"I am of Paul"

I Corinthians 1:12-19 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

K and I were asked at a potluck one Sunday afternoon, "And when did you come to the reformed faith?" We've heard that question a lot, and it bothers us every time we hear it, not least of all because, although we have attended "reformed" churches, we do not consider ourselves reformed. In fact, this passage in Corinthians seems to indicate that it is wrong to bear the label "reformed" distinctly from being identified with Christ, as though there were some "wisdom of the wise" in being called reformed.

I've heard the argument, "But when I say that, people know the lines along which I think. It says so much about what I believe. It's just shorthand for a belief system." But Christ doesn't call us to a belief system. He calls us to himself. After all, was Calvin crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of the Westminster Confession?

The Greeks seek after "wisdom," but "the foolishness of God is wiser than men. . ." Does it seem like foolishness not to have all of your beliefs spelled out in a list? Does it seem like foolishness to have them all "jumbled up" in one book, interlaced and inseperable from each other? That is God's wisdom.