When John Piper became pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, he preached a sermon on I Corinthians 2:1-5 where he discussed “The Wisdom of Man & the Power of God.” In explaining why the cross of Christ is viewed as foolishness by the wisdom of the world, Piper observed:
“There are two possible responses to the death of Christ for our sin: we can regard it as foolish and so maintain our self-sufficiency and pride, or we can regard it as wisdom and die with Christ. There is only one way that leads to life. Here’s how Paul expresses it in Galatians 6:14: “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” If we put our trust in the crucified Christ for salvation, we die to the world; which means we give up every ground for boasting that the world, including our own minds, can offer. But since the “wisdom of men” is devoted 100% to maintaining its ground for boasting, it will always reject Christ crucified and attempt to defuse his power by calling him foolish.”
It is far too tempting to rest on our own wisdom rather than the power of God for our salvation and our sanctification. Our independent nature battles with the idea that we must rely on Him for our sustainment – for our next breath and for our eternal security. Yet as Piper makes clear – there is no middle ground. Either we trust in our own wisdom, and so deny the power of God, or we die to ourselves and trust in Him. May we daily live with the recognition that being alive with Christ requires dying to the world, resting in His wisdom not our own.
(Desiring God generously posts the entire sermon to be listened to or read here.)