“Let no man deceive himself.  If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.”

{1 Corinthians 3:18}

            Arrogance and most ignorance is rooted in pride.  Pride is natural to man and has power over us to hinder us when in comes to God’s kingdom.  God’s dominion is vastly different than this present world; however, sin within and this present evil world without preys on our pride.  Many unbelievers and believers are alike in that they are drunken with pride and arrogance.  These sisters allure us to drink of their spirits.  Their spell holds out promise of prominence, attention, and honor.  As man becomes more and more inebriated with the fruit of their vine prominence, attention, and honor are either forced from others, regretfully given, or given by others that take pleasure in the same.  This circuit, from pride to pride, is vanity and leads to death.  Moreover, such pride and arrogance are masters of deception not easily detected due to their delights. 

God’s adversary, as god of this world, has a course that caters to, promotes, and manufactures haughtiness.  It is natural to sin within man and part of the ploys from the rulers of darkness of this world.  The depth of conceitedness must be thick, raging within the heart, yet served with a waft of sweetness for the foolish person to savor one’s own demise.  Pride’s ascendancy is preeminent and only has time and provision for others when they are infatuated with, not another that is prideful, but one that will support the ascent.  The foolish heart that is darkened and professes itself as wise is both contrary to the gospel and primed for the gospel.  Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory before He ascended, condescended to our low estate.  He became poor for our sakes that through His poverty we might be made rich spiritually.  Lowliness of mind is the mind of ascendancy and preeminent in God’s kingdom.  Humility of mind that esteems others better than themselves is the mind of Christ and will abide forever.

The Corinthian believers received such benefits from Christ’s mind in salvation, but did not behold Him to the lofty heights of transformation to be like Him.  The Corinthians are marked by trouble, gross immorality, and among a plethora of other issues an unequal yoke with the world that was rooted in strife and envy which comes from the seed of pride.  The apostle Paul judged and wrote the words above. 

The person that is wise in this world lifted up with the world’s friendship and attention is not wise and is deceived.  The wisdom of God is not like the wisdom of this world.  One must be foolish in this world by holding the wisdom of God to not be deceived and to be meet for the Master’s use.  The epistle written to the Corinthians is laden with reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness to combat the Corinthians that were fascinated with the world’s deception of self.  This obsession naturally led to unrighteousness and corrupt manners that broadened their esteem among men, but were, in truth, fools before God.

How gracious of our Father to alert us of our foolishness!  May we take up a foolishness that is right, that is, becoming the fool concerning the wisdom of the world by taking up the wisdom of God in Christ!  This foolishness doesn’t lead to death, but to life everlasting.  Do not be like the Corinthians and most of the church today.  “Let no man deceive himself.”   

Look Up,

Josh Strelecki, Pastor-Teacher