1 Corinthians 1:18-25

I love stories. I always have. I was read a good many of them as a child, and I have read a good

many of them to my own children. And one type of story that seemed to have early and endless

fascination for me was that in which the character labored under some fatal flaw, some unfortunate

quality that finally brought their undoing. There seemed to be lots of those kind of stories that I

was read growing up. There was the very speedy but overconfident Hare, who in his race with plotting

tortoise was so far out ahead, he was confident that he could even afford a brief nap and still beat

tortoise. I could never lose to tortoise, but his overconfidence proved his undoing. He overslept,

was passed by tortoise, and when he awoke could not catch him before the finish line.

His braggadocio was turned to humiliation by his fatal flaw.

Or there was the greedy dog, ecstatic at the boon of a large bone in his mouth. That is, until

crossing a bridge, he caught sight staring up at him of another dog with a bone. Could that bone

be bigger than mine is? Not content with his, he greedily leapt at the other dog to get his bone too.

But the other dog was just his own reflection on the river. The river that carried away the one bone

he had, robbed of his choice treat by his fatal flaw. Or there was the very clever turtle, who knew he was

clever and so enjoyed that his great cleverness was well and widely known. So clever was he that he devised

a means to fly. He directed two birds to hold the ends of a stick and soar aloft while he clung to the stick

between them with his mouth. So singular was his success that the sight of it, much to the tortoise's

delight, turtle's delight, garnered effusive praise from the earthbound animals below.

How clever turtle is to devise how to fly. But so high did he fly that it became hard to see who it was.

Who is that remarkable animal? Squinted one. Proud turtle, unwilling that it not be known that it was he

who had done this great thing called out in response. It is I, turtle. But of course,

when he opened his mouth to tell it, he lost his grip on the stick and plunged to his demise,

victim to his fatal flaw.

Well, whether or not you're familiar with these tales, certainly you know the reality of how such

a fatal flaw can afflict us. Flaws not just unfortunate, but to our very undoing.

We seem poised for some happy ending, some salutary, even coveted outcome.

Then the fatal flaw strikes, and those laurels of victory which seemed in reach wither.

The hand of bounty stretched out is suddenly withdrawn.

So what is your fatal flaw? Are you conscious of any? Has it made its appearance as an early frost,

blighting prospects, ambushing fair hopes?

Timidity that cost you that job opportunity.

Perfectionism that cost you that prospective mate.

Bluntness that cost you that once close friend.

Of course, it's quite possible that we are blind to our fatal flaw.

Such a condition is common, and often a feature of these stories, isn't it?

Adding a narrative tension.

I loved to watch my girls' expressions when we got to the part where speedy hair,

so confident that he, smiling smugly, lies down to take his nap.

You could read it all over their faces.

They saw what was going to happen, even though the hair missed it.

Oh, no.

Well, whatever you think your fatal flaw is,

and whatever you assess it has cost you,

or whether perhaps you are blissfully unaware of any such flaw in operation,

we find the Bible making a remarkable claim.

It identifies a fatal flaw that haunts all of us.

Each one of us.

And one that costs us more than we could ever imagine.

What is this fatal flaw?

And of what can it rob us?

And is there any hope that it may be overcome?

Well, this cluster of questions is the fascinating subject of the paragraph before us that we had just had read

in Paul's letter to the Corinthians.

It's in your pew Bibles.

If you want to look on, you'll find it in page 952, chapter 1.

The big numbers are the chapters, and then the littler numbers are the verses.

So let's consider it together to discover what disclosure it makes to us,

and whether it does not offer us some word of hope in the face of its sobering disclosure.

So first, what is this fatal flaw the Bible speaks of, which afflicts all of us?

Well, like a subterranean river, it flows beneath the surface.

Its presence runs all along our passage, but breaks out into view just beyond it in verse 29, little 29, little number 29,

where the apostle finally identifies it and calls it by name.

Do you see it?

I wonder if it comes as a surprise to you.

Boasting before God.

It rolls so quickly off the tongue.

Boasting before God.

But let's not hasten over its horror.

Linger for a moment upon it and catch its enormity.

Boasting a swelling pride.

And indeed, a swelling pride even in the presence of God.

