The Finer Points of Foolishness

The Finer Points of Foolishness 2021 07 25

1 Corinthians 1:26 – 2:2

 

There are a lot of things you can know, and a lot of skills you can gain that will gain you the approval of men.  Knowledge is something that impresses a lot of people, and a lot of knowledge impresses a lot of people a lot.  But God is not impressed with the knowledge of man, and in fact has things to say to those who think they know it all.

 

There are many who are highly educated, but while they may be very intelligence, most are not very wise.  Picture a group of well-educated philosophers spending their days debating how many angels could dance on the head of a pin! What is the point? What about those who believe nothing exploded nowhere and became everything!?

 

1 Corinthians 1:26 – 2:2

 

Sometimes we might pride ourselves on knowing an awful lot, when in fact, an awful lot of what we know is not very important. It might be very interesting, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying learning about things, but really, how important are some of the things we know?  Josh Billings, the 19th century American humourist said, “It ain’t ignorance causes so much trouble; it’s folks knowing so much that ain’t so.” We could add to that a corollary – “It’s not ignorance that causes so much trouble in the world, but people endlessly debating the things they know that don’t matter that much.”

 

 

  1. God is Not Impressed
    1. God says that He is not impressed with the wisdom of the world but has in fact often chosen things that seem foolish in the world to show the foolishness of man’s wisdom, and the weak things in the world to show the weakness of man’s strength and the lowest things of this world to show that no flesh should seek its own glory.

 

  1. Christ is our Wisdom
    1. But God has made Jesus Christ our wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption.
      1. Jesus Christ, who was crucified, is our wisdom.
      2. Jesus Christ, whom the world thought foolish, dead, and buried is our wisdom.
      3. Foolish to the world, but to us, our risen Saviour is Wisdom!
      4. To the world, the death of Christ is foolish
      5. To us, it is the wisdom of God, by whose Son our debt was paid, who paid it with His life!
        1. No other solution was sufficient
        2. But “… the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin!” 1 John 1:7
  • “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 6:23

 

  • Glory in the Lord
    1. Therefore, we glory in the Lord, not in our own wisdom.
    2. We do not try to win with glowing speech, great knowledge, and skill.
    3. We determine not to know anything, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified
      1. These are foolish things to the world!
      2. These are the wisdom of God
    4. The Folly of Human Wisdom
      1. But some in foolishness determine instead to strive in long debate on the finer points of foolishness, rather than in preaching Christ crucified and risen from the dead, which is the gospel.
        1. This is folly in the eyes of fallen, corrupted human wisdom, but life to those who believe it!
      2. Paul was highly educated, a gifted student and scholar who studied under the very best in his day. He wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  Romans 1:16

 

  1. Don’t Fight Over Doctrine!
    1. The Bible says, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24 – 26
    2. Do not get all caught up on the finer points of foolishness. The servant of the Lord must not strive.
      1. This does not mean that doctrine does not matter!
      2. While this teaching from 2 Timothy says not to strive, but to be gentle in your dealings with all men, it also instructs us to be able to teach, but with patience, gently and humbly instructing the foolish, because perhaps God will help them to repent and recognize the truth, so that they will escape the snare of the devil that they have allowed themselves to become entangled in and get out from under the oppression of the devil.
    3. Doctrine matters, but not all the finer points of foolishness of what we might perceive so strongly as crucial that we would be willing to separate over it!
      1. “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

 

  1. Know the Gospel
    1. Get the gospel message down straight!
    2. Understand salvation and know it!
    3. Stand strong on the majors, like the deity of Jesus Christ, salvation by grace, the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the authority of scripture, the Biblical account of creation and many other solid, essential doctrines that are clearly and very specifically taught in scripture. Titus 2:9 “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
    4. But be very careful on the minors! These are things like what to wear to church, what kind of music to sing in church, how often to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, etc.  These are things that are not specifically laid out in Scripture but are practiced by a particular church.
      1. These are convictions of a particular church, but they are difficult to prove with certainty from Scripture. 2 Timothy 2:23 says, “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.”
      2. And Hebrews 13:9., “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”
  • Doctrine
    1. Make sure the doctrine you defend is the doctrine that saves people from hell, and not the finer points of foolishness that help people into hell!
    2. When people see those who claim to belong to Christ separating over the fine points of foolishness, doctrines that are more difficult to or even impossible to clearly prove and not essential to salvation, they rightly see a problem and easily miss Jesus Christ, and Him crucified!
    3. Never compromise. When you are convinced in your heart and by the scriptures on a finer point of doctrine, do not give it up or say it doesn’t matter for the sake of unity.  That’s ecumenism and is a slipperly slope that can lead to serious compromise.
      1. You can put aside minor differences in doctrine to avoid strife or fighting without compromise and without giving them up.
      2. Work gently to teach these truths to believers with the hope that God will use it to lead them to further freedom.
      3. But do not fight or separate over these finer points of doctrine, lest they become finer points of foolishness that harm rather than help. The servant of God must NOT fight, but meekly and patiently instruct with gentleness.

 

Conclusion

 

None of us knows it all or has it all 100% correct.  The finer the point we are trying to hone in on, the more opportunity there is for us to be off even a little bit.  “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”  1 Corinthians 13:12. The greatest, the clearest, and the most perfect thing is love, love that comes only from God and that comes in the person of Jesus Christ.  Love one another in Christ and avoid fighting over the finer points of foolishness.  Determine instead to know nothing save Jesus Christ and Him crucified!  This is the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  The rest, teach with meekness to believers, that their faith and effectiveness might increase.  But do not make it a finer point of foolishness that causes an even bigger problem.  God is still in control and is working in the lives of all His children, including those we do not always or fully agree with.