1Corinthians 1: 22-24 For
the Jews require a signs and Greeks seek
after wisdom; but we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Gentiles foolishness, but
unto them which are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God
and the wisdom of God.
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew
not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe.
For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus
Christ and him crucified.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them because they
are spiritually discerned
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should
not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth, crucified among you?
Unto you therefor which believe an honor but unto them which
be disobedient the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the
head of the corner and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense which stumble
at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed
If we are to keep context in mind as we read Pauls first
epistle to the Corinthians we can easily see that the first four chapters are
dealing with the same subject; carnal thinking leading to division in the
church.
Now if you are like me then you may have spent years thinking
1 Corinthians 1: 22-24 was comparing the thinking of unbelievers, religious,
and believers but in context Paul is saying that it was believers who were
divided in how their living for YHWH was to be accomplished. These believers were carnally applying their
faith to Greek and Jewish thought; imagining that they could by such gain
Messiah life.
If you would take just a few moments and consider with me if
our modern church has learned these lessons, if we as individuals are truly
trusting Messiah crucified, or does the Spirit still echo “you are yet carnal”.
The Greeks
seek after wisdom…
It has been said by
some that western civilization as we know it has Paul at its core. I understand
why it is said but in truth it is a perception of Pauls teachings married to Plato
and the other Greek thinkers. The core of this belief is that the only thing
perfect is the thought of a thing; for when that thought is brought into a
physical manifestation it is flawed from its form in the mind. The child of
such thinking is the more I understand, the more I learn, the more I know, will
lead to a more perfect thought in my mind and result in a manifestation in the
physical that is closer to the perfect belief. Of course I already accept that
the physical manifestation will never reach perfection in the way my thought
can.
I have heard it said by a certain very influential teacher
of false things that God told him If he knew as much of the word as Jesus did
He too could have gone to the cross for man’s redemption.
While I never took
such thinking that far there was a time that I believed that to know Gods word
would manifest His life in me. My concentration was mostly on the New Testament;
before work, during breaks, lunch time, after work, in the bathtub, on the
toilet, seven days a week, no TV, Christian radio in the background sometimes.
After about a year and a half the meekness that had come naturally
when I had come to the Lord was replaced with an arrogant false humility. In my
mind I felt I was called to be an apostle and to lead a broken church back to
Him. I was determined that If that was my calling I would be the greatest
apostle that had ever lived; more consecrated than Paul and the twelve had been,
more submitted than any other man had ever been.
Just reading the above; one may think I was a major jerk,
but I am speaking of things in my mind. I was sincerely determined to live
according to the scriptures I was constantly reading including kindness, giving
to my brother, answering with love instead of wrath, honoring all men,
answering with grace, and I was a believer. I had made Yeshua a promise that I would live
for Him alone and I meant it. Yeshua had promised He would give me life and
that He would never leave me or forsake me and He meant it as well.
What I did not realize at the time was I had set out to make
myself able to live for Him, but what I needed was Him to live for me. I was
actually driving myself deeper into the flesh by trying to find the way to walk
in the Spirit.
YHWH is able to deliver us from every snare… In prayer for my
children His voice whispered to me “your sons shall preach the gospel and see
more saved than yourself”. I look at my reaction to that beautiful promise and
laugh at my stupidity. My reaction was a seething anger and jealousy; for no
one would see more saved than I was going too. It was that pride filled
reaction that woke me from slumber and made me realize I was backslidden from
my first love.
Jews require
a sign…
Since the time of Abraham the Jews had seen the power and presence
of YHWH manifested in the world; the natural result of these things was that
you could say claim YHWH said but it was not true until YHWH did. So quite the
opposite of the Greeks who looked within for truth the Jews looked without; by
this reason alone Yeshua saying the kingdom was not by observation but within
you did not sit well at all. Yeshua’s own disciples rejoiced that even the
demons where subject to them but Yeshua said this is not what should give you
joy but that they were in the book of life.
Are there believers in the modern church who judge Gods work
by the outward appearance? When we
assume the thirty year old in a suit who just received his master degree from
seminary is a more capable minister of the things of God than the fifty year
old farmer with missing teeth and overalls, or when we believe God moved more
on the man who fell out at an alter or shook than a man who sat quietly staring
at the chair in front of him. The sick lady has weak faith, the family that can’t
pay their light bill must not be doing right, the mega church preacher is
blessed for doing God’s work, God must be angry at me or I wouldn’t be having
so many problems, if its Gods will it will be easy.
In short yes.
Messiah
crucified….Messiah the power of Elohim and the wisdom YHWH
Paul says it is in
Messiah crucified that we find the power and wisdom of YHWH in our life. How? Because
by faith we are crucified with Him so His death becomes the our death and since
we are crucified in Him there is no more condemnation for those whose faith
remains in Him as we have already suffered the wrath of YHWH against sin. In
the same way Messiahs life is in us. The power and wisdom given Him is shown in
us as we trust His life to be our animation.
Paul says the things we suffer in this life are us sharing
in the sufferings of Messiah; as He suffered for us to receive His life so it
is that we suffer that others may have His life.
I end this post with something that is a hard saying to
understand but if you can see and hear it will bring the peace of Messiah.
When we sin we suffer death but when we place faith in
Yeshua our sin is placed on Him and we share in His death that we may also
share His resurrected life in the Spirit.
When we are sickened by the darkness of our heart we are
without hope but when we place our faith in Yeshua our darkness is placed on
Him and by the beatings He took we share in His bruising (bleeding within)and receive
a expectancy of His glory
When we are shamed by the poison of our lips and thoughts
toward others we have torment but when our faith is placed in Yeshua our evil
thinking is placed on Him and we share in His chastisement that we may be
brought to His peace.
When we are sick we suffer a torn body but when we place our
faith in Yeshua our sickness is placed on His body we share His stripes and
YHWH raises our body up in Him in wholeness.