Now, surely we must reckon this an extraordinary thing.

That any being could maintain a posture of pride,

a swelling self-boasting in the presence of an infinite, all-splendored creator.

Surely, the only rational, feasible disposition toward the God of unmatched majesty

is that of the seraphim angels who hover in his presence,

covering their unworthy eyes for the overwhelming splendor

and crying out without waning or abatement,

holy, holy, holy.

But to boast in the presence of God is beyond belief.

It defies imagination.

It strains credulity that such could be.

And yet, the charge is that it is so.

How could it be true of us?

And how came it to be?

Here, the Bible unfolds for us a fascinating story,

taking us back to the very opening of the drama of humanity

and a fateful act with a fatal afterlife.

Scarcely had the creator fashioned woman and man

placed them in an abundant garden

and pronounced his benediction upon them

than their paradise was poisoned.

Their freedom and joy in it was well nigh boundless.

Eat of the fruit of any tree in the garden, granted their creator.

There was but one boundary he gave them.

Only this one tree in the midst of the garden.

Do not eat of that one tree.

Then came the serpentine seduction.

Has God told you what is right and good?

You decide for yourself.

You are competent to judge and choose

and appraise all things.

You are fit for that role.

You take the scepter.

You mount the throne.

You be the ultimate arbiter of what is good, right, and desirable.

Those serpentine suggestions

stirred and stoked a nascent pride.

Yet it would not be the whole truth

to say the serpent formed this pride,

fashioning it ex nihilo,

out of nothing.

No, he also found it.

For these satanic seductions

could only have appealed

to a pride already present.

The seducer breathed upon the embers,

but they were already there,

incipient, if dormant,

in the human heart.

And what slept?

Awoke.

And nurtured on crafty flattery,

grew.

Yes.

Why should our creator

tell us what is right?

Why should not we decide?

Yes.

We shall judge for ourselves.

We shall determine what is desirable.

We will be the arbiters

of what is good.

And so began,

at our very birth,

human boasting

before God.

Ah, but that,

you perhaps say,

was long ago

and far away.

What does that have to do

with you or me?

Here,

the Bible tells us

that this act of Adam and Eve

had an afterlife.

It constituted a poisoning

of the waters of humanity

at its very fountainhead.

This self-exalting posture of heart

entered like a virus

our very bloodstream

and has been passed along

our collective race

ever since.

It is an assertion

so remarkable

it might strain our credulity,

but for the fact

that it seems

everywhere in evidence.

So perfectly

do we resemble

our first parents

in this trait of heart.

To deny paternity

would be to attempt

to deny the seemingly obvious.

So ingrained

has this characteristic

self-exalting

self-orientation become.

We might warrantably

call it

our very nature.

Who can plausibly deny

its pervasive presence?

We are truly

a self-centered lot

even in relation to God.

Who as creator

and God

ought rightfully

to occupy

the center of our lives?

But we are usurpers

of the throne.

We fancy

we

should wield

the diadem.

We are all

deeply

infected

by a deity

complex.

We would be

our own

God.

Self-determining.

And in the supporting

stories we tell

ourselves

in which of course

we feature

as the heroes

we stitch together

a thick weave

reinforcing our

central place

in our world.

Within our

towering

self-constructed

cathedral

buttressed

by a thousand

self-awarded

accolades

we carry on

our accustomed

and by now

well-established

self-worship.

Does this sound

an overly harsh

description?

I don't know

that it is.

I know

it's on the mark

in my case.

I find it

so routine

in my own life

it has come

to pass now

almost wholly

unnoticed

but it's

always there.

Why am I

always

more anxious

that people

will think

too little

of me

than too

much?

For better

or worse

where does

my eye

first go

in that group

photo?

