The Foundation and The Fire

1 Cor. 3:10  "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 
1 Cor. 3:11  "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
1 Cor. 3:12  "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw
1 Cor. 3:13  "each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 
1 Cor. 3:14  "If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 
1 Cor. 3:15  "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."

The foundation, the fire, and the reward - these are the three things this passage talks about. It talks about the foundation of Christ, it talks about the testing of our works, and then it talks about what happens after we are tested.

1 Cor. 3:10  "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it."

Paul was a skilled master builder because of God's grace which was given to him. What he means is that he was an Apostle, as he says in almost all the books he wrote: Rom 1:1  "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God."  The word "apostle" means "delegate," "ambassador," "officially a commissioner of Christ with Miraculous power." Paul is an apostle, which means he has miraculous power, he is there to represent Christ, directly, here on earth. Think about that; a man whose sole purpose in life was to destroy the church of Christ (before his conversion) - this man's purpose on earth is now to represent, directly, the Person whom he had persecuted with so much zeal. Paul gets his authority from Christ because he is an Apostle. We are to follow his direction because he is a direct representative for God. Moreover, he is one who has the authority from God, directed by the Holy Spirit, to lay the foundation of salvation for people.

Paul didn't lay this foundation with eloquence or with worldly wisdom: 1 Cor. 2:1  "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 1 Cor. 2:2  "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." The foundation of Christianity is sinners saved by Christ's death. The end. That is the foundation of our faith. Without it, there is NO salvation. On top of that you build other things, such as these:
His resurrection is power over death and therefore sin: Rom. 5:17-18  "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men." 
Christ is the Son of God: Matt. 26:63-64  "But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to Him, 'I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.'  Jesus said to him, 'You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"
This God is the only God: 1 Tim. 1:17  "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 
Another that I'll mention is the Trinity - three Beings who are all one, yet still three. All three were seen in this passage. Matt. 3:16-17  "And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him;  and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"
These basics are built upon the foundation of Christ's death. On top of these more things are built. This is what Paul is talking about in 1 Cor. 2:6-7  "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory." and what he talks about here, in  1 Cor. 3:1-2  "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready."
The wisdom all stems from the foundation of Christ.

1 Cor. 3:11  "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

There is only one foundation; anything else is not a foundation at all.
Matt. 7:24-26  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand."
Sand is what you build on if you're not building on the rock of Christ. Christ is our foundation and our cornerstone. Isa. 28:16  "therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.''"
The cornerstone is the stone that the rest of the building is built around. In fact, the rest of the bricks are all placed in the correct position in relation to this cornerstone. Therefore, if Christ is our cornerstone, everything we do should done because of Him, and should be done in relation to Him. If you go to the gas station today, how are you going to treat the cashier? How do you interact with the cashier in relation to Christ? Are you going to be grumpy and thereby misaligned from where Christ would have you? Or will you show some joy because you know where you're going and you know what Christ has done for you?

1 Cor. 3:12-13  "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done."

This fire is an interesting concept. Fire is used other places by God: with Moses and the burning bush, (Exod. 3:2  "And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.") in burnt sacrifices, (Lev. 1:9  "but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.") burning idols, (Deut. 7:25  "The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God.") in baptism in Christ (Matt. 3:11  "'I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.'") His angels are seen as a flame, (Heb. 1:7  "Of the angels he says, "He makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.") a pillar of fire was used to lead the Israelites, (Exod. 13:21  "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. Exod. 13:22  "The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.")  fire was used to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24  "Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven.") it is figuratively used in 1 Peter to represent trials to test our faith, (1 Pet. 1:6  "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 1 Pet. 1:7  "so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.") in Revelation, Christ's eyes are said to be like a flame of fire, (Rev. 2:18  "'And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.''") God is said to be a consuming fire, (Heb. 12:28  "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, Heb. 12:29  "for our God is a consuming fire.")

Here in 1 Corinthians, it says "for THE Day will disclose it" ("it" being each one's work) and "it will be revealed by fire." It says in Revelation that Christ (whose eyes are like a flame of fire) will sit on the Great White Throne and judge the living and the dead: Rev 20:12  "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." He will use His discernment to judge our works and judge our motives; He will test our works and what survives His test will show what we have done here on earth for Him. If we have done all the right things, but had the wrong heart, our works will be consumed. 1Co 4:5a Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. If we have done the right things with the right heart, they shall not be consumed. The only way we can do this is through faith, humility, and through following the Spirit to allow Christ to live through us. 

1 Cor. 3:14  "If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward."

During our judgment we will get a reward for what we have done. 1 Cor. 4:5b "Then each one will receive his commendation from God." This commendation is this Matt. 25:23  "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'" We are all servants of God, Titus 1:1  "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness." This means that if we are servants of Christ we have a couple possibilities, either this where it says "well done good and faithful servant" or as it says in verse 26, "you wicked and slothful servant." It's up to you to choose how you serve and what you build on. 

1 Cor. 3:15  "If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."

Basically, they will not receive the reward obtained by those whose works survived the fire. On top of that, they shall forever know they didn't do as much as they could/should have for Christ. Only as through fire shall they be saved. This means that after our actions have been tested by Christ's discernment, if there is nothing left but you still have the foundation of Christ, you have nothing besides the foundation of Christ; it's as if you came through a fire.

The Planter, The Gardener, and The Grower...

1 Cor. 3:1  "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 
1 Cor. 3:2 "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 
1 Cor. 3:3  "for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 
1 Cor. 3:4  "For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human? 
1 Cor. 3:5  "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 
1 Cor. 3:6  "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 
1 Cor. 3:7  "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 
1 Cor. 3:8  "He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 
1 Cor. 3:9  "For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."

This passage addresses division within the church once again. However, it comes from a different angle and has a really different purpose than the previous passage which talked about the same subject. This passage starts out by saying that the church is immature, then points out that they are full of jealousy and strife because they follow people instead of Christ, Paul then goes on to explain both his and Apollos's role within the church.

1 Cor. 3:1  "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ."

Paul couldn't treat the Corinthians as if they were spiritual or, as Strong's dictionary says "religious," but he had to treat them as carnal or of the flesh because they were still babes in Christ.

1 Cor. 3:2  "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,"

This is a continuation of the previous verse, in that it's saying that Paul can't talk to them as those who are spiritually mature; he has to talk to them as those who are spiritually young. This a good analogy with the type of food. Milk is for those who are really young - babies, those who can't fend for themselves and need defense and teaching. This is also a good point for us. We shouldn't be guiding people to salvation and then dropping them. We need to help to nurture them, protect them, guide them, not just show them the path and say good luck. This is because those who are young in the faith need milk to grow, they need protection so they are not overcome by the world, and they need somebody to show them the path so they don't wander off into the woods of the world.

