The followers of Christ are contrary . . .

 

READ 1 Corinthians 1–4

We had a neighbor who was a millionaire but looked and even acted like a street person. It made no sense. With his resources, he didn’t need to have the appearance of a pauper.

Paul writes to a church whose members have all the resources they need to be godly but are acting as if they are still sinners. This contrary attitude makes no sense either. First he tells them what they have:

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:4–9)

Then Paul appeals to them in the name of Christ that they get along, with “no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10–11) He also says they are valuing their human judgment which is not wise. “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:20–25)

Then he reminds them that before they were saved, they didn’t even have worldly wisdom and yet God chose them. Their lack would “shame the wise” and “bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” They were given God’s “wisdom . . . righteousness and sanctification and redemption” that they might “boast in the Lord” and not in themselves. (1 Corinthians 1:26–31)

He gave them the example of himself. He choose to know only “Jesus Christ and him crucified” and visited them in weakness and fear yet also “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” so their faith rested in God’s power, not human wisdom, a wisdom not understood by anyone otherwise they would not have crucified Jesus.

This wisdom is “revealed to us through the Spirit” and given freely to His people so we can understand His will. He even gave us “the mind of Christ” for that reason. (1 Corinthians 2:12–16)

Then Paul identified the problem. He’s taught them but they didn’t get it because they were living in the power of the flesh. “For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” Their favoritism and strife was “merely human” and the Spirit of God was not ruling their hearts.

He explained that all that fleshy stuff would eventually be “revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:10–15) In other words, they were wasting their lives by not using their God-given resources.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (1 Corinthians 3:18–23)

The bottom line: any strife or attitudes and actions that are like those who do not know Christ are fleshy, not spiritual. While fleshy behavior cannot change my redeemed status, it is useless and is a stumbling block for others. Rather than causing people to say, “Oh those church people — they cannot agree about anything” God wants me to be daily, hourly, filled with His Spirit and relying on His power. I’d much rather people identified me something like those who “saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

Lord, keep me mindful and fully aware when I’m trusting my way instead of Your way. Fill me with Yourself.