#1667 1 Corinthians 2 Part 2 Depth Finder

 

10 But 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 depths of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the depths 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 depths graciously given to us by God, 13 of which depths we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual depths with spiritual words.

14 But a natural man does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually examined. 15 But he who is spiritual examines all things, yet he himself is examined by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will direct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2: 10-16 LSB

1 Corinthians 2: 10-16

16For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18And we ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.…

…19We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. 21For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.… 2 Peter 1: 16-21

V. 10 But to us God revealed them through the Spirit - The learned, the rulers, and the uneducated, were all on a level playing field when it came to the vision of the cross. The Jewish elite abhorred the site of it because they trusted in their wealth, the Pharisees in their religious system, the things they had added to the law, their work arounds. Even the less educated fishermen had come to trust in the words of their favorite teachers, the sort of calm that a Roman Catholic gets from trusting in his priest. They found solace in being related to Abraham, in tracing their genealogy, in following some rules. Neither Jew nor Greek would naturally look upon the cross and see it's shear beauty, none would know that here hangs the Lord of Glory, that is God, and salvation. This takes us back to John 3 again; you must be born again. Otherwise you will continue to be disgusted, think yourself not in need because you are a good person, or that only losers die. If He is God you say, then have Him come down from there, better yet, you say, don't even go there, just make my life easy. 

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Archibald Brown - "This text (1 Cor 2:10KJV) is vitally united, you will see, to the verse which precedes it, because this verse begins with 'but,' (ED: NAS = "FOR") and that rivets it to the prior verse — it is the outcome of it — and that prior verse (1 Cor 2:9) has, I suppose, suffered more from misquotation and misapplication than any other verse in inspired writ. (ED: I HAVE TO SAY "AMEN!") You know it well: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.' That text is always handed over to Heaven, and it is read as if it taught that Heaven is such a beautiful, such a glorious place, that really we know nothing whatever about it; that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no heart can imagine, all the beautiful things that are stored up in an at present unseen Heaven.I need hardly say that Heaven was not in the apostle's mind when he penned the words. You will see that so far from teaching that these things are not to be seen or cannot be known, the apostle goes on to say, in the language of our text, which is never quoted (ED: THUS EMPHASIZING THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT FOR ACCURATE INTERPRETATION), 'But God has revealed them.' 1 Cor 2:10KJV) What a pity it is to cry halt and pull up at the end of the ninth verse, and say, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for them that love him,' and not to go on to the next verse, 'But God has revealed them.' The simple teaching of the passage is this: that mere worldly wisdom can never understand spiritual teaching; that there must be a revelation made by God, and that the work of the Holy Spirit is to make clear to men what they never could learn, either through the eye, through the ear, or by the imagination. God has revealed these glories to us, because there is no other way in which we could acquire a knowledge of them but by revelation. Mental perception, however keen, is not enough; you cannot fathom eternal realities. God has to draw the veil over these beauties, and reveal the facts in Scripture — and then the Holy Spirit reveals the Scripture again to us. There is thus a double revelation — God revealing his truth in the Word, and then the Holy Spirit revealing the Word unto us. Is it not true that the eye does not see these things? Millions of eyes can see God's work — but they never see the Artificer; millions of ears can hear the voice of God — but they never recognize that which is spoken. God must be revealed to be known. - Precept Austin

Calvin - Having shut up all mankind in (spiritual) blindness, and having taken away from the human intellect the power of attaining to a knowledge of God by its own resources (Ed: Referring to special revelation, not natural revelation, to which all men have access - Ro 1:18-21 - so that all men are without excuse!), he now shows in what way believers are exempted from this blindness, — by the Lord’s honoring them with a special illumination of the Spirit. - PA

Vs. 11-12 The Spirit Who is from God - I can't read men's minds, their thoughts, and I cannot know the heart of God outside the Spirit. The Spirit inspired the prophets and the NT writers to pen the thoughts and will of God, and it is the same Spirit Who brings us to believe this, and to study and grow in these Words. This is in contrast to the Spirit of this World or the Age, which stands in defiance to the things of God, even denying His creative power. 

