BY GREG CRUM
“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” I Corinthians 2:4-5
The letters to the church in Corinth are a treasure trove of insight into the practical faith of first-century Gentile believers in Jesus. In their pages we have revealed the most accurate picture of what it was like to be some of the first Christians, and in particular, what it was like in those days to come together and worship the Lord as a local body of believers. In fact, in I Corinthians, more than any other book in the Bible, we read of how church “services” were to be conducted.
Now, as we read through I and II Corinthians, we become acquainted with these wonderful but sometimes misguided believers. We read of their faults and failures but also of their intended foundations. Paul, who had initially evangelized this region and helped found the first churches in the area, wrote I Corinthians to guide these believers back onto the path God had paved for them to follow. After recently rereading this letter to these believers who lived almost 2,000 years ago, I’ve come to realize that we would do well to think about what God was saying to these first believers in Jesus and heed God’s instruction to them so that we can ensure that our foundations are true.
With that said, what was God saying to the early believers in Corinth about the foundations of their faith, and how is it applicable to modern believers today? Several things for sure, but most importantly this: Faith in Christ should stand on the power of God, not in the intellect of man!
In the day of science and reason we live in, this is a timely word and a sure warning for “first world” believers in Jesus. Many living today scoff at the supernatural of which the Bible plainly declares. If they can’t verify something with their five senses and prove it with the scientific method, it doesn’t exist in their minds. Sadly, to a large degree, this ideology has crept into the church, in every denomination and in every circle. We have shifted our understanding of God from an awe of His power to a memorization of facts and figures concerning Him.
Friends, knowledge is good, but knowledge without practical experience is hollow and eventually becomes meaningless.
The early Greeks, those people who lived in Corinth in the first century, were very similar to many living in our modern American society. They were captivated by all things “intelligence.” They were academics at their core, the educated of their day, and it seemed that this perspective was a hindrance to their experiences with God. So, God, in His love for them, went about to help them see the error of this mindset. He sent Paul to them, a man who himself was very educated but that had come to realize that it was more important to find faith in Jesus on the demonstration of God’s power than in an academic understanding of His precepts.
Sure, faith comes by hearing, so hearing and knowing and understanding the principles of God are important and good, but a faith in our knowledge of God’s laws alone is an incomplete foundation.
Brothers and sisters, I guess what I’m saying is this, just because you can say all the books of the Bible in order, or know who built the Ark, doesn’t mean “you’ve got this.” I’ve been a teacher all my adult life, I’m more “educated” than most as far as the world’s definition is concerned, and I can play a mean game of Bible trivia. I know the benefit of knowing what the Bible says, and it’s tremendous. Yet, knowing what the Bible says is not as powerful as knowing the God of the Bible. Knowing the facts on the page can build our faith, but it can never compare with knowing the God of our faith.
Greg Crum is pastor of Calvary Temple Church in Lovely.