When
Paul the apostle shared the “gospel
of Jesus Christ”
with the Corinthians he shared how his “speech
and my preaching was
not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power”.
In chapter two and verse five of First
Corinthians, Paul the apostle continued his letter by sharing how he
desired that the church members' “faith
should...stand in the power of God”
where we read:
That
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of
God.
The
verse begins, “That
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,...”
Paul began
with the words, “That your faith”
which means “in order and so that the church members in Corinth's
conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things
and the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ ”
“should not stand”
or “might not appear” “in the
wisdom”
which means “in the broad and full of intelligence, knowledge of
very diverse matters and skill in the management of affairs” “of
men” which
refers to “human beings whether male or female”. The message of
the “gospel of Jesus Christ”
was advanced through the “demonstration
of the Spirit and of power”
and not the “intelligence, knowledge and skill” of people.
The
verse continues, “...but
in the power of God.”. Paul
added the word, “but” which
is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “in
the power”
which is the Greek word “dynamis”
or “strength, ability and influence” “of
God” which
refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God
the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. God's “generating
power” was the force by which the “gospel”
advanced and took root within the people of Corinth.
When
we consider these words from Paul, we see the true effectiveness of
God's Spirit. The “wisdom” of man is not a good basis from
which to “stand” when encountering “eternal salvation”. God
not only provided “salvation” from our sins through Jesus Christ,
but He releases the “power” so we may be “saved”.
Conviction of sins by the Holy Spirit will either draw a person to
receive Jesus as their “Savior and Lord” or repel them
through rejection of God's truth. We should learn from Paul when we
are sharing Christ with others and allow the “power” of
God's Spirit to do the work that no “wisdom” of “man” shall
ever do.
Next
time Paul shares how he spoke “wisdom
among them that are perfect”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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