…5This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD. 6He will be like a shrub in the desert; he will not see when prosperity comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. 7But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.…

…8He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit. 9The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.… Jeremiah 17: 5-10

…15From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.… 2 Timothy 3: 15-17

V. 13 Of which depths we also speak - These are those depths freely given to us by God, the things He has made known to us. There are things I cannot understand due to human limitation, but that which was held in the dark by sin is vast and rich, and now that the power of sin is broken for me in Christ, I can search the profound riches of the gospel. We must take care in all these matters that we do not become puffed up, and remember that we are handling the very thoughts of God, and so mishandling would be a high crime.

…15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.… Colossians 3: 15-17

14Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight. 15 Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him. 16He writes this way in all his letters, speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.… 2 Peter 3: 14-16

V. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit - He can't; he hasn't been born again. He can only bring more judgement on himself as he takes the mind that God made and tries to reason God out of His own creation. In the natural, that man may even come to see his mind, the intellect he didn't create, as the highest place of understanding. Others will carve idols from wood or stone, but the "intellectual" looks at everything that bares the earmarks of design and says, it wasn't. He believes that everything comes from nothing.

…18when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.” 19These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit. 20But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,…

…21keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life. 22And indeed, have mercy on those who doubt; 23save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others show mercy tempered with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.… Jude 1: 18-23

But a natural (psuchikos) man - A natural man is an unsaved person, one who is unregenerate, devoid of the Spirit of God and who has only physical life, being spiritually dead (Eph 2:1+). In this passage Paul states that the only way a natural man can accept and understand the supernatural Word is via a supernatural Source, the Spirit of God Who is received when a natural man is born again (Ro 8:9+).

Brian Bell - The natural man can enjoy reading the majesty of the Old King James language of scripture; admire & feel the charm of the stories; even have a feeling of religiosity as he reads it. But he can’t “know” the scriptures! - Precept Austin

…20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,… Romans 1: 20-22

Vs. 15-16 Yet he himself is examined by no one - God gives us teachers, that is one of the requirements for being an elder. We are to teach our children, and we are to be discerning, and He even teaches us how to judge things, not as hypocrites. We are told to examine both the doctrine and the life of those we meet, of those who would say that they speak in God's name. But, here is the great difference, that no man's opinion is the standard. We have the mind of Christ in the Body of Christ, and the Word of God which the Spirit will illuminate. We have all we need to be judged or appraised by, the Word of God is the standard, not the institutions or intuitions of men. 

…3Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. 5We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.… Galatians 2: 3-5

John Piper - The Spirit enables us to appraise things with their true value, but when natural men appraise us they will always go wrong. Why? 1 Cor 2:16: Because apart from the Spirit no one thinks or appraises like the Lord, but we who possess the Spirit have the mind of Christ. We have begun to view and assess things the way Christ does. Therefore we do not reject but receive the things of the Spirit even when they mean death to self; because now we know what is really valuable.

Pritchard - Second, unbelievers are in no position to judge believers because they do not know what we know. That’s the second phrase of verse 15—”He himself is not subject to any man’s judgment.” When the mighty philosophers of Athens called Paul a “seedpicker” (Acts 17:18 uses the word “babbler”), meaning something like “country bumpkin,” he ignored them and preached the gospel on Mars Hill anyway. In his mind, he said, “You aren’t qualified to pass judgment on me so I won’t pay any attention to what you say.” Later when Felix heard Paul preach about the resurrection of Christ, he said, “Paul, your great learning has driven you insane.” To which Paul replied, “I am not insane. What I am saying is true and reasonable” (Acts 26:24-25). He went ahead and pressed the truth home to King Agrippa. He would not let an unbeliever who doesn’t understand stop him from preaching the gospel.

Think of it this way. We can understand unbelievers; they can’t understand us. We understand them because we were once just like them. They can’t understand us because they have never seen the light. A man who was blind and now sees can truly say, “I know what it’s like to be blind,” but the man who has always been blind can never say, “I know what it’s like to see.” That is why we must treat unbelievers with kindness, patience, with a winsome spirit and a gracious heart while we wait for God to open their eyes. PA

…4So if you need to settle everyday matters, do you appoint as judges those of no standing in the church? 5I say this to your shame. Is there really no one among you wise enough to arbitrate between his brothers? 6Instead, one brother goes to law against another, and this in front of unbelievers!… 1 Corinthians 6: 4-6

…7But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me;…

…10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned. 12I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it.… John 16: 7-12

