For the
message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who
are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV
Have
you ever had the occasion to see someone’s response when they are called a
fool? I find it interesting that most
people can laugh off quite a few derogatory names and not be greatly offended,
but call them a fool and you get quite a reaction. This past week I read this passage from
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and somehow could not help but think about the
times we are living in and wonder just how many people today could accurately
be characterized as fools. Unfortunately
it would seem all too many would qualify, especially if you consider what the
Biblical definition of a fool is.
In
the Bible, a fool is defined as someone who “despises” wisdom. If you look up the word despise in the
dictionary you will find that it says it means to regard with contempt. As I thought about that this week, it
occurred to me that in order to regard something with contempt, I would first
have to at least consider something’s merits in order to make the decision to
accept or reject. If this is true, then
someone who chooses to despise, or regard with contempt the gospel of Christ,
would first have to listen and consider before making that decision. In other words, a fool is someone who hears
the truth of the gospel and rejects it.
The way
of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. Proverbs 12:15 NKJV
Some
might disagree, but if you were to ask me what the largest, most obvious sign
that we have arrived at the end of the Church age, it would be the growing
popularity of the emergent/seeker friendly church which fulfils the prophecy of
the apostasy which occurs just before the rapture of the true Church. This movement, which has abandoned the true
Gospel of Jesus Christ and replaced it with a form of worship which ignores any
talk of sin and the need to be born again.
Instead the emphasis is on worship, doing good deeds, and becoming a “follower”
of Jesus.
A fool
has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. Proverbs 18:2 NKJV
In
his letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of the rapture of the Church in a rather
interesting way. He tells his readers
that Israel will suffer from a temporary partial blindness until the full
number of Gentile believers has “come in”.
For I
do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you
should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to
Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:25 NKJV
The
interesting thing about this statement is that it is a nautical term used to
describe the full number of crew and passengers aboard a ship. When the full number comes in, the ship then
sails to its destination. As I thought
about the true Church filling up, and the apostate church also filling, I
couldn’t help but remember the old saying; ship of fools. Wikipedia defines it
this way; “The ship of fools is an allegory,
originating from Plato that has long been a fixture in Western literature and
art. The allegory depicts a vessel without a pilot, populated by human
inhabitants who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious, and seemingly ignorant
of their course.”
The great
God who formed everything gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his
wages. Proverbs 26:10 NKJV
While
we might hesitate to call someone a fool, the God of this universe has no such
qualms. The Word of God is full of
passages which contrast the foolish and the wise, and also make it very clear
what the destiny of each will be. Yet
even though God has made the way of salvation so simple to understand and so
easy to attain, man in his “wisdom” rejects the Gospel for a different
way. Does this sound like a harsh
indictment? Consider that in order to
identify the most influential churches in America today, a recent survey found
more than half of the respondents chose Saddleback first and Willow Creek
second. If you are not familiar with
these names, these are two of the largest “seeker friendly” churches in America
today.
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.
Romans 1:20-21 NKJV
What
the leaders of these churches seem unable to admit is that although the way of
salvation is made plain in the Gospel of Christ, when they choose to lead their
congregations down a different path they are, in essence, arguing with the God
who created everything out of nothing and implying that He doesn’t know what He
is talking about! It also goes without
saying that they are also somehow believe they are smarter than God because
they possess a wisdom which shows an easier, better way to salvation than the
one ordained by God.
Where
is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not
God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
1 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV
Anyone
who would choose to ignore the simplicity and clarity of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ is a fool. Unfortunately, the
ship of fools is not only large; it’s getting larger at an incredible pace. Yet the ship of the wise, with Jesus as it’s
captain, is the one which will reach its destination at the rapture of the
Church. Do you want to know if you are
on the right ship? According to Paul,
simply check the direction your ship is sailing.
Moreover,
brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you
received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast
that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to
you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose
again the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV
The
word “hold fast” is the Greek word katechō
which is also used as a nautical term meaning “to check a ship's headway i.e. to hold or head the ship”. Our compass is the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and it is this Gospel which we use to check our course. Does your church preach this gospel or
another “seeker friendly” one? Be
careful not to sail on the ship of fools.
But
what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that
is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved. Romans 10:8-9 NKJV
Keep
watching.
