First Letter to the Corinthians -- Chapter 1
In the 1st century A.D. the Greek city of Corinth was very affluent, wealthy, learned, and sophisticated by the world’s standards. It follows that this worldly “success” created a fertile breeding ground for self-importance, pride, sexual immorality, greed, lusts of all kinds, and any other vice that the mind can conjure up. Matthew Henry wrote about Corinth, “It was in a particular manner noted for fornication, insomuch that a Corinthian woman was a proverbial phrase for a strumpet, and korinthiazein, korinthiasesthai—to play the Corinthian, is to play the whore, or indulge whorish inclinations.” It is within this context that we need to read Paul’s words addressed to the Corinthians while also realizing that Paul specifically intended his letter for all Christians: “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:1-3). Besides Paul’s intention for this letter to be not only for the church at Corinth but for all believers, we also see Paul reiterating his call from the Lord to be Christ’s ambassador and Apostle. This call is important to reiterate because it reestablishes his authority to speak the Word of the Lord.
Paul continues on: “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you” (1 Corinthians 1:4-6). It is important for us to notice Paul’s deliberate use of the phrases “in Christ Jesus” and “in Him.” These phrases are meant to illustrate that everything good in our lives is a result of being “in Christ.” We must never think that we have anything good apart from Christ; it is only “in Him” that we have life, grace, forgiveness, peace, joy, love, and truth. “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). Apart from Christ we are nothing, can do nothing, and amount to nothing. It is for this reason that Paul is clear to emphasize that the grace of our lives comes “in Christ.”
As he continues on Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians gives us a clue as to what their spiritual shortcomings were and what counseling they needed from him: “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:7-9). Why is Paul telling the Corinthians that they do not lack any spiritual gift? How would Paul know this? What is Paul telling them thru this statement? From this statement of Paul’s we can implicitly see that the people at Corinth were looking for “something more” and that he is going to tackle this misconception throughout his letter. In reality this is no different than so many of us today, so we should all listen attentively to what Paul is telling us thru this. Paul is imploring the Corinthians to see that because they have Jesus Christ crucified that they have everything they could ever need or want; they are lacking no spiritual gift despite what they may think. Paul doesn’t even need to be there with them to know that they lack nothing. Why? Because he knows they have Christ. If you have Christ then there is nothing lacking whatsoever, if you have Christ you literally have it all. Thru Jesus Christ God is faithful so we must never let any doubts that are rooted in experience, feelings, circumstances, or emotions get a foothold in our life. The church at Corinth however did not seem to be content with “just” Christ and were looking for something more to make them “sure” and “convinced,” and therefore Paul urges them to realize that they already have it all in Christ Jesus. He urges them to remember that it depends not on themselves but on God who is faithful.
Paul proceeds: “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Corinthians 1:10). In these words Paul implores us to unity in Christ. He strongly desires that no unnecessary factions exist amongst the believers so that their service and work might move forward as one. What sort of divisions and factions is Paul referring to? Moving on we get a glimpse: “My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ’” (1 Corinthians 1:11-12). In these words we see the root of the divisions amongst the Corinthians and the unity that Paul desires. The people of Corinth had fractured themselves around different men and leaders, thinking that somehow their outward leader determined their unity; they wrongly had moved away from following Christ and transitioned towards dividing themselves around fallen, sinful men (Paul, Apollos, Cephas [Peter], or whomever). Therefore we see that the unity that Paul desires for them is not thru having the same “pastor” or “spiritual leader,” but thru Jesus Christ and a united confession of faith. “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:13-14). As always, Paul points to Christ and away from himself and other men by posing some important and pointed questions. He essentially asks: Who is the foundation of your faith? Who is the One who did everything on your behalf? Who is the one who died for your sins? Who is the one who has covered and forgiven you in your Baptism? The answer is without a doubt, Jesus Christ. Even though this was clear, the people of Corinth were somehow putting their loyalty and trust into their teachers and not into the cross.