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#1666 1 Corinthians 2 Part 1 Know Nothing But

 

And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the witness of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my word 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 be in the wisdom of men, but in 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 being abolished. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom which has been hidden, which God predestined before the ages to our glory, 8 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 LSB

1 Corinthians 2: 1-9

V. 1 I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom - He did not come as one of the great orators of the time. He was not a Greek philosopher, did not follow the rules of debate. Now don't be confused, this wasn't because this just wasn't his style; Paul did engage with the intellectuals on Mars Hill, and he was a student of Gamaliel, a Jewish philosopher/teacher. He was well studied in the law and the prophets as a Pharisee, but that doesn't save anyone.

…6by understanding the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1: 6-7

…5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.… Proverbs 3: 5-7

Vs. 2-3 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified - Paul's message was the simple gospel, not drawing men to himself, but bringing them to Christ. He was determined not to get in the way of the message. 

ii. In taking this approach, Paul understood he didn’t cater to what his audience wanted. “Corinth put a premium on the veneer of false rhetoric and thin thinking” (Barclay). He already knew the Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:22), but he does not seem to care. He will preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

iii. If a preacher is not careful, he will get in the way of the gospel instead of being a servant of the gospel. They can obscure Jesus by their preaching, either in the presentation or the message. Like the little girl, who when a smaller man was guest speaking could finally see the stained glass window of Jesus behind the pulpit said, “Where’s the man who usually stands there so we can’t see Jesus?” - Enduring Word

15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. 17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”… Romans 1: 15-17

Vs. 4-5 So that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men - We are easily moved by titles and degrees, and people will often say, "if the good doctor says this then it is true, if the intellectual elite believe this, then so should we." Well, intellectuals are human and prone to error based upon their preference, based upon fitting in, and also greed. In our own time we have seen that those with a high IQ can fail to answer the simplest questions, like, "what is a woman?' or, 'should we chemically castrate children because they are confused?" The people who turn our children into lab rats have titles like doctor and Psychiatrist, but the computer inside their head is operating on a corrupted program. So Paul is sticking to the simple truth, and all those new to Christ, those hearing for the first time or babes in the faith, need that simple milk of the gospel. The aged and wise review the gospel every day, for how precious and rich are the depths of that which once seemed so foolish. This preaching of Christ relies on the power of God to save, not on the cleverness of the speaker. The true gospel turns many away, but it saves everyone God intended for it to save. Men, in their wisdom, always try to change the gospel to make it more appealing, but those gospels have no power. You are bringing men to trust in you rather than in Christ. 

…7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 8So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.… 2 Timothy 1: 7-9

Vs. 6-7 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature - Corinth was plagued with spiritual immaturity, relying upon worldly wisdoms, seeking the sign gifts as a display for the ego, and quarreling over words. There is worldly wisdom that creeps into the church often, and people base their discernment upon how it makes them feel, rather than how it holds up to God's word. If you want to hear from God, which His children would, then you read and study His word. Here is wisdom that goes to different depths every day. This is where you grow and mature, and this is where you learn how and what to pray for. God's word and the desire to obey Him, to trust Him, will take you to heights unimaginable. The glory, riches and depths of God are never ending. 

…14I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well. 16Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.… Philippians 3: 14-16

11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.… Hebrews 5: 11-13

Vs. 8-9 Things which eye has not seen - Some will apply this strictly to the future marvels of heaven, something that men can definitely not wrap their heads around, but through the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, we come to see things here that we could never have known of ourselves. The things, "God predestined before the ages to our glory", the salvation that was once more veiled in the signs of temple and the sacrifices. Everything, the great mysteries of the Seed of the woman, which describes the virgin birth back in Genesis, the Passover, which tells of Christ's work upon the cross on our behalf, all the OT prophecies have been, are being and will be revealed to us in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. 

i. “These words have been applied to the state of glory in a future world; but certainly they belong to the present state, and express merely the wondrous light, life, and liberty which the Gospel communicates to them that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in that way which the Gospel itself requires.” (Clarke)

ii. Paul is communicating much the same message as Ephesians 3:1-7, where he writes about the mystery of the church, and how the church in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets. (Ephesians 3:5)

iii. Before the life and ministry of Jesus, God’s people had a vague understanding of the glory of His work and what it would do for His people. But they really did not and could not fully understand it ahead of time. - E Word

