Monday, July 15, 2019

Matthew 11:25-27 Wisdom and Foolishness

At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.  Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.  All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. [Matthew 11:25‭-‬27 NASB]
Jesus isn't saying that only stupid people follow Him. Rather, He is talking about those who consider themselves to be wise and intelligent.

Intellectuals, whether philosophers or engineers find it hard to follow Jesus. Even if they come to a saving faith, a life in the Spirit tends to elude them. This is because they get wrapped up in their own head.

I once had a frustrating discussion with a philosophical intellectual. He asked me about Jesus, so I shared my faith. He came back with a comparison to Kant and Nietzsche. I spoke of spiritual things, he spoke of the mind. Paul said, "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." [1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB]

Paul echos Jesus' thoughts when he says, "For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble." [1 Corinthians 1:26 NASB]

We live in a society that deifies the intellect. Science is the god of the modern man. 

The world will tell you that creation is a myth, and refer to the big bang. They say that God did not create man, and cite evolution. Yet no man saw the big bang. Nobody witnessed the evolution of man. But they believe it because they have faith in science. They have faith in their god.

Don't get drawn in to their arguments. They will tell you that you are foolish to believe in God, while they believe in theirs. The will tell you that they believe only what they see, but they haven't seen what they believe.

Yes, there is true science that deals with the natural world around us, and is separate from belief. But when science delves into speculation, it is no longer science, but religion in the name of science. When is allowed to replace God as the ultimate authority, it becomes idolatry.

It is possible for Christians to compromise their faith with the teachings of science. We are told, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." [1 Corinthians 10:14 NASB]

I had a conversation with a Christian woman who testified that she believes in Jesus, and He is her savior. But she doesn't believe that God created man with a word, but used evolution. She believes this "because of science." In order to believe this, it is necessary to disregard what the Bible says. This leaves a person in a quandary. If you believe that one part of the Bible is false, where do you draw the line? How do you pick and choose which parts to believe? If you can disregard part of it, why not all of it? 

The Bible says of itself that it is true. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" [2 Timothy 3:16 NASB] So if you believe part of it is false, then you must believe that all of it is false. But if you believe that the Scriptures are true; that Jesus died for your sins and rose again, then you MUST believe all of it.

Paul also said, "but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise...But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption," [1 Corinthians 1:27-30 NASB]

The world will consider you foolish for believing in Jesus. They will say that you are naive to believe the Bible. But our wisdom does not come from the world, but from God.

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