Good morning, my friend, as we begin this Thursday. May our Good God bless everything you set your hands to on this day!
Read 1 Corinthians 2:5 – 16.
As you read and consider this morning’s passage, it is important to understand the culture of Corinth in the times that Paul is writing this letter to the young church that he planted. Corinth, in those days, was considered “the crossroads of the world”; a melting pot of cultures and peoples; and a key to shipping and commerce. The city was cosmopolitan, and, as we find out in chapter 3 of Paul’s letter, the citizens of Corinth were “carnal” – that is, they had not yet stepped out of the world and into the fullness of their faith.
In this portion of his exhortation-filled letter to the Corinthian church, Paul calls the Believers to begin setting aside the wisdom of men; and instead, embrace the wisdom and power of God. And Paul’s statements in this regard are strong and clear:
“your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
“yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.”
Paul reminds the church that the rulers of the age (that is, worldly rulers) will pass away.
And Paul appeals to these Believers to instead seek the ways of God, as revealed to them by The Spirit. He tells them that if they will pursue the LORD’s “hidden wisdom”, they will see and experience things far beyond what their cosmopolitanism and carnal culture could offer:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”
Paul closes out this passage by reminding the Corinthian believers that they must fully embrace the Holy Spirit of God in order to see and understand the wisdom of God. He tells them to put away the “natural man”, because the natural man sees the wisdom of God as “foolishness”. Instead, Paul tells the Corinthians to receive the freely-given Spirit, so that they can discern the mind of Christ!
In these crucial times in which we are living, each of us need our Good God’s direction more than ever before. Our worldly leaders might lead us astray; our own fleshly wisdom might misguide us; but The LORD sees across all time and His Way for us is always true and always good!
LORD, completely fill me with Your Spirit. Lead me and guide me, and show me Your good and perfect way. I trust You and I yield myself to You, my LORD. Amen!