OCTOBER 27, 2019
PAUL DEFENDS HIS MODE OF PREACHING
INTRODUCTION:
1. Paul is here continuing his defense of his mode of preaching. Though men of all stripes counted the preaching of the cross offensive and foolish, God had determined to save men, not by human wisdom but by the Gospel. Thus, Paul here shows that he acted on the principles which he set forth in the first chapter. Paul, when he came to Corinth, came neither as an orator nor as a philosopher, but simply as a witness. (Vrs. 1, 2) He had no confidence in himself, but relied exclusively on the demonstration of the Spirit for his success. (Vrs. 3, 4) The true foundation of faith is not reason but the Testimony of God. (Vse. 5)
2. Though what he preached was not the wisdom of men, it was the wisdom of God, and undiscoverable by human reason. (Vrs. 6-9) The revealer of this divine wisdom is the Holy Spirit, for He alone knows the secret purposes of God. (Vrs. 10-12) In communicating the knowledge thus derived from the Spirit, he used words taught by the Spirit. (Vse. 13) Even still, the knowledge communicated was not received by the natural man, because the things of the Spirit can be discerned only by the spiritual. (Vrs. 14-16)
I. PAUL’S PREACHING WAS NOT ACCORDING TO MAN’S WISDOM, NOR IN SELF CONFIDENCE. (VERSES 1-5)
A. HE CAME NEITHER AS AN ORATOR, NOR AS A PHILOSOPHER, BUT AS A WITNESS. (VERSES 1, 2)
1. And I, i.e. accordingly I. What he is about to say is predicated on what he had been saying. In accordance with the clearly revealed purpose of God to reject the wisdom of the world, and to make the plain preaching of the cross the means of salvation, Paul came with this mind-set.
2. Excellency of speech or wisdom. Since speech (logos) and wisdom (sophia) are distinguished, the former likely refers to his manner, and the latter to the matter of his preaching.
a) It is neither as an orator nor as a philosopher that he appeared among them.
b) Paul is not merely saying that he declared not the Gospel in a rhetorical or philosophical manner. He means that what he declared was not the wisdom of man, but the Testimony of God.
3. Notice, he had determined that he would stay exclusively with the only true foundation of faith, which to those who believe is found to be the power and wisdom of God. (Ch. 1:23, 24)
4. His one theme, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
a) Paul’s only design in going to Corinth was to preach Christ; and Christ not as a teacher or example or perfect man. All this would be mere philosophy. He preached Christ crucified, i.e. dying for sinners, as a propitiation for sin.
b) Jesus Christ refers to His person; and Him crucified, to His work; which constitutes the sum of the Gospel.
5. The emphasis here should not be on the simplicity or narrowness of the message. It should rather be on the contrast between man’s wisdom, which exalts rhetoric and philosophy, and God’s wisdom, which is revealed in the preaching of the cross, which man’s wisdom calls foolishness.
B. HE CAME NOT IN A SPIRIT OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND SELF-RELIANCE. (VERSES 3, 4)
1. The weakness of which he was speaking (Verse 3) was not bodily weakness, although he did speak of it elsewhere. (II Cor. 10:10; Gal. 4:14) The whole context here shows that he refers to a state of mind.
2. It was not in the consciousness of strength and self-confidence that he appeared among them, but as oppressed with a sense of weakness and insufficiency. He had a work to do which he knew to be far above any power he possessed in himself.
3. Paul’s speech (general communication) and his preaching (public discourses) were not with oratorical persuasion, and high argument, but in that which such things could never produce, that is, the powerful demonstration of the Spirit.
4. Something more than human intellect and the powers of the natural mind and spirit are required for success in the ministry of the Gospel. (Verse 4)
5. Much of what is thought to be successful is a result of nothing more than man’s ability to persuade, motivate, and move people emotionally. There is not the “demonstration of the Spirit and of (His) power,” though He is often credited with what is done.
C. HE WAS PERSUADED THAT THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF FAITH IS NOT REASON,BUT THE TESTIMONY OF GOD. (VERSE 5)
1. It might have been easy for Paul to argue the Corinthians into a realization of the truth of the Gospel. He could have shown its superiority over heathen religions. He could have shown proof of its divine origins afforded by prophecy and miracles. He could have shown the historical proof of Christianity. This is all good, but rational persuasion is not saving faith.
