Sermon Tone Analysis

Have you ever been to an academic debate?

In College, I was on a very small debate team.

We didn’t compete between colleges, just among ourselves.

And, my partner and I were always pitted against teams better than us.

It could be that we were just bad, but I choose to think that we were good, just unequally matched against geniuses.

I love debate.

I’ve been able to attend live debates on the reliability of Scripture.

It’s always fun.

But, I know that I am weird.

Paul invites us into a debate on the Gospel.

He is beginning to get excited about the content of his letter.

He has just reminded the Corinthians about the need for unity, a unity based upon the Gospel.

So, he takes a minute, or a chapter and a half as it is, to remind the Corinthians about the Gospel.

While we are only going to be studying 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 today, let us read the entire section to get what is going on in context.

Read 1:18-2:5

Paul did not want to empty the cross of its power, so he came to the Corinthians in weakness, because the message of the cross is weakness compared to what the world thinks.

In this passage we have a debate between humanity and God.

And this is not a simple debate, eternity stands in the balance.

This is not a quick debate, but a cosmic one.

It’s been occurring since the beginning of time.

Humanity steps up and declares that they know what is right and good, that they have wisdom and power.

And God says: nope.

So, here we have it, human folly vs divine power.

Which is going to win?

We say that we know the answer, but do we live like we know the answer?

So often, we imitate the Corinthians: we try to live our lives on the basis of unsanctified common sense which has self-preservation as its ultimate goal.

That kind of life is self-seeking, self-serving, and ultimately self-destructive.

So, who do you want to win?

Your ability to live according to what you think is right?

Or God’s ability to direct you into a life which everyone else will think is foolish and weak?

The debate is set.

Instead of the normal two speakers on each side, we have five speakers on the human side and one speaker on the divine side.

1A.

Humanity says they can know and do

First up on the human side is the possessor of secret knowledge.

1B.

The possessors of secret knowledge

Paul says:

1 Corinthians 1:18–20 (NIV)

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

20 Where is the wise person?

Where is the teacher of the law?

Where is the philosopher of this age?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Paul asks: Where is the wise person?

Let him stand up and give his defense for what he thinks.

The Greek society loved wisdom, but there was a group of people that were just starting to meet together, called the Gnostics.

They believed that there was a such a thing as secret knowledge.

I kind of believe that they were the forerunners of today’s conspiracy theorists.

They believed that there was hidden truth to be found and only certain people could find it.

This hidden truth would allow them to know God in a way that no one else could know and ultimately allow them to shed the confines of this physical life and body.

They denied the ability of the cross to save, because more had to be added to it.

It was too simple.

They wanted more: more searching, more conspiracy, more for them to do.

And, they wanted a way to be better than everyone else: they wanted a secret key that no one else would know.

People today who dive into hidden meaning in the Bible or who follow such things as the Di Vinci Code fall into this category.

But, what did God say?

He made foolish the wisdom of this world.

1 Corinthians 1:21 (NIV)

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Possessors of secret knowledge cannot know God, because God works through clear revelation.

Why?

Consider what Paul wrote in Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:9–10 (NIV)

9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

People who keep searching for hidden knowledge pass over the truth which God has clearly revealed.

Also, people who search for hidden knowledge want to boost their pride because they want to know what others don’t.

But, God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.

The possessors of secret knowledge say that the cross is foolishness, because it doesn’t give them what they think they want.

2B.

Those who study revealed knowledge

Debater number 2 stands up.

This is the one who studies revealed knowledge.

Paul says: “Where is the Teacher of the Law?”

Other translations say “scribe” or “expert in Mosaic Law.

This is the person who spent their life studying Scripture.

They are not looking for secret knowledge but wanting to have a clear, undeniable, unmuddied knowledge of Scripture.

This is the person whom Herod called to find out where the Messiah would be born.

They said Bethlehem, because they knew what Scripture said.

They were also the people who would hand Jesus over to be killed.

Matthew 16:21 (NIV)

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

And we see them in Matthew 27, mocking Jesus as he hung on the cross of them.

These are those who knew where the Messiah would come.

They knew what the Messiah would do.

But, when the Messiah came, they refused to follow him because he demanded that they do something they were not willing to do: have the humility to follow him instead of their own reason.

It is interesting how someone who is so knowledgeable in the Word of God can be so far from God.

One of the best commentaries on the Gospel of John was written by Rudolf Bultmann in 1941.

It is considered one of the most accurate technical commentaries on the words and grammar.

However, Bultmann was not saved.

He did not believe in the inspiration of Scripture.

He did not believe in the historical accuracy in Scripture.

He did not really believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He was caught up in his own reason rather than in humbly following God.

Just because someone has a great knowledge of revealed truth, Scripture, does not mean that they have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Those who teach the Word of God have a huge danger, because in the studying and the teaching about God, we can so easily forget God.

And what worth is that?