1 Corinthians 3:18-23 (NIV)
Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas u or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
This is the bottom line in Paul’s argument: Christians should not follow the wise men or the powerful preachers of their day. This is true even if one of these wise men is Paul, or Apollos, or Peter. They should follow Jesus.
The problem with following mere humans, no matter how wise or spiritual they may seem, is that people have a disturbingly consistent tendency to fail, to fall, and to be just plain wrong. Even if they don’t fail morally, it is in a sure bet that their ideas will be found wrong or incomplete by the wise men and powerful preachers of the next age, whose ideas will be found wrong or incomplete by the wise men and powerful preachers of the age that follows that. But Jesus’ teachings are never wrong or incomplete, and He cannot fall into sin.
Instead of pursuing worldly wisdom, Paul recommends that the Corinthians become fools so that they may become wise with the wisdom that really matters. What he means is that people who consider themselves wise are usually closed to more learning or to information that shows that they are wrong in what they believe. But someone who realizes that they are a fool, that is that there is a vast amount that they don’t know, and probably much that they are wrong about, is open to learning and growth.
And, as far as spiritual matters go, no one will ever live long enough in this world to know everything, or even the smallest amount of all there is to know. The wisest philosopher, the greatest scientific mind, the most profound theologian knows next to nothing about the true reality of God in his Kingdom. So, as far as the things that will affect eternity, they are not worth following.
So, Paul concludes, enough of following men! Follow Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). As children of God and co- heirs with Jesus, everything ultimately belongs to those in the Church, so we should never give ourselves over to anyone who is a mere mortal, to follow them and to hang on their words. Just follow Jesus!
Father, this is a vital word for us today when so many teachers and leaders are straying from your clear word, the word that Jesus Himself taught, illuminated, and lived by. We really need to grasp the concept of coming to You as a fool, a mere child, so that we are open to Your leading, Your teaching, and Your guidance. You are not impressed by the thoughts and ideas of our greatest theologians and philosophers. But Jesus never guessed about You and Your Kingdom, and He never gave an opinion. He knew every facet of everything that He talked about (John 3:11). So, we will follow Him, and Him alone, confident in His ability to bring us safely all the way to Your throne. Amen.