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<\/source><\/picture>Noted theologian and author John Piper recently addressed the question of why, according to the Bible, \u201cGod chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an episode of \u201cAsk Pastor John<\/a>\u201d posted to the Desiring God website on Monday, a listener from the Philippines named Euclid explained his desire to be an evangelist and asked:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn 1 Corinthians 1:27<\/a>, it says that \u2018God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.\u2019 Here\u2019s my question: Why didn\u2019t God save all the worldly-wise to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world? Wouldn\u2019t that have made a faster and greater impact in world evangelization than simply choosing a bunch of foolish people to do his work?\u201d<\/p>\n Piper responded by saying that while \u201cthe impact of all those wise people\u201d might have had a \u201cgreater impact\u201d and \u201cfaster,\u201d \u201cit wouldn\u2019t have been Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Son of God had come into the world as a warrior or a philosopher to impact the world with His power and His intelligence, the impact would have been quicker and more outwardly impressive, but it wouldn\u2019t have been Christianity,\u201d Piper said.<\/p>\n Piper explained that relying on \u201chuman eloquence\u201d and \u201chuman intellect\u201d as the ancient Corinthians did \u201cwould, in fact, be a denial of Christ and an emptying of the cross, because the cross of Christ means the end of boasting in human achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n Piper quoted 1 Corinthians 2:5<\/a>, noting that eloquence and intellect were not prioritized \u201cso that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.\u201d<\/p>\n The theologian said that God chooses \u201cwhat is foolish in the world\u201d so \u201cno human might boast in the presence of God\u201d and \u201cso that those who boast would boast only in the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGod\u2019s aim in world evangelization is to put an end to human pride and to make Jesus the focus of all human praise. His ways are not our ways. We just need to settle it. His ways are not our ways,\u201d Piper reiterated. \u201cChrist crucified defines everything.\u201d<\/p>\n William Wolfe, a conservative theological commentator and a former Trump administration official, discussed the 1st Corinthians passage in an op-ed piece published by The Christian Post<\/a> last October.<\/p>\n \u201cBe warned: The wisdom of the world will be appealing. It will tempt you. It can be sneaky. We can so easily just drift into running on the wrong operating system,\u201d wrote Wolfe at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThe world\u2019s wisdom infiltrates our lives like carbon monoxide: a colorless, odorless gas. By the time you realize you have been poisoned by it, it can be too late. So, embrace being called a fool by this world if it means being called faithful by God.\u201d<\/p>\n