If there was ever anyone who would naturally have put their faith in the wisdom of man, it would have been Saul of Tarsus (before he became the Apostle Paul). He grew up in an obviously well to do family and was not only a Jew but also had Roman citizenship. His education, both secular and religious, was second to none. It is clear from Paul’s writings and his encounters with philosophical seekers of knowledge, sometimes reasoning on behalf of the Gospel all day long, that he was well educated in all of the knowledge of his day.
With that in mind, you would think that Paul would approach the people of Corinth with his “credentials”, as it were, so that he could impress them and get them to believe in the things he was preaching and teaching based on his vast knowledge. Instead, the exact opposite is true, he counted everything before he met Jesus as less than nothing just to have the knowledge of Christ. He knew firsthand how the wisdom of man can attempt to take the place of the knowledge of God in our life and displace the truth of His Word.
In the first chapter of First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul begins to present the message of the cross and even the apparent “foolishness” of preaching the cross of Christ. Why would it seem foolish? When people put their faith in the wisdom of words, the wisdom of men, they are no longer looking for or seeking a Savior. The more a society encourages people to put their faith in the wisdom of man, the less importance is placed on the knowledge of God until finally, the knowledge of God is virtually removed from society altogether.
The battle is real and it is now. All around you, voices are calling for you to abandon your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and embrace the wisdom of men instead. It is easy to be taken in by big, fancy words and be impressed by a person’s ability to communicate masterfully. The Apostle Paul certainly had that ability, but he exhorted the church at Corinth (as well as us today) to put our faith in the power of God. Everything in this world is going to pass away. Even man’s wisdom is in a constant state of flux; everything’s always changing. But God and His Word never change. Put your faith in Him and in His mighty power.