Thursday, January 19, 2012

FROM THE RANDOM THOUGHTS CATEGORY

I've just concluded a bible conference where I taught the letter authored by Paul commonly called First Corinthians. It was interesting in my preparation to discover that, in fact, First Corinthians may have really been a second letter since a first one hinted at was probably lost. [1st Corinth. 5:9] Then there is perhaps evidence that a third letter was lost also, so a fourth one was written. If this is historically correct,  then 1st Corinthians is really 2nd Corinthian and 2nd corinthians is really 4th Corinthians. Maybe I should have called this post "Inane Random Thoughts"...you think!


Well, I'll randomly continue. 


Have you ever noticed that Paul NEVER mentions the Law of Moses in this letter we call 1st Corinthians? He's certainly having to deal with problems in the church that are grievous in nature such as drunkenness, arguing over who had been the greatest pastor, [ Paul, Peter, or Apollos] suing one another in courts of law and then there was that immoral situation they were not dealing with at all, and proud they were not as if it were a badge of honor that they were permissive.


In fact, the ONLY time Paul used the Law of Moses in his arguments for pure living was when he challenged the legalists who needed to be shown that even the law itself could not be kept in an effort to be holy. He NEVER used the law of Moses, even the ten commandments, as a standard to hold up for New Covenant behavior.


He did use the wisdom of God in the mystery of the gospel to show how shallow and foolish the wisdom of man was in dealing with real life. Paul seemed to have recognized that the Corinthians, who were basically Gentiles with only a few Jewish people, were more philosophers than anything else. Phileo means "love" and "Sophia" means wisdom in Greek, so he recognized they were lovers of wisdom in their culture and he moved right into their way of thinking to challenge them with the gospel which they considered to be foolish of course.


This shows me two things immediately.


One is that Paul was willing to engage the culture of his day and wasn't angry toward it or did not rail against it as if it were some kind of witchcraft at work against the gospel. He recognized its weaknesses and its inability to speak to the deepest problems and need of the human race, namely dealing with the fallen and hopeless nature of the human condition, but had no real answers. The wisdom of God seen in the gospel does have answers, however. Paul thought so at least. I do too.


The second thing I see is that Paul had a CONFIDENCE in the ability of the gospel to "cut to the heart" and to make true believers out of foolish and lost people without the law of Moses being the basis for bringing conviction. He thought there was something REALLY powerful in the gospel message itself. 


Maybe we need to trust the Holy Spirit's power and ability to take in His hands the foolishness of sharing the true gospel of Christ as the tool for bringing conviction, light and understanding to the people of any culture who have no reference to the religious background of the Old Testament most of us have.


Do you suppose Paul had it right when he said, "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified....My speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power..." [The gospel]


May we go and do likewise. Just some random thoughts.


Paul B.  

5 comments:

Aussie John said...

Paul,

"Random thoughts"? Holy Spirit motivated thoughts, more likely!

We,with the apostle are amongst, "those who since we have such a hope,we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened.

The apostle understood, as you do, "For to this day,when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts."(2 Cor.3:12-14).

Paul, of all people, knew the stark difference between the free gift which had been given to him in his relationship with Christ, and the spiritual slavery he once labored under. He wasn't about to replace upon his shoulders, the burden he had removed by God's great grace in Jesus Christ!

Paul well understood that law and grace cannot be taught as one subject.

Paul Burleson said...

Aussie J,

"Paul well understood that law and grace cannot be taught as one subject." INDEED!! Thanks.

Steve Miller said...

Paul,

Random thoughts? I agree with Aussie John, there is nothing random about the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We do live in an unredeemed culture but one we do not avoid. The apostle Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16)and yet he was so amazed at its power to truly transform an individual. I find it even more amazing God sent His Son to die for me in the first place.

Don't you think that Paul had spent his whole adult life prior to the Damascus road encounter defending and demanding the Law of Moses to those he encountered and hunted down. When the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to His grace and love and the price already paid, then why dwell on that which we can't keep anyway but trust in Him who fulfilled the Law. Thus the mandate to preach Christ and Him crucified.

Thanks for your discernment rather than random thoughts Paul.

Steve

Paul Burleson said...

Steve,

I love this..."Don't you think that Paul had spent his whole adult life prior to the Damascus road encounter defending and demanding the Law of Moses to those he encountered and hunted down. When the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to His grace and love and the price already paid, then why dwell on that which we can't keep anyway but trust in Him who fulfilled the Law. Thus the mandate to preach Christ and Him crucified."

EXCELLENT thoughts. Thanks!

Rex Ray said...

Paul,
Once Paul/Saul lived by the Law of Moses, but once he met Jesus, he knew Jesus was everything; that the Law was no longer needed because Jesus fulfilled the Law.

Maybe in First Corinthians, Paul wanted the Gentiles to know more about Jesus before he told them the Law of Moses was NOT needed as he said in Second Corinthians 3:6: “…The old covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.” (NLT)

The Living Bible goes into more detail:
“We do not tell them that they must obey every law of God or die; but we tell them there is life for them from the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commands ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives them life.”

BTW,
On your post, the date of comments drives me crazy since it is ‘British English’ and not ‘American English’ as Google says:

British English:
22 September 2006

American English:
September 22, 2006