1 Cor. 3:3-4 "for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?  For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human?"

The Corinthians were acting like spiritual children - spiritual infants. They, therefore, were acting like people of the flesh. me people see a leader in the church and like their teaching or like their style, and say "Ah, this guy is for me, I'm going to follow his Christianity." Saying there is more than one Christianity is showing that you are not more than a child in your knowledge and maturity in spiritual things.

1 Cor. 3:5  "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each."

Neither Paul nor Apollos were anything more than people given an assignment by God, called just as you have and I have been called. They were nothing more than messengers (although willing messengers). They were the servants of Christ, just doing what the Lord had called and asked them too do.

1 Cor. 3:6  "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."

This verse speaks against full-fledged Arminianism because Arminian adherents would say it's up to you to choose and to grow. This passage says differently. Paul spread the seeds of the Gospel, Apollos takes care of it, waters it, and nurtures the people. However, it is God who actually provides the growth; it isn't Paul, it isn't Apollos,  it isn't you, and it isn't me. We are just servants of Christ - His tools - but He is the cause that makes changes happen.

1 Cor. 3:7  "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."

The best we have is nothing but dirty rags before God:  Isa. 64:6  "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." What we have to offer is nothing, all things of value come from God and His mercy and guidance on our lives. The planting and watering can be done by anybody and is nothing more than following the commands of God. He is the one who gives growth, and therefore He is the one who gets credit. One can water a dead plant all they want, but it won't ever grow; God HAS to open hearts and minds in order for there to be any growth.

1 Cor. 3:8  "He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor."

"He who waters and he who plants are one" seems to mean that they have the same goal, or teach the same doctrine. This can be deduced when reading the verse in context; the people are saying they follow Paul or Apollos instead of saying they are following Christ. In other words, they keep saying they are following the servants of Christ instead of Christ Himself, but His servants are just that... servants. It is not our job to decide whether or not Paul or Apollos is better, that is up to God because God is the one who judges; we won't know our wages until after death.

1 Cor. 3:9  "For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building."

Paul, Apollos, you, me, your pastor, my pastor - we are all fellow workers for God. We all are called to do the same thing - speak God's love for the whole world, maybe this means our neighbors, and maybe this means people across the globe. God will and does lead us in the right direction if we are willing to listen. The people, in general, are where God works, so we are His field because He makes and allows us to grow. We are God's building because our bodies are His temple where He dwells. Moreover, we are His Kingdom, which shows we are being built by Him.


Paul and Apollos were workers for Christ. How they performed on earth is a matter of God's point of view, not ours. They were also just servants of Christ; we can't allow ourselves to lose sight of Who we are following and to Whom we are accountable. We must also continue to grow in Christ and we must help those who are still new in the faith as well as those who are experienced in the faith as they maneuver around pitfalls and attempt to live a God-honoring life. The Corinthians quit growing and were acting like toddlers in the faith - just the little ones. They were full of jealousy, strife, and therefore sin all over which teacher they would "claim." What silliness; yet we need to also be careful not to fall into this danger because it's ever present for us as long as we have leaders. So, child of God, be careful, guard your heart, and continue to grow in Christ.

Lowly, foolish, and weak, the best traits for a Christian?

1 Cor. 1:25  "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 
1 Cor. 1:26  For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 
1 Cor. 1:27  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 
1 Cor. 1:28  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 
1 Cor. 1:29  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 
1 Cor. 1:30  And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 
1 Cor. 1:31  so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"
(ESV)
This next set of verses is one of my favorite passages. The reason being that it shows that God chooses to show His power and majesty through sinners, through the weak, the foolish, and the lowly.

1 Cor. 1:25  "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

To get a better understanding of this verse, let's look at the ISV translation: 1 Cor. 1:25  "For God's nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." (ISV)
The reason I like this translation of this verse is the word "nonsense" which basically means it doesn't make sense. Paul is saying: "What God does, even if it doesn't make sense to us, is still wiser than we are. If what God does looks weak, it's still stronger than we are. Whatever God does, He does for a purpose. His purpose, even though it may not seem reasonable, smart, or anything but foolishness, it will be the wisest thing possible." For example: when Christ was on the cross, He could have called legions of angels to His side, yet He didn't. He died without a fight. Was Christ weak? No, He was strong for NOT calling the angels. He could have forsaken us all to our sins so He didn't have to die; but He suffered and died and took all of our sins so we could have salvation.

1 Cor. 1:26  "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth."

When you look at Jesus's disciples and what they were before they met him, they weren't rich, nor were they of a higher class. Peter, Andrew, John, and James were all fishermen -definitely not the pinnacle of society at the time. Levi was a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated due to their dishonest practice of exacting money from people. (Who wants their money taken away?) Christ also says this in Mark 10:25:  "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Paul was one of the few Apostles who was "wise" according to worldly standards before he was saved. He was a zealot for Judaism; he was a Pharisee; he was the "Hebrew of Hebrews." "As to righteousness under the law, blameless" (Philippians 3:5-6). Yet, the true church, (not just those who call themselves Christians, but those actually following Christ) is mainly made up of the weak, the odd, and the foolish (according to the world).

1 Cor. 1:27  "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;"

The foolish in the world, made wise. The weak in the world, made strong. Sounds to me like the world's best transformation program. What do you think? I'd say it is. When we get the Holy Spirit, and He works in and through us, we can do things that we thought were impossible. The reason that God does this goes back to verse 21: "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." The foolish are more easily saved than the wise, the poor and the weak are more easily saved than the rich and the strong. Why? Because of these words in Proverbs 29:23:  "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor." Those who are rich, wise, and strong have a lot to be prideful about. They can rely on their human status or abilities to get what they want in life (or so they think), and the only way for them to be saved is when they realize that they aren't enough. The most common way this happens is for them to have their money taken away, or have somebody prove they are dumb, or something take away their strength. It takes a low spot in anybody's life for them to realize that the only way for them to have true peace and joy is through Christ. People who are poor, people who aren't "wise" (by worldly standards), and those who are weak have an easier time realizing that they need work than do those who have power, those who are strong, those who are rich, or those who are wise (again, according to worldly standards).

