Read chapter two of 1st Corinthians. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
The cross of Christ is Good News. And yes, that seems contradictory at the very least. (See chapter 1:18)
The big question addressed in this letter is how to be the church. In this chapter Paul begins with the foundation.
Verses 1-5:
Paul brought the message of Jesus to the people of Corinth, and here he describes his approach- no frills, no hype. We all say we like straight-shooters, but what if the no-nonsense message is about a crucifixion?
We are surrounded by media messages. Which ones hold your attention? The happy ones? The well-crafted ones? Do you ever block messages about the ugly parts of reality? Paul kept a laser focus on the cross of Christ.
Verses 6-16:
Then Paul pivots in a way that might lose us in the turn. He says (verse 14) “Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s spirit… …they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
This sounds like a recipe for elitism. The church of Christ has always had some element of a ‘holier than thou’ amongst its leaders or members, and this sounds like Paul assumes there is a spiritual hierarchy. Be careful!
This text comes from a time of the earliest beginnings of the church outside of Israel. The word ‘Christian’ had not yet been coined. Paul’s distinction here is not between ‘advanced’ Christians and ‘dullard’ Christians. He is using language that indicates that the Holy Spirit is at work revealing the gospel to people with ears to hear. This does not mean the gospel of Jesus is meant for some and not for others. (Paul is not pitting spiritual people versus unspiritual!) He is simply talking about the way the Holy Spirit is building up the church, and that work is far from over.
Jesus Christ is for all. But not very many people knew what that meant- not even the Christians. The implications are huge, so Paul starts off slowly.
If you have several different Bible translations available, compare the wording of verse 1 Corinthians 2:2 between versions. It’s the theme verse for this part of Paul’s message.
The cross of Christ is Good News. And yes, that seems contradictory at the very least. (See chapter 1:18)
The big question addressed in this letter is how to be the church. In this chapter Paul begins with the foundation.
Verses 1-5:
Paul brought the message of Jesus to the people of Corinth, and here he describes his approach- no frills, no hype. We all say we like straight-shooters, but what if the no-nonsense message is about a crucifixion?
We are surrounded by media messages. Which ones hold your attention? The happy ones? The well-crafted ones? Do you ever block messages about the ugly parts of reality? Paul kept a laser focus on the cross of Christ.
Verses 6-16:
Then Paul pivots in a way that might lose us in the turn. He says (verse 14) “Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s spirit… …they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
This sounds like a recipe for elitism. The church of Christ has always had some element of a ‘holier than thou’ amongst its leaders or members, and this sounds like Paul assumes there is a spiritual hierarchy. Be careful!
This text comes from a time of the earliest beginnings of the church outside of Israel. The word ‘Christian’ had not yet been coined. Paul’s distinction here is not between ‘advanced’ Christians and ‘dullard’ Christians. He is using language that indicates that the Holy Spirit is at work revealing the gospel to people with ears to hear. This does not mean the gospel of Jesus is meant for some and not for others. (Paul is not pitting spiritual people versus unspiritual!) He is simply talking about the way the Holy Spirit is building up the church, and that work is far from over.
Jesus Christ is for all. But not very many people knew what that meant- not even the Christians. The implications are huge, so Paul starts off slowly.
If you have several different Bible translations available, compare the wording of verse 1 Corinthians 2:2 between versions. It’s the theme verse for this part of Paul’s message.
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