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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 1:9-12, 17-31; 2:1-16
According to the arrangement of the books in the New Testament, Romans comes immediately before 1 Corinthians. Although both Epistles were written by Paul, they are different in their style of composition. Romans is composed according to doctrine and reveals the truth in a doctrinal way. At the beginning of Romans there are sinners, but at the end of this book there are local churches. In Romans 1:18-32 we have a description of sinners under God’s condemnation. But in Romans 16 we read of churches. For example, in verse 1 Paul says, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess of the church which is at Cenchrea.” It is marvelous that those who were sinners can be justified, sanctified, and eventually go on to have the full experience and enjoyment of the Spirit as the firstfruit. As a result, they become the Body of Christ expressed in a practical way as local churches. Romans 16 speaks not only of the church at Cenchrea, but also the church in the house of Prisca and Aquila (v. 5). The church in Rome met in the house of this couple. It certainly is interesting that such a doctrinal book as Romans begins with sinners and concludes with local churches.
Romans and 1 Corinthians are composed of sixteen chapters each. In contrast to Romans, the book of 1 Corinthians is not a book of doctrines, but a book of practices. Nevertheless, this Epistle is quite complicated. Usually doctrinal matters are complicated. It seems that whenever and wherever we discuss doctrines, we face complications. However, it is strange that in a doctrinal book such as Romans there are no complications. For this reason, from the time I was a young Christian, I enjoyed the book of Romans because it did not have any complications. But I did not care very much for 1 Corinthians. Sometimes in my reading of the Bible I skipped over this book, wanting to avoid all the complications and problems it contains.
Examples of the complications in 1 Corinthians are found in chapters one, five, and fifteen. In 1:10 Paul beseeches the believers at Corinth that there be no divisions among them. Then in verses 11 and 12 he proceeds to speak of strifes and divisions: “For it was made clear to me concerning you, my brothers, by those of the household of Chloe, that there are strifes among you. Now I mean this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.” To be sure, the report received by Paul concerned a complicated situation.
In chapter five Paul deals with the gross sin of fornication. This matter is so terrible that I do not even like to talk about it. Then in chapter fifteen we learn that some of the believers claimed that there was no resurrection. By considering these three chapters we see what serious complications there were among the believers at Corinth.
Because 1 Corinthians involves the complications in the practice of the church life, there is a sense in which I do not like this book. But in a very different sense, I love this Epistle very much. This may appear contradictory, but it is actually a way of viewing two different aspects of this book. Many things in the Bible appear contradictory. For example, God is one, yet He is triune. The Spirit of God is one; nevertheless the book of Revelation speaks of the seven Spirits. It also seems contradictory to say that Christ is both God and man. In keeping with the principle of seeing both sides of the truth in the Bible, I can say that, when I view 1 Corinthians from one angle, I do not like this book, but when I view it from a different angle, I like it very much.
In the past I have said that we may liken the Bible as a whole to a person’s hand, the New Testament to a ring on the hand, and the book of Romans to a diamond on the ring. How lovable and precious is Paul’s Epistle to the Romans! It certainly is a diamond. Although I may use such an illustration to point out the great value of Romans, I have no way to illustrate the preciousness of 1 Corinthians. In a certain sense, 1 Corinthians is more precious than Romans is.
In 1 Corinthians Paul covers many things that he does not even mention in Romans. For example, in 1:9 Paul tells us that through the faithful God we have been called into the fellowship of the Son of God. Nowhere in Romans does he utter such a word. In 1:24 Paul goes on to say that to us who are called, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. There is no mention of this in Romans.
The book of Romans reveals that we are in Christ, but in 1 Corinthians 1:30 Paul declares further: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus.” Here we see that it is of God we are in Christ. Romans gives us the fact of being in Christ, but it does not say that it is of God that we are in Christ. Before you were saved, did you ever dream that you would be in Christ? Did you ever imagine that God would put you in Him? We know from 1:30 that it is altogether of God that we are now in Christ. In eternity past, before God created anything, God thought of putting us in Christ. We may even say that God had a dream concerning us, a dream that, according to the desire of His heart, we would be in Christ. Because God desired to have us, He had such a dream concerning us. Thus, it is no accident that we are in Christ. This matter was decided by God in eternity past. Whenever I consider that in eternity past God had a dream about me and decided to put me in Christ, I am beside myself with joy. Oh, it is a matter of tremendous significance that God dreamt about us in eternity! How sweet and endearing this is! How precious is the declaration, “Of Him you are in Christ Jesus”!
