1 Corinthians 2:2,4-5 NIV
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Contrary to what many are trying to do, the Christian life cannot be understood by the natural mind or lived by human ability. For instance, our faith walk in Christ is of the divine life, which divine life resides in earthen (but not golden) vessels (2 Cor 4:7). It is a life of possessing all things (1 Cor 3:21), yet denying ourselves of many things for the sake of Christ. It is a life of being able to “do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Php 4:13 NKJV), yet letting the love of Christ constrain us (2 Cor 5:14). Certainly, such a life—of living within righteous limits in the midst of all divine possibilities—can only be led by the enablement of the Spirit of God.
The Lord Jesus led such a life. The Scripture says that though in Him was the “glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Joh 1:14 NKJV), the Master “…made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Php 2:7 NKJV). Hallelujah! The Scripture also says that it is by Christ that “…ALL things were created…through Him and for Him” (Col 1:16 NKJV). Yet, it is humbling that at His dedication in the Temple, the parents presented a pair of doves, which was the least of the items that the Law required for dedication from poor parents. The Creator of all things would also be buried in a borrowed tomb.
Several years later after the ascension of Christ, the Apostle Paul chose the path of his Master. Even though the depth of the spiritual encounters he had was unparalleled, Paul “…resolved to know nothing…except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” As such, his message and preaching “were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”, as in our text. Hallelujah! Once we get to understand that it is ultimately the display of “the Spirit’s power…[and] God’s power” that matter the most, there is really nothing to ‘prove’ about ourselves in the eyes of this world. Live the Christian life in a way that Christ alone will be worthy of all the glory at all times.
Pst. Emmanuel
