Living Rightly in His Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17, NASB95)

Here Paul continues his focus on the church, and he calls it “a temple of God,” adding that the Spirit of God dwells in it or “you” (us) collectively. Whether the church(es) of Corinth met together in a house or some other location is largely irrelevant to this declaration. The church was not determined by the structure where they gathered, but by those who gathered in that structure. In this case, it was those in Corinth who were knit together in Christ by virtue of them being saved and not due to them having gone through some form of membership exercise.

God’s people, Israel, were given access to Him in a very unique way. In Exodus God told Moses, “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8, NASB95) Then He continued in instructing Moses on how this sanctuary was to be constructed from its contents to its outer shell (the Tabernacle) and everything related to it in fine detail. In verses 33 and 34 of chapter 26 God told Moses, “You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies.” (Exodus 26:33–34, NASB95) Then Moses and the people did as God instructed, and it was into this most holy place that the High Priest would go as prescribed by God to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat to make atonement for the sins of the people (see Leviticus chapter 16). Later, Solomon would build a temple as a more permanent structure.

While Solomon’s temple had long been decimated, there was a reconstructed temple at the time of Christ. It was in this temple at the time of His giving up His life for the forgiveness of our sins that we read, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom….” (Matthew 27:50–51, NASB95) The veil through which only the high priest was to enter, and then only in a special way at a specific time had now been torn open from top to bottom by God Himself. In a very real way the barrier between God and man had been removed, and because of what Jesus did for us on the cross we now have become that temple in whom the Spirit of God dwells.

Of each Christian in relation to our behavior Paul wrote later in this same letter, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, NASB95) When we trust Christ for our salvation we receive immediately to Spirit of God to dwell in us permanently. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30, NASB95) And collectively, we read “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.” (Ephesians 5:23, NASB95)

We have indeed entered an enduring relationship with our God. We are His and He will not let go of us. We are His collectively His church, as individuals we have His Spirit dwelling in us in a very personal way, and as local fellowships of believers we are “a temple of God” in which the Spirit of God dwells. He takes all of these relationships seriously, whether it be on the largest scale or on the smallest and most personal.

Big church or little church, we are His church and His temple, and God takes the protection of His temple seriously. Paul went on to write in this passage, “If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him….” Looking at destruction here, we are not looking at the destruction of God’s people for their disobedience. Paul had already spoken to this issue, and God does deal consequentially with sin among the saints. Here, we are are looking at those who do not have Christ seeking to destroy His church. They are not God’s people and they will face eternal judgment and damnation on the final day.

Historically, God destroyed those who destroyed Solomon’s temple, and in the future, He will destroy those who seek to destroy His people when He returns to establish His Millennial rule and Israel is saved. And when it comes to the church which is the body of Christ, God will deal as severely with those who raise a hand against it as well.

The call on all of us as believers is to watch how we walk such that we build up that which God declares right and that we stand strong against the forces of evil who would seek to enter and destroy. We read that “the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” The Corinthian believers had not been living as God’s temple even though that is exactly what they were. Here Paul reminds them of their identity as the temple of God, both on the large scale and on the most personal and intimate one on one scale. We are the temple of God in who His Spirit dwells, and we are called to live accordingly.

In Hebrews 10 we read, “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:19–25, NASB95) 

Doing Works that Endure the Test (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

“Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12–15, NASB95)

Paul had just finished addressing that the foundation of the church is Jesus Christ and that everyone who builds on it is to be careful in how he does so. Paul may have been the like the wise master builder who started the work, but there were others who were significant in the subsequent work, a work which includes both the pastor teachers who followed and the very members themselves who had roles in the overall work and who left a mark along the way.

This passage is about believers. It is not about those who have not trusted Christ for their salvation. It is in this context that some may have left indelible marks for good and others may have done otherwise. In the short term, the work may or may not have been highly valued and it may or may not have accomplished some form or visible good or have even been seen. People may have come to Christ and grown significantly in Christian maturity through their service. Others may have been prayed for intently during a difficult time, or even benefited from someone quietly or even anonymously reaching out to help them in a time of need. And, contrary to God’s intent, some may have even been hindered, given cause to stumble, or even harmed because of another’s disservice. Some may have worked humbly for God’s glory and some (even the same person at a different time) may have done things with their thumbs under their armpits for their own glory. No matter what we do or the motive we have in doing so, it is all done on the foundation of the church laid before of which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone.

