Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 9

We should be drawing this study to a close this week. I hope you have enjoyed this look at 1 Corinthians 1 and 2. I can only say it was one of those Holy Spirit directed studies that I had not been intending to do. You must understand, what I put on the blog is most often things I am learning and/or struggling with. I hope I can always bring you the same clarity and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives me when revealing truth in His word.

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“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— I Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

Last week we looked specifically at verse 13 diving into the concept that it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us and who gives us God’s wisdom. Paul’s teaching came, not from human wisdom, but from the wisdom taught to him by the Spirit of God. The same is true in our own lives as we grow closer to God and learn to listen to His Spirit with open ears. We looked specifically at 1 John 2:27 which reminds us that when we have His anointing, or the Holy Spirit we have no need of other teaching or wisdom. God’s wisdom is all we need. I also made a note that we must have His discernment to make sure that what we are saying is of the Spirit actually is His Spirit and not the spirit of the world. Remember, the spirit of the world is not for God.

Let’s start looking at verses 14 - 15.

14 - But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

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I think this verse is pertinent to what is happening in the world as we look around at the violence, hatred, and sin that permeates all cultures. In our own country we have seen a definite uptick in violence as a way to respond to ideas, people, religion and beliefs that are not liked or agreed with. This is the response of the natural man. Our sin nature wants what it wants and it looks at the things of God as ridiculous.

Even as believers we find ourselves regularly battling against this old nature and fighting to turn to Jesus and His truth rather than give in to our baser sin nature. The difference is, we have God’s Spirit gently reminding us how much God loves us, what He did for us and why His wisdom is always better than the world’s.

Why does the natural man think God’s teaching and wisdom is foolish, after all, didn’t God create man in His image? Shouldn’t that give man His wisdom? Unfortunately, this is what Satan tempted Adam and Eve with in the Garden. See Genesis 3. There were two things going on in the Garden. The first, the Serpent, or Satan, was intent on causing God’s beautiful creation to crash and burn. The second, Adam and Eve made a choice to not trust God. If instead of listening to the Serpent they would have ran to God and asked Him what to do, they would not have made that same choice. God’s wisdom, would have given them the understanding to know what Satan was plotting.

Sin is what took away the ability to know and understand God’s wisdom. What God intended to be the norm, a regular, intimate, relationship with Him, became obscured by the veil of sin. It is only by giving our lives to Him in an intentional choice to trust Him, that we receive the Helper and the ability to know God and understand His teaching and wisdom.

“12 Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
13 and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

— 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 (NASB 1995)

What we see in our country right now is the spirit of the natural man fighting against what they see as the foolishness of God, because they can’t understand it. Why does this surprise us? God has always had a better way, but He allowed mankind to make their own choices and He still does, even to the point of violence and persecution.

“5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

— John 1:5 (NASB 1995)

15 - But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.

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Seeing that our Creator is a spiritual being, and when we are in Him we are also spiritual beings, we are able to appraise, or to use a more unfavorable word, judge, all things. (I thought that chicken looked pretty judgmental to me. what do you think? Ha, ha.) What does this mean? In simple language it means that we are able to look at everything around us and discern what is actually happening. For instance, the things that are happening in our country are looked at political and idealogical differences, but one who has the Spirit of God, knows there is a spiritual element to these things. Of course if we speak that, we are seen as even more ridiculous and unaware. What is most concerning to me is the disparity in the church. We know it is okay to have differences of opinion, but when that turns into anger, and anger turns into hate, then as people with God’s Spirit we need to step back and recognize the spiritual side of things.

With regard to the second half of that verse, we are appraised by no one. In other words, people can judge us on the outside. If I commit a crime I will go to court and be sentenced, but only God judges our eternal soul. Only He knows where we are at spiritually. That, to me, is why it is important to get to know people and have dialogue with people. We may find we have a lot more in common than we do differences.

16a - For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him?

