paul, says about the hidden mystery and wisdom of God...
1Cor 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Nowadays we do exactly the opposite. We speak the words which man's wisdom teaches, not what the Holy Ghost teaches: comparing carnal (earthy) things with carnal. (working on emotions) Notice that the natural man (unregenerate man) does not understand (or receive) the things of the Spirit of God, because they are foolishness to him.
So what do we get from this? When Paul preached the gospel to the Corinthians and the rest of the churches, is there any evidence that he tried to get them crying down the alter? Did he preach to their intellect? Did He work on their feelings? NO! He preached the true gospel to them and while he was preaching to them, they were convinced, they believed it through the supernatural work of God, and as a result, were born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto eternal life! Paul believed in the power of God that flows through the gospel. He trusted that if he preached this message (that was foolishness to the intellect of the natural man), that something would happen to the hearer when they believed it, and they would become new creatures. He trusted that the GOSPEL would do something supernatural to the people and they would stop living their lives of sin. He trusted that the WORD would cause men to live in righteousness and holiness. He had no faith in someones resolution to try harder. He trusted in the power of the word.
We need to get back to trusting that the word will affect the listener, not our wisdom. We need to stop manipulation people's emotions and start speaking to their spirit with the wisdom of God.
Jesus says...
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Do we believe that? If we don't, maybe we ought rather to do marriage and parenting seminars, rather then call ourselves gospel preachers. If we're gospel preachers, let's preach the gospel.
In many meetings, there is only two or three passages out of scripture, and the rest is out of 1st and 2nd opinions. The goal for the preacher, is to get people to come down the aisle to the "alter", with their feelings all worked up, crying about their sorry condition and deciding to stop doing the bad and start doing the good. The more people that are crying, the more decisions, the more successful the sermon. It is sick. It's effeminate and the bible says that the effeminate shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus was not effeminate. John the Baptist was not effeminate. The men of God, in the bible were not effeminate. They were testosterone filled, manly men. No wonder most "churches" are filled mostly with women and children. The men are at home watching football, hunting or working on their pickup trucks.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not effeminate! It is not geared to work on your emotions and feelings, like religion does. The word of God is not directed at the intellect. Modern preaching denies the power of God. Most modern preachers cannot agree with the apostle Paul that they are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation. They are ashamed of it and prove it because they don't trust that it works. They won't talk about Jesus. They won't talk about hell. They won't talk about the judgment to come. They won't talk about the blood of Jesus. They won't talk about the cross on which our Saviour died. Instead they resort to their own wisdom. The preaching of the cross, which is the wisdom of God, is spirit and it speaks to the spirit. The apostle Paul, says about the hidden mystery and wisdom of God...
1Cor 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Nowadays we do exactly the opposite. We speak the words which man's wisdom teaches, not what the Holy Ghost teaches: comparing carnal (earthy) things with carnal. (working on emotions) Notice that the natural man (unregenerate man) does not understand (or receive) the things of the Spirit of God, because they are foolishness to him.
So what do we get from this? When Paul preached the gospel to the Corinthians and the rest of the churches, is there any evidence that he tried to get them crying down the alter? Did he preach to their intellect? Did He work on their feelings? NO! He preached the true gospel to them and while he was preaching to them, they were convinced, they believed it through the supernatural work of God, and as a result, were born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto eternal life! Paul believed in the power of God that flows through the gospel. He trusted that if he preached this message (that was foolishness to the intellect of the natural man), that something would happen to the hearer when they believed it, and they would become new creatures. He trusted that the GOSPEL would do something supernatural to the people and they would stop living their lives of sin. He trusted that the WORD would cause men to live in righteousness and holiness. He had no faith in someones resolution to try harder. He trusted in the power of the word.
We need to get back to trusting that the word will affect the listener, not our wisdom. We need to stop manipulation people's emotions and start speaking to their spirit with the wisdom of God.
Jesus says...
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Do we believe that? If we don't, maybe we ought rather to do marriage and parenting seminars, rather then call ourselves gospel preachers. If we're gospel preachers, let's preach the gospel.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Need A New Life?