In 1 Corinthians Paul also speaks of the depths of God and of drinking of the one Spirit. In Romans 11:33 Paul does say, “O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!” However, in Romans he does not mention the depths of God. Neither is there any reference in Romans to drinking of the one Spirit. These unique expressions found in 1 Corinthians are not only precious, but delightful to our taste. In Romans there are many precious things, but the precious things in 1 Corinthians are especially good to our taste. In this message we shall consider further many of the precious things found in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2.
When I read 1 Corinthians as a youth, I was puzzled by the expression “the things of man” in 2:11. Have you not been puzzled by this? Why does Paul say that we cannot know the things of man apart from the spirit of man? Why is it so difficult to know the things of man? According to my concept, it was easy to know the things of man, for I thought that Paul was referring to things such as food, clothing, housing, and family life. At that time, I did not know the human spirit. Do you know what your spirit is and where it is located within you? As a young Christian I knew neither the spirit of man nor the things of man which can be known only by the spirit of man. However, I was not troubled by Paul’s word that the things of God no one has known except the Spirit of God. It seemed obvious to me that since I was not God, I could not know the things of God. I readily understood that only the Spirit of God knows the things of God. What was troublesome to me was what Paul said about the things of man and the spirit of man.
What are the things of man to which Paul refers in 2:11? This surely does not refer to the knowledge of outward things related to man — to knowing his age, his birthplace, the names of his wife and children, his occupation, the schools from which he graduated, and the kind of automobile he drives. Knowing about a person in this way has nothing to do with what Paul means by the things of man in 1 Corinthians.
According to John 6:42, the Jews said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” They knew certain outward things about the Lord — that He came from Galilee, that He was a carpenter, and that He had brothers and sisters — but they actually did not know Him at all (Mark 6:3; John 7:41). This indicates that what we may know about a man does not mean anything. We may know man in an outward way without knowing the real things of man. On the one hand, we do know man; on the other hand, we do not know the things of man. We cannot deny the fact that we know about man. Nevertheless, we cannot claim to know the things of man. Do you have the full knowledge concerning yourself? Do you know your source and your destiny? Do you know your real love and your real life? You may know many things about yourself without knowing the things which are deep within you.
In principle, both the things of man and the things of God mentioned in 2:11 should refer to matters Paul has spoken of in the first two chapters of 1 Corinthians. This is the proper way to understand not only the Bible, but also any kind of writing. Suppose your father writes you a long letter in which he speaks about many things. At a certain point, he may say, “If you don’t have adequate knowledge, you will not be able to understand these things.” The phrase “these things” certainly refers to all the matters previously mentioned in the letter. In like manner, the things of man in 2:11 must refer to what Paul has said concerning man in the foregoing verses. The same is true regarding the things of God. By this we can see that 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 give us a revelation, a clear view, of both man and God. In these chapters we see a picture of man and also of God.
These two chapters give us simultaneously a portrait of both God and man. In 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 we have a twofold vision, a vision of the things of God and of the things of man. Have you seen this twofold vision? Have you seen that within Paul’s portrait of man we also have a portrait of God? Have you seen that as we behold the things of man in these chapters, we see the things of God? What a marvelous revelation is contained here!
We have pointed out that, in principle, both the things of man and the things of God in 2:11 refer to what Paul has already written in this Epistle concerning man and God. Thus, if we would know the things of man and the things of God, we must consider what Paul covers in these chapters.
In 1:10-12 Paul speaks of certain things of man. For example, in verse 10 he says, “Now I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing.” Speaking the same thing is certainly one aspect of the things of man. We may think that speaking the same thing is a common, ordinary matter. However, have you ever seen a group of people who always spoke the same thing? Do you know of even one married couple who truly speak the same thing? It is very difficult for a husband and wife to speak the same thing. Brothers, how often do you and your wife speak the same thing? In 1:10 Paul urges all the believers at Corinth to speak the same thing. This kind of speaking is not an aspect of the life of fallen man, but an aspect of saved people. When I read this verse years ago, I shook my head in disbelief. To me, it was impossible for all the believers in a locality ever to speak the same thing. Does everyone in the church in your locality speak the same thing? It is a fact that we often speak different things both in the church life and in our married life. Speaking differently is a predominant characteristic of fallen man. The failure to speak the same thing causes many problems both in married life and in the church life. But even though it is common for us to speak different things, the desire of God is that all His saved and redeemed people speak the same thing. Thus, according to this desire, Paul beseeches the believers at Corinth to speak the same thing.