2. The foundation of true faith is the power of God, i.e. what he before called the demonstration of the Spirit. The only preaching that will produce this true faith is that which clearly sets forth the truth of the Person and work of Christ.
3. May we never cease to preach Christ and Him crucified as the only hope for sinners.
II. PAUL SHOWS THAT THE GOSPEL, THUS DEFINED, IS THE TRUE WISDOM. (VERSES 6-9) In Vrs. 17-31 of the preceding chapter, Paul had asserted the insufficiency of human wisdom. In Vrs. 1-5 of this chapter he said that he was not a teacher of human wisdom. By this we are not to infer that he despised knowledge, that he was an illiterate, or that he taught nonsense. Far from it; he taught the highest wisdom.
A. ALTHOUGH HE REFUSED TO TEACH HUMAN WISDOM, HE TAUGHT THE TRUE WISDOM. (VERSE 6a)
1. It is plain from the whole discussion that by the wisdom of the world Paul means that knowledge of God and things divine which men derive from reason. It is also plain that what he says of the worthlessness of that knowledge has reference to it as a means of salvation. Men of wisdom objected to Paul because he did not teach philosophy. His answer to their question is that philosophy cannot save men. “The world by wisdom knew not God.” Whatever may be its value in its own sphere, and for its own ends, it is worse that useless as a substitute for the Gospel.
2. Nevertheless what Paul preached was wisdom among them that were perfect.
a) By the expression, “them that are perfect,” he is not speaking of some Christians who are advanced and mature, as opposed to those who are weak and immature. He is rather speaking of believers as opposed to unbelievers; those taught by the Spirit and able to understand the truth, as opposed to the unrenewed.
b) If “the perfect” here means advanced Christians as distinguished from babes in Christ, then the wisdom was not the Gospel, as such, but its higher doctrines. This cannot be, because it is the doctrine of the cross which he declares to be “the power and wisdom of God.” (Ch. 1:24) Plus, the description given in the following part of this chapter of this wisdom refers not to the higher doctrines, but to the Gospel itself.
B. HE DECLARES WHAT THIS WISDOM IS NOT, AND ALSO WHAT IT IS. (VERSES 6b, 7)
1. It is not the wisdom of this world. (Verse 6b) It belongs not to this world, and is not attained by the men of the world, who come to naught.
2. It is the wisdom of God. It was hidden in a mystery. It is that system of truth which God from eternity had determined to reveal in the Gospel for the salvation of His people. (Verse 7; see Eph. 3:1-5)
a) Wisdom of God – wisdom derived from God.
b) In a mystery – something into which men must be initiated – something that is undiscoverable by human reason.
c) God ordained before the world – He foreordained it to our glory, i.e. all of the excellence and blessedness which Christ has secured for His people. (Rom. 5:2)
C. HE OFFERS THE GREATEST PROOFS THAT THE WORLDLY WISE WERE IGNORANT OF GOD’S WISDOM. (VERSE 8; PSA. 2:1, 2)
1. The reference is here principally to the rulers of the Jews, who were the authors of the crucifixion of Christ.
2. Worldly wise men crucified Him whose very title is The Lord of Glory. (Psa. 24:10; Acts 7:2; James 2:1; Eph. 1:17)
D. HE DECLARES THAT MEN IN WISDOM WERE BLIND AND DEAF TO THE GLORIES OF THIS MYSTERY. (VERSE 9)
1. The human mind cannot penetrate into the counsels of God. His purpose can only be known by supernatural revelation.
2. In referring to the Scriptures, “it is written,” he apparently sites Isaiah 64:4, in which case he applies the language, but not the sense.
3. As the following verses show, these things are spiritually known, i.e. made known by the Holy Spirit.
III. THE SOURCE OF THIS KNOWLEDGE BOTH IN ITS REVELATION AND APPREHENSION IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. (VERSES 10-16)
A. THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST COMMUNICATE THIS WISDOM, FOR HE ALONE KNOWS THE SECRET PURPOSES OF GOD. (VERSES 10-12)
1. It is the Holy Spirit who revealed these things to the Apostles and prophets. (Eph. 3:5)
2. The Holy Spirit searches, or explores, not as an investigator, but as having accurate and profound knowledge of the deep things of God. (Vse. 10) The preaching of the cross was to the worldly wise men offensive and foolish, yet clearly, the atoning sacrifice of Christ involves wisdom that is so deep that no human mind can grasp it except it be taught of God. (John 6:45)
3. Just as no one knows the thoughts of a man except that man himself, so no one knows the thoughts of God but God Himself. (Vse. 11) The point here illustrated is that just as we know what our thoughts are, so the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts, yes, even the secret things of God, and reveals them to whom He will.
