Fellowship!

(1Corinthians 1:17) “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

Malcolm said…

“Just an illustration of what I believe is vital in studying the Word. Take this verse for example, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Cor 1:9) We could dissect and analyse each word, considering its context etc. but really.... we need to be having fellowship with His Son, which is an ongoing experience. The Bible is therefore not an end in itself, but a means to an end.”

I find it healthy that as believers may engage with one another and deliberate around the Word and our great Saviour’s influence in our lives. To most who read this blog you would have noticed the importance I often place on God’s Word and the need for us to understand it in context. I probably make mention on this topic more than any other.

In the past I have struggled with many biblical conflicts between the Pentecostal and Reformed teachings. I come out of a “Bible only” type of mentality; I was told that the only book I should read was the bible. It is by far the greatest book ever written and the most needed book for our lives. If I was allowed only one book it would obviously without the slightest hesitation have to be the Bible. But if gifted theologians wrote books around the Bible teaching us deeper truths, would that not be beneficial? Of course it would! The danger we as young believers face is that just like a babies put everything to their mouths. There are also those that pose under the “Banner of Scripture”, but they are false teachers and these types of authors must obviously be avoided. If we are in doubt about a book whether it is a palatable or not, then obviously, the sound advice would be to put it one side and stay with the Bible. But if those around with a keener eye for error, the watchmen amongst us recommend a sound book, of course we should read it. The purpose of it all is so that we can become more like our Saviour.

I now have a more balanced view to what I once had on reading other books. I use this example as this must be what we strive for (always under the banner of grace), we must look for helpful answers that aid in getting us home. Like every vocation and even schools all have text books expounding their theory. We must understand the theory before we will achieve in the subject. Get the theory wrong and the result will be incorrect. Everything hinges on understanding the theory. Most would agree with this conclusion!

This is the reason we are given so many warning through scripture; not to be lead away by strange doctrines. “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8)

 

The onslaught of the enemy has and will continue to press home, hoping to get believers to walk in doubt and unbelief. Weakening them to a point of hopelessness! We know that Christ has overcome and He will see us through unto the end, He will get us home! Of that I have no doubt! This is why we must learn to place our dependency upon Him and not mere theory. That does not mean that the enemy will not continue to lure us with his lies. He will and he must continue as he is the father of lies, as it is part of his character, he cannot be something he is not.

So then the Bible is a manual for life for all who believe. It is imperative that we understand the correct theory behind it. But what would the theory help if it was all in vain. Imagine a lumberjack receiving the highest accolades in his field. And he then decides to move abroad to a country that has banned all tree-felling. How would his theory now help him survive, it wouldn’t!  Now hear me carefully… How would it help to be the most astute bible scholar if we did not understand the importance of the cross and our Saviours’ accomplishments on our behalf? It could be all in vain!

This is where I believe Malcolm has made a very valid point, we must fall in love with our Saviour before we start chipping away at doctrine. It would be very difficult to separate them, but without a correct understanding of the work of the cross in our lives we remain in our trespasses and our sins, which in turn is doctrine. You cannot have one without the other! Without trying to confuse us, what I am saying is that everything in our lives must first spring from our relationship with Christ. We must lay everything in our lives at His feet. And so, I agree that the “Bible is a means to an end”, it is there to instruct and help us develop a relationship with Him. If we begin to dissect doctrine to the exclusion of what Christ achieve on Calvary then we have missed the mark. This is why I believe Paul is bold with this statement; “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1Corinthians 1:17)

We have here,

I. The manner in which Paul preached the gospel, and the cross of Christ: Not with the wisdom of words (1Co_1:17), the enticing words of man's wisdom (1Co_2:4), the flourish of oratory, or the accuracies of philosophical language, upon which the Greeks so much prided themselves, and which seem to have been the peculiar recommendations of some of the heads of the faction in this church that most opposed this apostle. He did not preach the gospel in this manner, lest the cross of Christ should be of no effect, lest the success should be ascribed to the force of art, and not of truth; not to the plain doctrine of a crucified Jesus, but to the powerful oratory of those who spread it, and hereby the honour of the cross be diminished or eclipsed. Paul had been bred up himself in Jewish learning at the feet of Gamaliel, but in preaching the cross of Christ he laid his learning aside. He preached a crucified Jesus in plain language, and told the people that that Jesus who was crucified at Jerusalem was the Son of God and Saviour of men, and that all who would be saved must repent of their sins, and believe in him, and submit to his government and laws. This truth needed no artificial dress; it shone out with the greatest majesty in its own light, and prevailed in the world by its divine authority, and the demonstration of the Spirit, without any human helps. The plain preaching of a crucified Jesus was more powerful than all the oratory and philosophy of the heathen world.

II. We have the different effects of this preaching: To those who perish it is foolishness, but to those who are saved it is the power of God. (Matthew Henry)

– The power of the gospel rests on what Christ has accomplished and not on how smart we may think we are. This however does not me we should not study, on the contrary! Because we now have a relationship with Christ and God our Father it is our duty to be astute. But we must be careful that we do not forget Calvary, we must enter into a “Father-son” relationship, it must be one of communication, and we must learn to engage with an “ABBA Father” type mentality as this is what Christ came to achieve on our behalf. We will only ever achieve this through raw knees and with many tears and not through mere words on paper. MAY WE NEVER FORGET CALVARY, AMEN!

Signing off

Tyrone