To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours. (1 Cor. 1:2)
Christ “is theirs and ours”-this is a word of great emphasis. Christ is the blessed portion given to us by God, just as the land of Canaan was the blessed portion given to the children of Israel by God. This is our portion, our inheritance.
God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (v. 9)
For indeed Jews require signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. (vv. 22-23)
Here we see that signs and wisdom may become replacements of Christ. We may want signs or wisdom instead of Christ. Jews require signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (v. 30)
After reading these verses, we realize that chapter one shows us how Christ is our portion. Today God has given us Christ to be our everything. What God gives to us is not signs, nor wisdom, nor any other thing, but Christ.
That in everything you were enriched in Him, in all utterance and all knowledge. (v. 5)
So that you do not lack in any gift. (v. 7)
The church in Corinth was enriched in all utterance and all knowledge and did not lack in any gift, yet the Corinthians were very poor in their spiritual life. This shows that utterance, knowledge, or any gift is not Christ. Utterance, knowledge, signs, and wisdom-all these are not Christ. What God wants to give us is not these things, but Christ. First Corinthians chapter one is a strong chapter in the Bible which proves that Christ is not utterance, knowledge, gifts, signs, or wisdom. This is very clear. You may have all spiritual utterance and all knowledge, you may have various gifts, and you may have signs and wisdom, but you may have missed Christ. You may use these things to replace Christ.
But as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up in man’s heart; things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor. 2:9)
What are the things which God has prepared for those who love Him? In my youth I heard people say that these things are related to the blessing of going to heaven. But if you read the New Testament and the context of this passage in 1 Corinthians, you will see that these things denote Christ Himself. The blessing which God has prepared for us is the Spirit of sonship, the life-giving Spirit, who is leading and working in us continually until we are brought into glory. Not to mention that our eyes have not seen and our ears have not heard of this blessing, but even our hearts have never thought about it.
But to us God has revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way, the things of God also no one has known except the Spirit of God. (vv. 10-11)
Brothers and sisters, what are the things of God? The things of God are the things concerning Christ, whom God has wrought into our being as the Spirit of sonship to work in us and bring us into glory.
But we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, that we may know the things which have been graciously given to us by God; which things also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words. (vv. 12-13)
Here Paul does not speak about dreams or visions but concerning how God accomplished redemption and works His Son into us as the Spirit of sonship to transform, sanctify, and glorify us that we may be like His Son.
But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know them because they are discerned spiritually. But the spiritual man discerns all things, but he himself is discerned by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord and will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (vv. 14-16)
We see two kinds of men here: One is a spiritual man and the other is a soulish man. A spiritual man is not only regenerated in his spirit, but he also has the mind of Christ in his mind, which is referred to in Romans 12:2 as being transformed by the renewing of the mind.
First Corinthians chapter one is on Christ, and chapter two is on the Spirit. Christ is our portion and our all. Utterance, knowledge, gifts, signs, or wisdom is not Christ. Only Christ Himself is Christ. In a sense, the Jews knew God, but their knowledge was insufficient; they still required signs. The Greeks were active in their mind, and they sought education and wisdom. But the apostles were commissioned by God to preach Christ crucified, not signs required by the Jews or wisdom sought by the Greeks. Only Christ is real wisdom and real power. Just as God had put the children of Israel in the land of Canaan, so God has also put us in Christ and has made Him our wisdom, redemption, righteousness, and sanctification. In other words, God has put us in Christ so that Christ may become our all. Christ is theirs and ours (1 Cor. 1:2). He belongs to all of us who have believed in Him. God has called us into the fellowship of Christ as our portion. All these things are covered in chapter one.
However, I would like to tell you, brothers and sisters, that although the things covered in 1 Corinthians chapter one are perfect, they are merely objective facts and not our subjective experience. Hence, there is the need for chapter two, which is on the Spirit. Chapter two speaks not only about the Spirit of God objectively but also about our spirit subjectively. At the end it concludes by asking whether we are soulish or spiritual. What is it to be soulish? Do not think that a soulish person is a bad person. No, the best person in the world may be altogether soulish! To be soulish means to live by the soul and in the soul. To be spiritual means to live by the spirit, in the spirit, and under the direction of the spirit. This spirit is the mingled spirit: the life-giving Spirit of God mingled with our created and regenerated spirit. If we want to know the blessings and the riches in Christ, we must be in the spirit. We cannot comprehend them in the soul; we can touch them only in the spirit.
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