Are you tired of your life? Is it just the same monotonous repetitions, over and over again, day after day? Every day you go to work, come home tired to the same house, with the same family driving the same piece of junk car. It seems the only pleasure you find these days is a good movie, a bottle of beer, a twinkie and a cigarette. Perhaps the occasional get-together with friends... But at the end of the day, it's all just vanity. It all seems dark and empty. Life doesn't seem worth while. There seems to be no meaning to life. You have a hope that one day it will get better, but in the mean time, it sure is lonely. Maybe one day, you think, you'll win the lottery or meet that one person that will love you for who you are. Or perhaps you'll wait for the kids to grow up and get out of the house, then things will be easier. You'll retire and sit on the beach somewhere warm, and drink margaritas. Then you think... Well how long will that be fun? A couple of days at the most and then boredom will set in again. What then... Oh well, things will turn out... Maybe...
The problem is, things never seem to get better. You seek for pleasure, but it never truly satisfies. It is fun for the moment, but it's never lasts. You feel like a fly running into a window over and over again, trying in vain to escape but never finding the door. Life's not turning out the way you thought it would. Instead of things getting better, it just gets more dreary. The kids won't behave, spouse is always dissatisfied... What to do? You have nowhere to run. You're stuck with no way out.
To add to the problem, all the guilt that comes from the life you've led, is adding to your misery. You long for the days of your youth when you were innocent and carefree. You didn't have all this guilt weighing on your conscience. All the things you've done, when nobody was watching... The secret thoughts you've had... The lust that has consumed your mind since you were a teenager... If people knew your secret thoughts and deeds, you would be so ashamed you would move far away and never come back. If your spouse knew the thoughts and the things you have done behind her back...
You tried religion, but it didn't get rid of the guilt. You even got baptized when you were young but nothing changed. You went up for an alter call when the minister preached an emotion filled message and made a resolution that you were going to try hard to be good. Nothing changed. You don't know where to turn next...
Well, I have some good news for you. Religion is not the way to God. Better news is, you have been going through life carrying this burden of guilt needlessly. The great news is that God has made full provision for the removal of that burden as well as a brand new life. The price for the guilt and sin you carry, has already been taken care of over 2000 years ago!
Let's back up and look at the big picture for a moment. The reason you are here is because God wanted a family of His own and so He created us humans and placed us in charge over this whole earth. He created us to walk in fellowship with Him, relating to him by faith. Faith is the foundation of every relationship. God created us to be incomplete without this relationship of faith in Him. The problem is the whole human race, one by one turns their back on Him and lives selfishly as though He were not there. Living selfishly just for ourselves, with a disregard for God and for the needs of our fellow man, is the essence if sin. The moral law of the universe requires that there must be payment for this transgression. The payment that the law requires, is blood. That is how serious sin is.
So here is the predicament... You have lied. You have lusted and committed adultery. You have stolen. You have gotten drunk a lot. A just and holy God cannot allow liars, fornicators, adulterers, thieves and drunkards into His heaven. That would be incredibly unjust. Somebody must pay. If someone murdered a child and appeared before the judge, and the judge said, "Seeing how sorry you are, you can go free"... How unfair would that be? So God has got a serious dilemma here. It looks like He will have to send the whole human race to Hell's debtor prison for eternity. He can't let them into heaven. So what does He do? He shows His great love to the world, in that He sends His own Son Jesus, to this earth to live in a body just like ours. As eternal God He couldn't die, so He had to become a man like us. Jesus did that. He lived sinless. He lived perfect. He healed the sick and cast demons out of the possessed. He had mercy on the prostitutes and publicans and common folk, always making time for the children. He had harsh, damning words for the religious hypocrites, but forgiving, loving words for the ungodly sinner. He came so that the world through Him might be saved. He was nailed to a cross where God made Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be sin for us. He lumped all the sin of the entire world, and placed it on Jesus! God poured out His wrath on His own Son because He chose to view Him as if He were all the sinners in the world. Jesus paid the price so you didn't have to! His righteous blood was poured out on the ground so that God could now justly forgive you if you will believe, turn to Him and believe this good news. Jesus didn't stay dead though. On the third day He rose from the dead and appeared to over 500 people, and then ascended to heaven to take His rightful seat at God's right hand. Now, every time a sinner acknowledges his sin and Christ's work on the cross, (that it was sufficient), turns to God with all His heart and thanks Him for letting Jesus become the sinner in his place, God forgives him and clothes him with Christ's perfect, spotless robe of righteousness. The Holy Spirit then takes that sinner and places him as part of Christ's body, so that his identity is now inseparable from Christ's, freeing him from the power of sin and allowing him to take part in all that is Christ's. Eternal life is now a sure thing! A brand new life seated at the right hand of God, is the new reality! A real inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, waiting for you! A literal kingdom that we will inherit with Jesus! With our own literal mansion. A place where we won't have to lock our doors at night. A place where there will never again be war and violence. A place where we won't fear loosing our jobs. (because we won't have one, we'll never need to work again). A place where there will be no more death, sickness or disease. A place of love, joy and peace with no more tears or misery. It will be a real place, a literal place with animals and trees, wonderful new colours,... A paradise. A place where we will forever be with Jesus.