1 Cor. 1:28  "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,"

The best example of this is David and Goliath. David, a little short guy, with a staff and a rock, defeated the best fighter of the time. He was laughed at by the troops, laughed at by the Giant, and he was spoken down to by his brother: 1 Sam. 17:28  "Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, 'Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.'" Yet, he destroyed the Giant, became king even though he was the youngest brother, and God showed that he can use anybody who trusts Him. If you trust Him, He can make you strong and He can make you wise. He will use you to show His power to those who have power. He will use you to show His wisdom to those who are wise. He will use you to show His strength to those who are strong. So the point of this is that it doesn't matter what or who  you are, you can be saved and God will use you. If you are the poorest poor, or the richest rich, God can and will use you, should you believe.

1 Cor. 1:29  "so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

The reason God uses the lowly, weak, and foolish is so that they can't boast before Him. They can't say they did the things they did by their own power, but can ONLY point toward God. So, if you're being prideful, God won't be able to use you at full potential.

1 Cor. 1:30  "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,"

Because of God, we are in Christ. He gave us Christ; He outlined the salvation plan, etc. Christ IS wisdom given to us from God, and Christ is our righteousness, sanctification and redemption. It sounds pretty simple, but really think about what this is saying. We are not righteous nor are we wise. So, in order for us to become righteous, in order to be sanctified and redeemed, we must have something that is righteous for us. Christ is the one Who is righteous for us, the one Whom God sees when He looks at us. He is also our wisdom, because we are foolish; He is our strength because we are weak; He is what we aren't, so that we may become what we need to become in Christ.

1 Cor. 1:31  "so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

When you do anything that is good, you need to point to God and not yourself. If you get a good grade on a test, that wasn't you, that was God. He gave you the brain-power and the drive to do well. If you make a smart choice, it was God who gave you the wisdom. If you are able to bench 500 lbs., it was God who gave you that ability. If you speak the salvation message and somebody believes because of it, it wasn't you that saved them. God worked in their heart, and God gave you the words to say.

The point of this whole passage is that God is wise, He is strong, and we are not. Plain and simple. The concept that piggybacks on this one is that those who are weak, foolish, and lowly are the people who are most open to the truth; they are the ones who are most useful to God in most circumstances because He can then show His power. However, if you are humble and realize how much of what you've done is because of God, you will be useful for him regardless of your status in life.

The Gospel - Folly to the Foolish and Wisdom to the Wise

1 Cor. 1:18  "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 
1 Cor. 1:19  For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' 
1 Cor. 1:20  Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 
1 Cor. 1:21  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 
1 Cor. 1:22  For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 
1 Cor. 1:23  but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 
1 Cor. 1:24  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

1 Cor. 1:18  "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

The "word of the cross" is referring to the Gospel message of Christ dying on the cross and being raised again on the third day. If you don't believe something is true, then chances are you believe that it is a foolish idea, or thought, or statement. Paul is saying that if you are not saved, you don't believe the Gospel is true, and therefore believe it's foolish. However, if you are saved, you believe the Gospel, and you know that it is truth, and that it is where the power of God is shown. In the power of His grace and the power of our salvation, both in action (the paying the price), and in the saving of us (the beginning of our salvation).

1 Cor. 1:19  "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'"  (Found in Isaiah 29:14)

Using the KJV will help to clear up what this verse is saying.
(KJV)  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 
Paul's point is that anybody who thinks himself wise and has any faith in his own knowledge and understanding will be humbled and learn that it has no eternal value. When we die, all that will matter is our knowledge of and faith in Christ. When the earth gets destroyed, all its history, all the sciences, all medicine, all philosophy, all language will be useless to us due to it's imperfection.  When we get to heaven, it will all become unnecessary to remember the history we were taught, we will not need to know about science (at least science of today, we may still learn how God made things to work perfectly, but not man's pathetic shot at understanding it), medicine will be obsolete, philosophy will become false, and we won't need to worry about spelling or grammar. What you are taught in school will not gain you salvation, so in mind of eternity, it won't matter. Not to mention, most of our philosophy, history, science, and language, is full of misinformation, and/or human convention which will all be destroyed.

1 Cor. 1:20-21  "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe."

I believe the reference to the "wise" is relating to the philosophers of the time in the Gentile world, the scribes would be the Jewish version of this, being the people who are "wise" within the Jewish culture, and the debater which would be the person who thinks they can confound people by their brilliance. Then, Paul goes on to say that God has made the wisdom of people into nothing, he has destroyed it, and it is worthless. His point is this: "See all these people whom you deem smart? Whom you think are brilliant? Well, they say nothing wise; it is all foolishness." The wisdom of God is the reason that world can not know God through wisdom. I know that's maybe difficult to understand, so let me try to re-phrase it. Not allowing men to find God through wisdom is what God deemed wise. Why did God decide that the only way to Him was through Christ and His death and not through worldly wisdom? Because if God allowed men to find Him through their own wisdom it would create pride in the fact that they found God, and others with less wit didn't.  I leave folly in quotation marks because it isn't folly, it is wisdom. But yet, to those who do not believe, (as it says in verse 18 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing") it is foolish; if it wasn't foolish to them, they would believe because who would pick folly over wisdom?

1 Cor. 1:22  "For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,"

The Jews look for God in the signs, and the Greeks look for God through earthly wisdom. But neither will find Him. Because they only way to find God is through faith in the "folly" of Christ's death and resurrection.

1 Cor. 1:23  "but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,"

The proper translation would be "an offence to the Jews" The reason being that they expected a physical king, one who would save them from the world at large. What they didn't realize is that He came to save them from the carnality of the world and not from the rulers of the world. The reason that is is folly to the Gentiles, is that it goes against everything they know. Some guy, in Judea died and then His followers claim He rose again. Why would this make sense? Sacrifice does not make sense, and they hadn't ever seen anybody rise from the dead before. That is foolishness to the "rational" humanistic mind; why should we do something to better others if it hurts ourselves?

1 Cor. 1:24  "but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

The word "called":
"κλητός
klētos
klay-tos'
invited, that is, appointed, or (specifically) a saint: - called."
Basically, those who are saved: the believers in Christ. This is just a reiteration of what Paul says back in verse 18: "But to us who are being saved it is the power of God." We are saved by Christ, and even though it doesn't make sense from a humanistic-logical-sinful standpoint, it makes sense from God's viewpoint and believers see it as perfect wisdom on God's part.


The whole purpose of this passage is to reaffirm that Christ is true wisdom to the believer. And although those of this age may think they are smart and have wisdom but it will all perish, as will they. It says the Jews wanted signs, yet because of the lack of signs and the lack of Christ doing what they expected, He was a stumbling block and offensive to the Jews. To the Gentiles, it didn't make sense. Why would they care about some guy who died in a different culture? Yet, it is wisdom to us believers who think not with the foolish Gentile mind, nor with the tainted mind of the Jew. Instead, we think with the mind of the Holy Spirit Who was given to us by God to explain His mysteries and to guide us through our lives. 