Ah there

I am

third from

the left

I was

looking good

or maybe

oh no

look at my

hair

I look

like an

idiot

either way

self-centered

self-absorbed

in any case

the apostle

in our passage

refers

to this

whole complex

of self-oriented

self-exaltation

as

the wisdom

of the world

the phrase

is in

verse 20

of our

text

there in

first

Corinthians

the wisdom

of the world

if you detect

an irony

in that

phrase

as Paul

uses it

you're probably

on to

something

it of course

crops up

in innumerable

guises

Paul had been

reflecting on

some words

of the prophet

Isaiah

describing

the nation

of Israel

in his

day

and he

saw it

there

it's

where

Paul draws

his quote

from in

verse 19

of our

text

it seems

that Jerusalem

of old

was under

threat

by powerful

menacing

neighbors

and God

told them

simply

to trust

him

to keep

them secure

but like

their first

parents

and ours

they fancied

they had

a better

plan

no

when it

comes to

power

politics

we are

wise

and discerning

we'll handle

this matter

on our

own

and in

our own

way

thank you

very much

but their

own

fancied

better

judgment

would fail

them

as God

pronounced

I will

destroy

the wisdom

of the wise

and the

discernment

of the

discerning

I will

thwart

the verses

from

Isaiah

that

immediately

surround

this one

that Paul

quotes in

our text

expound

this

wisdom

of the

world

heart

stance

so if

you're not

there

flip back

to Isaiah

29

to just

glance at

this description

it's page

590

590

in your

pew

bibles

again

big numbers

the chapters

29

and little

numbers

the verses

so in

verse 15

you imagine

you are free

from God's

oversight

and so

independent

of him

verse 16

you the

creature

the clay

regard

the creator

the potter

as in

no way

your

superior

shall the

potter be

regarded

as the

clay

you deny

God

as your

author

the thing

made

say to its

maker

he did

not make

me

and so

in denying

the author

you sweep

away his

authority

he has

no

understanding

you in

essence

demote

God

and usurp

his place

the opening

phrase of

verse 16

sums it up

well

you turn

things

upside

down

this

then

according to

the Bible

is our

fatal

flaw

the fault

line

that runs

through

humanity

and indeed

runs through

each one

of us

a self

orientation

and self

exaltation

and that

even in

relation to

our creator

a boasting

before God

now it

wouldn't

surprise me

if you

find yourself

thinking

I'm not

so sure

about that

I don't

think that

heart stance

toward God

is true

of me

I don't

see it

well I

confess

I often

don't see

it either

but then

I

disturbingly

consider

the possibility

that it

is indeed

there

alive

and well

but perhaps

simply hidden

from my

awareness

like so many

of my

flaws

it lives

and moves

in my

blind spot

and is

indeed

all the more

deadly

like a

hidden

reef

for its

concealment

from me

if this

indeed

be our

fatal flaw

as the

apostle

here

identifies

it

what

makes

it so

fatal

to us

yeah

yeah

you keep

calling it

fatal

why fatal

can't we

live with it

can't we

get along

with it

sure

proud

turtle

took a

pretty

hard

fall

but

speedy

hair

just

lost

a race

and

greedy

dog

just

lost

a

bone

I

mean

how

serious

is

this

anyway

it is

serious

the Bible

tells us

because

not

only

has it

alienated

us from

our

creator

and that

proud

usurpation

of God's

throne

back in

the garden

is

recapitulated

every time

we reject

God's

judgments

preferring

our own

and strike

off

in our

defiant

or indifferent

imagined

independence

for that

reason it

is serious

but also

and this

is what

the apostle

points out

in our

text

again page

952

so we're

back in

first

Corinthians

our

flaw

is so

serious

because

it

sabotages

our

prospects

for

reconciliation

with our

alienated

creator

and it

thwarts

our

ability

to know

God

know

God

the apostle

uses

in a

full

sense

of

actually

relating

to

God

not

merely

some

sort

of

theoretical

knowledge

of

God

by

knowing

God

Paul

means

overcoming

the

alienation

and restoring

an intimacy

with our

creator

and as

the apostle

states

verse 21

the world

did not

know God

through its

wisdom

that is to

say

humanity

deploying

all of the

resources

of its own

sagacity

and intelligence

and instincts

