We Have Received of His Spirit

Paul speaks of the most remarkable gift to the believer having reminded his audience that the world by its own wisdom could not find out God.  To those who have believed the gospel, he assures them “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God (I Corinthians 2:12, emphasis added).  Think of that – God has given us of his Spirit.  The Creator of the universe, the Redeemer of mankind has given us his Spirit to make himself fully known to his children.

Paul explains “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?  Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God” (I Corinthians 2:11).  Who can tell the inner thoughts of a man but that man’s own spirit within him.  So it is with God.  In fact, Paul goes on to relate that the “Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God” (I Corinthians 2:10).  These “things” the Spirit reveals to the children of God.  If man is to know God as God would have him to know, God must reveal himself to man.  Consequently, the Father gives his Spirit to his children to accomplish this.

This gift is essential for our spiritual understanding.  We cannot discern or comprehend the things of God by our senses.  Paul writes, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit” (I Corinthians 2:9-10).  The things of God are not received through our normal cognitive abilities, but are revealed – made known – to us by his indwelling Spirit.

This is why the message of the Bible is veiled to the unbeliever.  “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14).  The natural man, i.e. the unregenerate man or the unbeliever, does not have the Spirit of God to give understanding to the word.  Surely, he can read it like any book and understand the facts of the text, but he is blinded to the spiritual importance of that text because of unbelief.

What could be more plain?  God is a spiritual Being.  “God is a Spirit. They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Man is spiritually dead and needs spiritual life in order to commune with God.  As Paul has related to the Corinthians, such communion cannot occur by man’s own ability or initiative.  But, through the message of the gospel and the gift of his Spirit, God gives spiritual life to man and enables him to receive those things that pertain to that new relationship. Do you know this God? Have you believed the gospel? If so, trust his Spirit to guide you into his word. 

Walk Before Me…

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1). In this brief statement by God, we find important truth that provides fundamental insight into God’s dealing with each of us.

First, the One who spoke to Abram was Almighty God. This One is God alone and worthy of all worship. There is no other God. The prophet Isaiah records God’s testimony of Himself. “I am the first, and the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). Furthermore, this One is not merely God, but Almighty God the Creator of all things. Again, Isaiah records, “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded” (Isaiah 45:12). The command to Abram was warranted on the basis of God’s own Person. This remains true for each one of us today.

The command that followed contained both a relational aspect as well as a behavioral aspect. God told Abram “walk before me”. Abram was called by God to live his life as an actor on a stage before an audience of One. Every portion of his life came under this Divine scrutiny. This is the relational element of the command. Abram had other relationships – wife, concubine, servants, etc. But this relationship to God must surpass and govern every other relationship. This was God’s command and His expectation for Abram. He had brought Abram into an intentionally personal relationship with Himself.

Living his life before Almighty God necessarily carried with it imposing requirements. The word “perfect” here does not mean that Abram was to be sinless for “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). It does mean that his life was to be so ordered as to please a holy God. A holy God can require no less. Peter spoke of this expectation which has not changed with time because God does not change. Peter wrote, “…but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy” (I Peter 1:15-16). A relationship with God requires behavior that is fitting a holy God. For Abram, this necessitated a life of faith and God “counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). All those who know God must reflect His holiness in their conduct. It is man that must change, not God.

God’s plan for mankind has not changed since his dealings with Abram. This great God still desires a personal and intimate relationship with men and women characterized by holiness. To this very end God sent his Son, Jesus Christ. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (I Peter 3:18). Consequently, God will indeed dwell in relationship and fellowship with all who humbly turn from their sin and trust Christ as their Savior. Isaiah assures us this is so, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit” (Isaiah 57:15). God Himself is the dwelling place of those who humble themselves before Him.

Prophecy or Tongues?

The gift of “tongues” was an important gift found in the early church and necessary for advancing the gospel among different ethnic groups. Tongues in the New Testament has reference to foreign languages unknown or unlearned by the speaker. It would be as if I were able to speak French or German without any instruction or training. As important as this gift was, it had been misused in Corinth for the personal acclaim of those who were “gifted” with it. Paul found it necessary to correct this practice by instructing the Corinthian believers on the importance of prophesying, or declaring God’s word.

Paul had much to say about the misuse of tongues, but what he had to say about prophesying was more important. In comparing tongues with prophesy, he concluded “he that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifeth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church” (I Corinthians 14:4). Edify simply means to build. One of the fundamental purposes of the local church is to build up believers in their faith through the ministry of the word. The Corinthians in their selfish ambition had lost sight of this and Paul rebuked them for their wrong priorities. “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that you may excel to the edifying of the church” (I Corinthians 14:12).

