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Daily Devotions

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 
Day 
Day 20

"The world through wisdom did not know God..."

Text: 1 Corinthians 1:21

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

To the Apostle Paul, the greatest knowledge one could possess was the knowledge of God. How much did the wise men of the world contribute to the knowledge of God?

“For since, in the wisdom of God,
the world through wisdom did not know God,
it pleased God through the foolishness
of the message preached to save those who believe.”
1 Corinthians 1:21

1. “For since, in the wisdom of God”

a) God allowed for man to contribute to the knowledge of God.
b) He allowed the different schools of thought (philosophy) to arrive at Divine knowledge.
i) The wise men
ii) The scribes
iii) The disputers of this age

2. “The world through wisdom did not know God”

a) They came up empty.
b) Paul made a sharp observation in the following text about the efforts made to know God.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God,
nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts,
and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory
of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man-
and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
Romans 1:20-23

i) The world “knew God” but “they did not glorify Him as God”.
ii) Professing themselves wise, they became fools.

3. “It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe”

a) God had already given man the chance to know Him.
b) It was now His prerogative (His pleasure) to present another way of knowing Him.
c) He chose the message of the cross (which to those perishing is foolishness).
d) Through the message of the death of Christ many are saved from their sins.
e) The message of the cross however is not foolishness to the saved; it is the power of God!