The
Three Truths that the World Hates.
P.B [July 2019]
_______
The first three chapters of the first epistle of Corinthians spells
out the doom of the world in all its mosaic forms and sophistry.
The world as a system, elaborate in its dendritic spines and spells of power, knowledge and thoughts, has found *three insurmountable barriers* in Christianity.
The *first barrier* that the world faces is the *work of the Lord Jesus, i.e. the Cross*(1 Corinthians 1:18-23).
The first debacle that the world faces with Christianity, is the emphasis of the cross as the message of salvation.
The world consists of Greeks and the Jews: the gentiles of natural logic and the Jews of supernatural calling. However, the cross denies the space for natural logic, philosophy and merit of strength which the gentiles find it revolting, and similarly the Jews espoused to supernatural phenomena, of red sea splittings, rocks bursting water and the like - find the cross sans signs and wonders, a disappointing verdict against righteousness in the flesh...
Christendom with its theology, tried to make the cross appealing to gentile instincts by fixing neo-Platonism with the sanctity of faith. Beginning from Boethius, down the bunker of scholastic history, we have nothing but ridiculous attempt on part of the Christendom, to find convergence between greaco-latin logic via Avicenia and the Hebraic constructs. This was the pathetic epoch of church history, given to self knowledge, and succeeding in every things that appeared spiritual, but nonetheless that carried within it the seeds of mortal decay and septic filth.
The cross is against natural philosophy, rabbinical codes, and the hybrid mix of both , which is the larger part of church theology.
The cross carries with it the principle of man's sickening depravity and God's infinite grace. The cross provides not even an hair breadth of respect for man's knowledge - it is instead, a positive condemnation of man's works, his logic, his ideas and addiction to miraculous insights and signs. The principle of justification by faith leaves the cross, as the first great barrier for Jews, gentiles and the hybrid church fathers of ambiguous merge and pollution.
The *second barrier* that the world faces about Christianity is the *Person of Christ* (here, it is not the work of Christ, the cross: but rather the Person of Christ Himself!). This is brought out in 1 Corinthians Chapter 2.
In 1 Corinthians 2:8 - we have the world in all its highest pedestals of glory, still screaming out in pathetic ignorance about who Christ is: '...which none of the princes of this age knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the *Lord of glory*' (v7,v8)
The world - its generals, its dukes, its scholars, its wise men: none knew the Lord of glory. His Person as such could not be assimilated into the system of the world.
The reason is frightening - the Spirit alone enlightens (v11,v12). This verse leaves all the theological scholarship in the world in conundrums. Do we need a theology, for the Spirit to enlighten? Do we need a seminar for the Spirit to teach? Do we need a galactic orb of principles for the Spirit to use, and to enlighten us about who the Son is?
In 1 Cor. 2, the Spirit enlightens us about Christ not via a teacher who is gifted but by His principle referred to as "but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating *spiritual things by spiritual means* (JND)" (v13).
Spiritual gifts do come, and are pronounced in Chapter 12, but what we have here is the internal trajectory of power enlightening wisdom sparked by the presence of the Spirit of God in a person.
The principle, "spiritual things by spiritual means" is a powerful drive. A spiritually gifted person can communicate *spiritual things*. That's it. He can do that much. Theology if it's pure, can do that much. Nothing more.
But the other part, *spiritual means* is left to the mystery of divine power and the operation of divine wisdom through the work of the Holy Spirit of God. If the Spirit does not work, the man may be taught by an apostle but conviction will not be met.
Hermeneutics, and the larger part of expositional theology takes for granted that spiritual illumination will by default follow spiritual teaching. This need not be. This may be a ugly truth for man's democratic inclinations, but that is how it is with divine sovereignty. He chooses to operate in some, and gifts them with the power to have knowledge in two ways:
1. To know Christ : 'the mind of Christ' (v16)
2. To discern all things: the Spirit led enlightening power grants the wisdom to examine the whole range and spectrum of knowledge *with reference to Christ as the focal point of beginnings and endings* (v15).
The world doesn't have both - neither knows Christ, nor knows anything in relation to Christ. Even theology as we know in church history, is bankrupt and broken on all sides and seams.
The world has rejected Christ as the Lord of glory - because it does not have the Spirit. The world may boast of theologians, but that can not help. The Spirit only provides the power of enlightenment as an inward virtue of perception and knowledge in the individual.
Coming now, to the third chapter of first Corinthians, where we have what can be called as the *third barrier* that the world faces about Christianity.
The *third barrier* that the world faces is the *holy calling and the separated life of a Christian*.
The
The only way out is to embrace the disparaging label of Christian, though it accompanies cynicism and foolishness in the world but that is true wisdom in the sight of divine reckonings - 'let no man deceive himself: if any one thinks himself to be wise among you in this world, *let him become foolish, that he may be wise* (v18).
Why? Since the wisdom of this world is foolishness with the world (v19). This is the third barrier for the world - how to explain a Christian? Why must he be holy and treat his body as the hosting vessel of God? And should this become translated into the peculiar separation of a Christian's life from all other worldly pursuits?
The world finds it immensely baffling and stupid for a Christian to be who he is. But that is the world's barrier and Christian's mark of wisdom.
To conclude: the three intractable and vexatious issues that
the world finds nightmarish is: *the cross* (1 chapter), *the Person of Christ
and His glory* (2 chapter) and *the holy life and calling of Christian* (3
chapter).
Collected-Writings.net