Division, Unity, and Christ

1 Cor. 1:10  "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 
1 Cor. 1:11  For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 
1 Cor. 1:12  What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.' 
1 Cor. 1:13  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 
1 Cor. 1:14  I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 
1 Cor. 1:15  so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 
1 Cor. 1:16  (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 
1 Cor. 1:17  For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

Divisions within the church disrupt both the growth of the people and the growth of the kingdom of God. Does this mean there is nothing we should disagree on? Yes, it does. Does this mean, however, that we won't disagree on anything? I don't think so...


1 Cor. 1:10  "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." (ESV)

1 Cor. 1:10  "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (KJV)

I think that the KJV translates this verse better than the ESV because of the difference of words "agree" and "speak." The difference is that is is impossible for people to agree on everything unless they are all perfect and of one mind with God. Now, "speaking the same thing" means that men can say the same things, even if they do not believe all of the same specifics. Let me explain - all believers should agree on the basics of the faith - we are sinners, Christ died for our sins, only through Christ can we be saved, it's through faith, and not works that we are saved, etc. These are the things that we should be speaking about in public, the Gospel message, and the basics of the faith. Things we disagree on, should not be debated in public, because it puts a face of disunity on Christianity. When we do disagree on things that are not of such importance, instead of assuming that the other person is wrong  and condemning them as not being saved. We should remember that we aren't perfect, so there is a possibility that they are right. The first reason you shouldn't condemn them is you might be wrong. The second reason is that you are not God, you can't judge their hearts, neither can you know if they are saved or not. Now, this isn't saying you can't discuss your differences, but don't be broadcasting that they are not saved, or they are 100% wrong. How do you know which one is wrong and which one is right? You have your opinion, you are convinced in your own mind which is what matters because of what it says in Romans 14:23b, "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." and in Romans 14:5, "One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind."  These include any of your beliefs, and anybody else's beliefs.  The latter verse is talking about the Sabbath. Some believe that there is no difference between the Sabbath and any other day; others believe there is. This is one issue believers disagree on once in a while. What matters is that you are convinced, not if you esteem Sundays ahead of the other days or not. Unity in one mind and with the same judgement is again referring to the fact that we are all under Christ, the Holy Spirit should be our mind and our judgment on all things of life. We are not to be the same person, but we are to be under the same Person.

Galatians 5:25-26 reads "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." Prior to this, Paul is explaining the fruits of the Spirit, three of which I would like to highlight: gentleness, patience, and kindness. We should be gentle with all people despite disagreeing, we should also be patient with people who believe things different from us, we should also be kind to each other despite different beliefs. For example, if you believe that one translation of the Bible is superior  to any of the others, why should you condemn, disgrace, and disassociate from other believers who believe the use of another is superior to yours or who believe one is not better than another? You both believe Christ is Lord, you both believe you are sinners, and you are both convinced in your own mind that you are right, so there is no reason not to get along, even if you do disagree. You are both saved, and you will know the true answer in heaven... and there is a chance both of you were wrong!

1 Cor. 1:11-12  "For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.'"

In the previous verse Paul tells them that they should not be divided, and that they should be united under Christ. These verses go on to say that divisions have been among them, and he explains what he means, (which also gives us context to the previous verses.) The divisions among them (which were also referenced in the previous verse) consist of them following distinct people: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or Christ. They didn't realize that they are all under Christ, not each under their minister. They thought that each had his own beliefs instead of realizing that under Christ are different teachers, none that are perfect, but all that are under Him. The fact that they followed teachers, instead of Christ, led to dissension, quarreling and disunity within the church. Going back up to verse ten, it also explains why Paul is telling them to be of the same mind (from the Holy Spirit, and therefore Christ.) They are of different minds, not of the same mind, they were probably judging and accusing each other based on who they were "following." Paul is trying to tell them that they should not base their or anybody else's salvation on who taught or baptized them but on the deity of Christ.

1 Cor. 1:13  "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"

I love Paul's sarcasm here, it really drives home his point that Christ was crucified, not Paul; they were baptized in the name of Christ, not Paul; Christ is the one who saved us, not Paul. This continues the thought from the previous verses very well. The last verses he says "this is what you say," now he is saying "Oh really? So is Christ really divided like that?". Then he says "So was I crucified for you? Did I save you?" The obvious answer is no, he did not die for them, he was not the one to save them. His other obvious question is "Is Christ divided?" the answer is no, how can and should we apply this? Are you a Calvinist? Are you a Baptist? Are you a Lutheran? I say you are none of the above, because of this verse. You are a CHRISTIAN! You are a follower of Christ, you shouldn't be a follower of Calvin; you shouldn't be a follower of Luther; you should be a follower of Christ. You may study their works, you may believe what they did, but you still are a follower of Christ because neither Luther nor Calvin died for your sins.

1 Cor. 1:14-16  "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)"

Paul doesn't want to become the people's idol because it is God that is the focus, not him. If none were baptized by him, none can say they were baptized in his name. Therefore it makes it harder for people to put him at the center of their religion.

1 Cor. 1:17  "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

Paul wasn't sent to baptize, he was sent to preach and spread the Gospel. He wasn't sent because he was a great orator, but because he was following Christ. The power of the cross is evident when people accept the Gospel, even when it doesn't sound good and when it wasn't persuasive. If he was eloquent, people would say that he convinced them because of his eloquence and persuasive voice and that it had nothing to do with the power of Christ's death.


Division - we need to be careful not to divide the church of God. We need to have grace when it comes to beliefs other than those central to our faith such as the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, His death and resurrection, etc. If what you believe stems from faith and doesn't go completely against the Bible, maybe you are right and maybe you are wrong, but what matters is that you believe it from faith and you are willing to be gracious, kind, and patient with those who disagree with you. I am not saying you can't disagree, or even discuss, but that you shouldn't quarrel or fight about it. Moreover, you follow CHRIST. You don't follow Paul. You don't follow Calvin. You don't follow Luther. You follow Christ. You may believe what Calvin said, and that is fine, but you are a Christian. Like Paul said, did  Calvin die for you? Were you baptized in Calvin's or Luther's name? I think not. Remember that the power of the cross is not shown when we are eloquent, or when we are good at speaking, but when the Holy Spirit speaks through us. No one can say we were good orators, no one can say it was we who convinced them; it was the Holy Spirit who convinced them. So, even if you are not good at talking, even if you are not good at sharing the Gospel, do it anyway. Let Christ reveal Himself to other people through you and despite your mistakes, showing His power and not your eloquence.

The gift of....