Many of the Corinthian believers were caught up with these “showy” gifts and became puffed up with pride. We are not immune to this behavior in our modern church today. Talented people and strong personalities often take center stage muting the ministry of God’s word. But it is the plain preaching and teaching of God’s word that strengthens the believer and forges his or her faith. As Paul noted to the Corinthians, “he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (I Corinthians 14:3). As a result, Paul concluded “Let all things be done unto edifying” (I Corinthians 14:26).

It is unfortunate that many, if not most, churches in our day have moved away from relying on the simple declaration of God’s word to save the lost and perfect the faith of the saints. Sermons are more like a motivational speech instead of “Thus saith the Lord.” It seems that preachers have moved more in this direction because the people in the pew are not interested in sound preaching. It is a vicious cycle – anemic preaching produces nominal Christians and nominal Christians are content with anemic preaching.

This cycle has left its practitioners destitute of a genuine relationship with God and barren of true spiritual power. Rather, they seek (as the Corinthians) the “showy” forms of worship. They consider worship as something to experience vicariously through a worship team. Worship becomes nothing more than an emotional experience. Unfortunately, they leave church much the way they came – no closer to God, but feeling better about it!

What about the worship in your church? Remember this – “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6) and “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Is your worship word-centered? Does your church emphasize the preaching of God’s word?

The Working Clothes of Love (Part 3)

We continue to examine Paul’s working definition of love as revealed to him by the Spirit of God and so come to a phrase that should genuinely give us pause. Perhaps, it is because this phrase strike very close to home. He writes that love “seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (I Corinthians 13:5).

Genuine love does not seek its own, i.e. love is disinterested. If someone is disinterested, that person is not influenced by considerations of personal advantage. Such a one does not ask “What is in it for me?”. That kind of question is obviously self-serving and we may quickly deny such selfish behavior. But consider this character portrait of love in every one of its facets. For example, how readily do we give up our “free time” to visit a sick friend, run an errand for a loved one, or help a neighbor in one of his home projects? Each of us has our own daily agenda, which not only disallows for impromptu alterations, but actually resists them. Frankly, to have an agenda at all works against being disinterested. An agenda is an intentional planned use of time that necessarily competes with other interests.

Christ gave us a very clear picture of this aspect of love in what is known as the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). A rich, young ruler had approached the Lord and asked him, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” In the exchange that followed, the command from the Old Testament law to “love thy neighbor as thyself” became a sticking point to the young ruler. The Bible says that “he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, and who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). It is at this point that Christ offered his parable of the good Samaritan.

He begins by telling that “a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead” (Luke 10:30). Sometime after this a priest came by and when he saw him (the wounded man), “passed by on the other side.” After this a Levite likewise passing by “looked on him, and passed by on the other side.” It is plain that helping this robbed and wounded man was clearly not on either of their agendas.

At this point the Samaritan arrives on the scene and “when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, take care of him” (Luke 10:33-35).

Surely, the Samaritan had a different agenda that reflected his own interests. Nonetheless, the needs of this poor man pressed their claims upon his heart and he was moved to care for him. The Samaritan, unlike the priest and Levite, set aside his own personal interests to exercise compassion upon this traveler. We would say that he was disinterested or, using the language of Paul, he did not seek his own. Could that be said of us? Would others describe us that way?

The Working Clothes of Love (Part 2)

In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul was constrained to speak on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they are to be ministered under the operation of love. That being so, it became necessary for him to spend some time showing what love looked like in its “working clothes.” He continued expanding on what love is not, “…(love) doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (I Corinthians 13:5). If we were to linger just a bit over each of these phrases, we would readily discern how far short we fall. One will be enough for the moment.

Love does not behave itself unseemly. This is language we simply do not use today. To behave unseemly is to act unthoughtful or inconsiderate of others. By extension, it means to do nothing of which we might be ashamed. Selfishness is so prevalent and sin is so brazen in our society that there is no shame for our inconsiderate and unthoughtful acts.

Having good manners is a perfect illustration of not behaving unseemly. One doesn’t chew with one’s mouth open because it is unsightly. One doesn’t belch or make other undesirable body noises because it is inconsiderate of others. We really don’t have to think long or hard to note the absence of considerate behavior in modern America. Even Disney’s Lion King made flatulence popularly humorous. We as a people are genuinely inconsiderate of others.

To be thoughtful of others requires a measure of restraint on my part. We are an unrestrained people. Kindness, courtesy, and deference in open or public forums (including email) is trampled upon. In order for our voice to be heard (and we must be heard!), we must speak loudly, we must speak harshly, we must speak disparagingly. We don’t listen with thoughtfulness or with consideration. We listen long enough to plan our next verbal barrage. We don’t talk with people. Rather, we talk at them. A lack of civility is a prominently emerging characteristic of our society.

