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1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you,
did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom
declaring to you the testimony of God.
Do not speak with an “air of authority”,
which presents as vainglory.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.
2 For I was determined not to know anything among you
except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
By keeping other knowledge or expertise that he possessed to himself
while living among them Paul avoided all potential distractions to preach
Christ, the Son of God, and Him crucified.
Distraction is one of many tools that the enemy can employ.
Luke 12:
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him,
Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
14 But He said to him,
Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?
15 And He said to them,
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life
does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.
The Lord makes clear He has not come to settle petty squabbles.
Instead, He takes the opportunity to state a stern warning:
beware of covetousness!
2 For I was determined not to know anything among you
except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Not an excellency of speech, an excellency of knowledge
Philippians 3:8 Yet indeed I also count all things a loss for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them
as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
Weakness [G769] astheneia=infirmity
Matthew 8:17 That would fulfill that which was spoken
by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities,
and bare our sicknesses.
These infirmities are spiritual flaws as much as physical weakness
Luke 13:
11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity
for eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her,
Woman, you are loosened from your infirmity.
Set free to walk uprightly
13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately
she was made straight, and glorified God.
Proverbs 28:18 Whoso walks uprightly shall be saved:
but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.
Our infirmities give us access to superabounding grace
that overcomes death and glorifies the Father and the Son
John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, He said,
This infirmity is not unto death, but for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
His Grace is more than sufficient
2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
4 And my speech and my preaching were not
persuasive words of human wisdom,
but in a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
That we may reap what we have sown to the spirit
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
The resurrection power of the Spirit of God
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
We reap glory to the spiritual body when we humble the corrupt nature
1 Corinthians 15:
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption,
it is raised in incorruption.
43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised up a spiritual body.
5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men
but in the power of God.
Paul breaks this down in particular fashion in Romans 8.
Highlights provided.
Romans 8:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God
dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
This is indeed the revelation of a great mystery
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
This leads us to pursue what the Father intended
2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
By this we know the Spirit of Truth
1 John 4:
2 By this you know the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come
in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,
which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
The sure testimony of the apostles
Luke 24:39 Behold My hands and My feet, that is I Myself.
Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
Brought near to God by the death of the flesh
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.
Final Word of exhortation
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom
declaring to you the testimony of God.
Do not speak with an “air of authority”,
which presents as vainglory.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.
2 For I was determined not to know anything among you
except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
By keeping other knowledge or expertise that he possessed to himself
while living among them Paul avoided all potential distractions to preach
Christ, the Son of God, and Him crucified.
Distraction is one of many tools that the enemy can employ.
Luke 12:
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him,
Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
14 But He said to him,
Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?
15 And He said to them,
Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life
does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.
The Lord makes clear He has not come to settle petty squabbles.
Instead, He takes the opportunity to state a stern warning:
beware of covetousness!
2 For I was determined not to know anything among you
except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Not an excellency of speech, an excellency of knowledge
Philippians 3:8 Yet indeed I also count all things a loss for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them
as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
Weakness [G769] astheneia=infirmity
Matthew 8:17 That would fulfill that which was spoken
by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities,
and bare our sicknesses.
These infirmities are spiritual flaws as much as physical weakness
Luke 13:
11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity
for eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her,
Woman, you are loosened from your infirmity.
Set free to walk uprightly
13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately
she was made straight, and glorified God.
Proverbs 28:18 Whoso walks uprightly shall be saved:
but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.
Our infirmities give us access to superabounding grace
that overcomes death and glorifies the Father and the Son
John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, He said,
This infirmity is not unto death, but for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
His Grace is more than sufficient
2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
4 And my speech and my preaching were not
persuasive words of human wisdom,
but in a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
That we may reap what we have sown to the spirit
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
The resurrection power of the Spirit of God
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
We reap glory to the spiritual body when we humble the corrupt nature
1 Corinthians 15:
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption,
it is raised in incorruption.
43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised up a spiritual body.
5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men
but in the power of God.
Paul breaks this down in particular fashion in Romans 8.
Highlights provided.
Romans 8:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God
dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
This is indeed the revelation of a great mystery
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
This leads us to pursue what the Father intended
2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
By this we know the Spirit of Truth
1 John 4:
2 By this you know the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come
in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,
which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
The sure testimony of the apostles
Luke 24:39 Behold My hands and My feet, that is I Myself.
Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
Brought near to God by the death of the flesh
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.
Final Word of exhortation
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
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