God's "Foolish" Wisdom Saves Us

"Today's Devotion" For March 2, 2006

Read: I Corinthians 1:18-31; Psalm 1

GOD'S "FOOLISH" WISDOM SAVES US

"It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become from us wisdom from God - that is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption." (I Cor. 1:30)

It almost seems to be an oxymoron to use "human" and "wisdom" together in the same sentence these days - "human wisdom." Such phrasing seems to fall into the same category to which "military intelligence" has been relegated. Around the nation we're having debates about a "wise energy policy," with the issues of dependence on foreign sources of oil, the declining sources of fossil fuels, pollution, efficient use of fuels, sources of new fuels, and the cost of "energy independence." Conflicting research shows that alternative fuels, such as ethanol, either cause less air pollution or more; either save fossil fuels or use more just to produce it; either cost significantly more, or has a cost which is acceptable to deplete dependence on fossil fuels. So what's the "wise" choice?

Of course such a debate and the challenge of making a "wise" decision pails in comparison to the current debate on what constitutes "marriage" and who should be allowed to legally get married. Around the nation the debate centers around "same sex marriage," flying in the face of every Biblical description and God given principle surrounding marriage by which every society - even pagan societies - have functioned throughout history. (Note: Some might debate this "historic" point, but I've yet to find any evidence that any culture ever understood marriage in such a way.) In fact, central to the question of what marriage is all about is still God's declaration for human beings "to be fruitful and multiple" (Genesis 1:28), something impossible for "same sex marriages," yet which "human wisdom" ignores.

St. Paul spoke to the vagaries of "human wisdom" in his Letter to the Romans, when he wrote, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator..."(Rom. 1:25). So great are the power of Sin, the curse of the Law, and the wiles of Satan, that humanity's ability to think and act wisely according to the Will of God is sorely tried and found wanting. How often haven't any of us thought an action or a conclusion was self-evident, only to find that others - often a majority - thought and acted in just the opposite direction? How often haven't those who have disagreed with a position that seemed so obvious - from a spiritual standpoint - berated and denigrated those who opposed them? While many might argue that spiritual things and physical, worldly things have to be separated, God's Word tells us otherwise. God didn't create the physical world in a vacuum. Both the spiritual and the physical worlds are intricately intertwined.

"Human wisdom" is such a contradiction in terms (an oxymoron), that God's wisdom centered in the Cross of Christ is considered foolishness by human beings. God's "foolish" wisdom knows that we can't save ourselves from the ravages of Sin and the eternal death it brings. "Human wisdom" on the other hand is convinced that, if there is a "God," then there is a way for us to appease Him and earn His favor. Some "human wisdom" also holds that "God" is only a fictitious figment of human imagination, invented by people to control others and make others feel "bad" about themselves. "Human wisdom" looks at the marvels of the universe and is convinced that it all came into existence by mere chance over billions and billions of years - totally contradicting the laws of probability that "human wisdom" also touts.

God's "foolish" wisdom, centered in the Cross of Christ, recognizes that such thinking by "human wisdom" falls short of the mark and puts human beings in need of redemption. Sin's hold on us and the temptations of the world, Satan, and our own sinful flesh which it brings leads us to think that we know better than God as to what it takes to be "saved" from evil - if we even acknowledge there is evil in the world. In His great grace, love, and mercy, God acted in spite of "human wisdom" with His "foolishness" in Jesus Christ so that we might be saved from Sin and our own prideful arrogance. During this season of Lent, as we prepare ourselves spiritually for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter, God calls us to reach out to others with the truth of His "foolishness" of the Cross to those who don't yet know the Lord. He calls us to share the peace and joy He gives those who repent and believe the Gospel, so they, too, might have that same peace and joy to share with others. It's the "foolishness of the Cross" which saves us from ourselves and our sins, not our "human wisdom" which pushes us farther and farther away from God's love and forgiveness. Thankfully, our Father in heaven understands this all too well and continues to bless us with His Word and Spirit so we may overcome the world and its "wisdom" and seek His "foolish" wisdom to fill our lives with forgiveness, peace, and joy.

Prayer: Father, thank You for ignoring my "human wisdom" and sending Your Word and Spirit into my life and heart so that I might know Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Forgive me for the times that I "exchange the truth of God for a lie," disobeying Your Will and seeking my own way without You. Forgive me for the times I act as if I don't know You and Your love and forgiveness in Jesus and seek "human wisdom" as my means of salvation. Fill me with Your Word and Spirit, given by You in my Baptism, that I may live in Your "foolish" wisdom and be a living example of Your love and forgiveness for all to see. Let my life be a living testimony to the power of Your "foolish" wisdom so that others might see Jesus through me and come to know Your "foolishness" and be saved. I Jesus' precious and most holy name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.