As I am writing this, I can actually sense heads nodding. We all agree that we see this unthoughtful behavior all around us. People in every kind of circumstance are quick to act without consideration – the busy intersection, the crowded parking lot, the check-out lane, etc. People are just not willing to take the time to put others before themselves. The problem is that we see it in others, but we are often blind to it in ourselves.

Jesus Christ on the other hand is the very picture of loving consideration. Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Immediately after endorsing this selfless consideration of others, Paul points to Christ and pleads “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God…humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:4-8). Oh, to be like Christ!

The Working Clothes of Love

The concept of love in our modern American society is so very distorted from the truth. It ranges somewhere between the Hollywood version that is nothing more than fleshly lust to the smarmy Kodak version of love we see in television commercials, e.g., a man and a woman walking their dog on the beach in the early morning sun. Both of these versions create false expectations in our relationships that we have one with another. In its very essence, love is selfless labor on behalf of others. Paul summarized it as this in his letter to the church at Rome, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). More pointedly, love puts my neighbor’s interests above my own.

We all have trouble with expressing love rightly because we are all very selfish at heart. Only the gospel of Christ can deliver us from self-love and enable us to love others in a manner that reflects true, God-honoring love. Paul, writing to those gospel believers in Corinth, spent much time describing the working clothes of love to show them expressly what love looks like in its truest form.

Following his exhortation to longsuffering and kindness, he writes “love envieth not, love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” (I Corinthians 13:4). In spite of what may seem familiar to us, we do well to take a moment to put some flesh on the bones of his teaching.

Envy is any wrong feeling that is excited or stirred as you view of the good of others. We all know what that feeling is like – someone gets recognized in the office newspaper, commended for a job well done, or promoted to a new position. That disappointment for ourselves that lingers unto resentment is envy. It is rooted in pride and self-love. We may force a smile, extend the hand, stumble through congratulatory remarks, but the feeling lingers. That is envy. It is sin. It is the complete opposite of love.

Contrast envy with the matter of vaunting one’s self. We do not use the word “vaunt” much in our current English language. It is defined as every form of the desire to gain the applause of others. Think of the reach of that definition – every form. Without a doubt that desire comes in many and various forms and every one of them is contrary to true love. Who among us does not desire laudatory recognition, i.e. to be singled out from others? Who among us genuinely resists that pursuit?

Paul concludes this portion of his instruction with the simple testimony that love “is not puffed up.” There is no drawn-out, grad school definition for this phrase. It means conceited. We all have a tendency to view ourselves quite charitably. If we are mindful of our faults at all, we let them rest quietly in the back of our minds where they do not bother us. Paul wrote in another epistle that we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but to think soberly in view of God’s grace unto us (Romans 12:3). Even so, we nonetheless struggle.

Love for others requires deliverance from our own selfish ways. Only the grace of God can give such deliverance. Let us seek to walk in true love. Let us know the gospel of God’s grace to make this love real in and through us.

The Path to Unity

Unity is a much desired and, consequently, much sought after commodity. It is difficult to achieve, hard to keep, seemingly impossible to recapture, but ever worth the effort. David had this to say about unity. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Psalm 103). Note that “there” in this passage points to where “brethren dwell together in unity.”

This passage speaks of the blessing of unity among “brethren.” In its narrowest application, this Psalm teaches God’s blessing is upon those of his family who walk together in truth. But the premium that God places upon unity in this example shows why unity is so important in virtually all arenas of life – family, church, the work place, government, etc. Yet, at this moment, many of us would lament that unity is beyond our grasp. How very tragic!

Unity with others requires that we share a common cause. For example, I can be united with other Cleveland Indians’ fans because we share in our desire to see them win. But this kind of unity is superficial and unfulfilling (especially if you are an Indians fan!) Real unity is rooted in truth. James addressed this when he compared earthly wisdom to heavenly wisdom. “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:14-17).

Earthly wisdom leads to confusion and every evil work. The wisdom from above (from God) however is “first pure, then peaceable.” Truth must govern the heart before there can be peaceful accord. The people of our nation have abandoned truth. We no longer seek to discover truth – we determine it for ourselves! My truth becomes that which pleases me. Consequently, every man and woman has their own truth. There is not much opportunity for agreement and unity in such a people.

But peace can still prevail, if not among the people, then certainly in my own heart. Become a proclaimer and practitioner of truth. “Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:65).

The Only Way

Paul reminded the church at Corinth of the Israelites’ repeated disobedience to God in their journey through the wilderness. He warned them that they could easily fall into such careless living if they were not careful because these temptations are common to all men. While it is true that such temptations are common, it is just as true that God is faithful to make a way to escape them.