…3When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence. 4From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. 5You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?… Isaiah 64: 3-5

1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles... 2 Surely you have heard about the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.…

…4In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.…

…7I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power. 8Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.… Ephesians 3: 1-9

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#1665 1 Corinthians 1 Part 3 Foolishness

 

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased, through the foolishness of the message preached, to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may abolish the things that are, 29 so that no flesh may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 LSB

1 Corinthians 1: 18-31

Jim Packer died at the age of 93. Jim Packer understood what was going on in the church, even at his age. Listen to what he wrote in a preface to A Christian Directory. A Christian Directory was written by Richard Baxter back in the 1600s, a Puritan. In his introduction Packer characterized evangelicalism this way: “Ego-centric, zany, simplistic, degenerate, half magic spell nonsense, which is all the world sees when it watches religious TV or looks directly at the professed evangelical community.” Packer went on to say, “Our how-to’s – how to have a wonderful family, better sex, financial success in a Christian way, how to cope with grief, life passages, crises, fears, frustrating relationships, and what not else – gives us formula to be followed a series of supposedly simple actions on our part in the manner of” – and I love this – “painting by numbers.” He compared that to the great work of Richard Baxter, and he had written his Ph.D. dissertation at Oxford on Baxter. And Baxter was the one who said, “I preach as a dying man to dying men.”

J. I. Packer compared contemporary evangelicalism with Richard Baxter, who in the Christian Directory alone, one book, wrote more than a million words on the interpretation and application of the Word of God. Packer said, “That book is a high level of intelligent Bible-based, theologically integrated wisdom with unfailing, unimpaired clarity that is dazzling to the mind.” Where do people go for dazzling interpretations of Scripture? Where do they go for Bible teaching that is highly accurate, intelligent, theologically rich, sound, integrated, clear, and dazzling in its truthfulness?

My other friend R. C. Sproul died in December of 2017, and he said, “Our culture is embedded in proud mediocrity. That should be obvious to everyone.” He said, “While there are still hard-working scholastic minds in science and technology and researchers doing hard and tedious labor in the fields, the culture has in general settled for what is quick and cheap: junk music, junk art, and junk thinking. Our culture is far too easily satisfied and entertained. Excellence, truth, and real beauty are the great triad of virtues that are now replaced by funny, cool, and cute.” R. C. said, “We get mediocrity because we want it. We actually crave it.”

Paul predicted this would happen, that there would be a time when men would want to have their ears tickled. There’s a lot of that now. There is clearly a trend to eliminate the transcendent, to eliminate the biblical, to eliminate the theological, the profound, the demanding truth of Scripture, and feed the mediocrity-hungered crowds with a mediocre message and mediocre preaching, so that the church accepts and legitimizes the superficiality that people want.

Pop culture Christianity serves nonbelievers just fine. People don’t want to take the Bible seriously, so why should the church take it seriously? Pastors seek cleverness, creativity and style rather than demanding and rigorous study of Scripture. How far we have fallen.

I like to go back to the Puritans, sixteenth and seventeenth century powerful preachers called Puritans because their goal was to purify the church in England. They were so faithful that in 1662 all of them were ejected from their churches in what is called the Great Ejection. There are all kinds of stories of how they were executed for their faithfulness to the Word of God being proclaimed to a religious environment that had no interest in it. - J Mac from GTY Why the World Rejects God's Word

V. 18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing - I often think a lot about how contrast is beauty, whether a giant rock or mountain range rising at the other end of a long plain, or a piebald Ball Python, a Hypancistrus L46, an African Zebra, or a person with vitiligo, the contrasts are stunning. One that is even more beautiful but so overlooked, is the cross, because in order to truly perceive it one must perceive the back drop to which they are blind to. Think about it, Immanuel (God With Us), must come into the world as an infant, live a sinless life in a place that is rancid with sin, where there is nothing untouched by it, and those made in the image of God are so marred as to have fallen into and become the backdrop. They don't smell the rot of it, though they are aware of death and decay, but the god they believe in would never say that this is the wages of sin, and they are so deeply entrenched in it that they call sin true beauty and rebellion against reason they call freedom. Dead men do not see the reality of the back drop, so the cross remains imperceivable to them. Christ saw it most clearly, and He came anyway.