In the end every single person’s will be fully evident. Paul wrote that whether the work is accomplished as with enduring materials of value such as gold, silver or precious or with less durable ones like wood, hay, and straw every person’s work will be tested with fire. When exposed to the intensity of a consuming fire there will be those things which burn up and perish and there will be those that are further purified and show their true value. On this side of eternity, we might not be able to clearly see the difference, but once having been tested by fire the quality of our work will truly be seen.

Notice here that Paul is talking about the quality of a person’s work and not the eternal state of the person. For us who are in Christ there will be a day when all that we have done will be judged by God as described here, and for all that remains we will receive a reward. We may or may not sense a reward now, but nothing has missed God’s sight. And, similarly where we may have patted ourselves on the back big time for something we have done we might also be surprised to see that this very thing did not survive the fire because our reward was of the moment and not eternity.

Speaking of open religiosity, Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1–4, NASB95)

It is then in the next verses that we have what we know as the Lord’s prayer. “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’” (Matthew 6:5–13, NASB95)

Clearly there will be a dividing of the work done for self-adulation and that done for God’s glory, and we read that there will be a “day” when this happens. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NASB95) There will be a day when Jesus looks at our work and we will be recognized for what we have done. The bad will be as if our works were burnt away, and the good will lead to some form of reward known to and given by Him.

These rewards or lack thereof are not the determinant of whether we are ultimately saved. These words of Paul were written to believers whose eternal foundation has already been eternally established in Christ. Paul affirms this in verse 15 where we read, “If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” This is a pretty amazing statement, because it could conceivably include all of a man’s works being burnt and him being saved. This is a truth that is clearly affirmed in passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NASB95) But even Ephesians 2:8-9 are followed immediately by an affirmation of what should happen by all of us once we are saved, which is good, and thus enduring, works. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, NASB95) 

The Corinthian believers seemed to have not grasped doing work for the glory of God. They were fixated on following particular men and doing things according to their ways. In these verses Paul clearly writes to shift their focus pointing out that these men were given to serve Christ for His glory as His workers, and subsequently they were to do the same as leaders came and went and the church continued to grow even here as we enter 2018.

Builders in His Church (1 Corinthians 3:9-11)

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:9–11, NASB95)

Sometimes construction takes longer than others. Its been a while since I’ve returned to 1 Corinthians. This doesn’t mean that work hasn’t been going on, but that maybe God was tweaking some other part of His project in me and my extended family.

During the last post Paul spoke of him and Apollos as workers in God’s field, which is represented by the believers in His church. Here he switches from an agricultural analogy to one of a building to describe the Corinthian believers and the relation they had to those who had key roles in their development as a church and as individuals in that church.

There was some contention in the Corinthian church concerning to whom they might owe allegiance or listen to more intently. There were those who were closely tied to Apollos and there were those closely tied to Paul. Neither man was there at the time, nor was either of them able to come personally to help resolve the tensions. So, in this letter Paul continues to drive the point that both He and Apollos as well as others who may have had a role in their coming to the Lord and walking with Him subsequently were any more important than another. Each of them were co-workers or fellow workers who belonged to God and were there to do His will and work. What they had done was not for their own benefit, recognition, or glory but was done for the glory of God. And, just as these me were His fellow workers, so were each of his readers part of God’s crop and the building that He was constructing.

As a personally chosen apostle of Christ, Paul was set aside for this ministry particularly to the Gentiles. It included him being regularly on the move to bring people to faith, establish them as a church, and leave them in capable hands of fellow workers. He compared himself to a wise or skilled master builder (sophos architektōn). The equipping had begun even before Him coming to Christ, and it flourished supernaturally afterward so that Paul might be wisely enabled to put Christ’s work into action. He was made fully ready to do the work that God gave Him in laying the foundation of His church. He was called and made ready to be the boots on the ground architect of the work that Christ was doing in drawing people to Himself and knitting His people together in local bodies of believers. We might look at the work and highly esteem Paul for what he accomplished, and in Christ we can indeed be thankful for what was accomplished in and through Paul, but Paul saw his work as something not for his own glory, but a sober charge given Him by Christ over which he was to be both careful and diligent. He did not devise the gospel message, but He was called to be its faithful messenger.

The Corinthian churches belonged to Christ and so does the church today. Whether fellow workers directly followed the work of Paul or two thousand years later, the same truth applies—we are building on the foundation laid by the apostles over which Christ is both the head and the cornerstone. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,” (Ephesians 2:19–21, NASB95)

And, as the apostles and early disciples worked hand in hand there in the beginning, God has a continued plan for His construction project to continue today. “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16, NASB95)

Sure, this time the analogy has shifted from agriculture and construction to that of a body, but the principles all work together to demonstrate that God has intended His work in His church (collectively and as local fellowships) to grow to maturity both through the work of those He has given in roles of leadership, shepherding and teaching and those given to building into one another in countless other ways. It all comes together in Christ, and it works rightly when we are properly submitted to Him as our head and working according to the ways that He intends.

