I Corinthians 1 - Was Calvin, Spurgeon, Piper or MacArthur crucified for you?
1 Corinthians 1
1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
4I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
Divisions in the Church
10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas[a]"; still another, "I follow Christ."
13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into[b] the name of Paul? 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."[c]
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."[d]
posted by ErgunIsMyHero at 1:15 PM
3 Comments:
ERGUNISMYHERO said: "I Corinthians 1 - Was Calvin, Spurgeon, Piper or MacArthur crucified for you?"
No - was Caner, Rogers, Merritt or Hunt crucified for you? Obviously not. Who would be so silly as to suggest such a thing? Just because you admire and have been edified by such men, and believe them to be men of God, does not mean you view them on a par with the Son or the Father. Likewise, just because men admire Calvin, Spurgeon, Piper or Macarthur, it does not follow that their admirers view them as you seem to imply.
It is fascinating that you cite that chapter in I Corinthians which is so...well, to put it in anachronistic terms, "calvinistic!"
But not to prejudice a reading of the Word with such an odious word like calvinism, a simple glance back over verses 18-31 is more than enough to establish the complete sovereignty of God in the salvation of the Corinthians.
"Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God"
"Brothers, think of what you were when you were CALLED. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God CHOSE the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God CHOSE the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He CHOSE the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him.
30 It is BECAUSE OF HIM that YOU ARE IN Christ Jesus..."
I'm not "yelling" by using all caps, I'm just ignorant enough of HTML code to not be able to figure out bold or italics. The caps just emphasize profound truths concerning our place at the Lord's wedding banquet - it's because of Him and His choosing, calling grace that we are in Christ.
And in contrast to "those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks" (vs 24), there are some who have not been called, both Jews and Greeks, even though they have had the same gospel preached to them. To some it is a stumbling block, to others foolishness, but to "those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." To some Christ crucified is a stumbling block, to others He is foolishness, and to others He is the power of God and the wisdom of God. What accounts for this disparity of responses to the same message? The call of God, plain and simple.
God CHOSE some weak, foolish and lowly things; God CALLED some weak, foolish and lowly things; and those weak, foolish and lowly things BELIEVED and were saved.
All three of these things are essential to salvation (together with repentance, regeneration, etc.), but it is ultimately because of Him that we are in Christ. There literally are no grounds whatsoever for the slightest notion of boasting, except in the discriminate choice and calling of God in His grace.
Now I'm sure you know all this - it is right there in the Bible in plain english (or greek as you may prefer). Why would a lover of the Bible, and a lover of the unmerited grace of God, rail against such truth? Not because of Calvin, I can assure you of that! Perhaps the answer is found in those mouth-shutting questions which the apostle Paul answers in Romans 9:14 & 19...
It's ironically funny that calvinistic brethren today are being excoriated for their love of the Bible much like the Anabaptists were excoriated at the hands of the magisterial reformers some 400 years ago - except the tables are now turned on the calvinists by the supposed "heirs" of the Anabaptists!
Seems like no matter how much things change, the more they remain the same.
So here's to you, "Ergun Caner Is My Hero" - let's hope the Anabaptist "heirs" never acquire the authority of the state to aid them in their eradication of the calvinist "infection."
9:25 AM
mopheos -- you intrigue me. You are a very intellegent person. (I truly mean that as a compliment with no nastiness to follow.) And I have been listening to every word that you have typed on my blog. And I can teach you HTML in like 2 seconds if you ever want to learn. It is MUCH easier than Reformed Soteriology. :) And don't tell me that you were not predestined to do so! :)
this is all a part of my search. to me, this was a great passage with quarrels over who was baptized by whom, who is a follower of whom and so on and so on. Most of it about followers of PAUL who rebukes them for even calling themselves that. My favorite verse:
13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?
It is hard for me as a Christian...actually, I guess I have to call myself a "Biblicist" since we seem to live in categories over on Founders.org/blog...to see someone call themselves a Calvinist, which, to my knowledge truly means a follower of Calvin.
It is just funny how either side can randomly pull verses out of the Bible and refute each other. Is that because God wanted us confused? Did he want us to not try sooooo hard to figure him out...but just except him? what about "child-like faith?" Where does that fit in the doctrine of salvation (soteriology itself)?
I am not attacking you...I am just questioning you on what I believe to be simple things of Christianity.
Thank you for caring and for answering me without asking questions.
My new Calvinism score: I think I am a 1 pointer now...that could change. :)
9:44 PM
EIMH,
Thanks for the generous, if not a little mistaken, compliment. Intriguing? maybe...intelligent? uh, well, I'm not so sure about that. But it sounded good, anyway ;>) HTML in 2 seconds? That would be amazing. But saying 2 seconds would be like me saying to my wife, "Honey, this home improvement job will only take me 2 hours, tops!" which is almost always wishful thinking on my part. But I'll keep your offer in mind. I would never say I was predestined not to learn HTML...that's far too cavalier a use for such a profound word. It's probably more accurate to say what you said..."if [you] ever want to learn..." That's my problem - I don't want to learn it! Now there's a theological statement if I've ever written one!