…8Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I, the LORD, have created it. 9Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker— one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’? 10Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”… Isaiah 45: 8-10

1And the LORD said to Job: 2“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.” 3Then Job answered the LORD:…

…4“Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth. 5I have spoken once, but I have no answer— twice, but I have nothing to add.” 6Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:… Job 40: 1-6

More on Job 40

…2He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.… Isaiah 53: 2-4

V. 19 I will destroy the wisdom of the wise - Once you truly realize that the Bible is God's word, well, just ponder the implications of that. That is the standard, and it always was, whether I wanted it to be or not, but I tried to say it wasn't and to find a different measuring device, or backdrop so to speak. Socrates said some beautiful things, just read the Trial of Socrates and you may like me wish that he had become a Christian. The Greeks loved wisdom, and after Socrates there came Aristotle and Plato, the schools of philosophy, but you could have all the wisdom of this world, be amazing in every discipline of the sciences as well, but if you don't hear God speak when the Bible speaks, all that becomes foolishness. Macarthur makes a marvelous point, that where philosophy agrees with Scripture it is unnecessary. If you have access to the standard then that is where every thought should be taken and held up against. Instead we become in love with our own thoughts and words, and tell each other, "that's deep." Who made the mind that you use?

13Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men. 14Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.” 15Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”… Isaiah 29: 13-15

Gary Smith - They (LEADERS OF JUDAH) act contrary to the wise instructions of God. There will be no wisdom found in all the shrewd political scheming of the so-called “intelligentsia.” In every era, God’s ways are marvelous and totally beyond natural human reasoning, yet they are plainly explained for all to understand in His revelation. If people would only listen to what God says and trust Him, the disastrous results of blindness could be avoided. (NAC -Isa)

Stanley Horton - Because of this hypocrisy and spiritual blindness, God will do something amazing and supernatural that will destroy human wisdom and intelligence and cause it to vanish because it is ineffective. Isaiah probably had in mind the Israelites’ trust in Egypt and their plan to rebel against Assyria....And godless people today still think they can solve the world’s problems. (Isaiah-Logion Press) - Precept Austin

More on Isaiah 29

V. 20 The wiseman, the scribe, the debater - Scribes were the scholarly, the ones who went to the great schools. I remember trying to discuss with the head of engineering an idea that one of my techs had regarding a problem, and it differed from that of a newly acquired member of her team. She waived off what I was trying to tell her and told me the gentlemen's title and that he was a "published author". I had to graciously swallow a lot of blood while trying to hold my tongue, and then quietly go back and tell my tech that we weren't going to receive any help from them. He had ruled out the direction they were going in, but he wasn't a published author, yet shortly after he was the one who resolved the issue that had been plaguing us for weeks. Jesus chose simple fishermen, people of no account, to carry the greatest message the dying would laugh at, and the believing would be saved by. 

MacArthur sums up this passage - Where are all the smart people that have the answers?” How much closer to peace is man than he was a century ago—or a millennium ago? How much closer are we to eliminating poverty, hunger, ignorance, crime, and immorality than men were in Paul’s day? Our advances in knowledge and technology and communication have not really advanced us. It is from among those who are intelligent and clever that the worst exploiters, deceivers, and oppressors come. We are more educated than our forefathers but we are not more moral. We have more means of helping each other but we are not less selfish. We have more means of communication but we do not understand each other any better. We have more psychology and education, and more crime and more war. We have not changed, except in finding more ways to express and excuse our human nature. Throughout history human wisdom has never basically changed and has never solved the basic problems of man. (1 Corinthians MacArthur New Testament Commentary) - PA

Where is the debater of this age (aion)? (the logician, the debater) - (Wuest) "Where is a learned sophist of this age, fallacious reasoner that he is?" NLT - "So where does this leave...the world's brilliant debaters?" (sunzētētēs) suits both the Greek and the Jewish disputant and doubter (Acts 6:9+ = argued; Acts 9:29+ = arguing; Acts 17:18+; Acts 28:29+). Debater (suzetetes only here in NT. Derived from suzeteo = to examine together, to disputer) means one skilled in arguing, one who questions, disputes or debates, one adept at winning public and private arguments, the closest contemporary equivalent being a lawyer. They are not skilled enough however to argue or debate with God's wisdom in the Cross of Christ! (cf Ro 3:19+ "every mouth may be closed!") - PA