To build on anything else or to trust in anyone else is inappropriate. This was true for the Corinthian believers and it is true today when churches take upon themselves to do things their own way, and not according to the word of God and the wisdom given us by Him. 

Workers in His Field (1 Corinthians 3:4-9a)

“For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field….” (1 Corinthians 3:4–9a, NASB95)

Paul was in the position of having to deal with these believers in Corinth from a distance. And, as we can see from 1 Corinthians 16:12, he was not able to enlist Apollos to go and help. “But concerning Apollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren; and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity.” In the ESV we read that Paul “strongly urged” Apollos to come. He sensed that one of them really needed to go, and since he couldn’t, he really pursued Apollos going. But for some reason Apollos wasn’t inclined to go at that time. So, sending a letter in the hands of someone else would have to do for now.

“…are you not mere men?” As an evidence of their worldly or fleshly focused lives these believers had set their sights on the man who led them in their faith, and not the God who gave them life. These believers were divided over who they were following. It was as if the church had two influential pastors in their past, and rather than moving into the present they were hung up on who was there before, and totally lost sight of the fact that each one of them and their church as a whole belonged to God.

Apollos and Paul were used greatly by God, but the fact is that neither Apollos or Paul were God. They may have had a significant role in their churches existing and them as individuals coming to Christ, but each one of these men did so as servants of God and not as their masters. I felt this tension personally this past week when as an elder in my home church I attended a ministry lunch attended by the leaders of many of the ministries that I once oversaw as a former associate pastor in the church. It was an exciting time as I head from the various ministry leaders how they were doing and what more they might need to be successful in the ministry given to them. It was also a very emotional time as I realized how much of my heart I had given to those same things for so many years. While the ministry leaders were not the same as they were then (for the most part), they represented the same heart for service. For me, though, I saw how clearly my time in that role had passed as others were now carrying that torch. While I was touched by their affirmation, I also know that it is totally right for them to look to work with the leadership that God has for them right now. Evidently, this was not the case in Corinth.

God graciously gives his church gifted men to serve as their pastors, but not one of these pastors are God. In Ephesians 4 we read, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;” (Ephesians 4:11–12, NASB95) The role of those who God gives to His church is to build up the body of Christ. The church belongs to Christ. He is the head. “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him [Christ] as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22–23, NASB95) … “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.” (Ephesians 5:23, NASB95)

Apollos and Paul were men through whom God worked to bring people to Christ according to the opportunity that God gave to each of them. Using a gardening analogy, Paul may have done the planting and Apollos may have done the watering, but it was God who caused the growth. And the same is really true in our lives today. There may have been different people that God used at different times to impact our lives for Him, but it was and remains God that is using them in us for His glory, both personally and in His church. We may not agree as we have been shaped by the planting and cultivating effort that certain people have put into us and the love that we have for them. But in the large scheme, Paul wrote of both he and Apollos, “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”

Of course, these men were not nothing, but surely apart from God and His work in them they would have been. This value is affirmed in the next verse where we read, “Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” All of God’s workers are equal workers in the work in which He has placed them. All of the have a role in God bringing His crop to maturity. And, one day, God will personally and appropriately reward them for their faithful service.

Paul and Apollos were God’s faithful workers, and the Corinthian believers were God’s field. It was out of his role as a worker in God’s field that Paul wrote to those in the field to aid them in their growth. And, because God used Paul to write to them, we have as our benefit these same words recorded for us from which we can also be taught by today’s faithful workers who are serving as one in God’s field—His church. Every single one of us has a role on both sides of this as His workers in His field while also being corporately His field.

“You therefore, my (Paul) son (Timothy), be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:1–2, NASB95)

Time to Grow Up (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1–3, NASB95)

In that same Crusade booklet, “Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-Filled Life?” I learned that while there are only two camps for men in the large scheme of things, there are also two camps for Christians. There are those who, like the description in the previous post, live Christ directed lives and who are marked by their trust and growth in Him even in the midst of stumbling, and there are those who while being saved still live as if they are largely in control. It may be because of a lack of maturity and not growing in their knowledge and understanding of who they are in Christ and how they are to walk before God or it may be because they are in a season of rebellion and choosing to ignore the things of God.