And you are, of course, right about "reformed soteriology" - it takes some work to attempt to wrap one's mind around the revelation God has given us. This is true of any serious attempt at theology, reformed or otherwise. To experience the grace of God, and then subsequently to try and understand everything God says ABOUT His grace, are two entirely different things. The former is simple in comparison to the latter, and we would expect this to be the case. God quickening one dead in trespasses and sins is one of the most profound and joyful experiences in life, which does not require great theological genius or a profound intellect (as the passage you cited in I Corinthians 1 makes plain...and aren't we glad for that!).
However, turning one's (quickened) mind to the unfathomable Word which reveals to us the way that God has accomplished and effected our quickening - now that's a horse of another kind. That's stepping into a pool with no bottom...you can float on the surface with water-wings all you want, but it becomes a little uninteresting after a while. This is where all too many American evangelical Christians are these days - splashing around in water-wing theology, looking for a good time, pretending (or maybe hoping) the water's not all that deep. It is to just such a situation that a passage like I Peter 4:17 might speak.
A "calvinist" can be many things, theologically speaking (hyper, uber, under, semi, quasi, ad infinitum, ad nauseum) and I think those on the Founders blog have made this point often and fairly well. I think for them, as well as me, calvinism is not so much following a man as it is theological shorthand for a particularly cogent and faithful understanding of the Bible's view of the triune God's work in redemption.
I have absolutely no interest in defending John Calvin as an infallible theologian - such a notion would be silly and dangerous at the same time. I am interested in a right understanding of the whole counsel of God, and I want to come to any position which Calvin (or any other expositor, for that matter) has gotten right. It happened in the providence of God that Calvin was found by later generations to be at the epicenter of profound theological movements to rescue and recover theological truth that had all but disappeared from the common ecclesiastical scene. He has erroneously been "tagged" with the infamous five points (which he neither originated nor named), and now - in more recent generations - has been shamefully vilified by those who would demand parity between the will of man and the will of God - a parity explicitly and categorically denied by God Himself.
Good hermeneutics is never a matter of "randomly pull[ing] verses out of the Bible and refute[ing] each other." Seeing who can make a bigger pile of verses proves nothing, nor does narrow selection of verses which establish only the favored point. But to survey and understand the scope and breadth of redemptive history as it is given, from "before time began" (as Paul notes in II Timothy 1:9) to the end of time, places one's hermeneutics within the constraints established by God himself. To hear the buckshot approach to Scripture that is commonly practiced in today's pulpits (and there are many, many like this...not the least of which is located here in little ole Lynchburg) is to discover why the church is in such dire straights, why so many Christians are truly ignorant of what God was (and is) up to in His redemptive purpose as explained in Ephesians 3:8-11, for instance, and why in particular the so-called "doctrines of grace" are both misunderstood by, and repugnant to, so many in church today. I do not say this from some superior position of judgment - I am simply grieved when I turn on the TV and listen to the increasing number of ministries televising their worship services (which is, in my view, not a little problematic by itself). The things that are said by men (and women) from the pulpit, and the way congregations seem ready to hear and applaud unsound doctrine, is bewildering and frightening to me. One can hear the echo of Amos in our own day: " Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it. "In that day the fair virgins And strong young men Shall faint from thirst. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, Who say, 'As your god lives, O Dan!' And, 'As the way of Beersheba lives!' They shall fall and never rise again" Amos 8:11-14. These are (in my opinion) uncertain days for the church in America, not-with-standing the rosey, happy predictions of many of her shepherds!
Child-like faith is necessary to salvation and is looked upon favorably by the King of heaven as His children trust Him...like children. But when it comes to our growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, child-likeness is not always commendable: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways... But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."
Paul was utterly blown away by the mystery and magnitude of God's eternal purpose "which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (as he wonderfully explains in Ephesians 3). God forbid that we should encourage shallowness and boredom (could there be anything less God-honoring than boredom with God?) in our relationship to Him in "whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." If our understanding of the gospel does not bring us to the same awed doxology to which Paul was brought in Romans 11:33-36 (which is unfortunately more and more the case today), then we have fabricated a domesticated gospel of our own - which is no gospel at all. Nothing less is at stake in these contemporary debates.
So keep up the child-like faith, but do not neglect the costly call to maturity - both are necessary "to the praise of the glory of His grace."
Sorry about the length of this post...hope it will not be to laborious to read.
Mopheos
10:54 AM
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