In 1 Corinthians 1-6, we have the Apostle Paul’s most extended discussion on God’s wisdom, as compared with man’s wisdom. The Corinthian Church had been graced by God’s Spirit with generous spiritual gifts in their relationship with God’s Son, the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 1:4-9). But the Church in Corinth was characterized by divisions among themselves, even to the point of taking one another to secular court (1 Cor. 1:10-17; 6:1-11).
Wise “Foolishness” & Strong “Weakness”
The underlying issue was a spiritual immaturity, which was rooted in human pride, and an over reliance on man’s wisdom and man’s power (1 Cor. 1:18-2:5). As a result, dissension and rivalry had developed in their Church, as they placed too much confidence in different spiritual leaders. One of those leaders was Paul, who immediately saw the source and danger of this emerging personality cult.
Paul wants the focus on the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, not human leaders, because true spiritual wisdom and power resides in the cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:17). God is redeeming the world from its powers of darkness, including foolish human pride and destructive human power, through the “foolishness” and “weakness” of the cross. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (1 Cor. 1:25).
The person who doesn’t have God’s Spirit indwelling them and controlling him/her doesn’t truly understand how God accomplishes His redemptive purposes in this world (1 Cor. 2:6-16). As we spiritually mature in Christ, we develop a more measured view of human leaders. We do not become suspicious of them, but we realize that they are servants of God , with each of them having a God-appointed role. But ultimately the well-being and growth of the Church depends on God (1 Cor. 3:1-9).
Every believer is called to use their spiritual gifts, and to build up the Church, on the foundation which is the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to be careful how we are to build. It needs to be consistent with God’s wisdom and power, and not man’s wisdom and power (1 Cor. 3:10-23). If we operate in man’s wisdom, our service for the LORD will come under God’s judgment, and it will go up in smoke (1 Cor. 3:13-15).
We Are Servants Of Christ
In 1 Cor. 4, Paul compares this teaching to Apollos and himself. Even though he is an Apostle, he knows his own heart can become filled with human pride, and that he can come under God’s judgment (1 Cor. 4:1-8). This is precisely where the Apostle Paul reveals his greatness – in his humility. He wants the Corinthians not to put him or Apollos on a pedestal, but he wants them to consider these 2 gifted leaders as servants of Christ.
Paul is trying to encourage these new and immature Corinthian believers to understand the thoughts and ways of God (Isaiah 55:7-11). They want to make a difference for God, but they need to understand that God impacts the world through the way of Christ’s cross. They need to crucify their pride and not take excessive pride and focus in human leaders or in themselves. This crucifixion of human ego will impact their sexual ethics (1 Cor. 5:1-12); their handling of lawsuits among themselves (1 Cor. 6:1-11); how they interact with one another at the Communion Table (1 Cor. 11:17-34); and how they exercise their spiritual gifts in the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12-14).
Today’s reading has major implications for believers in North America. We live in a media-saturated culture. The cult of the personality is alive and well in the religious arena and the political arena. It is no accident that we also live in a time of great division and rivalry. It is prudent and wise for God’s people not to focus so much on human leaders, that we begin obscuring what the cross is all about. We may become guilty of misrepresenting Jesus in this world. Human pride is hard to detect in our hearts sometimes. Paul was aware of this in his own life (1 Cor. 4:3-5). When human pride goes undetected, idols soon follow in our lives. This blinds us even further to our true spiritual state. Believer beware!
QOTD: Does your ultimate identity and security rest in the crucified and risen Jesus or does it rest in a mere human being?