“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:22–25)
In his book, “Plugged in”, Daniel Strange speaks of the Gospel’s effect on the cultural narratives that shape the way we perceive and order the world, and he also observes that the cultural narratives that we inhabit shape how we hear the gospel narrative in the first place.
Consider 1 Cor. 1:22-25. Both Jewish people and Greek people in the context of the early church were looking for something. Some were looking for power and others were looking for wisdom. The gospel confronts what both people groups were looking for. God’s wisdom appears to be foolish to the wisdom-seeking Greeks and God’s power appears to be weak to the power (miracle)-seeking Jews. But it only appears that way due to the cultural lens of each people group, meaning this verse shows us that the gospel confronts human cultures.
More than that though, the gospel narrative doesn’t merely confront the cultural narrative. The gospel narrative also connects with the cultural narrative. Both narratives (cultural and gospel) contain power and wisdom respectively. The difference is that the gospel displays the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The gospel narrative speaks to both cultural narratives. It’s one narrative for both cultures. But the gospel speaks to all cultures, all cultural narratives, which is why the gospel narrative speaks to our culture today. It confronts our culture, connects with it, fulfils the desires our culture produces in us, but fulfils them in a subversive way.
Paul in the book of Romans talks about all humans knowing God but subverting the good into a mockery creating something evil, idolatry. But at the heart of every culture is always going to be some form of God’s good creation (or good desire) because there is no other alternative reality – we inhabit God’s creation and God created a good creation. Those desires come in many different forms: wisdom, power (we have heard of those already in 1 Cor. 1:22-25), money, sex, or honour. All are perfectly fine as they are created by God. The post-fall problem is that sin twists these desires into evil pursuits. The gospel narrative takes the counterfeit god-thing and re-orientates it.
What role does the Christian play in this matter? The Christian is always looking to speak the gospel narrative into the cultural narrative in such a way that it does all the above – the gospel narrative will confront, connect, and subversively fulfil.
As the Christian proclaims the gospel into culture the hearers hearts are to be reorientated towards kingdom values where they put God first in their lives and live for him. Using wisdom and power from the passage we are reflecting on, it’s not that the Jews or Greeks do away with their desire for wisdom or power altogether, rather the converted Jew or Greek sees their desire fulfilled in Christ who demonstrates the wisdom and power of God. Likewise for the people we would proclaim the gospel to (and of course for ourselves). Our desires may be for money, sex, and honour. Where once we sought after these desires in the worst possible ways, now as a Christian those desires are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Spiritually rich, relationally rich and connected to God, and called a child of God (the greatest honour).
In our evangelism we should be conscious of the need to connect with the culture in order that the listener would hear the gospel correctly, and in a meaningful way. The gospel will connect with culture although not in ways that are expected but in ways that are subversive.
Lest we think that if we are Christians, then we have done the work of believing and nothing else is required, let us remember we are always to apply the gospel of the kingdom to our own lives and continually be adjusting our lives to conform more to the image ofChrist. We are not to compartmentalise our lives (some parts of our lives are worldly and other parts are of the kingdom) but bring every thought captive under the rule of Christ. We are to see that the Lord Jesus fulfils our every longing no matter how deep it is.
Strange, D. (2019). Plugged in. The Good Book Company. Pages 100-101
Bigvai and Shiphrah 