1 Cor. 1:1  "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 
1 Cor. 1:2  To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 
1 Cor. 1:3  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
1 Cor. 1:4  I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 
1 Cor. 1:5  that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge—
1 Cor. 1:6  even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—
1 Cor. 1:7  so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
1 Cor. 1:8  who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
1 Cor. 1:9  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 

I started in chapter two, so I'm going back to chapter one, then I'll go to chapter 3, (I'm just trying to confuse you).

1 Cor. 1:1  "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,"

Paul was called by the WILL of God - His determination, or His choice. He is an Apostle; he asserts his authority because of the many things he will chastise the Corinthians for, and the many things he will teach them. He wishes to make sure they know he is from God and has the authority to say what he says. Sosthenes is talked about one other time in Scripture, in Acts. 

Act 18:17  And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this. 

1 Cor. 1:2  "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:"

Something interesting that was once pointed out to me about this passage is that this isn't "Paul's church," or "John's Church," it's God's church. All churches are God's, if they are seeking to follow Him, which you can tell when Paul says "to those sanctified", for when we are sanctified, we are saved, and therefore we belong to the church of God. Being Saints, which means we have been sanctified, brings us together in Christ with all other people who have been sanctified in and by Christ.

1 Cor. 1:3  "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Although you may see this as his common greeting, it has meaning to it.
Grace is favor from God, both in giving us salvation and in giving us provision, and in everything He has given, both to the human race and to Christians. 

Paul also wishes the Corinthians peace, which means to have stillness of mind. The only true peace you can have is if you fully and totally trust in God, in which case your mind should never be in conflict with itself or have anxiety. Grace is given to all people, and peace is given to those who are willing to trust in God fully.

1 Cor. 1:4-5  "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge—"

Even though the Corinthian church had problems, Paul still thanked God for what He had done for them, through Christ. Paul sets an example here that we should note. He is thankful for what God has done, he doesn't complain about what He hasn't done. Paul says that the Corinthians abound in "speech" and "knowledge". Speech may refer to them speaking in tongues, for both in this and the next letter Paul talks several times about the Corinthians' ability to speak in tongues, and possibly to prophesy. When he speaks of knowledge, he is probably referring mostly to doctrine. Christ gave the Corinthians strong doctrine through Paul; however, just because they were given strong doctrine and the body of this church, as a whole, had strong doctrine does not signify that each individual, within the body at Corinth, had strong doctrine. This can be seen as we continue through the rest of the book of Corinthians (both one and two). There are many places where Paul has to dispel some kind of false doctrine within these two books.

1 Cor. 1:6  "even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—"

Testimony means evidence. Therefore, this verse is saying "as the evidence of Christ was proven to be among you." The phrase "even as" refers back to verse 5, which says "You were enriched in all speech and knowledge," so it is saying that they were being enriched in speech and knowledge while the testimony of Christ was being confirmed among them.

1 Cor. 1:7-8  "so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"So that"..... what is the "so" referring to? It is referring to this comment in verse four: "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus."  Paul gives thanks because of this grace, because they are not lacking any gift.
This is the definition of "gift" here, in this passage.
χάρισμα
charisma
char'-is-mah
From G5483; a (divine) gratuity, that is, deliverance (from danger or passion); (specifically) a (spiritual) endowment, that is, (subjectively) religious qualification, or (objectively) miraculous faculty: - (free) gift.

(Strong)

This can mean a lot of things, perhaps the free gift of salvation, or it may be referencing the previous verses talking about "speech and knowledge," or it may possibly be referring to the other spiritual gifts. You could probably accept any of the previous explanations but, looking ahead to verse 8, you will see that these gifts are going to help keep you guiltless till the day of Jesus. Because of the phrase that follows, I would say that salvation, specifically sanctification, and spiritual gifts are being spoken of in this instance. Sanctification will be continued forever after you have been saved, thereby qualifying it as the only thing that will keep you holy till the end, unless you become perfect on earth. Sanctification brings you to perfection in God's eyes. 

This guiltlessness is what is being talked about in this passage. In order to be sustained to the end, you must be holy, in order to be holy, you must be either perfect by nature (which according to Paul when he wrote Romans, is not possible "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God") or you must be sanctified. To be sanctified, you must have Christ die for you, which is exactly what God has given to us. "Revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ..... in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" 

These are both referring to the second coming of Christ, which is talked about right before he goes to the cross, as well as in Hebrews: Heb 9:28  "so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him." The second coming of Christ is when we will be saved eternally from the effects of sin and death.

1 Cor. 1:9  "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

This verse is reinforcing the previous verse, "who will sustain you". This verse, is saying that God is faithful, and will follow through with His promises. He brought you into fellowship with Christ, He will never let down His side of the covenant. As it says in Romans, 8:35-39:  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Once God has brought us into fellowship with Christ, we can't ever "lose" our salvation. To me, it sounds like Paul is saying "Don't worry, God will bring your salvation to completion." He says a similar thing in Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."  He is saying that God doesn't start something He doesn't intend to finish. If you are saved by Him, you will continue in your salvation into eternity. We are brought into salvation by a faithful God who will sustain us till the end. We can be sure that we will reach the end, where He will complete the good work He began in us.

This verse has an interesting idea in it that a casual reading may not reveal. He says we were called by God. A call to arms, or being called to the mission field. Once He has given the call, we have to follow that call in order for our salvation to be complete. By disobeying the call, you are thereby sinning once again and more or less, spitting in the face of God. Who knows if you will receive a second call if you pass by the first? This should also dispel the notion of us initiating salvation, because if God has to call us then He is the one who initiated our chance for salvation.Without God opening our hearts and minds we have no choice to accept his salvation because we are dead in sin, a dead man can't do anything but stay dead. However, it should also dispel the idea of God completely controlling us and salvation having nothing to do with our choices. He raises us from out death in sin, and brings us to life in Him, allowing us to answer His call. However it is a call, not a command, nor does it say God forced anybody to be saved. You have to answer a call to arms, and you have to answer a call to the mission field. It is up to you to act on what God has called you to do. After saying this, I need to say that God may convince you like he did Paul, the only way out of your situation may be to follow God.


Paul gives thanks in this passage for all that God has done. He then gives some testimony to what God has done (not lacking in any spiritual gifts, they were given speech and knowledge,  and that Christ was shown to be among them.) He then confirms that God will continue to bless the church, and those who are sanctified by saying that He WILL sustain them, and that God IS faithful. This is his greeting to the church before he gets to the the real "issues" at hand.

