This week we will study St. Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth. The 1st chapter introduces St. Paul's purpose for writing. In the first part of this chapter verses 1-17 he really shows how foolish it is to see the Body of Christ, His Church, divided. He then goes on in the lesson for verses 18-31 to show how foolish our message is to the world. The Cross: a "stumbling block" to the Jews who were waiting for the amazing Messiah that would come to conquer and bring in a great age of victory to the Jewish nation over Rome and every other nation. A perfect time of peace and prosperity. They did not see the "suffering servant" of Isaiah as a picture of the Messiah.The Cross: "foolishness" to the Gentiles. People who look at the world by the level of wisdom, strength and money etc..They can't understand how people could see victory in this despicable gross torture of the crucifixion? So Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, reminds us that our God's foolishness is wiser than man's wisdom. His weakness stronger than man's strength. This is from God's words to Isaiah in
Isaiah 55:8-9(New International Version, ©2011)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
May we understand that we have nothing in which to boast! I get so tired of churches and christians who make Baptism which is totally God's work as in Genesis 15 when He makes the first Covenant with Abram, be about the amount of water or what we say and/or do! We can see in 1 Corinthians 1 that St. Paul is helping us to have a "pridextomy" so that we may in humility confess: "It is all about God, as is everything we do!" So "Therefore it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the LORD'" 1 Cor 1:31
Tomorrow we will receive all that we boast about from our LORD, HIS presence, HIS promise, HIS power, HIS Supper! Praise that Lord and GLORY (boast) in HIM!
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