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Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 1 * PART 3 * BOOK 26
I CORINTHIANS 1:1 - 2:7
We're all subjects of God's Grace which brings us not to a water baptism, but to the Gospel, and Paul tells us:
I Corinthians 1:17a
"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: ..."
Remember when John the Baptist was commissioned to Israel? Well, to baptize. Matthew 3:1,2
"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea. Matthew 3:6
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:..."
I Corinthians 1:17b
"not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect."
I Corinthians 1:18a
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;..."
That somebody died 2000 years ago? My land, thousands and thousands of people were crucified by the Romans. So reading verse 18 again:
I Corinthians 1:18a
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;..."
Now verse 19.
I Corinthians 1:19
I Corinthians 1:20
where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"
Romans 1:21,22
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations (they began to philosophize, higher thinking), and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," Now back to I Corinthians, verse 21, and this is another good verse:
I Corinthians 1:21a
"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by (its) wisdom knew not God,..."
I Corinthians 1:21
"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by (it's) wisdom knew not God (they have pushed God out. Evolution and secular humanism has no room for God, and that's the core of our problem, but), it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching (of the Cross in verse 18) to save them that believe."
It's an act of God that opens the understanding that the One who died 2000 years ago was the answer to the sin problem. He is the One Who can impart eternal life, and that's what he's talking about here, that through the foolishness of preaching, the preaching of the Cross will literally transform those who believe. Jew and Gentile. I Corinthians 1:22,23a
"For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom (the Jews want signs, and the Gentiles say, `Give me highly educated philosophers'); But (the flip side is we don't pay any attention to either one of those, but) we preach Christ (not the Jesus of Nazareth walking the highways of Palestine, not the Jesus Who's walking on the water, not the Jesus Who fed the 5000, not the Jesus Who raised Lazarus, but rather the Jesus who was what?) crucified."
Now completing the verse:
I Corinthians 1:23
How many more signs did they need? You remember what they called Paul on Mars Hill? I'm sure Paul spoke at Athens probably as strongly as any place he had ever been, and those stupid philosophers called him a babbler. Now let's back up a moment to verse 22. Why does Paul make this kind of statement that Jews require a sign?
I Corinthians 1:22a
"For the Jews require a sign,..."
Signs! The serpent that Moses and Aaron had, swallowed up the others thus showing that God was still supreme.
Supernatural. In that instance Israel had an awakening, but over and over God performs signs and miracles for benefit of the Jew. I'm not going to come showing signs, wonders, and miracles, I'm not going to come here and philosophize, but rather I'm going to preach Christ crucified, and risen again. Now verse 24.
I Corinthians 1:24
"But unto them which are called (now the called of scripture are the elect, the saints, the believers, and they are all one and the same), both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
The wisdom of God sat apart from the wisdom of men, and I can agree to that especially in Chapter 2 where Paul stresses that it doesn't matter how much earthly wisdom we have, it's only the wisdom from God that makes us something that God can use, and there's no doubt about it. Now verse 25.
I Corinthians 1:25
"Because the foolishness of God (in man's eyes God is being foolish, how can we say that? Well, man thinks God is foolish when He says He can save a person from the most gutter type existence, and can make him a saint. God's foolishness ) is wiser than men (God's foolishness is still wiser than the greatest philosopher, or educator.); and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
Now we know that God isn't weak is He? But some of the ways He does things the world would call weakness. Now let's look at verse 26 and 27:
I Corinthians 1:26a
"For ye see your calling, brethren,..."
"how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:"
Because God doesn't use those kinds of people, God can only use that which in the eyes of the world is nothing. God had to send him to the back side of the desert to be a smelly what?

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