and intuitions

and reason

and mysticism

and speculation

and spirituality

has failed

to connect

to God

has failed

to establish

a reconciled

relation

to their

alienated

creator

this is what

Paul is saying

in that

series of

rhetorical

questions

in verse

20

where is

the wise

man

where is

the scribe

where

the debater

of this

age

these

were

front runners

of the

world's

wisdom

the best

and the

brightest

the top

bracket

if the

world's

wisdom

could

ever

succeed

if it

could ever

scale

the heights

and bridge

the gap

to a

knowledge

of God

it would

do so

through

them

now these

types

are likely

strange

to us

by wise

Paul means

the thoughtful

articulate

public

thinkers

who espouse

some

philosophy

of life

scribe

adds

a religious

orientation

and expertise

we might

think they

would surely

move the

ball upfield

on the issue

of connecting

with God

as to

debaters

they held

the special

esteem

of the

culture

kind of

the rock

stars

of their

day

perhaps

our

equivalent

would be

our

entertainment

celebrities

we parade

in the

media

and so

adore

well the

apostle

parades

this top

tier

of worldly

wisdom

and asks

so

how have

they done

on this

score of

connecting

with God

and the

telling answer

is they

have not

succeeded

humanity

has failed

to connect

with God

by its

wisdom

now

don't

misunderstand

the

apostle

here is

not

giving

a blanket

disparagement

of all

human

wisdom

no

it's

afforded us

many

treasures

with which

we fill

books

we fill

libraries

and by

which the

world has

been made

a much

richer

place

no no no

Paul's

evaluation

is narrow

and specific

as to the

issue

that surely

matters

supremely

how can

we know

and relate

to our

creator

and be

reconciled

to him

on this

all important

matter

worldly

wisdom

in all

its best

specimens

has failed

us

why this

signal failure

on so

vital a

matter

we might

wonder

because

we are

the victims

of

self

inflicted

sabotage

our

fatal

flaw

pushes

us

into

a

particular

posture

wholly

unsuited

for connecting

with God

we

pridefully

insist

on being

in the

driver's

seat

in our

encounter

with God

if our

creator

is to

commend

himself

to us

he

must

jump

through

our

hoops

commend

himself

to

our

sensibilities

satisfy

our

demands

as to

how

we

would

know

him

accommodate

our

scruples

meet

our

expectations

of him

just

how

this

plays

out

will

vary

from

culture

to

culture

even

from

person

to

person

but

as

varied

as

is

the

expression

the

root

is

the

same

self

exaltation

in

relation

to

God

we

shall

be the

arbiters

the

apostle

supplies

two

cultural

expressions

of this

verse 22

these were

prominent

cultures

in his

time

the

Jewish

culture

he writes

demands

signs

they

will set

the terms

of the

encounter

if

you

God

display

yourself

in this

way

we will

grant you

an audience

do you

see it

the

fatal

flaw

strikes

again

and

as to

the

Greek

culture

Greeks

seek

wisdom

this

is

our

project

what

we

are

concerned

about

if

you

share

our

goal

you're

very

welcome

this

is

the

job

we

are

posting

if

you

fit

if

you

fit

this

job

you're

welcome

to

apply

well

for

all

their

distinctiveness

notice

the

self

same

root

the

self

exaltation

that

insists

that

they

be in

the

driver's

seat

we

could

say

we

even

in

relation

to

the

creator

but

of

course

we

cannot

come

to

know

God

that

way

not

the

true

God

merely

at

best

one

of

our

own

making

what

an

irony

the

creator

makes

mankind

in

his

own

image

and

we

try

to

return

the

compliment

by

seeking

to

make

him

in

ours

so

our

fatal

flaw

sabotages

our

capacity

to

know

and

be

reconciled

to

God

now

one

might

think

this

damage

enough

but

the

apostle

tells

us

it

has

robbed

us

of

even

more

for

helpless

in

our

self

sabotage

to

connect

with

God

God

himself

breaks

through

to

us

a

word

comes

to

us

from

him

as

to

how

to

be

reconciled

to

him

what

Paul

here

calls

the

word

of

the

cross

but

tragically

our

fatal

flaw

again

surfaces

at

this

very

word

of

rescue

from

God

in

disposing

us

to

receive

it

to

grasp

how

this

could

be

we

need

to

understand

something

of

this

word

of

the

cross