For this reason Paul continues on and says: “I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Corinthians 1:15-17). Because Paul wanted the church at Corinth to see that Baptism was God’s work and not any work of man, he tells them that he is very thankful that he only baptized a few of them. Baptism is not dependent on who does it; having Paul baptize you is no different than any other person, because what matters is the Word and promise of God for the sake of Jesus Christ. It is for this reason that Jesus Christ Himself did not baptize (that is physically submerge the person or pour the water onto them) while He was here on earth, for He did not want men to think that the hands that apply the water made any difference. “The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples” (John 4:1-2). Christ wanted men to cling to the promise of God, not to the human hands who just so happened to carry out the act. Paul also desired the same thing, and because he saw how his standing as the called and chosen Apostle of Jesus Christ made for a huge temptation for men, he was thankful that he had baptized very few with his own hands. Following up on his point from before, Paul wants us to see that we were baptized “in Christ Jesus” and not in Paul’s name. The beauty of Baptism is that thru it God puts us “in Christ Jesus”; and therefore it is to this promise that we cling. “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Paul wants us to look to the Word and cross of Christ and not to the men who preach the message, pour the water, or teach in our churches; they are important servants of the Word, but they must never become the focus. It is not the work of man but the work of God thru the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord that has saved us and brought us all the grace in our lives. “We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:5-7).
After having pointed us away from the work of men and toward the gospel and promise of Jesus Christ, Paul continues on by discussing the message he was given to proclaim. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate’” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19). In these words Paul proclaims one of the most important truths of the Scriptures: the message of the cross does not make sense to fallen, sinful, natural man. The message of the cross is certainly the power of God to save us, but to the reason of man it is absolute foolishness. In this bold declaration Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah and it is well worth our time to look at the context of Isaiah’s statement: “For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say to him, ‘Read this, please,’ he will answer, ‘I can't; it is sealed.’ Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, ‘Read this, please,’ he will answer, ‘I don't know how to read.’ The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish’” (Isaiah 29:13-14). What on earth is Isaiah saying here? Isaiah is speaking about the truth of the Scriptures and the message that they contain. The entire purpose of the Scriptures from first to last is to point to Jesus Christ: “These are the Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). However, to fallen man the words of the Scriptures are nothing but another set of human words sealed in a scroll. This means that those who use only their human faculties to study the Scriptures will read the words but will in fact get nothing out of it. No amount of wisdom, reason, or intelligence can unseal the Word of God; only Jesus Christ can unseal the Word of God for He is “the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (Revelation 3:7). It is for this reason that the Lord goes on in Isaiah to say that all the efforts of man are worthless before Him; though we say we love Him, we do not, though we act like we worship Him, we do not. It is in this helplessness of our own reason, wisdom, and intelligence that God graciously chooses to astound us with wonder upon wonder. This wonder is Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins. Men say that the gun is the “great equalizer” because of its ability to level the playing field between people in battle. However the true great equalizer is the cross of Jesus Christ. Foreshadowing the cross to come the Lord says: “I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron” (Isaiah 45:2). Before the cross all things are brought low and are leveled. No amount of human wisdom, intelligence, reason, will, determination, or ability counts for anything before the cross of Jesus Christ. All men are equal before the cross; all men are brought to nothing before the cross.
In light of this Paul continues on with some questions for us to think on: “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20). Paul is ultimately asking: What has all the great achievements of this world gotten us? What has the best work of our hands truly done for us? Have all the great advances of technology and philosophy gotten us to a better, happier, more fulfilled place? Do not even our greatest efforts end up hurting us with their side-effects and unforeseen consequences? Have we really gotten ourselves anything more than greater chaos and pain? Have we truly found God with all our vain striving? Have we pleased Him even a little bit with all our best efforts? The answer to all this is a resounding “no.” The honest observer will clearly see that all the great efforts of man have ultimately done nothing for the true human condition and state. In light of this God Himself stepped in: “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous 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” (1 Corinthians 1:21-24). Because our wisdom got us nowhere it pleased God to save us thru what seems to be foolishness to our sinful nature. To the Jews the message of the cross is a stumbling block because it comes thru grace and not by works, and also because Jesus Christ came shrouded in weakness and not full of power like the King David they presumptuously expected. Matthew Henry wrote: “[The Jews] had a conceit that their expected Messiah was to be a great temporal prince, and therefore would never own one who made so mean an appearance in life, and died so accursed a death, for their deliverer and king. They despised him, and looked upon him as execrable, because he was hanged on a tree, and because he did not gratify them with a sign to their mind, though his divine power shone out in innumerable miracles.” To the Gentiles however the message of the cross is just plain foolishness because it makes no sense to our reason and it cannot be grasped and proved with science, our pride and vanity wants nothing to do with this “ridiculous” and “backwards” seeming message. Matthew Henry wrote: “[The Gentiles] laughed at the story of a crucified Savior, and despised the apostles’ way of telling it. They sought for wisdom. They were men of wit and reading, men that had cultivated arts and sciences, and had, for some ages, been in a manner the very mint of knowledge and learning. There was nothing in the plain doctrine of the cross to suit their taste, nor humor their vanity, nor gratify a curious and wrangling temper: they entertained it therefore with scorn and contempt. What, hope to be saved by one that could not save himself! And trust in one who was condemned and crucified as a malefactor, a man of mean birth and poor condition in life, and cut off by so vile and opprobrious a death! This was what the pride of human reason and learning could not relish.”