Precept makes a good comparison above. Lawyers are there to win as well, and often they win at the price of the truth and the guilty go free. Judges can be bribed, but where this happens justice didn't occur, it's like a rigged election. It's the same with debate, and it is not wrong to defend the truth, but as a Christian we are also told to love our enemies. There is a problem with much debate in that some like to argue for the sake of it and hearing themselves speak. Others think they when arguments by interrupting others, talking over them, plugging there ears and turning up the music. Infants and people who never grow up will throw temper tantrums, and some will silence the truth by killing the messenger. Are you coming in order to help your fellow human being, to tell the truth, to wish for him or her the knowledge of the greatest truth? Or are you there for a mic drop moment or to drop bombs and then slap palms? It's not wrong to stand for truth, and we are commanded to, but love your neighbor as well, and if you knew the truth so well then it would actually make you humble. 

…4The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.… 2 Corinthians 10: 4-6

…7rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ. 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.… Colossians 2: 7-9

Vs. 21-25 The world through its wisdom did not come to know God - I see a lot of people offering up books on enlightenment, books taking from various religions, from philosophy, from psychology, and sort of combining it to come up with a very amiable and pragmatic version of a god. Some just say ether, or the mystic light that binds us all, but they help you tap into the power of positivity and manifesting your dreams. Everyone is so special and self important and needs to have everyone else realize this, even if they don't work hard, aren't especially talented or useful to society, yet they need their quirks to be revered. "I am a vegan, so that is the most important thing. I am a philosopher, so I get to sit out the table with the intellectuals, and laugh at their ridiculous sayings, because agreeing makes me seem smarter. I am lazy so I surround myself with people who find it endearing and will do the work for me. I read a book by a man who claimed to have met God in person and though it differs with God's account of Himself in Scripture, I felt something so that is important. I am seen and I am heard." Human understanding is limited to time and space where we dwell. We want everything to be explainable from the material, as though time and space is all that ever existed, and to admit to God is to admit to something above our realm and reason. It is to acknowledge someone outside of time and space, Who has a Creative right over all that He has brought into being, including me. The smartest of us is going to hit a wall, no matter how much further away it seems to him; it is inconsequential in comparison to concepts that you can neither explain or explain away. The cross is the contrast between the Holy and the unholy, foolishness to the blind, unnecessary to the self righteous. You will never see it unless it is shown to you, and you will never understand the immensity of sin until you know the cross. It tells us volumes about God. He hated sin that much, so much, that in order to show us love this was the only remedy, His Son. There is nothing else satisfactory, even your attempts at earning God's love, His salvation, are all fraught with an even greater sin, the rejection of the Way that He provided. All our playing down of sin is to hide the back drop, to make the cross stand out less. 

…5You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? 6Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. 7No one calls on Your name or strives to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.… 

Vs. 26-31 Let him who boast boast in the Lord - Yeah I am different, you know why? Because Jesus, that's why. I should be dead, but I am not, you know why? Because Jesus. If we come to see God, come to see our sin, then let us humbly exalt God, lift up the name of Jesus, for no one was ever saved by our wit. God never needed you, but you need Him.

…96I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your commandment is without limit. 97Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation. 98Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me.… Psalm 119: 96-98

…15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit— fruit that will remain— so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17This is My command to you: Love one another.… John 15: 15-17

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#1664 1 Corinthians 1 Part 2 Divide and Conquer

 

10 Now I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel, not in wisdom of word, so that the cross of Christ will not be made empty. 1 Corinthians 1: 10-17 LSB

1 Corinthians 1: 10-17

We left off Romans with a warning in the end about those who cause dissensions by teaching contrary to what the Church had been taught by Christ and His apostles. So we know that unity is not at the cost of truth, but rather, the straying away from truth causes disunity and the way back to being unified is being of the same mind in Christ. Ego is at the heart of our difficulties, and it should be a great honor to have someone come alongside you to help level the ground, to lay and maintain a sturdier foundation. When people tell us the truth they aren't doing us a disservice. The issue is pride will not allow us to have someone come and tear down the image of ourselves that we hold up, regardless of how unrealistic it is. We like to believe it, that it is a perfect portrait, and the failure of others to see it is their faulty eyes and lack of depth perception. It is so difficult, impossible for us to imagine that their could be someone out there that actually wants to help us remove the speck from our eye, not for the sake of an "I told you so", but for our sake, and for the sake of the body to which they too belong. It's far easier for us to insist that this person is divisive, rude, unloving and or critical. What is a doctor when he examines me?   

