For Jews request a
sign,
and Greeks seek after
wisdom;
but we preach Christ
crucified,
to the Jews a
stumbling block
and to the Greeks
foolishness,
but to those who are
called,
both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of
God
and the wisdom of
God.
1Corinthians 1:22–24
In
yesterday’s blog, I listed what two surveys reported about abortion to show how
the wisdom of man is in opposition to the truth, and contrary to the will of
God. In regard to this abomination of
abortion, an abomination that is more than just killing a life, it is an
abomination due to the reasons for killing a life. Most of the reasons given
have nothing to do with the life of the mother, or some health issue that may
make cause for the abortion. Just because health issues make this cause for
abortion is not reason for killing a life under the guise that any abortion is
equally the same. It is not. Human wisdom is so often jaded with excess of
sexual desire and overindulgence in that which is to be set aside for marriage
between a man and a woman. This subject of sex, which is so overdone by TV, or
movies, and pornographic images, pictures, videos, on the computer that it is
worn out and making this desire to be more vicious because the reasons given
are not about the pregnancy, it is about being autonomous, that is, to have
their cake and eat it too. The current reason given for abortion is that the
fetus is not a person therefore, destroying the fetus before birth is
acceptable. This reason that determines that the life in the womb is not a
person is absolutely ridiculous. The fetus is a person and all that a person is
comes about by being a fetus that contains humanness. Are we so to say that an
old person has lost his/her personhood, or humanness due to their age? Did not
all that they were as a human found in the fetus that is only an age of a
person? It is not birth that determines personhood, it is conception.
It
is the message of the cross that we are to preach and teach for it is Jesus
Christ crucified that paid the debt owed to God, and that death was the payment
due, not just any death, rather the death of a man not corrupted by sin, a man
who would live on this earth and be sinless and then His death would be equal
to the life that died due to sin. Yet, within several denominations in the
Christian religion there is preached another gospel. We find the gospel of
prosperity, as I just heard on TV by Mr. Huckabee who stated that due to being
a Christian that whatever you do will be successful. I not harping on Mr.
Huckabee to show him to be wrong, although this type of preaching is more about
what a person can do for him/herself, rather than preaching that it is turning
our lives, by conversion, to Jesus Christ and we are successful, not because of
our believing, rather because all Christians are called by God and Him alone
through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heave to sit at the
right hand of the Father making intercession for all those that God gives to
Him. This giving of people to be the bride of Jesus Christ is only by the will
of God, for His purpose, His reason. Christianity is a stumbling block to those
outside of Jesus Christ. They cannot, and will not even if they could, accept
the Savior as their personal Savior. The calling by the Father is by His wisdom
and not ours. Yet, as many churches teach and do they seek after things that
would seem so pious, so acceptable to God, such things, as to about healing,
praying for strangers, speaking in some gibberish language as though this so
godly, as though God would accept this over their actual language. Men and
women love to be titillated, to be excited, and join in with others in some
euphoric expression that to them is so Christian, so godly, so filled with
piety. This desire for the exciting euphoric expression came into the
Corinthian Church mostly because the men and women coming into the church
brought with them their past beliefs and did not take the time to study and see
what it is that is truly of God. Some Christians today attend meetings that are
more like the event of Woodstock where people that attended were so enthralled
by the music, and just being present where others were exuding such seemingly
happiness and joy. Actually, at Woodstock much of the supposed happiness came
in the form of drugs. In many churches the drug is not some pill, or smoking of
marijuana, or shooting into the veins heroin, no it is the drug of preaching
that turns their hearts to the thrill of the moment. This thrill that is to be
found in that type of Church is not preaching what is needed to turn those
called by God to Him so that they convert to Him. Jesus warned us of those who
would enter into the congregation: “Beware of false prophets, who come to
you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).
Jesus did not stop there for He continues in this vein of teaching: “Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but
he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
“Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons ink Your
name? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21–23). Examine this Scripture and
notice that it is the will of the Father, His wisdom, we should be exercising
in our life, not those things that make a person to feel empowered, or pious.
If you are a Christian who has converted to Him then you life will seem foolish
to others: “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness
of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many
wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But
God has chosen the foolish thing of the world to put to shame the wise, and God
has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are
mighty; and the base things of the world and thing things which are despised
God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things
that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in
Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God––and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption––that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him
glory in the LORD.’” (1Corinthians 1:25–31).
There
it is: God calls His children and we as His child are to live according to His
wisdom. Paul is going to address some serious issues facing the Corinthian
Church and God had his letter saved for us by inspiring Paul to write as he
did; the question is will be reason out by means of our own desire what we wish
Paul’s writing means or will we learn from it and this by examining all;
Scripture interpreting Scripture?
Preserve me, O God, for in You
I
put my trust. O my soul,
You have said to the LORD,
“You
are my LORD,
my goodness is nothing apart from
you.”
As
for the saints who are on
The earth, they are the excellent
ones,
In
whom is all my delight.
Psalm 16:1–3
Praise God for He has called you
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