Paul wrote of the Corinthian believers that he could not write to them as to spiritual men because they weren’t living as spiritual men. Instead he was placed in the position of writing to them correctively as men of flesh. The word “flesh” in our modern translations is written as “carnal” in the King James and subsequent New King James translations. The roots of “carnal” are not in the Greek word used (sarkinos), but in Latin and then late middle English. And, a form of this word, “carne” is frequently found in many Latin-based foods where it simply means meat. It is this word carnal, that flows from our earlier translations that Crusade and others have adopted this term to describe the Christian who is living a self-, or of himself- or his flesh-directed life. This the person who walks according to his wisdom and his own desires without significant regard to the ways of God. He may go to church on Sunday or things like that, but the rest of his life or certain areas of his life bear little resemblance to his true identity as one who belongs to Christ. In Crusade we learned that this is the person who while possessing great a great spiritual inheritance lives in spiritual poverty and defeat. In the simplest of terms, he has not grown up. These people are still “infants in Christ.” (https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/the-spirit-filled-life.html)

The Corinthian church was struggling because the believers in the church were not growing in the Word. They were still being influenced by the outside world and most probably the things of the pagan worship surrounding them and that had influenced many of them. Paul wrote to them as believers, meaning that they were no longer “natural.” They had been saved. This was clearly stated in chapter 1, verse 2 where he wrote, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:” (1 Corinthians 1:2, NASB95) But they also could not be called “spiritual” because they were not living as if they had been saved. For these people their walk did not match their identity. To the world they looked one way, but God knew them to be different. And, it is this difference for which Paul is calling them to account.

It didn’t matter their chronological age or even the number of years or months that they had been saved. What mattered is that they had not grown from the initial things they had heard from Paul which was the basics of salvation. Paul called them “infants.” There are a number of words used in the New Testament to refer to children. There is only one used to refer to a group younger than the word used here, and that word refers to those yet unborn or just born. Here the word “nēpios” is not a general term used of children such as even children of God which is true of all of us who are saved, but specifically referring to little children or infants. It would be like saying they had not grown beyond the initial milk and were still acting infantile in their faith.

My littlest grandson and granddaughter are grabbing for their parents’ food. What they see them eating is very enticing and they want to move past the milk to get the seemingly good stuff that everyone else is eating. But they are 7 and 5 months old. It would be problematic if they were 7 or 5 years old and they were not eating what the rest were. For them, even at their young age they know there is something more and they want it. These believers in Corinth had not gone past the spiritual milk, and this was a real problem in the church.

Paul added that this problem was such an issue that they still were not able to receive solid spiritual food, because they were still “fleshly” as evidenced by how they were interacting with each other. Specifically, he returned to an issue previously brought up; “For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” There problem was not that they could not understand more complicated doctrines, but that they weren’t even applying the truths that they knew. There was not spiritual depth in their lives. They had not put off the things that they probably knew they were supposed to and started to live as they were led. Later in this letter Paul would speak of himself writing, “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11, NASB95) This was the step that these believers needed to take in order to start seeing real growth.

In the English Standard Version, the end of verse 3 reads, “…are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” (1 Corinthians 3:3, ESV) This was the question Paul rhetorically asked them as he presented to them what he had heard. Paul pointed t how they related to each other as a mark of their immaturity. Jesus presented this same mark as the standard for how we are to be as believers. He wrote, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34, NASB) And the result of this kind of love in the church, rather than souring people toward Christianity, Jesus went on to say, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35, NASB)

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” … “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16, 22–25, NASB)

The Natural and the Spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:14–16, NASB95)

Through my early training with Campus Crusade for Christ I learned from these verses about two fundamental types of people. One of them is the person who is an unbeliever and who does not understand the things of God and whose life is structured around what he considers most important in life. This man, as we read here, is referred to by Paul as the “natural man.” He does not have the Spirit of God and considers the things of God as foolishness. Paul said that the things of God are “spiritually appraised.” In the New International Version (NIV) and the English Standard Version (ESV) we read that these things are “spiritually discerned.” Appraised and discerned have the meaning being investigated, weighed or judged. It means that the things of God have been spiritually looked into and understood. In other words, since the natural man does not have the Spirit of God, the natural man is unable to properly weigh and value the things of God. To them it is foolishness because they don’t get it. (images from www.cru.org)

The other man spoken of here that I learned about in Crusade is the “spiritual man.” This is the person who has trusted Christ for their salvation and received the Spirit of God into their lives. This is the person who looks into the things of God and orders his life around the ways of God. This is the person who “appraises” or judges all things according to God’s revealed will. This is the person who is justified by faith, declared righteous in Christ, and who lives free of condemnation before God and right before man. Sure, those who know us can see the chinks in our armor and they know our faults, but they are in no position to sit as our spiritual judge. This belongs to God alone, and He has judged us accepted in His Son.