…15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.… Romans 12: 15-17

17Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. 18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.… Romans 16: 17-19

V. 10 I exhort you - He has given his credentials as an Apostle of Jesus Christ and so now exhorts or appeals, urges them by that same name, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the commonality. He was the firstborn of many brethren, in Him we have life. Some commentators note that this is not a command from his Apostolic authority, but rather an urgent request or appeal, wanting the response of a changed will. 

While Paul has affirmed his apostolic authority (1 Cor 1:1), here he appeals to the saints as his brethren (see preceding note on adelphos - both brothers and sisters) which would serve to soften what is clearly a criticism of their conduct. Not only that, brethren reminds the Corinthians (who were experiencing divisions) that they were in the same family, the family of God (Jn 1:12+, 1 Jn 3:1+). Brethren or brothers reminds one of David's words in Ps 133:1 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!" (Play the toe tapping tune To Dwell in Unity which I think even Paul would have affirmed!)

John Calvin - “Now, after preparing their minds for rebuke, acting like a good, experienced surgeon, who touches the wound gently when a painful remedy must be used, Paul begins to handle them more severely.” - Precept Austin

V. 10 b That you all agree and that there be no divisions among you -  I have found this to be true in management as well, that if the shepherds are divided the flock suffers. If we don't all come together under the banner of truth, if we have some that favor things outside of ability, experience, talent, attendance, work ethic and character then we become inconsistent and weak in our capacity to hire and build a team. In the corporate world so much is put on personality that it becomes all that people try to emulate, and they read books about winning friends and influencing people, all things that are designed to gain trust, speed up the sale or deal, but it rapidly looses substance. In the church people try to achieve unity often in the same manner, through flattery, through testing the edges of conversations enough to know what is most palatable in this group, and where we should stop so as not to offend. We stop confronting sin and avoid passages that make people feel uncomfortable; that is not true unity. On the other hand, we have those who hear read too much into things without knowing all the facts, and without praying for the person or persons they have a difference with, they go about the church gossiping instead. In the cults they strive for unity, that they all speak the same thing, but though they recognize the importance of unity, yet such a oneness in apostasy is again not what the Apostle wants the Corinthians to have. 

MacArthur goes on to make an important statement - Pastoral elders should make decisions on the basis of unanimous agreement. Not even a three-fourths vote should carry a motion. No decision should be made without total one-mindedness, no matter how long that takes. Because the Holy Spirit has but one will, and because a church must be in complete harmony with His will, the leaders must be in complete harmony with each other in that will. The congregation then is to submit to the elders because it has confidence that the elders’ decisions are made under the Spirit’s direction and power. Because they believe the elders are one in the Spirit, the congregation is then determined to be one with the elders. There may be struggle in coming to this kind of unity, as there was in Corinth—but it is here mandated by the Spirit Himself through Paul. (See 1 Corinthians MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

Spurgeon - They could not speak the same thing if they had not the same mind and the same judgment. Paul dreaded the introduction of anything that would divide the hearts of believers one from another; and, beloved, let every one of us, wherever we go, be on the side of Christian truth, Christian unity, and Christian love. There is no true unity outside of truth; and the nearest way to Christian union is union in the truth. When error shall be destroyed, that which divides will be taken away; when truth is dominant, union will be universal, but it will not be so before that is the case. - PA

V. 11 That there are quarrels among you - So this is what they are coming to be known for, their testimony to the pagan world.

V. 12a I am of Paul - They had formed cliques based upon their preference of certain teachers. Paul is the writer here and condemning this. He had spent a year and a half there teaching and shepherding these people.