If you have put your trust in Jesus and believed this good news, you are a new creature with a brand new life seated at the right hand of God. Your life will be changed forever. You have a lively hope that brightens every day. Most of all, you have a relationship with your heavenly Father and you'll never be lonely again.
The problem is, things never seem to get better. You seek for pleasure, but it never truly satisfies. It is fun for the moment, but it's never lasts. You feel like a fly running into a window over and over again, trying in vain to escape but never finding the door. Life's not turning out the way you thought it would. Instead of things getting better, it just gets more dreary. The kids won't behave, spouse is always dissatisfied... What to do? You have nowhere to run. You're stuck with no way out.
To add to the problem, all the guilt that comes from the life you've led, is adding to your misery. You long for the days of your youth when you were innocent and carefree. You didn't have all this guilt weighing on your conscience. All the things you've done, when nobody was watching... The secret thoughts you've had... The lust that has consumed your mind since you were a teenager... If people knew your secret thoughts and deeds, you would be so ashamed you would move far away and never come back. If your spouse knew the thoughts and the things you have done behind her back...
You tried religion, but it didn't get rid of the guilt. You even got baptized when you were young but nothing changed. You went up for an alter call when the minister preached an emotion filled message and made a resolution that you were going to try hard to be good. Nothing changed. You don't know where to turn next...
Well, I have some good news for you. Religion is not the way to God. Better news is, you have been going through life carrying this burden of guilt needlessly. The great news is that God has made full provision for the removal of that burden as well as a brand new life. The price for the guilt and sin you carry, has already been taken care of over 2000 years ago!
Let's back up and look at the big picture for a moment. The reason you are here is because God wanted a family of His own and so He created us humans and placed us in charge over this whole earth. He created us to walk in fellowship with Him, relating to him by faith. Faith is the foundation of every relationship. God created us to be incomplete without this relationship of faith in Him. The problem is the whole human race, one by one turns their back on Him and lives selfishly as though He were not there. Living selfishly just for ourselves, with a disregard for God and for the needs of our fellow man, is the essence if sin. The moral law of the universe requires that there must be payment for this transgression. The payment that the law requires, is blood. That is how serious sin is.
So here is the predicament... You have lied. You have lusted and committed adultery. You have stolen. You have gotten drunk a lot. A just and holy God cannot allow liars, fornicators, adulterers, thieves and drunkards into His heaven. That would be incredibly unjust. Somebody must pay. If someone murdered a child and appeared before the judge, and the judge said, "Seeing how sorry you are, you can go free"... How unfair would that be? So God has got a serious dilemma here. It looks like He will have to send the whole human race to Hell's debtor prison for eternity. He can't let them into heaven. So what does He do? He shows His great love to the world, in that He sends His own Son Jesus, to this earth to live in a body just like ours. As eternal God He couldn't die, so He had to become a man like us. Jesus did that. He lived sinless. He lived perfect. He healed the sick and cast demons out of the possessed. He had mercy on the prostitutes and publicans and common folk, always making time for the children. He had harsh, damning words for the religious hypocrites, but forgiving, loving words for the ungodly sinner. He came so that the world through Him might be saved. He was nailed to a cross where God made Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be sin for us. He lumped all the sin of the entire world, and placed it on Jesus! God poured out His wrath on His own Son because He chose to view Him as if He were all the sinners in the world. Jesus paid the price so you didn't have to! His righteous blood was poured out on the ground so that God could now justly forgive you if you will believe, turn to Him and believe this good news. Jesus didn't stay dead though. On the third day He rose from the dead and appeared to over 500 people, and then ascended to heaven to take His rightful seat at God's right hand. Now, every time a sinner acknowledges his sin and Christ's work on the cross, (that it was sufficient), turns to God with all His heart and thanks Him for letting Jesus become the sinner in his place, God forgives him and clothes him with Christ's perfect, spotless robe of righteousness. The Holy Spirit then takes that sinner and places him as part of Christ's body, so that his identity is now inseparable from Christ's, freeing him from the power of sin and allowing him to take part in all that is Christ's. Eternal life is now a sure thing! A brand new life seated at the right hand of God, is the new reality! A real inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, waiting for you! A literal kingdom that we will inherit with Jesus! With our own literal mansion. A place where we won't have to lock our doors at night. A place where there will never again be war and violence. A place where we won't fear loosing our jobs. (because we won't have one, we'll never need to work again). A place where there will be no more death, sickness or disease. A place of love, joy and peace with no more tears or misery. It will be a real place, a literal place with animals and trees, wonderful new colours,... A paradise. A place where we will forever be with Jesus.