you

remember

how

we

proudly

put

ourselves

in

God's

place

asserting

we

will

be

the

ones

to

determine

what

is

good

and

desirable

ours

shall

be

the

godlike

ultimacy

we

will

do

it

our

way

of

course

declaring

our

independence

from

our

creator

the

author

and

sustainer

of

life

death

becomes

our

portion

inevitably

for

there

is

no

life

apart

from

God

the

creator

and

judicially

for

our

scandalous

defection

rightfully

brings

upon us

God's

judgment

but

if

our

fatal

flaw

proudly

puts

us

in the

place

of

almighty

God

the

word

of

the

cross

tells

us

how

God

humbly

puts

himself

in the

place

of

criminal

mankind

in order

that the

creator

might take

our

place

he took

on our

humanity

and with

it

in the

person

of

Jesus

took

in

our

place

the

deadly

judgment

rightly

ours

that

deadly

price

of our

pride

fully

paid

by

Jesus

death

upon

the

cross

the

way

is

now

open

for

us

all

to

be

reconciled

with

our

creator

this

is

the

astonishing

word

of the

cross

the

humble

God

substituting

himself

for

proud

humanity

giving

his

life

for those

whose

lives

were

forfeit

that he

might reconcile

them to

himself

a more

astonishing

word from

God

could not

be

fathomed

but

how

does

this

astonishing

word of

rescue

strike

those

stricken

by the

fatal

virus

to

those

stricken

by this

deadly

venom

and

of it

perishing

as the

apostle

describes

them

in verse

18

to

them

the

word

of the

cross

is

folly

the

word

of

rescue

from

God

strikes

us

as

ridiculous

it

doesn't

at all

conform to

our

demands

and

sensibilities

we have

objections

the

objections

will

differ

as it

did

the

Jew

from

the

Greek

a

rescuer

who

dies

at the

hands

of

these

nasty

Roman

Gentiles

that

he's

supposed

to

save

us

from

says

the

Jewish

culture

disparagingly

not

very

powerful

resurrection

come on

a

rescuer

who

comes

back

in

a

body

says

the

Greek

dismissively

not

very

philosophical

and no

doubt

we could

think of

our own

objections

to

the

word

of

the

cross

but

in

the

apostles

mind

they

all

spring

from

the

same

source

we

oppose

it

because

perhaps

first

the

cross

challenges

our

proud

self

supremacy

though

in the

cross

we have

the

creator

giving

himself

he

is

the

creator

and

as

such

the

sole

rightful

king

and

this

cannot

but

cross

our

own

pretensions

to

kingship

much

as

the

kingly

pretensions

of

old

king

herod

were

threatened

by the

announcement

of one

born

king

herod

didn't

hate

the

thought

of

a

baby

he

hated

the

thought

of

a

rival

and

if

we're

honest

so

do

we

never

shall

a

proud

and

self

exalted

race

concede

the throne

without

a sore

conflict

we

shall

fortify

our

battlements

against

such

a

claim

you

are

mine

I

have

ransomed

you

dearly

says

the

creator

no

I

am

my

own

we

rebels

respond

furthermore

the message

of the

cross

inescapably

challenges

our own

self

flattering

assessment

of our

own

commendableness

when

God

took

our

place

that

place

was a

cross

the

place

of a

condemned

criminal

and

the

cross

is

the

most

damning

indictment

imaginable

for

it

tells

us

we

have

failed

so

signally

in our

relation

to

God

that

our

life

is

forfeit

before

him

things

were

so

bad

someone

had

to

die

that

the

creator

himself

had

to

take

on

humanity

so

he

could

give

up

his

life

in

exchange

to

bring

us

back

to

God

does

not

gratify

our

proud

penchant

for

self

flattery

the

cross

offers

an

account

of

our

lives

and

the

hopeless

mess

we

have

made

of

them

that

God

put

himself

in

our

place

and

that

that

place

was

under

sentence

of

death

dramatically

puts

us

in

our

place

and

it

is

not

the

exalted

one

of

our

liking

and

the

message

of

the

cross

meets

accordingly

a

bitter

resistance

our

fatal

flaw

has

worked

up

in

us

such

an

insatiable

appetite

for

glory

but

the

word

of

the

cross

starves

it

to

death

and

leaves

us

with

not

a

morsel

not

a

shard

to

boast

about

we

look

in

vain

for

even

a

single

line

in

the

credits

not

even

at

the

very

end

in

fine

print

we

are

says

the

cross

a

people

in

need

of

rescue

and

only