…8And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth. 9For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.… 1 Corinthians 15: 8-10

MacArthur gives some background - Paul had ministered in Corinth for a year and a half. He then sent Apollos to be the second pastor. Apparently a group of Jews in the church had been saved under Peter’s (Cephas’) ministry. Parties soon developed in the names of each of those men....The inevitable result of such party spirit is contention, quarrels, wrangling, and disputes—a divided church....Spirituality produces humility and unity; carnality produces pride and division. The only cure for quarreling and division is renewed spirituality. In my experience the most effective means of correcting a contentious, factious person is to share with him selected Scripture passages on carnality and its evidences, to confront him directly with the cause of his sin. (1 Corinthians MacArthur New Testament Commentary) - PA

V. 12b I of Apollos - Apollos was a great teacher in the early church, an orator well accustomed with the law and prophets, yet humble enough to be taught by some tent makers concerning the way of God more thoroughly and accurately. No matter how great the talent, the speaking ability, humility is a higher standard resting above all these. Paul considered Apollos a co-laborer, and was not threatened by him, but had encouraged him to return to visit the church at Corinth. He did not feel so inclined, and very possibly because of the reports coming out of there. It would be sad to hear that the church had fallen into such disarray, but I don't see enough hear to say exactly what his train of thought was at the time. 

…24Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures. 25He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him in and explained to him the way of God more accurately.… Acts 18: 24-26

12Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was not at all inclined to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity. 13Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong. 14Do everything in love.… 1 Corinthians 16: 12-14

V. 12c I of Cephas - This is another name for Peter, and apparently he had a fan base hear as well. The Roman Catholics have taught that the popes are a succession of Peter, each one in turn being Christ here on earth and when sitting ex cathedra "from the chair" they are said to speak infallibly on manners of doctrine and the church. I don't believe in the "Chair of Saint Peter" and the time of the apostles has passed. This is a coworker of Paul also who Paul had to correct when Peter was allowing divisions based upon birth. He treated gentiles differently when those of the circumcision were around. 

More on Roman Catholicism

More from Jeremiah

…4Have we no right to food and to drink? 5Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? 6Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?… 1 Corinthians 9: 4-6

11When Cephas came to Antioch, however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood to be condemned. 12For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.… Galatians 2: 11-13

V. 12d I of Christ - Whether Paul, Apollos or Cephas, they should all be pointing to Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. No matter who the speaker or his speaking style, whether a great expositor like Apollos or Paul who didn't come with excellency of speech, they should all be taking us to the same pastures that the Great Shepherd would. Though their voices and energy might differ, they should all be sound in their doctrine. While I may prefer Macarthur or RC Sproul's teaching voice and style, I have learned a great many things from Piper and Washer. They teach the same gospel, believe in the same Christ. There was a time I hated to hear J Mac because I was young and rebellious, and he was unwavering in his preaching and convictions. The God he believed in never seemed to change or accommodate me and my whims. I think here though the people saying, "I of Christ", were discounting what others were saying, and throwing it out like a trump card. If someone said, "Paul stated this about this particular doctrine,' then the other would say, 'well, I am not a follower of Paul, but of Christ." This goes on today, and I was guilty myself. I would say I like the Jesus who said, "come to me all who are weary," condemned hypocrisy and rescued a woman from being stoned, but I had zero reverence for the whole counsel of God. I skipped over the parts where Jesus talked about hell and weeping and gnashing of teeth. I ignored where he turned away those who were only there for the fish and the bread. Many people today say they love Christ's teaching but are against the "Pauline" doctrines. 

16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 17Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.… Matthew 5: 16-18

…34“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.” 35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. 36But as I stated, you have seen Me and still you do not believe.… John 6: 34-36

More on John 6

V. 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? - There is only one Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Immanuel. It is only through His life and death, believing in Him that we can be made right with God. Knowing Paul would do nothing for you. Paul dying for you would do nothing for you. Believing in the Christ that Paul believed in and taught, that will change you. 

6I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!… Galatians 1: 6-8

Vs. 14-16 I thank God - Paul recognizes the limits of his person and ministry, that it is all about Christ. So many ministers today make it about themselves, as if God needed them, and if they were absent then how would God ever make someone else to take their place. Paul wants nothing to do with an ego trip faction. He, and I think Apollos and Cephas are disgusted by such behavior, hearing about all these cliques.

V. 17 Not in the wisdom of word - It wasn't Paul's speaking ability or style that brought fruit, but the power of the Spirit.

…3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.… 1 Corinthians 2: 3-5

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