Wisdom and the Holy Spirit

1 Cor. 2:6  "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 

1 Cor. 2:7  But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 

1 Cor. 2:8  None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

1 Cor. 2:9  But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him'—

1 Cor. 2:10  these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 

1 Cor. 2:11  For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 

1 Cor. 2:12  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 
1 Cor. 2:13  And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 
1 Cor. 2:14  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 
1 Cor. 2:15  The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 
1 Cor. 2:16  'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ." 

In my last post, I asserted that all you need to witness, is the Gospel - that Christ died and He rose again.

1 Cor. 2:1  "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom." 

This holds true. What happens sometimes, though, is that we never move on from this point.

1 Cor. 3:1  "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 

1 Cor. 3:2  I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready."

When we are first saved, we are infants in Christ. This faith has to be brought from infancy to adulthood. 

In contrast to what I pointed out in my last post, we are supposed to give wisdom and knowledge to people, but to those that are already saved and growing. 

I shall continue where I left off, at 1 Corinthians 2:6.

1 Cor. 2:6  "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away."

The mature, those are those who are complete in Christ, those who have been saved, and already know the basics of the faith and understand the Gospel.  This wisdom is Spiritual in nature, not earthly wisdom.  God is not interested in us winning Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?; God is interested in us knowing about Him and who he is, Then show us how to live. This verse is repeating what He says in chapter one, verse nineteen:

1 Cor. 1:19  "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'" 

The wisdom of this age, and of those who deem themselves wise, He shall destroy. It shall not endure through eternity.
This wisdom is the same wisdom as Solomon talked about in Proverbs three:

Prov. 3:19  "The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens; 
Prov. 3:20  by His knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew." 

This wisdom is God's power. This wisdom is His actions. This wisdom is His plans, and His wisdom shows who He is. 

1 Cor. 2:7  "But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory."

"We" refers to those who preach the Gospel.  This same "mystery" or "secret" is talked about several times in the Gospels and in Paul's letters. For example:

Rom. 16:25  "Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages." 

Eph 1:7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 

Eph. 1:8  "which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 

Eph. 1:9  making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ 

Eph. 1:10  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth."

This Wisdom is the Gospel, His plan of salvation, and His plan to show His power and glory.
Conversely, this also brings us glory, and its purpose is to bring us glory. The glory we will receive is when we reach heaven, it is our salvation, and our reward for obeying Christ. This glory however, is still God's glory because it's nothing we did, but what He did. He was the One who supplied us with His glory; He is the one who created it.

1 Cor. 2:8  "None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."

Those who crucified Christ did not understand the Gospel. Had they understood the Gospel, they would have believed in Christ and believed that He was the Savior of the world. They would have then had nothing to do with condemning Him to death in the physical sense, (although through their previous sin they already condemned Him).

1 Cor. 2:9  "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him'—"

This passage can be used both for our current lives, and also for our future lives. Life isn't going to be peachy in our current life because we are saved. However, we will be given things like joy and peace beyond anything we could have imagined if we had not been saved by Christ.

Rom. 14:17  "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

As stated here, in Romans 14, part of the kingdom of God is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If we are in the Holy Spirit, we will have joy and peace; if we are not in the Holy Spirit, we will have unrest and not exhibit the Fruits of the Spirit. If we are not in the Spirit, how can He give us His fruit?

The second part of this verse is talking about future glory in heaven. This can be read about in Revelation twenty-one and twenty-two. Also, Christ talks about it in John 14: 

John 14:1  "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.

John 14:2  In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

John 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also."

1 Cor. 2:10  "these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God."

The Holy Spirit should be everything to the Christian. He is our guide; He is the one to whom God has given the responsibility to reveal His will to us. The Spirit knows more about you, than you do; He knows more about God than all the angels and people combined, because He is God. This verse refers to the previous verse in the context of our being able to know some of what God has in store for us through the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor. 2:11  "For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God."

We know our thoughts, because our Spirit, the Holy Spirit knows God, because He is the Spirit within God.  We cannot understand all of God's thoughts, the Holy Spirit does, and therefore reveals some of His thoughts to us. However, we can't comprehend God or His thoughts. If we could, we would be God. Hence, we have to have the Holy Spirit reveal to us what we can comprehend of God.

1 Cor. 2:12  "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God."

The spirit of this world is referring back to the wisdom of this world, the Holy Spirit doesn't give us that kind of wisdom, but He gives us Wisdom of God, Wisdom from God, and Wisdom in God. The Holy Spirit gives us understanding of God and His hidden wisdom.

1 Cor. 2:13  "And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual." 

This is a very similar to the latter part of verse  six: "although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away."
This verse finishes Verse 6, because it talks about what this wisdom actually is. Not a human wisdom, but one that is from the Holy Spirit, and one that is about God. The Holy Spirit interprets the Bible for us, if we interpret it without the Holy Spirit, we will not have the truth. 

1 Cor. 2:14  "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

Just because you are wise according to worldly standards, does not mean that you are wise in godly wisdom. In fact, if you are not in the Holy Spirit, you will not understand spiritual truths. Because you don't understand them, they will seem foolish to you. Moreover, if you are wise in worldly wisdom, you will have less of a reason to follow Christ and to lean on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is much easier for those who are not wise (considered foolish)to become Christians.  The reason for this is shown in these verses:

1 Cor. 1:26  "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 
1 Cor. 1:27  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 
1 Cor. 1:28  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 
1 Cor. 1:29  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 
1 Cor. 1:30  And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 
1 Cor. 1:31  so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

If you are not already considered wise, smart, or noble, there is nothing for you to boast about if you are saved, except in who gave you wisdom and salvation.

1 Cor. 2:15  "The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one."

Those in whom the Holy Spirit lives, are to "judge" or discern all things in the world. He will be able to discern many spiritual things because the Holy Spirit reveals it to him. However, those who are in the world, because they do not understand the wisdom of God, and do not have the Holy Spirit they are unable to judge a Christian because they lack discernment given by the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor. 2:16  "'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ."

Paul asks an interesting rhetorical question, here. He asks who has understood the mind of the Lord. The obvious answer is no one (except the Holy Spirit who is part of the Godhead). He then goes on to make an interesting statement: "we have the mind of Christ." Did not Paul just finish saying that only the Holy Spirit understood the mind of God? Does it actually make sense that he would then come out and say we have the mind of Christ? The answer is yes; it does make sense. We don't understand it because it is above us, however the Holy Spirit is in us, and has the mind of Christ, and therefore we always have access, through the Holy Spirit, to the mind of Christ. The Spirit will then help us to understand the truths and thoughts contained within it.

