The apostle Paul had just challenged the intellectual and philosophical world about the true, saving wisdom. If salvation be possible through the wisdom of the world, God didn´t have to send Christ as sacrifice for our sins, -  a philosopher or the like would merely do.

But that is to God His loving heart foolishness. For “has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”  (1 Cor. 1:20).  No matter what smartness and education the world happens to be is boasting of.

Christ and His cross must be proclaimed.   The Spirit of God applies its message to sinful hearts, and they turn to Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and from now on they have no worldly wisdom to boast of any more.

Their wisdom is, -  praise the Lord! -  Christ and Him crucified. Gal. 6:14.

Paul challenges the proud world.  “Where is the wise?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the debater of this age?”  He met them on their own grourunds, but his answer was not philosophy, religious waffle, Christian “values” or “Christian culture”, but Christ and Him crucified.

I feel deeply grieved when professing Christians have little to say about Christ when they are challenged about their faith on the TV or in the radio.  Then I feel tempted to say like Mary, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”  (John 20:13)

O, my friend has the crucified and risen Jesus Christ become your Savior of whom you will not be ashamed?  Then I like to give you “the right hand of fellowship”  (Gal. 2:11) -  on that basis only.  “Speak well of Christ” was the advice given to me by one of the elders in the U.S. in my early youth.

Indeed, say it simple, say it often and let it burn!

Sept. 3, 2020 - jn