“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
For I determined not to know anything among you
Paul resolved to exclude any evangelistic approach to the Corinthians except the one great central truth of the gospel–the person and work of Christ. Paul intentionally set aside anything that might prop up the message of the gospel. He did not seek any other means of communication. The reason for this was that the cross was a verdict on the wisdom and philosophy of man. This is God’s foolish methodology. Man does not seek God because he has a vested interest in not doing so:
Ro 3:10, As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
PRINCIPLE:
The renunciation of methodologies is important to the effective presentation of the gospel.
APPLICATION:
Determination is crucial for effective witness of the gospel. This resolve also involves the rejection of ineffective methodology—presenting the gospel in a way that blurs its essential message. The essence of the gospel is that Christ died as a substitute for our sins by paying the penalty for our sins and rising from the dead to conquer the death that that penalty incurred. If that message does not get across, then we have a bogus gospel and a bogus method.
Ga 6:14, But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. 1 Corinthians 3:19. That also speaks of human logic, men find fault with the counsel of God, many say that faith is an abandonment of reason.
What can we say about man and his logic(his reasoning)? what can we say about those who walk in the Spirit and in Truth?
Well we can say that the natural man is earthbound and “in the flesh”, his “spirit” cannot make the “transition” from the physical realm to the spiritual realm. He is not born again of the Spirit of God and neither can he be unless he is brought to repentance by the Spirit. In his natural state he is influence by his logic which is of the flesh(his sinful nature), his logic dictates that the Word of God is flawed, that it contradicts itself, that God is not justified in His Judgment or that He don’t exist. So he is motivated by “unbelief” because his “logic” dictates it.
The natural man is only conscious of his logic.
1 Corinthians 2
1And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6We speak wisdom, however, among them that are fullgrown: yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nought: 7but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory: 8which none of the rulers of this world hath known: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory: 9but as it is written,
Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not,
And which entered not into the heart of man,
Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.
10But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. 12But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words. 14Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged.
Man in his natural state is not “conscious” of the Spirit of God, even though he has a “spirit” a “soul”, his spirit is earthbound and in the “flesh”(his sinful nature). He cannot make the “transition’ from the physical realm to the spiritual realm because he walks in the “flesh”, but there is in the consciousness of man the observable work of God’s creation as being His handiwork, but in knowing this the natural man “holds back” or “suppresses” the truth of it in his unrighteousness(Romans 4: 18,19,20)
What can we say about those who walk in the Spirit and in Truth?
Jesus said in John 15: 26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of me:
And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. (1 John 5:6)
The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 1: 11,12
For I make known to you, brethren, as touching the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not after man. For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.
How does the Spirit bear witness of the Truth to our “spirit”?
How are we conscious of the Spirit of Truth?
Ephesians 2: 8,9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.(English Standard Version)
The Grace that abides in us, by which we’re saved through faith is the assurance, the evidence of the Spirit of Truth. In our consciousness we witness the Grace of the Spirit of Truth.
In our conscience by the power of the Spirit we are convicted of sin, what we thought before in our natural state that wasn’t sin is now revealed to us, we experience repentance, the assurance of pardoning sin, the quickening of the power of the Spirit(His transforming power).
Being born of God by His Spirit we are delivered from the guilt of sin, by pardoning and justifing grace. And we’re very conscious of this in our spirit, our eyes are open, the darkness is vanquished(overpowered) by the Light.
And the logic of the natural man in his self proclaimed wisdom, who walks in the “flesh” fails and falls to the ground and why is that? For the Spirit bears witness of the Truth to the spirit of man, the man who is born again by His Spirit, the natural man in his logic cannot not see it, for it can only be seen and experience by the man who is born again by God’s Spirit. For God is Spirit and His Truth and Grace can only be seen and experience by the spirit of the man who is born again of His Spirit. His eyes are open and the darkness has been vanquished(overpowered) by the Light.
The logic of the natural man in his self proclaimed wisdom is in darkness and in that darkness the devil speaks the lie of logic.
William, I suggest that you use the term rationalism rather than logic. Both the Bible and Christianity are very logical.
Hi mr. Grant,
Renunciation of methodologies is important to effective presentation of the gospel.
Can you explain please in layman’s term.
Thank you
Francis, thanks for your comment. My point is not the absolute rejection of methodology but fundamental trust in them. This is especially true in North America and Western Europe where evangelicals are blurring the message to accommodate to culture. Paul’s point was that he was determined never to lose the central message of the gospel. In effect, what is happening with some evangelicals is that they are losing their message.
Francis, one further point, did you advance to 1 Corinthians 2:2b by hitting the verse on the right?