Wisdom; there are two kinds. The first is earthly wisdom. This wisdom is of man; it is fleeting, it doesn't last into eternity. The rulers, and those considered wise are the people that have this wisdom, and since they will not last into eternity, neither will their wisdom. The second wisdom is of God, from God, and in God. It lasts into eternity because God is eternal. By those considered wise, it is foolish, by those considered foolish, it is considered wise. The Holy Spirit reveals to us the true, eternal wisdom. The Holy Spirit is in God, the Holy Spirit searches God, and brings to us His wisdom, which is why we always have access to the mind of Christ. Moreover, the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, which then gives us judgement and discernment. This is unattainable for those who do not have the Spirit in them. The purpose of this passage is to dispel the myth that we should never seek the deep things, and to clarify that the deep things are of God, and are only revealed through His Spirit.

Just the Basic Gospel?

1 Cor. 2:1  And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 
1 Cor. 2:2  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 
1 Cor. 2:3  And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 
1 Cor. 2:4  and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 
1 Cor. 2:5  so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 
(ESV)
I find this passage very interesting, and I think it is a good reminder of how we should be witnessing to others.

"And I, when I came to you, brothers,"
Paul went from Athens to Corinth, and stayed with Aquila and Priscilla and made tents with them, for they were tent makers. On the Sabbath, he went and taught and witnessed and probably debated in the synagogue. Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half before leaving for Syria (Acts 18:1-18).

"did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom."
When Paul came to Corinth, he preached the Gospel: you are sinners, Christ came to save you from your sins, repent and you shall be saved.  He didn't come to prove that he was smart or that he was better than than those to whom he spoke.  He came to share the simple truth. Now, I think the key word is "simple," as we will see in the following verses.

 "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
Paul preached the very simple Gospel - nothing more nothing less - Christ died for you.  That is how he witnessed.  When he came to Corinth, he witnessed, not using deep doctrine, but he witnessed using only the Gospel: You are a sinner, you need to be saved, and Christ came to save you.

" And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,"
Why would Paul, one of the pillars of Christianity, be afraid?  Was he afraid of people hurting him? Was he afraid of being rejected?  I think not.  I think he was afraid of letting Christ down; that, in some way, his doctrine might not be correct, or that he might say something he didn't mean to say. He is afraid of leading others astray by accident.

"and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,"
The Gospel doesn't make sense logically.  Why would a God send down his own Son to die for sinful men?  You can't figure it out through logic because it just doesn't make sense. Then, you might ask why anybody would believe it, and here is my answer to you: "demonstration of the Spirit and of power."  The Holy Spirit has so much power to move men's hearts, that you can't imagine it.  He uses His infinite power to save men, and move their hearts.

"so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God"
If our faith rested in the wisdom of men, it would draw away from the power of Christ and His death. Not only that, but it wouldn't make much sense, and we would be fools since what we believe does not make sense without the Bible to explain it.  If Paul had been able to convince people based on logic, or based on reasoning, or because of his eloquence they would not have stood faithful; they would have reasoned themselves to false theology and doctrine. When people are saved by God's power, that is where they will always look for wisdom, or at least that is where they should look for wisdom, because God promises us that He will grant us wisdom.

Jas. 1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 
Jas. 1:6  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 

So next time you witness to somebody, keep in mind that the basic Gospel is all you need to use, because it will show His power, and it will be to His glory. 

Through Him Who Strengthens Me

2 Cor. 3:5  "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God."

The part of this verse that really strikes me is "but our sufficiency is from God." If you are trying to be a Christian on your own; you can't. Not only can you not do it on your own, but you are taking away from God, and taking away from what He wants to show through you.


2 Cor. 12:9  "But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Cor. 12:10  "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 

God shows His power though our weaknesses, and grace through our sins; believe it or not. If you are powerful, or think you are bigger than the rest, you will be brought low, whether here on earth, or after death.

1 Cor. 1:27  "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 

1 Cor. 1:28  "God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are." 

Now, the weak don't do this by themselves.  They do it through God, using His strength.

And its not like you can just do some things; no, you can do ALL things through Him who strengthens you.

Phil. 4:12  "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 

Phil. 4:13  "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

I leave you with this: 

He strengthens those who are weak, and He weakens those who are strong.  He tore down empires and kings without any problem.

Isa 40:23  "Who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 

Isa 40:24  "Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when He blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble."

If he can destroy rulers like this, can He not take those who are nothing, and make them the rulers? Can He not  make you into the strong? He promises He will make the weak strong. HOWEVER, only if you let Him will he make you stronger, and only if  you allow yourself to be His tool will you do great works for Him. 

In Christ, 

Dawson

A true Christian?

A true Christian, you maybe have heard this phrase before. What does it mean to be a "true" Christian? Lets look at Romans 12 to give us that answer.


Rom 12:1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 
Rom 12:2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 
Rom 12:3  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 
Rom 12:4  For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 
Rom 12:5  so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 
Rom 12:6  Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 
Rom 12:7  if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 
Rom 12:8  the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 
Rom 12:9  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 
Rom 12:10  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 
Rom 12:11  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 
Rom 12:12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 
Rom 12:13  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 
Rom 12:14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 
Rom 12:15  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 
Rom 12:16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 
Rom 12:17  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 
Rom 12:18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 
Rom 12:19  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 
Rom 12:20  To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 
Rom 12:21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 
(ESV)\

I'm going to focus on verses 9-21, talking about, what it looks like to be a Christian, what you should strive towards, and what God expects you to strive towards.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 
Love what is good, what is good? well, whatever God is, is good. Abhor evil, this means to Hate evil! Don't laugh when somebody says a dirty joke....... don't enjoy sin, but hate it as much as God does. Hold fast to what is good, when in trials, when in pain, when in hard spots... hold fast to the truth, hold fast to Christ the solid rock.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 
"one another" is talking about our family in Christ, our brothers and sisters in the faith. Why is there conflict in the church? why is the American church the way it is today? Because those in the American church, don't love each other, because they don't love Christ as He would have them love Him. the second part "outdo one another in showing honor" literally means, we place each other above ourselves, if somebody has a need, we should take care of it, if it's in our power, this should be the same selflessness that Christ showed.

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 
If we are slothful, or lazy, are we following Christ? Was Christ lazy? Did Christ neglect his work? No, so if we are lazy, if we are slow, if we neglect our work, we are sinning, and not doing Christ's work.
Be Fervent in Spirit... Fervent actually means "to boil" now... what spirit? The Holy Spirit of course. We are to boil with the Holy Spirit, it should overflow, people should be able to see it in us all the time, and only when we are boiling over with the Holy Spirit, will we be able to effectively "serve the Lord".

