1 Corinthians 2:1-10 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him, these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
Paul is now following up on his words in the first chapter, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” In ministering the Truth, the Way and Life, he could not boast in the results of his work, for it was Christ’s work and not his own. As a fervent follower of Judaism, he was proud that the Jews were God’s chosen people. The Jews had the law; God had enlightened them with knowledge about himself through the law given to them through Moses. Before Jesus' interdiction into Paul's life, he was concerned about destroying the apostasy of the Jews who were following this man Jesus. However, God on the road to Damascus expanded Paul’s understanding of God’s desire to redeem all men to himself. The Gentiles that he once considered unworthy even to address them or to be in their houses were now to receive the Good News of Christ and the redemptive cross through him. Paul was talking to the Greeks who placed their understanding of life on logic and rational thought, and on the philosophies and ideas of men, so Paul did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. He knew what he was telling them was beyond the rationality and thoughts of men and women. Paul also knew that the Good News without the power of God to substantiate what he was telling them would not be received well in the Gentile world. His words of a new life in Christ would be like throwing pearls before swine. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6) Paul always had a target on his back; he always had strong opposition from both the Gentiles and the Jews. Often they wished to tear Paul into pieces. However, miracles followed Paul wherever he went; these supernatural deeds validated his words. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. (Acts 19:11-12) In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. (Acts 14:9-10) As Paul ventured into a very dark and dangerous world of the Gentiles, he needed the demonstration of God’s power in his ministry. Without God’s accompanying power, his words would not be accepted well by the Greek communities; he would be just another person preaching weird ideas. Paul stepped into their world with not only words but with power. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. Because of seeing the power of God in Paul’s life, many Greeks and Jews came to know Jesus as their personal Savior. The Good News spread rapidly in these Greek cities. Paul who once was a dedicated, zealous Judaic believer would now call these redeemed men and women, brothers and sisters.
The focus of Paul’s ministry always revolved around Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Good News he preached also settled on the cross. Of course, in Corinth and in the other Greek cities, Jesus was just a Jewish man, unknown by most of them. Paul had to convince them that Jesus not only died for their sins, but that He also was resurrected from the grave. For the Greeks this was nonsense, for the resurrection of the flesh was beyond reasoning. Maybe the dead might have a spirit that floats away after death, but resurrection of the flesh is utter foolishness. Of course, Jesus wanted the disciples to touch him, to feed him, so that they would know the truth that Jesus came back in the flesh to them. This revelation of resurrection in the flesh caused the disciples to believe in eternal life with Jesus. To convince the Greek Corinthians of this miracle, power had to be evident in Paul’s life. In fact, all the apostles were given this power by the Holy Spirit. They cast out demons, healed people, raised the dead. Peter’s shadow healed people as he walked through the streets of Jerusalem. He also raised the dead. Peter got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. (Acts 9:40-41) The apostle’s miraculous deeds were even expanded beyond what Christ did in his flesh. Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons healed the sick who touched them; demons fled from the presence of his handkerchiefs and aprons. Peter’s shadow freed people from their sicknesses and demons. People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:15-16) Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead because they lied to the Holy Spirit. All of these events prove what Jesus said about his followers, Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do EVEN GREATER THINGS than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:10-12) As the words of Paul were accepted by the Corinthians, he could talk to them about the mystery of God that was hidden in the mind of God from the beginning. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. For the spiritually mature Corinthians, he gives them insight into the ideas of God about human beings; about God’s everlasting love for what he has created. All of this goes far beyond the ordinary Greeks' understanding of life, far beyond thoughts of their deep thinkers and philosophers. He tells them what God has destined for them because of his great love for all humans. What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him, these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The spiritual man can receive the things of the Spirit.
Our friends around this breakfast table can you view the world with spiritual eyes? Can you receive what the Spirit is saying or are you caught up in the thoughts and ideas of men and women? Paul initially only could use simple words in explaining the Good News of eternal life to the Corinthians. He knew their minds were embedded in spiritual darkness and sin. Their minds were clouded by selfish pursuits and the reality of life. Paul was introducing to them a better world than they were experiencing. Paul tells the Corinthians that there is another life, centered on love, even towards your enemies. He is demonstrating this love by ministering to them even without remuneration. In his ministry, his life was always in danger, for evil despises CHRIST JESUS and the Good News. Jesus said, Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. (John 3:20) Paul followed Jesus’ example of revealing truth to a dark world. Jesus ministered with power and authority. Jesus told two of John’s disciples who were sent to him by John the Baptist to see if Jesus was really the Messiah, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. (Luke 7:22-23) These signs followed Paul’s ministry. The power of God spread Christianity throughout the region and around the world. The Christian church became a reality in Corinth. They accepted the new life in Christ, not always without trouble, but the church thrived. Let us around this breakfast table also thrive, putting aside our old lives, repenting of sin and selfish pursuits. Let us dip deeply into God’s purity and move on to deeper things in knowing God. Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! (Psalm 32:1) Paul's words for the mature brought a new walk to them. They not only knew they had a new life; they realized they had a responsibility to God as they lived. We speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age. The writer of Hebrews says to us, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrew 6:1-2) Otherwise as new creatures in God through the first works, let us move on to how to live in a changing society as members of the body of Christ. Let us reflect God in everything we do and say. Let us repent when the reflection of God is distorted and move forward in his mighty power.