In the face of both Jew and Gentile stumbling over the message of the cross Paul goes on to note, “the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25). Paul is certainly not saying that God is foolish or weak, but he is simply saying “God is God, and His ways are far above and beyond our best and most noble efforts and understanding.” “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Even the greatest efforts of man amount to nothing in the face of God’s smallest work. Martin Luther wrote: “I know that all spirits and scholars together are not as wise as is the Divine Majesty in His little finger.” Realizing this Paul implores us to look at what we were before we were called: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). The most important part of this verse for us to meditate on is Paul’s declaration that God chose “the things that are not.” This is a direct echo of Paul’s statement to the church at Rome: “The God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). God calls us who were worthless, worthy in Christ. God calls us who were unrighteous, righteous in Christ. God calls us who were evil, good in Christ. God calls us who were condemned, justified in Christ. God calls us who were dead, alive in Christ. God calls us who were His enemies, children in Christ. God has made us who were nothing, something in Christ Jesus so that we might see His grace and mercy and be unable to boast before Him.
Because we were nothing we know that God deserves all glory, credit, and praise for having saved us from first to last, 100% on His own. We did nothing and could do nothing to put ourselves in God’s favor, so God did it Himself in the cross of Jesus Christ! “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). We therefore dare not think or dream that we somehow deserve the credit for being in Jesus Christ. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). God alone is the reason we are in Jesus Christ and it is not the result of any futile decision, choice, act, willing, seeking, works, obedience, or desiring of our own. We should therefore rejoice and be eternally thankful that we have a God who is kind and compassionate beyond all measure and compare! “Praise Yahweh, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…Yahweh is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:2-4, 8, 10-12).
Paul continues on: “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you” (1 Corinthians 1:4-6). It is important for us to notice Paul’s deliberate use of the phrases “in Christ Jesus” and “in Him.” These phrases are meant to illustrate that everything good in our lives is a result of being “in Christ.” We must never think that we have anything good apart from Christ; it is only “in Him” that we have life, grace, forgiveness, peace, joy, love, and truth. “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). Apart from Christ we are nothing, can do nothing, and amount to nothing. It is for this reason that Paul is clear to emphasize that the grace of our lives comes “in Christ.”
As he continues on Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians gives us a clue as to what their spiritual shortcomings were and what counseling they needed from him: “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:7-9). Why is Paul telling the Corinthians that they do not lack any spiritual gift? How would Paul know this? What is Paul telling them thru this statement? From this statement of Paul’s we can implicitly see that the people at Corinth were looking for “something more” and that he is going to tackle this misconception throughout his letter. In reality this is no different than so many of us today, so we should all listen attentively to what Paul is telling us thru this. Paul is imploring the Corinthians to see that because they have Jesus Christ crucified that they have everything they could ever need or want; they are lacking no spiritual gift despite what they may think. Paul doesn’t even need to be there with them to know that they lack nothing. Why? Because he knows they have Christ. If you have Christ then there is nothing lacking whatsoever, if you have Christ you literally have it all. Thru Jesus Christ God is faithful so we must never let any doubts that are rooted in experience, feelings, circumstances, or emotions get a foothold in our life. The church at Corinth however did not seem to be content with “just” Christ and were looking for something more to make them “sure” and “convinced,” and therefore Paul urges them to realize that they already have it all in Christ Jesus. He urges them to remember that it depends not on themselves but on God who is faithful.