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There is not one person on this planet that knows the mind of the Lord to the extent that he is able to instruct Him. God doesn’t have to be teachable. He knows everything. The theological word for this characteristic is omniscient. It is not just knowing things like 2+2=4, or that all matter is made up of atoms, and all the other billions of bytes of data in the world. Omniscience includes an awareness, understanding and insight. God doesn’t just know stuff, He knows us. Isn’t that mind bending? Read through Psalm 139. God knows our thoughts, when we lay down, when we rise, where we go, what we are going to say, and the very condition of our heart. He knows every child ever used in the sex trade. He knows every tumor rooting itself in a human’s body. He knows where your lost cat is. He knows the pain you carry deep beneath your smiling exterior.

To the natural man, this doesn’t make sense. In fact, it may be the case they don’t want it to make sense. Knowing that there is a being who knows your every thought, your every pain, your every dark sin is too much. The crazy part is, He knows all that and still He loves us. He loves you, and He wants you, every single bit…the good, the bad, and the dark ugly.

16b - But we have the mind of Christ.

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Perhaps it is because I have the mind of Christ that as I have been typing this I want to fall to my knees and cry. Not only to shed tears for so many who are hurting, angry, and lost, but for my own wretched soul. He has done it all. He has provided a way when there was no way. He provided a light in the darkness, a path through rocky mountain slopes; food for my peckish soul and water for my dried up heart. He has done it all, and I have nothing to boast about, except in Him.

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 8

I have been doing a series that looks more in depth at the first couple of chapters of 1 Corinthians. You can see each of the previous parts in this series by clicking on the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7. Today we are going to dive deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

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“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

Let’s get a running start at the next few verses.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

If you read through last week’s post you know that when we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior we do not receive the spirit of the world, which has to do with the mindset of the world, a mindset that is against God and all He wants us to know. We receive the Spirit who is from God, or the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit as a help so that we might know the things of God which are freely given to us.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us understanding of God’s mind and ways. He gives us understanding of the Words of God in the Holy Scriptures, and He enables us to have God’s wisdom in all situations.

…which things we also speak…

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Paul was referring to himself and the preaching, teaching and letter writing he was doing for the churches

…not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit…

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Paul, is one of the most famous of the apostles, whose own testimony tells of him persecuting the Christian church with a fervor that included having many believers imprisoned and killed. On the road to Damascus Jesus appeared to him (at the time Saul) in a bright, blinding light and questioned, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (See Acts 9.) Saul became Paul and became a major contributor to the spread of the Gospel.

This same Paul was not teaching or preaching words that came from his own human wisdom, but words taught to him by the Holy Spirit. While he was alive at the time of many of the disciples, he was not one of the twelve that originally lived and walked with Jesus. His learning was not first hand, but through the work of the Holy Spirit, just as ours is.

I love this, especially when I feel utterly stupid in my Christian faith. Obviously, I know lots of things, just as Paul did, but my book learning is not what drives me to write these posts. I do it as a ministry of the Holy Spirit to encourage anyone in their Christian walk. Believe me, I have had numerous moments where I have been ready to give it all up, but it is then that I get that little prodding in the back of my mind. Even if only one person benefits there is a ripple affect with a single drop of water.

…combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words

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“27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

— I John 2:27 (NASB 1995)

I came across this verse in 1 John some months ago and and it keeps coming back around to me. It talks about our anointing which we received from Him and abides in us. This anointing is not something special that only comes to those who are prayed over for the ministry. His anointing is the living, breathing, Holy Spirit inside of us when we accept Christ.

As we see with Paul, and I would say even someone like Charlie Kirk, they did not need a theology degree to speak, preach or teach. They got their words, responses, messages from the Holy Spirit who dwelled inside of them. This verse clearly tells us that we have no need for anyone to teach us because the Holy Spirit teaches us about all things and He is true and not a lie.

Now, do we need to be careful to not take this out of context and start spouting off anything that comes to mind? Yes! But do we need to hide the light of Christ under a bushel because we are not “educated” and might not know what to say? No!! We are meant to be the light of Christ in a dark world, and can be confident engaging people in conversations about Christ because His Holy Spirit lives in us.

I will add to this idea next time as we finish off this chapter.

Have a great week and remember you are anointed by God and have the Holy Spirit in you. Abide in Him and shine His light!