Paul then quoted Isaiah 40:13, “For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? We have been given a great privilege as believers in Christ. We have been allowed to know the mind of God. We read, “But we have the mind of Christ.” We have been granted to know the thoughts of our Lord through the Word and through the Spirit. Speaking of the Jews who did not see the glory of God because of the hardness of their hearts we read in 2 Corinthians, “But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:14–18, NASB95)

“But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” These are incredible words of truth and hope. We have been enabled to see the glory of the Lord and we have the privilege of being transformed into His image. These are the two camps, and it is Christ who makes the difference. You either belong to Christ or you don’t. There is no in-between.

Our objective as believers in Christ is maturity in Him, and maturity in Him comes as we look to Him as the center of our lives. According to the little booklet (Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-Filled Life? Or, what we called the “Bird Book” because of the dove on the cover.) we used with people who were new in their faith, some of the things that mark the spiritual person are “Christ-centered; empowered by the Holy Spirit; introduces others to Christ; effective prayer life; understands God’s Word; trusts and obeys God; experiences love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control.” The booklet went on to add, “The degree to which these traits are manifested in the life depends upon the extent to which the Christian trusts the Lord with every detail of his life, and upon his maturity in Christ. One who is only beginning to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit should not be discouraged if he is not as fruitful as more mature Christians who have known and experienced this truth for a longer period.” (https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/the-spirit-filled-life.html)

It then went on to ask this question, “Why is it that most Christians are not experiencing the abundant life?” It is this very issue that the booklet next sought to address and the one which we will look at in our next post as we move to chapter 3.

Taught by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-13)

“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1 Corinthians 2:10–13, NASB95)

Yep. I know. I already jumped into this in the last post and could have easily included these verses. But, the richness of this truth is so absolutely incredible that its merits not one post, but hundreds and hundreds of them as we look into the Word of God in its entirety and discover how He has revealed Himself to us and are blessed by the understanding of those words by the very Spirit of God in us.

Looking to all of God’s creation, the depths of our hearts, and the infiniteness of our LORD, the Spirit has searched all of these things and made them known to us. This is an amazing gift we have been given by God that He would choose to reveal Himself to us so freely. Man has written lots of books. He has speculated into all sorts of areas. And, he has boasted in great knowledge and astounding discoveries. But all of these things pale in relation to what the Spirit knows and has revealed.

I am reminded again of the first verses of Psalm 139 where we read of just how intimately God knows us, and to think that the Spirit of God being fully God and knowing everything of God has revealed God to us. “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.” (Psalm 139:1–6, NASB95) Then in verse 7 the psalmist added, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7, NASB95) We cannot flee from the view of Spirit and the Spirit cannot separate from the Father or the Son.

Between God and us is the Spirit of God. When we trusted in Christ and were saved we received from God the Spirit of God to be in us. What an inedible connection God has established with us!! Where once we were in darkness and connected with the spirit of the world as slaves to sin, now we have been given the true Light in Christ and the Spirit of God to enable us to see and treasure what the world cannot. With all of this comes the things that God freely gives us, just as we were so freely given our salvation in His Son. By grace we are saved and according to His continued gifts of grace we walk and grow.

We are no longer bound to the speculation and teaching of man who is limited in what he can know and discover in darkness. We have as our teacher the Spirit of God who has moved Men of God to record the Word of God. “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:21, NASB95) And, we have the Creator of light to shed light on all that we face in our lives. Oh, what an incredible gift we have in us. We hide the word of God in our hearts so that we can then think the thoughts of the Spirit working in us. “Blessed are You, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes.” (Psalm 119:12, NASB95)

Paul wrote, “but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” In the English Standard Version we read, “…interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.” The words “combining” and “interpreting” come from the Greek word used, “synkrinontes” or “synkrinō.” This sounds very much like another word we use today—synchronize. When gears are put in motion it is important that each gear wheel is in sync or comes together smoothly with the other wheels. If the cogs do not match up then the whole machine can come to a stop or cause teeth to be busted off. This word has the meaning of bringing things or truths in line with each other or into a union.

This is what the Spirit does for us as the Spirit helps us to think in oneness with the wise words of God. Through this the wisdom of God is imparted to us such that we can walk according to the will of God. It is this wisdom that Paul wrote was imparted and which we are to impart to each other. It is the wisdom that comes from growing in understanding of God’s word such that we think wisely about how to walk in it. It is then that the word truly does become, “…a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path.” (Psalm 119:105, NASB95)