God’s Foolishness

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

- 1 Corinthians 1:18

Within this unimaginably huge universe of ours, we are tiny dots on a tiny planet. Think about it: The Milky Way galaxy contains around 100 billion stars. And as huge as the Milky Way galaxy is, it’s only one of about 100 billion galaxies in the known universe. Looking up into the heavens, it’s no wonder the psalmist asked God in Psalm 8:4, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”

But He does. Isn’t that mind-blowing? The notion that the Creator of this vast universe cares about you and me, and loves you and me, sounds ridiculous. It sounds foolish. But as we see in 1 Corinthians 1, God has a funny habit of doing things that sound foolish to us. And God has a funny habit of choosing weak and lowly people like you and me to carry out His purposes. Sounds unbelievable. But it’s true.

If you spend some time with nonChristians, you’ll be reminded that the message of the cross sounds really crazy to unbelievers. As Paul summarized his own culture in 1 Corinthians 22:23, “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”

You see, in Paul’s day the Jews were really big on miracles. During Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish crowds and their rabbis kept asking Jesus to show them a miraculous sign to prove he was the Messiah – even after he performed numerous healings. So, the cross of Jesus Christ was a stumbling block to Jews, because in their minds, his crucifixion was anything but a miracle. In their minds it was the exact opposite. Now, they might have seen it as a miracle if Jesus had survived the crucifixion. If he had stepped down from the cross and walked away with nails still sticking out of his wrists and a spear still dangling from his side, THAT, in their minds, would be a miracle worthy of standing up and taking notice. So, the message of the cross sounded foolish to Jews who rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Meanwhile, the Greeks and Romans of Paul’s day took pride in their ability to understand the complexities of life through science and philosophy. They prided themselves on their ability to save themselves and humanity through intellectual reasoning. But the message of the cross sounded to them like utter foolishness. Think about it: receiving LIFE from one who received DEATH. Being BLESSED by one who was made a CURSE. Being CLEANSED by one who was made DIRTY. It sounded so foolish then. And to many it still sounds so foolish today.

Therefore, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Believers and followers of Jesus Christ can see what unbelievers can’t see. We can understand what unbelievers can’t understand. We can see and understand that the message of the cross isn’t foolish. Quite the opposite: It’s brilliant. No matter how intelligent the Greek philosophers seemed to be, they still didn’t know God. And no matter how eloquent the Greek thinkers were, they couldn’t talk themselves out of a single sin. Regardless of how many universities they attended or how high their IQs soared, they were powerless to transform hard hearts or turn sinners into saints.

Let’s face it. In the eyes of many people, we as Christians are complete morons for believing in Jesus Christ crucified and risen again. And that’s okay with God. As Paul wrote, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him” (vs. 27-29).

Chances are, when God found you, you weren’t an intellectual giant or an influential billionaire. If you know in your heart of hearts that God saved you, erase in your mind any notion that He saved you because He was impressed by you. He wasn’t impressed by your towering intellect. He wasn’t impressed by your amazing talent. And He certainly wasn’t impressed by your rugged good looks. I’m sure many, many angels are better looking than you. God offered to save you … not because of you, but in spite of you. You and I were foolish. We were weak. We were lowly, and we were despised. But in His wisdom and power and grace, Jesus Christ saved us despite ourselves.

If we follow Jesus Christ, he will use those of us the world calls “fools” to put the world’s wisdom to shame. And as the secular world around us calls us intellectually and emotionally weak, God will use us as examples of strength and courage in the midst of life’s battles. And as the secular world around us calls us lowly and despised, God will lift us up as His greatest treasure.

Let me ask you: Are you one of the foolish things of the world that God chose? I hope so!

Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information, visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 a.m.

The Truth About Jesus

“For by him all things were created … all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:16-17

It’s been called the most significant teaching about Jesus Christ in the whole Bible—and it’s only six verses long. If you really want to know who Jesus is and understand the Christian faith, read over Colossians 1:15-20. Its powerful message is, in seven simple words: Jesus Christ is supreme over heaven and earth.

We look around us and see a world that is incredibly complex and fine-tuned. Without a doubt, it bears the fingerprint of an intelligent designer. When we come to our senses, we understand that it would have been impossible for our world to have simply evolved by chance. Well, in these passages, we learn the identity of that creator: Jesus Christ. Now, is Paul actually saying that Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe? Yes. That’s exactly what he’s saying. Everything in the universe was created BY him and FOR him, and all of it holds together IN him.

Did you catch those three key prepositions? BY, FOR and IN. We ask the “who” question: Who made all of this? And God’s word answers back: All things were created BY Jesus Christ. Next we ask the “why” questions. Why was the universe created? Why was I created? What’s the point of it all? And God’s word answers back: All things were created FOR Jesus Christ. Then we wonder—with all of the upheaval in the universe with stars exploding and the galaxy expanding and the asteroids falling—how is it possible that this world doesn’t just fall apart? And God’s word answers back: IN Jesus Christ all things hold together.

And not only is Jesus supreme over all creation—Paul makes it clear that Jesus Christ is supreme over all eternity. Let’s face it; This life we live here on earth is just a drop in the bucket of eternity. If you live to be 100 years old here on earth, that’s barely even a warm-up lap in eternity. So, when the Bible tells us we are eternal beings, that our bodies will one day die but our souls and spirits will live on forever, I want to know who’s going to be calling the shots. Because honestly, eternity is a very long time, so I want to get in good with whoever is in charge of it.

In verse 18, Paul points out that Jesus is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead. In other words, he was the first person to have risen from the dead … permanently. Jesus has the privilege and authority to blaze a trail to heaven for his followers. He is the only one who can restore our broken relationship with God. He is the only one who could pay the death penalty for our sin that we deserve to pay; the only one who holds the key to heaven. That’s why Jesus said point blank in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

When it comes to this physical world we live in—and in the new and improved eternal world that’s to come—it’s so important to understand that everything in the universe was created BY Him and FOR Him. And all of it holds together IN him.

Jesus is the one and only manifestation of the invisible God in our visible world. He was and is the only one who occupies the position of privilege and authority over all creation. He is eternal—with no beginning and no end. He is Lord of all creation. And He is Lord of all eternity. He is our only hope of forgiveness. He is our only hope of a relationship with God. He is our only hope of a life filled with purpose, grace and peace. He is our only hope of heaven, because heaven is all about him. And—miracle of miracles—this awe-inspiring Creator of Heaven and earth loves you. He loves you!

Whether you like it or not, you were created by Jesus Christ. You were created by him and for him, and he is the only reason you haven’t completely fallen apart—because in him, all things hold together. So, it is my hope and prayer that today you will humbly embrace him as the awesome Creator and Savior that he is and follow him as best you can every day of your life.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information, visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.