4. Those who believe the Gospel do so because the Holy Spirit has quickened their understanding. They have not merely the spirit of the world, i.e. that principle of knowledge which natural men have, but they have the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit which is of God, Who teaches the things of God. (Verse 12)
B. PAUL, IN ORDER TO COMMUNICATE KNOWLEDGE DERIVED FROM THE SPIRIT, USED WORDS TAUGHT BY THE SPIRIT.
1. That which he was taught by the Spirit he communicated. However, he did not use the words which man’s wisdom teaches in order to communicate what he received by divine revelation. He did not use skills of human rhetoric, but neither did he use that which his own mind uninfluenced by the Holy Spirit suggested. The words used were taught by the Holy Spirit.
2. Spiritual things must be compared with spiritual. What he means is that spiritual truths must be explained or interpreted in the words of the Spirit. The original word here rendered comparing means to mentally combine or join together and also to explain.
a) Spiritual things must be fitted together with spiritual things.
b) Spiritual language must be used to explain spiritual matters. (I Pet. 4:11)
C. UNREGENERATE MEN CANNOT BY THEIR NATURAL FACULTIES, UNDERSTAND OR RECEIVE THE GOSPEL. (VERSE 4)
1. By natural man we must understand the unrenewed man, the man under the influence of human nature, as distinguished from those who are under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
2. As the things of the Holy Spirit address themselves not only to the intellect as true, but to the consciences obligatory¸ and to the affections as excellent and lovely, not to receive them is not to recognize in our inward experience this truth, authority, and excellence.
3. These things are to the unrenewed soul foolishness, (moros) literally, absurd, insipid, and distasteful. He finds in the Gospel nothing exciting or inviting.
4. Human nature rejects the things of God, plus, it has no ability to discern them. To know truth is to apprehend it as true and good. Thus, the wise are the good. The wicked are fools, who are insensible to truth and goodness. But, it is not simply that the natural man does not discern and appreciate the truth, excellence, and beauty of divine things, he CANNOT.
5. Those who have not the Spirit cannot discern these things, because they are spiritually discerned.
D. THE REGENERATE MAN DISCERNS THINGS SPIRITUAL, BUT HE IS NOT DISCERNED BY MEN WHO HAVE NOT THE SPIRIT. (VERSE 15)
1. To judge here is to discern – same word as in the preceding verse.
2. “All things” must be limited by the context to the things of the Spirit. Each one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells is enabled to discern all truth. (I John 2:20) Every true believer can then “try the spirits” (I John 4:1);”Search the Scriptures.” (Acts 17:11)
3. Yet, the regenerate man himself is not discerned by the natural man any more than the spiritual things which he embraces.
a) Believers must accept the fact that they will not be appreciated by those who have not the Spirit.
b) Paul will afterward say it was to him a small matter to be judged by man’s judgment. (Ch. 4:3)
E. THOSE WHO PRESUME TO JUDGE CHRISTIANS ARE SETTING THEMSELVES UP AS JUDGES OF THE LORD HIMSELF. (VERSE 16)
1. No man can judge a spiritual man, for that would be to judge the Lord.
2. The true believer has embraced the true doctrine of Christ. He has judged them to be true by the Holy Spirit who dwells in him. For any man to condemn a believer in Christ because he believes and lives by the teachings of Christ has exalted himself so as to be able to teach the Lord Himself.
3. To state it another way; no man can instruct the Lord. We have the mind of the Lord, therefore no one can instruct or judge us as we hold, teach, and put into practice, His doctrine.
4. The philosophers of Greece and the scribes among the Jews had sat in judgment upon Paul, and pronounced his preaching foolishness. He here tells them they were not competent judges. The natural man cannot discern the things of the Spirit, and is therefore incompetent to judge those that are taught by the Spirit. To do so is to presume to teach the Lord.
5. What is said of Jehovah in the Old Testament is often in the New Testament applied to Christ. This is case here. “Who hath known the mind of the Lord?
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