Hello everyone. We’re getting ready tonight to continue our walk through the Scriptures with the doctrine of the Trinity. Tonight, we start going through the book of 1 Corinthians. Last night, I left us with an argument that God is the only wise God as Scripture says and that he has never been without his Wisdom. I also pointed out that Jehovah’s Witnesses do often point to Proverbs 8 and say that that refers to Jesus when it speaks of Wisdom creating. I happen to agree with them. Tonight, we’re going to see why that’s a problem for them. Our main verse will be 1 Corinthians 1:24, but I will get verses 20-25 to make sure I have the surrounding context for you:
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
For the early Christians spreading their message, it was a shameful one. People would say “You want me to follow that man? You think he was a king? You think he is God? Are you serious? He was crucified. That’s no place for God to be and that’s no place for a king to be.”
It’s worth noting that the Christians never changed this stance. It would have been beneficial to them, but Christians throughout the ages have stuck to the historical facts as they were in regards to their faith. Jesus was crucified. It was never denied. Jesus did miracles. We cannot deny that either. The incarnation was a real event. The resurrection happened. Even though the world may not believe these, we must.
Yet what the world calls foolish, Paul points out was the wisdom of God at work and he could be using a pun here in that the working of the Wisdom of God was a manifestation of God’s wisdom. In other words, God was shown as wise by having his Wisdom come to Earth and atone for our sins.
Look at verse 24. Christ is called the Wisdom and the Power of God. This could work well with Power, but the Jehovah’s Witnesses are already giving us Wisdom. Let’s go with that. The syllogism will look like this.
Jesus is God’s Wisdom.
God’s Wisdom is eternal.
Jesus is eternal.
This is what is called a bulls-eye syllogism. All three propositions are A propositions. If the premises are true and the syllogism is valid, the conclusion follows. This is a valid syllogism so what we have to ask is if the premises are true.
The Witnesses have already granted us the first one and make sure they grant you that before you use this argument. That way they don’t have an escape hatch. Now we move on to the second. Is God’s Wisdom eternal?
This brings us to last night’s blog. If his Wisdom is not eternal, then we have a God who is temporal. We have a God who was unwise at one point and somehow in his lack of wisdom created wisdom and brought wisdom upon himself.
It is far easier to believe Jesus is eternal. If Jesus is eternal, then he cannot be created as the Witnesses say he was. (At least not in a temporal sense.) Granted, that might not mean they accept his deity fully, but it does mean that they need to re-examine their claim that Jesus is a temporal creation and if he’s not that, then what is he? Could he very well be one with the full nature of God eternally?
Hopefully, that’ll give them something to think about.
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