Paul proceeds: “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Corinthians 1:10). In these words Paul implores us to unity in Christ. He strongly desires that no unnecessary factions exist amongst the believers so that their service and work might move forward as one. What sort of divisions and factions is Paul referring to? Moving on we get a glimpse: “My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ’” (1 Corinthians 1:11-12). In these words we see the root of the divisions amongst the Corinthians and the unity that Paul desires. The people of Corinth had fractured themselves around different men and leaders, thinking that somehow their outward leader determined their unity; they wrongly had moved away from following Christ and transitioned towards dividing themselves around fallen, sinful men (Paul, Apollos, Cephas [Peter], or whomever). Therefore we see that the unity that Paul desires for them is not thru having the same “pastor” or “spiritual leader,” but thru Jesus Christ and a united confession of faith. “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:13-14). As always, Paul points to Christ and away from himself and other men by posing some important and pointed questions. He essentially asks: Who is the foundation of your faith? Who is the One who did everything on your behalf? Who is the one who died for your sins? Who is the one who has covered and forgiven you in your Baptism? The answer is without a doubt, Jesus Christ. Even though this was clear, the people of Corinth were somehow putting their loyalty and trust into their teachers and not into the cross.
For this reason Paul continues on and says: “I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Corinthians 1:15-17). Because Paul wanted the church at Corinth to see that Baptism was God’s work and not any work of man, he tells them that he is very thankful that he only baptized a few of them. Baptism is not dependent on who does it; having Paul baptize you is no different than any other person, because what matters is the Word and promise of God for the sake of Jesus Christ. It is for this reason that Jesus Christ Himself did not baptize (that is physically submerge the person or pour the water onto them) while He was here on earth, for He did not want men to think that the hands that apply the water made any difference. “The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples” (John 4:1-2). Christ wanted men to cling to the promise of God, not to the human hands who just so happened to carry out the act. Paul also desired the same thing, and because he saw how his standing as the called and chosen Apostle of Jesus Christ made for a huge temptation for men, he was thankful that he had baptized very few with his own hands. Following up on his point from before, Paul wants us to see that we were baptized “in Christ Jesus” and not in Paul’s name. The beauty of Baptism is that thru it God puts us “in Christ Jesus”; and therefore it is to this promise that we cling. “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Paul wants us to look to the Word and cross of Christ and not to the men who preach the message, pour the water, or teach in our churches; they are important servants of the Word, but they must never become the focus. It is not the work of man but the work of God thru the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord that has saved us and brought us all the grace in our lives. “We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:5-7).
After having pointed us away from the work of men and toward the gospel and promise of Jesus Christ, Paul continues on by discussing the message he was given to proclaim. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate’” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19). In these words Paul proclaims one of the most important truths of the Scriptures: the message of the cross does not make sense to fallen, sinful, natural man. The message of the cross is certainly the power of God to save us, but to the reason of man it is absolute foolishness. In this bold declaration Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah and it is well worth our time to look at the context of Isaiah’s statement: “For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say to him, ‘Read this, please,’ he will answer, ‘I can't; it is sealed.’ Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, ‘Read this, please,’ he will answer, ‘I don't know how to read.’ The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish’” (Isaiah 29:13-14). What on earth is Isaiah saying here? Isaiah is speaking about the truth of the Scriptures and the message that they contain. The entire purpose of the Scriptures from first to last is to point to Jesus Christ: “These are the Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). However, to fallen man the words of the Scriptures are nothing but another set of human words sealed in a scroll. This means that those who use only their human faculties to study the Scriptures will read the words but will in fact get nothing out of it. No amount of wisdom, reason, or intelligence can unseal the Word of God; only Jesus Christ can unseal the Word of God for He is “the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open” (Revelation 3:7). It is for this reason that the Lord goes on in Isaiah to say that all the efforts of man are worthless before Him; though we say we love Him, we do not, though we act like we worship Him, we do not. It is in this helplessness of our own reason, wisdom, and intelligence that God graciously chooses to astound us with wonder upon wonder. This wonder is Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins. Men say that the gun is the “great equalizer” because of its ability to level the playing field between people in battle. However the true great equalizer is the cross of Jesus Christ. Foreshadowing the cross to come the Lord says: “I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron” (Isaiah 45:2). Before the cross all things are brought low and are leveled. No amount of human wisdom, intelligence, reason, will, determination, or ability counts for anything before the cross of Jesus Christ. All men are equal before the cross; all men are brought to nothing before the cross.