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About: Part 7

We have been looking at verses from I Corinthians 1 and 2. We have learned that the cross of Christ, born of God’s wisdom for a sinful world, is seen as foolishness to the very humanity it is able to save. We have also learned that God does not think as we think. He uses the very things we see as foolish and ridiculous to save the lost and confound the wisest individuals. In addition we have discovered God’s intention in choosing the foolish and weak things of the world was to remind us that without him we are nothing. We were created to be a reflection of His glory and every one of us bears His image.

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Last time, we began learning about the Holy Spirit’s part in our lives and in the work of revelation of God’s truth. Paul, himself, who determined to “know nothing…except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” recognized it was the Holy Spirit and His power that gave his preaching the desired outcome of people coming to know Jesus. We also learned it is God, through the Spirit, who reveals His truth to us, for it is His Spirit that searches and knows the very depths of God.

“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

I want to take a closer look at the next two verses in this passage.

For who among men knows the thoughts of man except the spirit of the man which is in him?

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There are individuals who claim to be able to read our minds. They may have some sort of ability, but it is most likely they are extremely intuitive and can read people through their actions, words, body language and facial expressions. The point of the above question is that no one can truly know what is inside of us except our own spirit, or our own being.

Today it seems that many people do not even have that knowledge or understanding. People read books, listen to podcasts, go to psychiatrists, psychologists and others to help them understand themselves and even decipher what they are thinking. It seems to me, the further we have grown in the areas of knowledge and understanding the less we really know. Knowing these limitations is there any doubt that we cannot fully know or understand the Holy God?

Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

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God is so far beyond our ability to truly understand, and our earthly wisdom, as we have seen already, is foolishness when it comes to knowing Him. However, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, this same one who becomes part of us when we give our lives to Christ, He knows the thoughts of God.

You see, the Holy Spirit is not just the after thought of the God head when Jesus knew his ascension was soon to take place. The Holy Spirit is a living and active part of the trinity.

He was there at the beginning:

“1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”

— Genesis 1:1-2 (NASB 1995)

He was involved in human industry:

“1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. ”

— Exodus 31:1-5 (NASB 1995)

He was involved in governance:

“16 The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.
17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone. ”

— Numbers 11:16-17 (NASB 1995)

See also the book of Judges as well as I Samuel 16:13.

The Holy Spirit was also regularly involved in prophecy, coming on whomever the Lord willed and speaking through them to those who needed to hear the prophetic word. This third person of the Triune God has been busy from the beginning of our world, and it is He who knows the thoughts of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God…

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Note there is a difference between the spirit of the world, and the Spirit from God. The spirit of the world is not seen as a proper noun, and it has to do with the mindset and attitude prevalent in the world. This mindset is anti-God, and moves to create a culture that is only set on serving itself.

On the other hand, the Spirit of God is completely in tune with the Father and the Son. He moves with them, agrees with them and is in complete communion with them. Jesus told us we would receive this helper. This Holy Being is the one we receive when we give our hearts and lives to Jesus. Isn’t that just mind blowing?

“26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

— John 14:26 (NASB 1995)

Why did the the triune God head make this choice to send this helper?

…so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.

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We would be in error to say God does not love us, care for us, or want to be intimate with us. He gave us One who knows Him. He gave us a part of Himself; a part that knows His very depths. Without this amazing helper we cannot know God. No matter how much head knowledge a person develops over time; no matter how much historical date a person can dredge up, there is only one way to truly know God, and that is by believing in the work of Jesus Christ and by receiving the Holy Spirit.

We will look a bit more at this work of the Holy Spirit in our lives next time. Until then, keep fanning the flame!

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 6

We have spent the last few posts looking at 1 Corinthians 2:1-9. Today I would like to start mulling over verses 10-16. We won’t get through all the verses today, but I’ve included the rest of the passage for you to read. I’m also including a fall picture for you to enjoy. I’d like to be driving through there right now! :)

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“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

Let’s start dissecting this passage.

For to us God revealed them…

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First let’s understand that it is God who should be revealing things to us, not some other entity. We live in a world where information is instantaneous. Type into Google any question you have, or anything you want to research and within seconds you have lists of sites where you can learn all sorts of things. We now even have AI ChatGPT to come along side and teach us how and why we should commit suicide. Such tragedies are not of God, and are precisely why we still need God and His revealed truth.