If you have put your trust in Jesus and believed this good news, you are a new creature with a brand new life seated at the right hand of God. Your life will be changed forever. You have a lively hope that brightens every day. Most of all, you have a relationship with your heavenly Father and you'll never be lonely again.
Monday, March 15, 2010
WISDOM GOOD OR BAD?
Wisdom is a deep understanding of people, things, events or situations, empowering the ability to choose or act to consistently produce the optimum results with a minimum of time and energy. WISDOM IS THE ABILITY TO OPTIMALLY (EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY) APPLY PERCEPTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE AND SO PRODUCE THE DESIRED RESULTS. WISDOM IS COMPREHENSION OF WHAT IS TRUE OR RIGHT COUPLED WITH OPTIMUM JUDGMENT AS TO ACTION. (WIKIPEDIA)
That is some good stuff. Wisdom sure sounds like desirable. Here is the question... Could wisdom be bad? Could it be evil? Would it not go against its own definition if it could? How could one choose between right and wrong, then make the right (wise) choice, and it be bad? Here is the essence of what I am getting at. Some say that there are two forms of wisdom, the wisdom of the devil and the wisdom of God. Let me just say that if the devil was wise, he wouldn't have tried to over throw God. Satan is not wise. He may be crafty and cunning, but wise he is not. So what we must conclude is that wisdom cannot be bad. If it could be bad, then it would cease to be wisdom. This verse will really throw a wrench in our thinking. God speaking...
1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Now why would God do that? There is definitely nothing like that written in the book of Proverbs. The bible extols wisdom. Why would God destroy the wisdom of the wise?.. And what is it saying here... The world by wisdom knew not God?
1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God...
How would, "the world by wisdom know not God"? How about by moral law? That would seem wise right? Just do what you ought to do and if your good enough and try hard enough, you will know God right? It seems wise... What about religion? Just go to church, pay your tithes, get baptized, get a membership... Do all the ordinances like communion, confession... That will get you closer to God right? It seems wise. What about living your life by biblical principles right out of the Proverbs? Just live a structured, disciplined life, doing what is right. That would be very wise and you should be able to know God by doing that... After all, nobody was wiser then Solomon.
This is what the bible calls wisdom of men or wisdom of the world. Just good humanism from the greatest humanist that ever lived. God says He will destroy that wisdom, as far as getting to know Him, is concerned. Paul says that the world by wisdom knew not God. Men try to know God through all these methods, and fail. Why? Because it is not God's method or His wisdom. God's wisdom is foolishness to the world and the world's wisdom is foolishness to God.
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1Co 1:21 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.
Preaching what?
1Co 1:23 But we preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, CHRIST THE POWER OF GOD, AND THE WISDOM OF GOD.
Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. The power of God unto salvation, is found in the preaching of Christ crucified, and does not come through the ears, or the eyes or the mouth. It is spirit. It does not speak to the intellect. It is foolishness to us men. When you give someone the gospel, often they think you're crazy. Why? Because it is foolishness and is so far removed from their reality that it takes a supernatural work of God, to get them to believe it. To believe that a Man 2000 yrs ago died on a cross, shed His blood and became sin for us, and to rely on that for our eternal salvation is foolishness to the natural man. It is absurd. That is what is so genius about God's salvation plan! I have felt this power of God and know it first hand. It is nothing short of supernatural. Truly a life changing event. I believe that Jesus (God in the flesh) died on a cross and went to hell for me. I don't say that glibly. I say that from the depths of my heart. I "knew" it my whole life, but I didn't really believe it. Proof of that was, I kept on living in sin, all the time knowing that Jesus had died for those sins. I didn't love Him and I didn't believe in Him. Once I REALLY did believe, (through a supernatural work of God) I was a different man, and I had continuous victory over sin. Why? Because I believed for the first time and through this faith I also loved Jesus for the first time. The kind of faith I am talking about is the kind that says, "Jesus, If you send me to hell, still I will trust in you. In the midst of the roaring flames, I will sing praises you". This kind of faith says, "I would rather be chained to the apostle Paul in prison, then to live in the debauchery and wickedness of the household of Caesar".