In light of this Paul continues on with some questions for us to think on: “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20). Paul is ultimately asking: What has all the great achievements of this world gotten us? What has the best work of our hands truly done for us? Have all the great advances of technology and philosophy gotten us to a better, happier, more fulfilled place? Do not even our greatest efforts end up hurting us with their side-effects and unforeseen consequences? Have we really gotten ourselves anything more than greater chaos and pain? Have we truly found God with all our vain striving? Have we pleased Him even a little bit with all our best efforts? The answer to all this is a resounding “no.” The honest observer will clearly see that all the great efforts of man have ultimately done nothing for the true human condition and state. In light of this God Himself stepped in: “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous 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” (1 Corinthians 1:21-24). Because our wisdom got us nowhere it pleased God to save us thru what seems to be foolishness to our sinful nature. To the Jews the message of the cross is a stumbling block because it comes thru grace and not by works, and also because Jesus Christ came shrouded in weakness and not full of power like the King David they presumptuously expected. Matthew Henry wrote: “[The Jews] had a conceit that their expected Messiah was to be a great temporal prince, and therefore would never own one who made so mean an appearance in life, and died so accursed a death, for their deliverer and king. They despised him, and looked upon him as execrable, because he was hanged on a tree, and because he did not gratify them with a sign to their mind, though his divine power shone out in innumerable miracles.” To the Gentiles however the message of the cross is just plain foolishness because it makes no sense to our reason and it cannot be grasped and proved with science, our pride and vanity wants nothing to do with this “ridiculous” and “backwards” seeming message. Matthew Henry wrote: “[The Gentiles] laughed at the story of a crucified Savior, and despised the apostles’ way of telling it. They sought for wisdom. They were men of wit and reading, men that had cultivated arts and sciences, and had, for some ages, been in a manner the very mint of knowledge and learning. There was nothing in the plain doctrine of the cross to suit their taste, nor humor their vanity, nor gratify a curious and wrangling temper: they entertained it therefore with scorn and contempt. What, hope to be saved by one that could not save himself! And trust in one who was condemned and crucified as a malefactor, a man of mean birth and poor condition in life, and cut off by so vile and opprobrious a death! This was what the pride of human reason and learning could not relish.”
In the face of both Jew and Gentile stumbling over the message of the cross Paul goes on to note, “the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25). Paul is certainly not saying that God is foolish or weak, but he is simply saying “God is God, and His ways are far above and beyond our best and most noble efforts and understanding.” “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). Even the greatest efforts of man amount to nothing in the face of God’s smallest work. Martin Luther wrote: “I know that all spirits and scholars together are not as wise as is the Divine Majesty in His little finger.” Realizing this Paul implores us to look at what we were before we were called: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). The most important part of this verse for us to meditate on is Paul’s declaration that God chose “the things that are not.” This is a direct echo of Paul’s statement to the church at Rome: “The God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). God calls us who were worthless, worthy in Christ. God calls us who were unrighteous, righteous in Christ. God calls us who were evil, good in Christ. God calls us who were condemned, justified in Christ. God calls us who were dead, alive in Christ. God calls us who were His enemies, children in Christ. God has made us who were nothing, something in Christ Jesus so that we might see His grace and mercy and be unable to boast before Him.
Because we were nothing we know that God deserves all glory, credit, and praise for having saved us from first to last, 100% on His own. We did nothing and could do nothing to put ourselves in God’s favor, so God did it Himself in the cross of Jesus Christ! “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). We therefore dare not think or dream that we somehow deserve the credit for being in Jesus Christ. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). God alone is the reason we are in Jesus Christ and it is not the result of any futile decision, choice, act, willing, seeking, works, obedience, or desiring of our own. We should therefore rejoice and be eternally thankful that we have a God who is kind and compassionate beyond all measure and compare! “Praise Yahweh, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…Yahweh is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:2-4, 8, 10-12).
2 comments:
I'm really excited about going through I Corintians.
I mean CorintHians.
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