An Allegory of Pride
Background Story: The books of 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians with written as letters from Paul to the church of Corinth to teach them the truths of the gospel.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:17-31
For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power. 18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
19 As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
Big Idea: The fool says in their heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1
The man is moving his arms as fast he can. Back and forth his arms strike the water and his feet kick with all his might. “I will stay above these waves,” he thinks to himself. “With my effort and ability, I will be ok.” Clouds form overhead, the wind picks up, and the waves get bigger. As the storm rages, the man tries his best to stay afloat.
Day after day, he toils and struggles until one day he notices another swimmer in the water. She too is kicking and moving and splashing. “She must be what I need,” the man thought. “She will make me stronger.” So he joins with the beautiful swimmer and they tread the waters together trying to keep their heads above the waves. But as she tires, she begins to grasp onto the man. She is pulling him under. The beautiful swimmer is tired just like him. She is not stronger than he and offers no support or rest. She is not the answer.
Little swimmers get added to their group. They are small, weak and grab onto them both needing help to stay afloat. They add weights to their legs of responsibility and stress. And these weights pull at them, heavy on their legs, and each struggles to gasp for short small breaths before going under again.
In the distance a man calls out to him, “Brother, you are drowning. I too was there in that water once. But One bigger and stronger than I is here ready to pull you out. Look up. Take His hand. We were made for more than this.” Flabbergasted the man responds, “How dare you say I am drowning? Look how well I am doing. I do not need the help of this One. I can take of myself and these others.”
And the man and his companions continue through the night to toil and swim and work. But alas it is too heavy, this burden he carries, and he sinks below the surface. As the end comes, he reflects if the struggle and strain and toil was necessary. But even now, his pride comforts him that he must have been right to reject the One. And as he descends into the deep, he hears the echo of a low and frightening laugh over the deception.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
Truths to dig deeper: Matthew 11:28-30, Ecclesiastes 2, Romans 1:18-25
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