B5-devotions

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Devotions for Thursday 8th January

Following an introduction to his letter to the Corinthians in the first chapter and a lengthy section highlighting the problem of division within the church (1:10-31), Paul wrote clearly and precisely to justify his authority as the founder of the Corinthian church (see Acts 18) and his right to correct and challenge the people there. In moving words, Paul reminded the Corinthians that he had come to them with only one message; ‘I decided to know nothing whilst I was with you except Christ Jesus, and Him crucified.’ (2:2). After all the talk about foolishness and wisdom, and a certain amount of confusion about the nature of human wisdom and godly wisdom, Paul’s words in this passage are delightfully understandable and precise. They speak of the heart of the Gospel message about Christ and its power within the life of believers; and they tell us that wisdom and words do not deliver this spiritual reality, because it is found in God alone.

In our study today we will explore this text further, but before we do so, it is worth reminding ourselves of the circumstances of the foundation of the Corinthian church as recorded in Acts 18. We find that Paul went to Corinth just after he had famously challenged the Greek philosophers in Athens with his famous challenge to consider that their ‘unknown god’ was in fact the Creator of the World (Acts 17:22-31). Paul’s sermon is quite famous and frequently applauded as an example of contextualised preaching, but if you look closely, you will find that it did not have much effect and Paul appears to have been deeply dissatisfied with the consequence. After he finished speaking, ‘some scoffed, others said “we will hear you again about this”’ (Acts 17:32). Although a few joined Paul (Acts 17:34), the record of Acts says that Paul left quickly and went straight away to Corinth.

What may have happened is this. If you read the sermon in Acts 17, you will find that in trying to argue with the philosophers (17:22-31), Paul spoke about God, but never mentioned Jesus Christ or His redeeming work at all. There is no mention of His life, His death or His resurrection! It is possible that Paul consequently re-evaluated his message, for looking back on those times here in this passage, Paul reflects that he went to Corinth with a desire to put aside all human wisdom, as if leaving it behind with the philosophers in Athens! By the guidance of the Spirit of God he felt led to preach henceforth on ‘Christ alone and Him crucified’ (2:2)!

If Paul was unhappy with his sermon in Athens, then this was the logical conclusion; moreover, Acts 18 records that in Corinth, Paul also decided to leave Jewish synagogues and ‘shake the dust from his feet’ (18:6). After this he went to the Gentiles directly and did not spend time with Jews who prevented him from preaching the Gospel to others by arguing with him (Acts 18:5-11). It was a momentous time in Paul’s life as a missionary, and it helps our understanding of this passage in 1 Corinthians to know that what he said about the Gospel was not some whim arising from his letter writing. It was a deeply held belief coming from his most difficult experiences of missionary work in the Roman Empire.

I have explained all this in the early part of this study because it transforms our understanding of this passage and justifies our acceptance of it as a basic principle of Paul’s missionary work. It tells us that the heart of preaching is the Gospel of Christ crucified, and that the power of preaching rests not in eloquence but spiritual truth, and that consequence of the preaching of the Gospel is shown in the work of the Spirit in the life of those who hear it. This last point is not as clear as the others, but arises from Paul’s comments about the ‘proof of the Spirit’ (2:4 – see later study).

Going Deeper

The study goes on to look at these three principles, for they are of great importance; the heart of preaching, the power of preaching and the evidence of the Gospel. I have also taken the opportunity to write about two textual problems in this passage. We often gloss over such things; but why? We have a right to understand why it is that one translation says this and another that, and examine the reasons. You may think the issues in today’s ‘translation notes’ are minimal; but they are highly important if you believe that every word of the Bible is of value as ‘God’s Word’. We all have a duty to do our best to get it right.

1 When I came to you, fellow believers, I did not come proclaiming the evidence of God to you in high sounding words or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing whilst I was with you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, 3 and I came to you in weakness, in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my preaching were not given with the persuasiveness of wisdom, but by proof of the Spirit and in power, 5 so that you might not place your faith in human wisdom but in the power of God.

We adore You, Heavenly Father, and we praise You. You are the God who speaks to us through each sound we hear and touches us with every experience of the day. Please accept the offer of our heartfelt love and appreciation. We cannot thank You enough for the amazing grace of Jesus. Thank You, heavenly Father, AMEN

Show us something of Yourself, Lord.

Show us Creation in all its splendour;

Show us Salvation in all its graciousness;

Show us Redemption in all its completeness;

Show us Holiness in all is magnificence;

Show us Faith in all its fruitfulness;

Show us Hope in all its fulfilment;

Show us Love in all its contentment;

Show us Jesus, for He is all these things, for us.

Weekly Theme: Wildlife

Pray for those who involve themselves in caring for wildlife and the environment, as a duty of care. Pray that all people might realise that they have a duty of care for wildlife.

On-going prayers

Pray against illegal arms traders and those who sponsor them
Pray for those on trial at the Hague for crimes against humanity
Give thanks to God for the joy of travelling and visiting friends

For the full Bible study, click link above,

or for a brief review, scroll page down.

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