The Wisdom Of This World
Nothing is more difficult for this world to accept, and nothing is more clearly taught in God's word, than that the "wisdom of this world" is foolishness with God. Paul plainly declares it in so many words. (1 Cor. 3:19) The Corinthians particularly seemed to need this lesson. Corinth was to the Greek of Paul's day what Athens had been to the Greek of Pericles' day; it was a city representing the acme of civilization, the seat of learning and wisdom. A busy, thriving commercial center, Corinth has attracted to its environs the greatest men of the world. If wisdom and learning and understanding were to be found anywhere in all the world, Corinth was the place to look.
To this proud and arrogant city Paul came with a message that seemed sheer folly. Did not Corinth boast the keenest minds in the world? Were not her philosophers, her schools, her teachers universally recognized as the noblest and the greatest? Who was this itinerant Jew who dared tell the Corinthians that their wisdom was "foolishness"? Truly the Athenians had been right in their evaluation of him — he was a mere "babbler," a "seed-picker" who had managed to pick up a few stray scraps of information and philosophy from here and there! He was an ignorant and fanatical peddler of fancies and superstitions. How odd that such a character expected anybody to take him seriously. So the men of Corinth must have talked among themselves; and with a shrug of the shoulder dismissed the wandering Jew from their minds.
The Corinthian madness is the greatest challenge and the greatest obstacle ever to confront the cause of Christ. It is an attitude which exalts human wisdom, human understanding, human prudence; and therefore belittles and sets aside that which God has commanded and provided. It is a frame of mind which relies on human plans and human arrangements to do that which is desired. There are almost numberless ways in which this spirit reveals itself.
For one thing, and most easily seen, the "wisdom of this world" rejects God's plan of salvation. What could seem more naive and preposterous to a cultured and educated Corinthian than that men should think God attached any importance at all to the matter of baptism? Could not a man do what was right without having himself dipped in a vat of water? Justice, and love, and mercy — these are the things in which God is interested! And how incredibly picayunish and petty to argue about trifles. What difference can it make to anybody whether a man has been baptized or not?
Thus the Corinthians might have argued. And thus have men argued in all ages since. The wisdom of this world has long since relegated baptism to the background, and looks with a raised eyebrow and a look of quizzical, tolerant, bantering jesting on those who insist that it is of any importance. Have not the wisest men declared it to be nonessential and unimportant? Have not the greatest minds spoken on the subject? And how can anyone but an obscurantist and an ignoramus suppose any significance or importance should be attached to the rite?
The simplicity of God's arrangement for the church is still another point at which the "wisdom of this world" takes issue with the wisdom of God. That Jesus should have selected a group of unlettered and unknown fishermen and common laborers to take his message to all the world is preposterous from the world's point of view. There was here no organization, no promotional plan, no publicity director, no liaison officer to promote goodwill among other groups; Jesus had nothing at all that men of the world would have declared bedrock essentials and fundamentals. He didn't even have a gospel paper such as this!
But in spite of the crude methods, the lack of organization, the weak and pitiful character of the men who were around him, the gospel of Christ spread into all the known world within one generation. They had something better than organization, something better than "plans," something superior to methods and schemes and programs. They had a determination to do the Lord's will! And that spirit is better and more certain of success than all the most elaborate plans and schemes that have ever been invented.
It is sometimes a source of puzzlement and discouragement to some Christians even in our day to begin to realize how terribly "planless" and bereft of organization Jesus left His church. They are constantly seeking to supply that which Jesus overlooked or left out; they want to expedite, organize, and streamline the Lord's work. There is so terribly much to be done, and such tragically short time in which to do it! And we see the organizations of men simply turning the world upside down, while we placidly plod along, fumbling and failing because we don't have any plans or organization. Yes, such reasoning is understandable and perhaps inevitable. It might easily have been so in Corinth. For the wisdom of this world has always thought it could improve on the ways of God.
We need to realize that the "wisdom of this world" has made very, very little progress in things spiritual since the days of Christ. Whatever strides forward there may have been have come because of the influence, not always apparent in its source, of the simple teaching of God's word. It is only when men submit themselves to "thus saith the Lord" both as to the gospel plan of salvation and the work of the church that true and lasting progress can be made. Human wisdom, however glittering and promising and reasonable, is certain to fail. God's plan may be slow and clumsy and obviously inferior to the plans of men, in human judgment, but if it is God's plan, it is the only plan. No other should be even attempted.
— F. Y. T.