In 1:10 Paul goes on to say, “That there be no divisions among you, but that you be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion.” Here we have divisions, the mind, and opinions, all of which are things of man. Here Paul touches the mind. Often we may not speak differently, but inwardly we hold to different opinions. For example, a brother may say that sisters should wear a head covering. Although his wife may not say anything, inwardly she may disagree with him. This shows that this brother and his wife are not of the same opinion. According to Paul’s word in 1:10, we should not only speak the same thing, but also be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion.
We often have different opinions in the church life. For instance, one brother may prefer a smart elder, another brother may prefer one who is gentle, and yet another brother may prefer an elder who is slow and deliberate. This exposes the fact that among these brothers there are different opinions. Such opinions certainly are aspects of the things of man.
In 1:11 Paul continues, “For it was made clear to me concerning you, my brothers, by those of the household of Chloe, that there are strifes among you.” The strifes mentioned in this verse are also things of man. In verse 12 Paul goes on to say, “Now I mean this, that each one of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.” Here we have the preferences among the Corinthians. These preferences also are things of man.
In verses 17 through 25 Paul comes to the things of God. In 1:18 he mentions the word of the cross. The word of the cross is one of the things of God. To us who are being saved, the word of the cross is the power of God. The power of God is also an aspect of the things of God. According to verses 19 and 20, God will destroy the wisdom of the wise, set aside the understanding of the prudent, and make foolish the wisdom of the world. These matters also should be included among the things of God. In verse 21 Paul says, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.” Even the foolishness of preaching is one of the things of God. Verse 24 continues, “But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom.” God’s power and wisdom are further things of God. Finally, in verse 25 Paul declares, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Paul even includes the foolishness of God and the weakness of God among the things of God.
In verse 26 Paul again turns to things of man: “For you see your calling, brothers, that there are not many wise according to flesh, not many powerful, not many wellborn.” According to the human concept, we should regard ourselves as wise, not as foolish.
In verse 27 Paul again speaks of the things of God: “But God has chosen the foolish of the world that He might shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak of the world that He might shame the strong, and the lowborn of the world and the despised has God chosen, things which are not, that He might bring to nought things which are.” Here we see what God has chosen. The things of God here include God’s choosing the foolish to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong, and the lowborn and the despised, the things which are not, to bring to nought the things which are. The result is that no flesh should boast before God (v. 29).
Verse 30 says, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” The things of God certainly include God’s putting us in Christ Jesus.
As we consider the book of 1 Corinthians, we see that the things of man include man’s position, situation, condition, need, source, and destiny. The natural mind of man is not adequate to know these things. Not even university professors know these things of man. Confucius knew ethical philosophy, but he did not know either the things of God or the things of man. He said that if we sin against the heavens, that is, against God, there is no way to be forgiven. This indicates that he did not know God or man. He did not know the source, condition, position, situation, need, and destiny of man. Although he knew that there was a God, he did not know God.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees thought that because they knew the Old Testament they also knew God. Although they endeavored to follow the Old Testament to a certain extent, they did not have the true knowledge of God. Do you think that the priests worshipping God in the temple actually knew Him? No, they did not know Him at all. Likewise, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes did not know the things of man. They did not know their own position, condition, and need. Only the Lord Jesus knew both the things of man and the things of God. Because the religionists exercised their natural mentality, they could not know these things. The Lord Jesus, however, exercised His spirit. According to Mark 2:8, in His spirit He perceived the thoughts and motives of the Pharisees. Because He exercised His spirit with the Spirit of God, He could know both the things of man and the things of God.
In 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 we see that Paul is an example of a person who knows the things of man and also the things of God. He knew the position, condition, situation, and destiny of the believers at Corinth. Because these believers exercised the Greek philosophical mentality, they did not know the things of man. Although they did not know themselves, Paul knew them very well, for he was a person who exercised his spirit in order to be ushered into the Spirit of God. By means of these two spirits, Paul had a thorough knowledge of the Corinthians.
Paul also had the proper knowledge of God. As he depicts the condition and situation among those philosophical Greeks at Corinth, he gives us a portrait of God. Is it not amazing that as he describes the condition of the believers he presents a picture of the things of God? Paul here shows that whereas the Corinthians were exalting human wisdom, God intends to destroy it. Thus, concerning this one thing, we have a twofold revelation: first, that the Corinthians were exalting their wisdom; second, that God was tearing down the same wisdom. In the same principle, in chapter three the Corinthian believers were destroying the church; however, God was building it up. Again, one picture presents a twofold revelation: a vision of man’s destruction and of God’s building up. Furthermore, by showing how much the Corinthians needed Christ, Paul also reveals to what extent God was supplying them with Christ. Again, one picture contains two visions. In these two chapters we see how much we need Christ and also how much Christ is being supplied to us by God. Therefore, we see both the things of man and the things of God.
