Paul's 1st Century Foolishness. . .

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:20

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1 Corinthians 1:21

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1 Corinthians 1:23

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

1 Corinthians 1:25

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:27

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 3:19

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

2 Corinthians 11:17

That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.

2 Corinthians 11:21

I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.

I remember so clearly, how superior I knew myself to be, to the foolish, ill-educated, unintelligent Christians. . . In my mind Christians were a mere half-step ahead of those dull eyed fools who persist even today, in believing in a flat earth.  Not realizing that this was well known, even by Paul.

I equated Christianity to belief in Santa Claus, or the tooth fairy, or the Easter bunny.  I equated belief in Jesus, to belief in Roman and Greek mythological gods.  I watched my wife pray for 10 years, convinced that she was praying to the same mythical god as primitive peoples found all over the world pray to, but there must be some difference. . . Belief in the Roman and Greek gods was contemporary with Christ, and those systems are now only found in history books, while belief in Jesus continues to grow and spread even further across this world. . .

The first century intelligentsia looked down upon the ignorant and ill informed Christians.  The thing often missed by those in the ivory towers of today, is that the entire foundation of what those sophisticates of some 1900 years ago knew to be true, has long since decayed into dust and those pesky passionate persistent primitive minded Christians are still going strong, and continue to be ridiculed the sophisticates of the 21st century.

Virtually all that science knows is overthrown and replaced every hundred years or so.  What is revered as scientific truth in this day, is shown to be misunderstanding. . . foolishness. . . in the discoveries of the new morning.

Some desire to graft onto Christianity a similar system of discovery and improvement, of Christian doctrine, but this fails in spiritual application.  Our principle must not be taken from observing scientific development.  The Bible must be held as our rock, and as crafted and created by God, thereby was perfect as given to us by God. Rocks do not grow and change with time and seasons.  They are symbolic of what is permanent and unchanging in our world.

This Christian belief, if it were indeed built upon mythology, as I had for so long argued, it too would have soon failed, but the words of the Bible. . . indeed the author of the Bible are as alive today as when first set down 2000 years ago. In my 30+ years of ridicule of Christianity, what I had not counted on, was my meeting and developing a loving, close, strong, and very personal relationship with what I equated as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. . .

Jesus is real.  His Spirit is alive within me.  He supports me.  He hears me.  He answers my prayers. He loves me.  He has forgiven me.  He is patient with me. . .

I thought myself so wise. . .
Thnking myself wise, I was so very very very foolish. . .
I once was blind. . .
but now I see. . .

I love you Jesus. . .
I love you my God. . .