The promise that God would provide a way out of the temptation should not be viewed as an invitation to explore sin. We should never tempt God through willful disobedience and assume he will deliver us. Christ came to deliver us from our sins. Hence, we are to resist sin of every kind and in every venue. Sometimes the best way to resist sin is to simply flee from it. Paul resorted to this command immediately after sharing that God would make a way to escape. He told his audience, “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry” (I Corinthians 10:14).

The church in Corinth was surrounded by pagan worship. Sacrificial offerings made in these pagan temples resulted in meats offered for personal consumption in the temple market district. Purchasing and eating such meats in that locale would quickly identify the Corinthians with that pagan worship and their idols. Paul provided some valuable instruction still worth holding on to today. He had previously acknowledged that “an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one” (I Corinthians 8:4). Nonetheless, he understood the significance of such sacrifices when he told them “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (I Corinthians 10:20).

Though the idols were nothing more than inanimate stone carvings, the worship behind the sacrifices was demonic in origin. Man was created with a sense of the eternal God (Romans 1:18-23) and a disposition to worship. Satan, the father of lies, has created many false ways to take advantage of this disposition. We should not be surprised at the multiple false religions and cults that spring up everywhere. There is only one way to heaven – Jesus Christ. He declared “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Give earnest reflection to this claim. Jesus claimed to be the very Son of God who gave his body an offering for sin that we might have eternal life. He either told the truth or he was a deceiver. There is no middle ground. The question of the ages has not changed – what will you do with Jesus?

The Need for Preparation and Training

In Acts 4, Peter and the other Apostles are threatened by the high priest and the Sadducees as well as the rulers and elders of the people for healing a lame man and daring to preach that his healing came through faith in the name of Jesus. As the Apostles answered the charges against them, their accusers “saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). What does this mean “that they had been with Jesus”?

It was evident to the rulers of the people that Peter and John were not formally educated and trained in any rabbinical school, yet their command of the Scriptures and the boldness of their assertions required some kind of explanation. They concluded that it necessarily resulted from being with Jesus. In essence, they saw Jesus in them. The disciples sat under the teaching and training of Jesus Christ for three years prior to his passion. They had learned the truths rooted in God’s word from the very Son of God. It was evident that Jesus likewise was not formally educated like the priests, yet it was said of him that “he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:29). No doubt, the Apostles’ boldness brought painful memories to them of their own encounters with Christ.

The Apostles encountered much opposition in their proclamation of the gospel and church-planting endeavors. All of them, with the exception of John, died as martyrs for their faith. Their preparation and training was essential in leading them down a path from which they could not and would not turn back. There is no substitute for proper training. The work of the gospel demands preparation. Paul wrote to Timothy “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers “as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more” (I Thessalonians 4:1; emphasis added). We cannot abound in pleasing him if our knowledge of what pleases him is not growing. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews lamented the lack of growth in his readers. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

There is no substitute for training and preparation. Every profession requires that of those who would excel in their discipline. The walk of the believer requires no less.

The Nature of the Resurrected Body

In his first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul instructed his audience in the reality of the resurrection. Having done that, he follow up with insight as to the nature of the resurrected body. In doing so, he makes several inspired observations that merit sharing for our encouragement.

First, he appeals to the Corinthians’ understanding of husbandry by comparing the resurrection to sowing seed. “That which thou sowest is not quickened [made alive], except it die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body” (I Corinthians 15:37-38). The analogy is straightforward. The farmer plants seeds of corn or wheat or barley, but the seeds germinate and grow in a body that does not resemble the seed planted. God has given corn its own body and likewise for wheat or barley. The plant is different from the seed but it has not lost its identity. Even so, in the resurrection our bodies will be different, but we will not lose our identity. In one sense we will be different, but in another we will be the same.

Paul then uses two examples to illustrate how these variations will be. “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differ from another star in glory” (I Corinthians 15:39-41). There are variations in flesh and variations in glory. Consequently, we can expect variations between the body sown in death and raised in the resurrection.

“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (I Corinthians 15:42-44). Incorruption speaks to the intended endurance of the resurrected body; glory speaks to its purpose, the restored image of God; power answers to the renewed capability of the resurrected body, to serve God and accomplish his will. We will have spiritual bodies suited to a new [heavenly] environment.

Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurrection in a physical, yet glorified body. While his body could be touched (Luke 24:39), it also had supernatural capacities (Luke 24:36-37). He even ate together with them (Luke 24:43). For the believer, the resurrection is a fixed hope that governs our lives here on earth. “For our conversation [manner of life] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21). Is this your hope?