Many people say that they believe, by their life does not show evidence of it. The faith I speak of is not a glib faith. It is a faith with the whole heart and it comes supernaturally by the foolishness of preaching Christ crucified. It is truly the wisdom and power of God. Jesus said to know God is eternal life. This is how you know Him... By faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
That is some good stuff. Wisdom sure sounds like desirable. Here is the question... Could wisdom be bad? Could it be evil? Would it not go against its own definition if it could? How could one choose between right and wrong, then make the right (wise) choice, and it be bad? Here is the essence of what I am getting at. Some say that there are two forms of wisdom, the wisdom of the devil and the wisdom of God. Let me just say that if the devil was wise, he wouldn't have tried to over throw God. Satan is not wise. He may be crafty and cunning, but wise he is not. So what we must conclude is that wisdom cannot be bad. If it could be bad, then it would cease to be wisdom. This verse will really throw a wrench in our thinking. God speaking...
1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Now why would God do that? There is definitely nothing like that written in the book of Proverbs. The bible extols wisdom. Why would God destroy the wisdom of the wise?.. And what is it saying here... The world by wisdom knew not God?
1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God...
How would, "the world by wisdom know not God"? How about by moral law? That would seem wise right? Just do what you ought to do and if your good enough and try hard enough, you will know God right? It seems wise... What about religion? Just go to church, pay your tithes, get baptized, get a membership... Do all the ordinances like communion, confession... That will get you closer to God right? It seems wise. What about living your life by biblical principles right out of the Proverbs? Just live a structured, disciplined life, doing what is right. That would be very wise and you should be able to know God by doing that... After all, nobody was wiser then Solomon.
This is what the bible calls wisdom of men or wisdom of the world. Just good humanism from the greatest humanist that ever lived. God says He will destroy that wisdom, as far as getting to know Him, is concerned. Paul says that the world by wisdom knew not God. Men try to know God through all these methods, and fail. Why? Because it is not God's method or His wisdom. God's wisdom is foolishness to the world and the world's wisdom is foolishness to God.
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1Co 1:21 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.
Preaching what?
1Co 1:23 But we preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, CHRIST THE POWER OF GOD, AND THE WISDOM OF GOD.
Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. The power of God unto salvation, is found in the preaching of Christ crucified, and does not come through the ears, or the eyes or the mouth. It is spirit. It does not speak to the intellect. It is foolishness to us men. When you give someone the gospel, often they think you're crazy. Why? Because it is foolishness and is so far removed from their reality that it takes a supernatural work of God, to get them to believe it. To believe that a Man 2000 yrs ago died on a cross, shed His blood and became sin for us, and to rely on that for our eternal salvation is foolishness to the natural man. It is absurd. That is what is so genius about God's salvation plan! I have felt this power of God and know it first hand. It is nothing short of supernatural. Truly a life changing event. I believe that Jesus (God in the flesh) died on a cross and went to hell for me. I don't say that glibly. I say that from the depths of my heart. I "knew" it my whole life, but I didn't really believe it. Proof of that was, I kept on living in sin, all the time knowing that Jesus had died for those sins. I didn't love Him and I didn't believe in Him. Once I REALLY did believe, (through a supernatural work of God) I was a different man, and I had continuous victory over sin. Why? Because I believed for the first time and through this faith I also loved Jesus for the first time. The kind of faith I am talking about is the kind that says, "Jesus, If you send me to hell, still I will trust in you. In the midst of the roaring flames, I will sing praises you". This kind of faith says, "I would rather be chained to the apostle Paul in prison, then to live in the debauchery and wickedness of the household of Caesar".
Many people say that they believe, by their life does not show evidence of it. The faith I speak of is not a glib faith. It is a faith with the whole heart and it comes supernaturally by the foolishness of preaching Christ crucified. It is truly the wisdom and power of God. Jesus said to know God is eternal life. This is how you know Him... By faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
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