The Fundamentals of the Gospel

Introduction

Background

Paul has received a report that the church in Corinth is divided. In the opening chapter, he reminded them of three callings. 1. To be set apart (be holy). 2. To be unified in Jesus Christ. 3. That all glory and honor belongs to Jesus.

In this next chapter, Paul is going to align the Corinthian church on the fundamentals of the Gospel.

Context

Paul is writing this: “If you want to correct the division in the church, there needs to be a renewed emphasis on the Gospel message. One of the key themes here in this chapter is the Trinity. He talks about the death of Christ, the plan of God, and then the presence of the Spirit.

I. The Death of Jesus (v. 1-5)

Declaring the Testimony of God

1 Corinthians 2:1 NKJV

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.

Paul says, “I did not come with wisdom, I came declaring the testimony of God”.

And what is the testimony of God to the world?

In chapter 1, Paul says that the testimony of God is foolishness to the world.

1 Corinthians 1:21 NKJV

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

This testimony of God is that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again, and this message is foolishness to the world. They cannot understand it. Hence, Paul says I did not come preaching wisdom, I came preaching as a fool the cross of Jesus.

Remember what Paul is doing here, he is talking about division, and he bringing those who are claiming status in the church back down to reality. He’s saying that the message he preached is for the fool, not for the wise.

He says, “I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom to declare the testimony of God, but I came as fool to preach Christ and Christ crucified.”

What was his message?

Not Wisdom, only Jesus

1 Corinthians 2:2 NKJV

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

When we are serving in the church, when we are teaching others about Jesus, sometimes we get so big that people can only see us and they can’t see Jesus Christ.

Paul says, “I came preaching in a way that won’t draw attention to myself, but draw attention to Jesus.”

It’s very important that when I preach, that I don’t come to draw attention to myself or to my preaching style.

The Bible warns about this in several places when it comes to service in the church. Paul says that women ought not dress in a way that draws attention to themselves in church. He says that when we preach, we don’t use our gifts to magnify us, but to magnify Jesus.

Jesus tells the story of the widow and her two mites. These men were coming by with large offerings and receiving glory…this widow brought two small coins worth a fraction of a penny, and got God’s applause.

Jesus says that the Pharisees that stand and pray long eloquent prayers draw attention to their prowess and to their vocabulary, and they left God out of the picture.

And this is explicitly what the Bible means when it says knowledge puffs up and love builds up.

Knowledge is boastful and we want to show it off…love on the other hand is sacrificial and wants to show others off.

When we serve the church, its very important that we don’t receive the recognition, unless we want to cause division.

So, in v. 1-2, Paul says, “it’s not wisdom, it’s only Christ”. In v. 3-4, he’s going to say, “It’s not in my strength, but in my weakness”.

Not in my strength, but in my weakness

1 Corinthians 2:3–4 NKJV

I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

Here is truth on display, that the message of the cross is foolish to men.

To preach it, we have to preach it in weakness, in fear, and in trembling. The man of God cannot preach the message of God with pride, with haughtiness, or with eloquence, because then it detracts from the simple truth that Jesus saves us.

Think of Jesus. The Bible describes Him in Isaiah 53:2 like this, “He has no form or splendor; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

Why is that? Because there was no way to explain what made Him so attractive.

There was no way to explain His power.

When Jesus preached, He did so in plain language, and the people were amazed by Him because He spoke truth that came from God.

The Apostles…the same way. The Sadducees knew that they had been with Jesus because they spoke with all authority.

They weren’t trained, they weren’t educated, they had nothing going for them, but when the preached by the Holy Spirit they did so in Spirit and in Power, and that’s where the power of the Gospel message comes from.

So, it’s not in your strength that you serve the church, but it’s in your weakness, your fear, and in much trembling that you serve the church.

A Warning

This doesn’t mean that you should avoid using your gifts. If you’re a gifted speaker, then you need to speak. If you’re a gifted teacher, you need to teach. But whatever your gift is, you cannot use that gift to bring yourself praise…you have to use it to give Jesus praise.

At that point, it’s really about your heart. I can’t know your heart. I can see fruit at some points, but I can’t know your heart.

