Ligonier Conference - Steve Lawson - (I)
Dr. Steven J. Lawson opened the conference with a dynamic message entitled "The Foolishness of Preaching" from the text I Cor. 1:18-25. Lawson is the senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. He serves on the board of directors of The Master's College and Seminary and the ministerial board for Reformed Theological Seminary and teaches with Dr. John MacArthur at the Expositor's Institute. In addition to his pulpit ministry, Dr. Lawson has written more than ten books, including Foundations of Grace
INTRODUCTION
The city of Corinth was fully immersed in the Greek culture. The "golden-tongued" orator was the celebrity of that day - above athletes and other accomplished individuals. Public speech was regarded as the highest form of entertainment. The orator was always trying to win the audience with his way of words.
So when Paul came to Corinth, they were sizing him up based on his abilities, eloquence, and even his size/physique. By Paul's own admission, he was lacking in these regards. With regard to diction and sophistication, Paul simply did not meet their expectations.
But Paul saw himself in a different light. Paul saw himself as a herald, not a "golden-tongued orator." Heralds were regularly commissioned by the Roman Empire to go into a marketplace and deliver messages assigned by public officials. Heralds were obedience oriented, not results oriented. A herald simply needed to be a faithful steward. The success of the herald was determined by substance and faithfulness, not through winning style points with his audience.
Rather than relying upon technique and theatrics, Paul relied on the Holy Spirit. His duty was to bring the word of the cross to listeners. Today, exposition has given way to entertainment. Doctrine has been replaced with drama; profundity with popularity. Many are more eager to fill buildings than pulpits.
A STRAIGHTFORWARD MESSAGE
The herald is marked by a straightforward message. The success of the herald required a clear articulation of the message, regardless of the audience's response. The faithful herald views humanity with God's lens: Everyone in the world is either being saved, or is perishing. But this perspective is neither shared nor respected by those in the world. Note I Cor. 2:14, "the natural man does not accept the things of God."
The herald's message is clear: Christ was the God-man, who died on the cross. One's eternal destiny depends on what they do with the cross: It will either be the power and wisdom of God, or a stumbling block and folly. Those who repent and believe in Christ receive salvation from the consequence of sin (justification), are being saved from the power of sin (sanctification), and will be saved from the presence of sin (glorification).
SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT
Paul grounds his argument in the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 29:14): "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise..." Paul then challenges the wise of his day to stand forward and present their wisdom to try to match the wisdom of God in the cross. All that the world would put forward is utterly mindless, Paul suggests. There is only one solution to the dilemma of our estrangement to God: the word of the cross. There is but one way of wisdom - the word of the cross.
GOD'S WISDOM AND THE WORLD'S WISDOM ARE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED
Paul shows that the wisdom of the world and God's wisdom are headed in opposite directions. The world through its wisdom did not come to know God. The only way to know the God of the universe is through His son. It pleased God that it should be this way. God's heart was delighted to save those who believe.
Even the manner in which the message was brought was designed to be apparently foolish. God did not want man's cleverness to eclipse His glory. Paul was exemplary in leaning upon the sufficiency of the Scripture and the sufficiency of the Spirit. God delights in taking what is foolish in the eyes of the world to save lost sinners--what is ridiculed by mankind in order to redeem them. That way, God's wisdom is maximally displayed.
Those in Corinth wanted the wow-factor; they wanted to be entertained. The Jews in Paul's day were looking for Messianic power. Yet Christ and His apostles came in weakness. For the Greeks, the cross was too simple. They enjoyed and valued sophistication and complex learning.
People are differentiated by what they do with the cross. They are either perishing because the cross is foolishness to them, or they are being saved because Christ is the wisdom of God to them. We need preachers who proclaim the cross coram deo--seeking only God's approbation.
HOW, THEN, IS ANYONE SAVED?
The cross was an absolute scandal to Jews, and utter foolishness to Gentiles. How, then, can anyone ever see through it to find the wisdom of God? If the message of Christ crucified is so repugnant, how does anyone ever come to Christ?
God makes His word effective by irresistibly calling men and women out of the world - they are summoned and drawn to faith by the message preached. The herald does not accomplish this. He merely speaks the truth. He then trusts in the Spirit of God to bring to Christ those who are appointed to believe. "The called" in verse 24 refers to all the elect of God.
Lawson pointed out the double-use of "called" in I Cor 1:2. All who call upon the name of the Lord for salvation are those who have already been called by God the Holy Spirit into fellowship with Christ Jesus.
It is the effectual call of God that determines those who are saved. And this is precisely the foolishness of preaching--the fact that it does not depend upon the preacher to eloquently persuade people into conversions. This reliance upon God is what makes it simultaneously foolishness to the world and the very wisdom of God.
APPLICATION
All of us are the heralds. We are set apart - some to preach, others to teach. And we know that God the Holy Spirit always goes before us. When the elect hear, they will believe. God himself will guarantee the success of the preaching -- so that no man may boast before the Lord, and so that no flesh may glory in His presence (as if they themselves contributed).