What exactly is God revealing to us? Who are the “them” referred to in this verse? Them is looking back at verse 9. Them refers to: “Things which the eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” In other words God reveals His truth to us through His word. How does this happen?

…through His Spirit;

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This revelation comes about through the Holy Spirit. Paul testified of this divine revelation in his own life.

“11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

— Galatians 1:11-12 (NASB 1995)

As you may know, the Holy Spirit was given to us to be our companion, helper, revealer of God’s truth, and our very own prayer warrior.

“16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

— John 14:16-18 (NASB 1995)

“25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. ”

— John 14:25-26 (NASB 1995)

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The Holy Spirit is vital in our relationship with the Creator. Just as Jesus had a role, that of the Savior of the world, the Holy Spirit has a role in the triune God-head. He is the presence of Jesus in our lives. He is the One who binds us to God the Father. He also dwells in us, daily guiding, and helping us as we battle the flesh, and as we scramble to remember what we have been taught from God’s word. Not only does He help us remember, He also helps us to live it out.

Over the last few years of dealing with illness on the regular and just the normal struggles of an aging body, I have learned over and over that there is very little I do in this relationship with the Holy One, other than bend my knees in humility and prayer. He does everything else. He provides energy when I have none. He helps me to remember my value in God, when I question it over and over again. He establishes me in Christ, in a way that no teaching, exercise, or activity can. He even gives life. (See the examples of Elizabeth and Mary in the Gospel of Luke chapter 1). And as I have taught about before, He prays for us. (See my take on Romans 8:26-27.) It is a fun study to explore the many works and facets of the Holy Spirit throughout Scripture.

…for the Spirit searches all things even the depths of God.

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I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to cry. The fact that this Spirit, who lives inside of me searches all things, even the depths of God makes me realize, there is no thing and no one in this world that knows me better than God. There is no drug, no activity, no teaching, and no internet search that is going to reveal more than the Holy Spirit. He is the conduit through which we have full access to the Kingdom of God the Father.

God forgive me, for not giving the Holy Spirt His due, and God forgive others who limit Him to the mere center of an emotional experience. The Holy Spirit works in perfect synchronization with the Father and the Son to give us complete understanding of His truth, and complete redemption and forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus.

Hallelujah! What an awesome God we serve!

Next time we will delve deeper into how His Spirit works in our lives. Have a great, Spirit filled week!

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 4

After a few more busy weeks we are at the end of our summer hiatus and schools are back in session. My spouse, who is a college professor, is back in the classroom next week. I wanted to return to the verses we had been looking at in 1 Corinthians. You can see the first three parts: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 by clicking on the links.

“1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.””

— 1 Corinthians 2:1-9 (NASB 1995)

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Last time we looked at the first two verses and we emphasized two important points: 1 - Paul determined, and 2 - to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. We looked at the disparity of a social gospel built only on the foundation of love and good works, and the true gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection. Make no mistake we are responsible to love and to do good works, especially to those who are less fortunate (see Matthew 25:31-46), for without the good works we are merely a clanging cymbal or a ringing bell in a symphony of humanity. Part of what makes Christianity different is the example Christ set of loving others, but not just that. The true difference lies in His death on a cross, and His ability to walk out of the grave. This is the power that gives us the ability to love the unlovely, and help the helpless.

Paul continues his letter by reminding them - I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. This was a reference to himself, and not to the people he was with. Paul was not an entertainer. Even though he was learned in the teachings and ways of the Torah and his own people, it is possible he felt “less than” among the intellectuals in Corinth. Orators of that time period were expected to wow the crowd, and this was not Paul’s gift. He simply preached the truth of the gospel. Paul continues this line of thought.

…and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…

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How often do we pine for the notoriety and visibility of being someone important? I grew up in an era where every young person wanted a guitar or a set of drums so they could become the next great rock and roll sensation; myself included. Now we live in a world saturated with images, and videos of people being “important” in what they say, how they dress, what they do, how they identify, and all of it being based on how many views, thumbs up or hits they get on their social media posts. We have people like Taylor Swift who started out by sharing her music on YouTube and now she is “…a cultural icon of the 21st century. She is the highest-grossing live music artist, the wealthiest female musician, and one of the best selling music- artists of all time.” (Wikipedia) How many will long to follow in her footsteps, but will never make it past the borders of the small town they grew up in?         

