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Weaving worldly
wisdom, ideas, and
traditions into the
gospel divides us.
Clearly Paul is telling the Corinthians that this
type of division is worldly and immature.2 "Is
Christ divided?" he asks them.3
When we try to
interject human wisdom
into the gospel, we
empty it of its power.
Acts 16-18 gives us some insight into the
personal and ministerial crisis Paul was having at
the time.
After meeting with imprisonment, beatings, and
fanatical opposition in Phillippi, Thessalonica, and
Athens, Paul arrived in Corinth shaken and
discouraged.
His disheartening experiences fostered a resolve
to know nothing except Christ, and to preach the
gospel not with words of superior human wisdom
or eloquence "lest the cross of Christ be emptied
of its power.2
Let's pause on this verse for a moment. It appears
Paul is saying that when we try to interject human
wisdom into the gospel, we empty it of its power.
Therefore, it is possible to proclaim the gospel in
a way that makes it of no effect. What a sobering
notion! This danger was clearly on the apostle's
mind, and should be on ours as well.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God.3
Not everything in
Scripture is essential to
salvation, but all of
Scripture is essential to
obedience and
sanctification!
Psalm 19:7 says, "The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple."
God's word resuscitates our souls. It moves us
away from death and toward life! And as we
submit ourselves to it in faith, we are made wise.
This is why the whole counsel of God is so very
important! Not everything in Scripture is essential
to salvation, but all of Scripture is essential to
obedience and sanctification!
We are spiritually
equipped to discern
and understand
everything God
requires us to know.
Having the mind of Christ means we are
spiritually equipped to discern and understand
everything God requires us to knowabout
Himself, about His Son, and about living our lives
as His chosen people.
Neither does having the mind of Christ mean that
we forsake all worldly knowledge by keeping our
brains in a sort of spiritual lockdown.
Proverbs 6:6 tells us, "Go to the ant, you
sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!" There is
wisdom to be gained from the world around us,
but we must remember to wrest all knowledge
through the lens of Scripture.
"The Bible claims to be the Word of God, and it
demonstrates this claim by making knowledge
possible. It is the standard of standards. The
proof of the Bible is that unless its truth is
presupposed, we couldnt prove anything at
all." (Dr. Jason Lisle)
Spiritual discernment is not a passive trait. It is an
active endeavor in which we engage with the
Holy Spirit to discern truth and to exercise
judgement. "The spiritual man makes judgments
about all things..."1
2. Matthew 7:12
3. James 2
2. 1 Corinthians 3:13
4. Mark 14
3. 1 Corinthians 1:13
4. 1 Corinthians 3:11
6. Colossians 2: 4,8
1. 1 Corinthians 12:31
7. 1 Corinthians 3:19
2. 1 Corinthians 13:13
3. Colossians 3:13
1. 1 Corinthians 2:34
4. Romans 12:3
2. 1 Corinthians 1:17
3. 1 Corinthians 1:18
4. Philippians 2:12
5. Philippians 2:13
6. Hebrews 4:12
7. 1 Corinthians 1:25
8. 1 Corinthians 1:24
9. John 1:14
10. John 14:6
Wisdom from the Spirit
1. 1 Corinthians 1:20
2. 1 Corinthians 2:10
3. Isaiah 55:89
4. 1 Corinthians 2:11
5. John 16:13
The Things of this Life
1. 1 Corinthians 2:15