18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
- Matthew 22:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”
Paul is coming to draw a line in the sand. There exists in the first century a war for the religious world and a competition for the attention of mankind. In an earlier blog I mentioned the many fantastic inventions, from automatic doors enticed by fires and prayers, to automatic holy water dispensaries, because the priest needs a vacation. These were enticements to convince the sheep of the might powers of their preferred god or goddess.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise*, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent**.
*G4680 σοφός sophos (so-fos’) adj. wise (in a most general application).
**G5429 φρόνιμος phronimos (fro’-niy-mos) adj.
- thoughtful, (cunning,) i.e. sagacious or discreet (implying a cautious character).
- (in a bad sense, also in the comparative) conceited.
Paul, the Apostles and their followers were a all dismissed by both the Greek and the Jew. They were accused of being opposed to both of these groups. The Greeks (and the Romans) represent the “wise” and “wisdom based on the the first century writers personal experience. Paul even quotes Aristotle, why?, it would have made a connection to his reader. The university concept began centuries earlier with the writings of Socrates, Plato and the forementioned Aristotle. On the other side, the obvious Pharisees and Sadducees, are just a part of “The Jews” we need to consider. There are the Gnostics, the Essenes, and a whole host of religious variations to “Judaism”. The Jews were influenced through the Babylonian Talmud, the Mishnah, and the traditions of the Halacha, which were combined with various pagan practices to varying degrees among them all.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
In my opinion, this statement from Paul is a direct reference to the fulfillment of the Marriage Covenant. It was common practice for the father of the groom and the father of the bride to “discuss” the bridal price. Why? So the groom knows the cost… how valuable the bride really is to her family. Again, in my opinion, this is the “War in Heaven”… Satan thinking that he could extract the death of all mankind. God offered Himself and Satan pounced at the offer. The cunning serpent had been carefully weighed and measured. Watch as the play unfolds…
Act 1 – Isaiah 14:12-15 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
Act 2 – 1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.“
Act 3 – John 10:15-17 “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.“1 John 4:10
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.“
The price was paid and the “disputer of the world” still lost.
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.
- G3472 μωρία moria (mō-riy’-a) n. foolishness, silliness, i.e. absurdity.
The Greeks thought the Instructions did not apply to them and that one man couldn’t possibly answer all the worlds problems. It was absurd. These men were acclimated to the concepts of many gods, and goddesses, to solve the many problems men face.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
We have already seen the Greek/wisdom tract, so now, let’s look at the Jews and their signs.
- John 20:25 “The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
When we look at Paul’s assertion of Yeshua being the Return of Melchizedek in chapter 4 we can be assured of the same sign Thomas was assured in the encounter with the risen Messiah.
- John 20:27-29 “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
We have the perfect offering for sin, the release of the unfaithful bride from Mt. Saini*, the freedom of the groom through death, and the return of the Priesthood to the King of Righteousness [Melchizedek]. Again this is complete absurdity to the Greek. They seek structure and hierarchy. *For more on this look for the blog post series “The Bride and the Covenant”.
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
What did we see in the words of Yeshua? wasn’t that people do not know the Scripture and that has them in error and without the Power of God. People must recognize there is a twofold participation in regards to faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the wisdom of God {instructions/Torah} and the Power of God {resurrection in/through Yeshua}.
- Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
- Revelation 14:12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
This was the plan from the very beginning. That we learn to live in a manner in which is pleasing to Him. If eternity is with God in his realm, in His Kingdom… is he going to want it full of people that disrespect his authority, let alone his grace and mercy? Doubtful!
When I say that I am learning to be Torah Observant they act as though I have joined a cult. Quite the opposite. Cults are very organized and have specific ways of doing things. Most people I have met are trying to figure it all out in the Torah Observant world and are about as organized as a herd of moths in a tornado. I will admit that it is rather difficult to participate in an exact manner as the Bible describes with the absence of a Temple. There too, we should take a legitimate look at ways to give God the proper recognition for the Feasts, his Sabbath and his path of redemption and the ensuing Revelation.
- 2 John 5-6 “And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.”
- 1 John 2:5 “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” 1
- John 5:2-3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
No matter the public opinion, how absurd THEY may think it is…. God’s plan is perfect. Likewise, in his earthly demise, He was still mightier than the death of the flesh. A problem the Devil hadn’t considered.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh*, not many mighty, not many noble,** are called:
*God isn’t necessarily going to use university trained preachers. Especially those poised to teach Greco-Roman paganism and syncretism. God will use those that desire a disciplined change of heart to seek the will of God….Torah.
** It isn’t going to be the famous or the televised that God calls to deliver the truth… it will be the heart broken searcher of the Promise.
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
- 53:1-3 “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.“
- John 1:11-12 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
It has been about 20 years ago that I began to question the depths of the organized church in America. I had been to three different seminary/Bible colleges and the training did nothing more than create a larger list of questions. Never getting an answer from the religious elite I was forced to search it out for myself.
- Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”
Our big box churchianity is in deep trouble because they “err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”
Berean Breadcrumbs 