I’ll use myself as an illustration:

I have taken it up to be seminary trained, I have worked to make sure that when I speak its logical and understandable, I have made a point to be presentable so as not to distract you by my lack of dress,

and when I preach, and the preaching is knowledgable and filled with biblical truth, and the oration is mighty, and the organization of the message is easy to understand…then it may have been by my hand the message was written, and it might have been by my mouth that the message was preached, but it better by the Holy Spirit that the message received its power.

It’s effect in your life better not come from my wisdom or knowledge, it better not come from my ability to orate, it better not come from my organization and presentation…it better come from the Holy Spirit and from the Word of God, or I’m in deep trouble and so are you.

I am not preaching in my strengths to impress, I am preaching by the strength of God to by some means fill you with the power of God in your life.

So, Paul says its not my wisdom, it’s Jesus. It’s not my strength, but the power of God…now he says in v. 5, “Have faith in God, not in men.”

Not Men, but God

1 Corinthians 2:5 NKJV

that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

In order for me to be the man of God I need to be…in order for you to be the man or woman of God you need to be, let go of yourself, and grab onto Jesus.

I pray that in my life, and in your life, that there is never the impression of superiority, but the impression that by God, all things are possible…so possible that He can take a message riddled with foolishness and use it to save people.

I pray that in your life, you aren’t looking for a logical explanation or reasoning for why we do certain things, but that you are looking for God’s demonstration of power.

When you begin to form that relationship with God, you’ll begin to experience His power where there is hopelessness.

The greatest example of this is the death of Jesus

Men saw Him as dead, the righteousness and power of God made Him alive.

Jesus was not by any means pitiful, by any means stupid, or by any means down cast, and yet Jesus walked in humility and in foolishness.

How did He do this? He considered Himself a servant of God, made Himself of no reputation or status, and served the world in a capacity that was far beneath Him.

He was the Son of God, perfect in every way, filled with all knowledge, filled with miraculous power, and yet there was no position, no service opportunity, and no task too demeaning for Him, not even the death of the cross where He bore the sin of the whole world, something so vile and putrid, something He didn’t deserve, He submitted to.

Likewise, Paul says this of himself

Philippians 3:4–7 NKJV

though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

In v. 1-5, Paul is explaining that the power of the Gospel does not come from persuasive words, but that it comes through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s Word.

II. The Plan of God (v. 6-9)

In v. 6-9, Paul is going to explain that God is the author of this salvation.

Jesus bought our salvation with His death

God planned this salvation by His love.

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 Corinthians 2:6 NKJV

However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

Ok, it’s the wisdom of God that they are speaking. And they are only speaking it to those that are mature believers.

In v. 7, 8, & 9, Paul gives the Characteristics of this wisdom they speak concerning the plan of God.

Look in v. 7:

1 Corinthians 2:7 NKJV

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

The wisdom is from God

Only a mature saint can understand the infinite plan of God. Remember this: The height of Christian maturity comes when you are daily expecting your eternal salvation. You’re looking forward to glory, not looking around at this world.

The wisdom is hidden

In the New Testament, a mystery is a “sacred secret.” It’s not something you can understand by human logic, it’s only something that can be revealed by God. It’s something that’s been revealed to us in His word.

This wisdom is ordained

It’s hard for us to understand this, but the truth is that God knew the end before He knew the beginning. He didn’t cause sin, He doesn’t cause people to reject Him, but God knew these things would take place. Before the ages God set into motion His salvation to the world.

It’s for the glory of God and the Church

We might be fools here on this earth, we might be looked at as incompetent and unworthy in the world, but in the end we will be glorified just as Jesus was glorified. We will share in His inheritance and be complete as children of God.

Look now in v. 8-9:

1 Corinthians 2:8–9 NKJV

which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Hidden from the rulers

This is not to say that God caused them to sin, to crucify Jesus, and forced His plan to take place…it’s simply saying that the ones who did crucify Jesus did so in ignorance.

What does Jesus have to say on the matter? There is Jesus, dying on a cross, and He says…

Luke 23:34 NKJV

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

This sin committed, where they sacrificed Jesus, was not a sin of willful intent, but a sin of ignorance.

This is a sin that God was ready to forgive if they would turn to Him. God was ready to be a city of refuge for these people.

Paul says, “If they had known He was the Lord of glory, they would have never crucified Him.” But because they were operating by human wisdom and didn’t seek the wisdom of God, it was hidden from them and they didn’t know.

(v. 9)