Rejoice in hope, 
Rejoice... what does that word mean? well I looked back to the original language and this is the definition: (Strong's concordance)
G5463
χαίρω
chairō
khah'ee-ro
A primary verb; to be full of “cheer”, that is, calmly happy or well off; impersonal especially as a salutation (on meeting or parting), be well: - farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting, hail, joy (-fully), rejoice.
I didn't like this definition, so I went to Websters dictionary and I found this To experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations; to exult.
"to experience joy" this is what I was looking for, we are to experience joy, because of, the hope of salvation, and the promise of salvation.

be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

These go together, why? because the former can not happen without the latter. The former is also addressed in James 

Jas 1:2  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 

Jas 1:3  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 

Jas 1:4  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

Again, we are to go through trials knowing that it is God's will that we do... (don't let me say that all hard things come from God, because a lot of "trails" are a direct result of our own sin, natural consequences) Why would God want us to go through pain? why would God want us to feel the stress of not knowing how we will make it through a situation? Because it is the testing of our faith, and produces in us, steadfastness, making us be able to overcome whatever stand before us. However, without constant prayer, we will fall during trials, because the trials God puts forth, are enough to overcome us, so that we have to lean on him. Constant prayer, means not that we are always praying, although our spirit should always be being guided by the Holy Spirit, David prayed 7 times a day, others in the Bible had a certain amount of times they prayed every day. However, this amount of time depends on the conviction of the Holy Spirit, there is no set amount of time you should be praying every day. 

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

This relates back to the point on "Outdo one another in showing honor." In fact, I would venture to say, that it is the same point twice,  because repetition is used in the NT to show especially important things. 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 

We are to bless all, the saints, our enemies, everyone. A common misconception  is that we must trust them, or we must be their best friend. No, this isn't what it's saying. it's saying if somebody pokes out your eye, don't take out their eye, don't curse them, but pray for them, like Christ did about the Roman soldiers that nailed him to the cross "Father, forgive them, for they know now what they do". 

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 

When somebody is joyful, or mournful... don't be indifferent. Christ was not indifferent when Lazarus died, he cried, he was mournful, why? Because others were mournful, they felt the loss, he was feeling the loss with them. When somebody has good news, feel joyful with them, congratulate them, don't just tell them "huh" and continue what you are doing. The main point of this, is to be interested in the lives of others, don't be looking at yourself, or your circumstances so much that you can't be interested in the lives of others.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 
Be peaceful with each other, don't cause strife within the body of Christ, that both ruins your witness to the community, as does it also distract you from the focus on Christ. (there will still be conflict, Peter and Paul for example, but don't cause strife as far as it goes with you) Don't be haughty.... in other words, don't be prideful, don't ever think of yourself better than any other human, because the only reason you are different, is because God allowed you to be different, and because of His saving grace. "associate with the lowly" I think this relates to James chapter 2:1-4

Jas 2:1  My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 
Jas 2:2  For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 
Jas 2:3  and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," 
Jas 2:4  have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 
Don't be mistreating the poor, don't be favoring your time with the rich, because they are rich. Be spending your time with people, because of who they are in Christ, not because of who they are according to the world.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 
The first part of this is kind of repeating: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them." But it is different....the phrase "but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all".... what exactly does this phrase mean? what does it refer to? Let me quote the KJV (I think it translates this better) Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. We are not to steal because somebody stole from us, we are not to cheat, because we were cheated. We are to be fair, we are to be graceful, and we are to be honest. "Provide things honest in the sight of all men", this literally means: When you obtain material things, go about it honestly, don't steal food, don't steal for food... work for it, get is honestly.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 

A repeat of "live in harmony with one another" with the added clause of "as far as it depends on you" which clarifies that it may happen no matter what you do to prevent it. 

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 

"forgive and you shall be forgiven" if you look at the word avenge it has an interesting meaning (Websters dictionary) Avenged

AVENG'ED, pp. Satisfied by the punishment of the offender; vindicated; punished. 

We want to feel like the wrongs against us have been righted, but God says that he will repay to the offender what is owed, and that we should forgive, so we can be forgiven. How many times have we sinned? They are uncountable by you! each time you sinned, the proper punishment was death. Yet you have been forgiven, and are not going to die. All God asks, is that you forgive those who sin against you. 

To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 

When you feed your enemy, when you treat him with kindness, he will not understand it, and will probably feel foolish, and will feel stupid for being your enemy.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

When you are following God, and let his Spirit indwell you, you can overcome evil, you can deny it access to your heart, and you can help those that are not saved, when they do evil against you, do good to them, and if it be in God's will, you will overcome their evil, with God's good. 

Hopefully this was an encouragement to you, either to change to become more like this, or that you have been doing right! Let me encourage those of you like myself that still falter and fail in part of this or even all of this: You can't do this by yourself, and while on earth, no man has done this to the perfection of Christ. However ,don't let Satan catch you in the trap of "oh I'm not good enough for God, so I might as well give up". While this is partly true, it truly is false. You are not good enough for God, and if you trust in yourself, you should give up, However, should you trust in Christ, the perfecter of the saints, the one who died for the whole world's sins, there is hope! DO NOT give up! because unless you give up on Christ, he will never give up on you, and he will complete the work he started.  

Christ reigns in my heart and many others, and can reign in yours also, should you be lacking his reign in your life.

the great trap

As Promised, I will talk about the trap that we can fall into.
This trap has trapped many, and eventually leads away from Christ. Grace abounds we know that, Christ's death paid for all sins, and could pay for unlimited amounts of sin. Also we have died to the law, and are not responsible to it. So does that mean that we can sin whenever? does that mean that there is no sin for those who are saved?

Let me present this passage of Scripture to you as evidence. (ESV)


Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 
Rom 6:2  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 
Rom 6:3  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 
Rom 6:4  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 
Rom 6:5  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 
Rom 6:6  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 
Rom 6:7  For one who has died has been set free from sin. 
Rom 6:8  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 
Rom 6:9  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 
Rom 6:10  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 
Rom 6:11  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 
Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 
Rom 6:13  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 
Rom 6:14  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 

We are not to live for ourselves, or sin, BY NO MEANS, How can after we die to sin still live in sin? we can't, we can only live for God. Does this mean we will be perfect? No, but I just said we are not allowed to sin. How does this work? Well let me explain how this works: are we to continue in sin THAT GRACE might abound? "By no means" is what the scriptures say. However when you read this you think that it means we cannot sin, not allowed to sin. what is says it says that grace might abound, let me rephrase that: "Shall we sin so that grace can abound all the more?"We all know the answer is no, there is no reason to sin except for obeying your own mortal, sinful passions. However, this goes back to the previous post that said we must give ourselves over to God, so he can control us. Don't fight his truth, don't fight his control over your life. give him complete control.