We now hear speakers in seminars, podcasts and talk shows discussing the art of persuasion. Being able to persuade seems to be important enough that it must be taught and discussed like ancient history or English grammar. Why are we so anxious to persuade? Because we want, not just recognition, but community in our ideologies and thoughts. We want people to agree with us, and join us in turning others to our side and our way of thinking.

Paul recognized the work of the Spirit was beyond a seminar on the art of persuasion. It was a supernatural affair. Any effect he had as an apostle he attributes to the work of the Holy Spirit. People coming to Jesus when he spoke were a demonstration of Spirit and the power. What power? God’s power?

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.””

— Acts 1:8 (NASB 1995)

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Do a quick walk through of the book of Acts and you will see numerous places where the Holy Spirit moved, and saved, and worked. His power filled the disciples and helped the fledgling churches to grow into a world wide movement that today still holds the power of God.

Once again we are reminded that we have nothing to boast about when Paul says, “so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” God intended from the beginning that the foolish things would overcome the wise and the weak would overcome the strong.

Until next time, keep walking in His strength and in His Spirit!

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 3

This second chapter of 1 Corinthians seems a perfect continuation of the verses we looked at previously in Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 1, and Nothing to Boast About - Part 2.

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“1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.””

— I Corinthians 2:1-9 (NASB 1995)

Paul continues his discourse on the wisdom of God versus the foolishness of man by stating that when he came to the church at Corinth he did not preach by his own ability, but by the ability God gave him.

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.”

If anyone could have boasted in his own abilities it was Paul. Born a Hebrew, he was raised in the prosperous city of Tarsus, a center for trade on the Mediterranean coast, a city which also housed a well known school.

Image by sebastiano iervolino from Pixabay

“4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

— Philippians 3:4-6 (NASB 1995)

“6 But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!””

— Acts 23:6 (NASB 1995)

Paul referred to his upbringing not to boast in his abilities, but to appeal to the audience he was talking to. He always made clear that his abilities to teach and preach were from God .

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

This stands out to me for two reasons. First, Paul determined. This word does not give us a feeling of being wishy washy. It shows us the apostle was firmly resolved. It is convicting to me, because when I ask myself what am I firmly resolved or determined about, I realize in this chaotic world we are living in I have become more uncertain, unsure and even doubtful about many things, even my relationship with Christ. Yes, there are things I am sure of: my salvation, the Bible, God’s good character and so on. Perhaps, like Paul I need to focus on the main thing.

Image by DetBe from Pixabay

Second, what was Paul determined to know? Nothing…except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Why is this so important? Isn’t it more important to preach and teach love? After all Christ loves us and desires that we all be in heaven with Him. This is where I am beginning to see disparity in the church. If we do not preach the reason Christ came, and had to be crucified, all the love in the world will not fix all that is wrong with it. Christ came because we are sinners. Not one of us is good enough to earn our way into heaven, no matter how much love we show. And the truth is, if I only preach the love of God, then I do not really love. We have to talk about the darkness, the disobedience, and the distance between us and Him.

Remember these verses? Jesus said of Himself:

“6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

— John 14:6 (NASB 1995)

“5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

— John 15:5-6 (NASB 1995)

“23 He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
25 But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”

— John 15:23-25 (NASB 1995)

“18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death,”

— Matthew 20:18 (NASB 1995)

“31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

— Mark 8:31 (NASB 1995)

These are just a few of many verses in the Gospels where Christ talks about His purpose, which was to be obedient to the Father, and die on a cross for sinful humanity.

Does the Bible talk about God’s love? Of course it does. One of the most famous verses many of us memorized as youngsters in church follows:

“16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

— John 3:16 (NASB 1995)

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

However, even this verse talks about God’s love in the context of our need, and our sin. Why would we perish if we were perfect? Why would we need God if love was the answer to all our problems? Love is the answer, but it is God’s love; God’s pure, perfect, and holy love.

I would like to let these first two verses of this second chapter of 1 Corinthians sink in for the next week. Do you think we need to be more determined like Paul? If so, what are we to be determined about? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment or two below.

Until next week, have a great weekend!