LET HIM BECOME A FOOL THAT HE MAY BECOME WISE
"LET NO ONE DECEIVE HIMSELF. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, LET HIM BECOME A FOOL THAT HE MAY BECOME WISE."
1 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)
Comment: The text, the Bible passage, where the topic of this teaching is picked looks like paradox. It says whoever seems to be wise should become a fool in order to become wise.
Whoever wants to prove to be wise in the sight of God, without acknowledging Him, would be made a fool.
Even If you knew what to do, you should still not rely or lean on your own understanding, you should acknowledge God and ask Him what He would want you to do:
5 TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; 6 IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATHS" (Proverbs 3:5,6 NKJV).
You need God's contribution of wisdom in whatever you want to do. A way that seems right to you might be wrong, and It might be a way of death:
"THERE IS A WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT ITS END IS THE WAY OF DEATH" (Proverbs 14:12 NKJV).
Becoming a fool does mean If you did know what to do, you would still go before God to ask Him for directions. It thus means, you are not leaning on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5,6). Someone who did that might look like a fool in sight of carnal believers and the people of the world, but the person is the wisest person. Because, God's foolishness is wiser than Man (1 Corinthians 1:25).
Also, the person might be accused of spiritualizing things they ought not to, that God has given mankind senses, there are things you should use your common sense to do and needed not to bother God about them. But the truth is, God is interested in knowing everything about your life, as a believer in Christ Jesus, even the minutest things. He wanted to have a say-so, a voice or a right of final decision, in the matters of your life. Thus, you needed to carry Him along.
Failure to do this amount to pride, and a prove of self sufficiency, in the sight of God. And a believer's sufficiency should be in God, not in the self (2 Corinthians 3:5).
Becoming a fool is making yourself of no reputation, stripping yourself of whatever glory or honour you might think you have, in order to obey and honour God (Philippians 2:5-11).
Peace.