Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "christ"
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 1
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 2
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the quoted text both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
This was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? This difference was the distinguishing detail Paul noted in the quoted verses.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasonings (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
This is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on this issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the quoted text both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
This was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? This difference was the distinguishing detail Paul noted in the quoted verses.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasonings (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
This is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on this issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 3
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 1
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 2
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the quoted text both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
This was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? This difference was the distinguishing detail Paul noted in the quoted verses.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasonings (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
This is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on this issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the quoted text both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
This was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? This difference was the distinguishing detail Paul noted in the quoted verses.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasonings (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
This is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on this issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 3
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 1
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out, having to do with the called of God preaching Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of his twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel, and those tribes became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out, having to do with the called of God preaching Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of his twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel, and those tribes became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 2
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the text quoted above, both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
That was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? Paul noted the difference in the quoted verses. Also, the Corinthians whom Paul wrote to were Greeks.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks were the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasoning (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God, sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that, I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means that the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
That is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on the issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the text quoted above, both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
That was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? Paul noted the difference in the quoted verses. Also, the Corinthians whom Paul wrote to were Greeks.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks were the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasoning (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God, sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that, I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means that the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
That is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on the issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 3
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
