Wisdom from the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:8-16 (NLT)
⁸ But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. ⁹ That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”
¹⁰ But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. ¹¹ No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. ¹² And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
¹³ When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. ¹⁴ But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. ¹⁵ Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. ¹⁶ For,
“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?”
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Wisdom from the Spirit

• God’s truth is undiscoverable apart from divine revelation.
• God’s truth is not learned through academic pursuits.
• God’s truth is only revealed by the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit guides believers into all truth.
• The Holy Spirit gives believers words to explain spiritual truths.
• Unregenerate people are unable to evaluate spiritual truths.
• Believers have the mind of Christ.

 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
(1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

“Reflections on 1 Corinthians” will be continued in future posts.

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Paul’s Message of Wisdom

1 Corinthians 2:1-7 (NLT)
¹ When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. ² For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. ⁴ And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. ⁵ I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
⁶ Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. ⁷ No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.

 Sharing the good news of the Gospel.

• Use words your audience can understand. Don’t try to impress them with fancy words.
• Talk about Jesus and the things He has done for you.
• Don’t intimidate or overpower your audience.
• Keep your presentation clear and to the point.
• Avoid using the tactics of a “used car salesman”.
• Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about a change of heart.
• Trust the power of God rather than human wisdom.
• Adjust your message to match the maturity level of your audience.  

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
(1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

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If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NLT)
²⁶ Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. ²⁷ Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. ²⁸ God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. ²⁹ As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
³⁰ God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. ³¹ Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

• God called you.
• God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.
• God chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
• God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
• God has united you with Christ Jesus.
• God made Christ Jesus to be wisdom itself.
• Christ Jesus made us right with God.
• Christ Jesus made us pure and holy.
• Christ Jesus freed us from sin.
• If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.

 If you only want one bullet point:

• God does it all.  

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
(1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

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The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NLT)

¹⁸ The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. ¹⁹ As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
²⁰ So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. ²¹ Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. ²² It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.²³ So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
²⁴ But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

•  The gospel is nonsense to the person who is rejecting Christ.
• God transforms us by changing the way we think.
• The Gospel is powerful to those who are being saved. It is wisdom.
• “The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”
• The world will never know God through human wisdom.
• Christians need to be sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in spite of the fact that this message is offensive to some and nonsense to others.
• The gospel is foolish to the person who is rejecting Christ.
• When the Gospel is shared with those who have been called by God to salvation, the message makes sense. God opens their eyes. 

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
(1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

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Divisions in the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (NLT)
¹⁰ I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. ¹¹ For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹² Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”
¹³ Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

• Christians are called to live in harmony with other Christians.
• Christians need to be focused on Jesus Christ, not anyone else. 

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.  (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

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Paul Gives Thanks to God

1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (NLT)

⁴ I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. ⁵ Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. ⁶ This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. ⁷ Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. ⁹ God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

•  Give thanks to God for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• God gives us every spiritual gift we need to carry out the plan He has for our lives.
• God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
• There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
• God will do whatever He says He will do.
• Together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory.
• One cannot fully enjoy fellowship with Christ while living outside the will of God. 

I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.   (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

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Greetings from Paul

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (NLT)

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. 
² I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 
³ May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

• The church in Corinth was called to live holy lives in the midst of a sin-infested city.
• We are called to live holy lives in the midst of a sin-infested environment.
• We are called to experience God’s grace and peace while living in the midst of a sin-infested environment.

 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.                            (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT)

“Reflections on 1 Corinthians” will be continued in future posts.

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