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 1:30–31
This wisdom
that has so invaded Christians, the wisdom of this world, the culture of this
world that it at times difficult to distinguish one from the other. At times it
is hard to understand the situations that we may by involved in so that we look
for solutions outside of Scripture. We forget, at least in some manner, that we
are in Christ Jesus, that God came to earth to save His children, and this He
did by the person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ Who became man to live a sinless
life and die a sinless person. We so often forget that it is God’s wisdom and
by His Wisdom came for us and He has determined that we are righteous, and
sanctified, redeemed, and He sees all this through the Only Begotten Son Who
came for you. We need not glory in the things of this world, for our glory is
in the Lord. When under some unction or distress we take initiative and believe
that this initiative is inspired and we do things that seem so godly, so
righteous and our feeling and emotions, and yet, not all initiative is
inspired: some are simply the desire and will of men. There is initiative given
by God and there is initiative that is human initiative. Enamored men by
visions or some ideal and yet when we mature we find that we cannot make them
real. We do things that seem to make them real, but they are not, for they are
from you and not from God. What is required of God’s children is that we take
courage and become convicted to a point that we allow Him to give us what He
desires to inspire us. Sometimes our visions or ideals become as dead and then
we do the unthinkable, we turn to men who some to speak so eloquently, and seem
to have words that are of God and yet so often they are teaching false things
and misleading people for their own reasons and not God’s. What we must then
remember is that God’s inspiration comes with miraculous power, not to do, but
lead us back to Him, to love first Him, and to wait upon Him so that what we do
are from Him and not of our own religious ideals. Our overcoming is by the
power of the Holy Spirit. We are more than over comers for this life is from
God and is our life. When God comes to us He does not give us visions, He tells
us to do the most ordinary things conceivable. This is so apt for us: When the
Lord does through us what He wills to have done, He always transfigures it and
works through us as His temple for that is what we are and have within this
temple the Holy Spirit.
Paul begins
this discourse to the Corinthians church and why they became so invaded with
the culture of their world, and using the wisdom of this world to design their
religion and religious experience that before addressing certain problems Paul
sets forth the foundation of their problem(s). Paul has set forth that God has
chosen the foolish, and has called the foolish and by the foolish He puts to
shame this world, those base things which God despises. Paul then begins his
testimony: “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with
excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of
God”(1Corinthians 2:1). Before I move on I must speak about the differences
between certain translations for if not then you may be mislead to believe what
does not seem to be the correct translation. Some manuscripts use the Greek
word found in the critical text: “μυστήριον,” mystery, as in the Nestle–Aland
Novum Testamentum Graece edition of the New Testament, but this is not from
most manuscripts for the most manuscripts use “μαρυύριον”, testimony, and this
is discussed for if the word read is mystery then a whole different
understanding and practice may be and is often what people exercise in their
lives and their Christian walk. Paul did not declare some mystery, or some
secret, as is done by some writers and preachers that they have found some
secret, some mystery as though they were inspired of God. Paul speaks that he
came not with some excellence of speech, some wisdom other than the wisdom by
means of the testimony of God. Paul clears up this matter: “For I determined
not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified”
(1Corinthians 2:2). What we preach and teach is not some type of wisdom
that is not of God, rather we teach and preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified,
as this is what is needed an understanding that we are sinners, deserving of
death. It was God Who came to earth for His children and if you are one of His
children then it is a driving force within us to live according to His word and
not the word, or wisdom of this world. Are you listening to men or women who
are speaking with persuasive words, sounding go godly, so in tune with God that
we follow them without taking time to inspect what we should expect? Paul adds:
“And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that you faith should
not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1Corinthians 2:3-5). Don’t
read into Scripture what Scripture does not say, this demonstration of power is
outlined for us. It was not by using human wisdom that Paul spoke and taught of
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, rather in all the sufferings, and trials, and
everyday living Paul relied upon the power of God through God living in Him,
the Holy Spirit. Are you relying on the power of the Spirit of God for everyday
living? Or are you doing things that seem righteous and of God but are that
which you have derived from His word rightly translated? I pray that it is by
the right use and understanding of God’s word and not by our human reason and
wisdom.
So Samuel said:
Has the
LORD as great delight
In burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in
obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
Heed than
the fat of rams.
1Samuel 15:22
Prepare now for the Sabbath: This belongs to God
