Picking the ball backup at verse 14 of 1Corinthians 2 which carries a subtitle of, "Wisdom from Man" or "the foundation for living," or how about, "the Divisions in the Church." This will carry us over into chapter 3, if my readying is accurate and correct, lets see how it fits. By way of remember I edit what the Mirror Bible has as its notes as I am led.
1Corinthians 2:14-3:9 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?(quoted from Isaiah 40:13) But we have the mind of Christ (we know and now understand the mysteries of Christ, the secret hidden in GOD). And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." (KJV)
1Corinthians 2:14-3:9 "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?"(quoted from Isaiah 40:13) But we have the mind of Christ (we know and now understand the mysteries of Christ, the secret hidden in GOD). But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." (ESV)
1Corinthians 2:14-3:9 "The soulish person has no capacity to comprehend the language of the Spirit of GOD; spiritual things seem meaningless to them; they are incapable to discern that which can only be spiritually appreciated. (A performance-based mind-set cannot see or access what grace communicates. It would be as impossible as trying to get airborne with a motor car. Law cannot compete with grace. Law has no natural field while grace does, from the beginning, our origin.) Those who are spiritually awakened are immediately compatible to discern all things from (our origin of) a spiritual (grace) perspective, while they themselves are free from anyone's critical scrutiny. There is no other basis to teach from but to echo the mind of Christ; he is the Master (LORD) mind personified within us! This is ridiculous! Who am I talking to here? Are you mere spiritual infants stuck in the soul-ruled mode of the flesh, reduced to baby-talk? (Cooing sentimental gibberish about who your favorite preacher is instead of discovering who you are in Christ!) I fed you with milk and now after all that time it seems that you have no appetite nor capacity for the real meat of this gospel. While you remain on the milk diet of the soul-ruled realm of the flesh (knowing Christ merely from a human point of view [look at 2Corinthians 5:16]), you are unable to digest the meat message of what has been concluded and now revealed in our union with Christ! (There is a huge difference between seeing Christ historically and sentimentally and not realizing the revelation of this Gospel. This is the mystery of Grace: GOD reveals us in Christ. He associated us in Christ before time began (in Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:1-3). Jesus did not die as an individual! He died our due death and we were raised together with him. The only man in heaven, that is to say a man with flesh on him. For all spirit beings have neither flesh or gender. Until the day of the LORD! ) Your heated debates and divisions prove that you are completely missing the point of the Gospel! You behave like any other person, religiously obsessed with petty politics while missing the essence of this message. Can you not see that it is not about Paul or Apollos or any teacher you wish to associate with? We are not here to play the one off against the other, in a desperate attempt to win your vote to join our "group or club." (Acts 19:1) Both Apollos and I are on the same assignment: we are here for you, to influence your faith to discover yourself in Christ, as a Christ-one, a true Saint! Every individual is equally gifted in him. (Look at verse 21 and 22.) I have planted, by bringing this gospel to you in the first place, then Apollos watered the seed of faith in his ministry to you; But GOD causes the increase of the Christ-life to ignite and expand in you. If all we succeeded to do was to us as individuals, then we have failed you; the one who plants is not more important that the one who waters; it is not about us, it is about "Y-O-U" realizing GOD's work within you. (Our ministry has only one objective: to reveal Christ in you! See the urgency of Paul's language? Look at Philippians 2:12, "not only in my presence but much more in my absence, discover the full extent of your own salvation: it is GOD working in you both to will and to do!" This "working out of your own salvation" has nothing in common with guilt, willpower-restrictions of the Law works systems. It is discovering his working in you; energizing you with both the desire and the capacity to give expression to him.) Our individual assignment does not place the one above the other; we have exactly the same mission; how we succeed or fail in that is to our own account. We are co-employed by GOD. You are GOD's agricultural field; or in another context, you are his building and he is the architect and engineer of his life in your design." (The Mirror, with some editing.)
The LORD willing next time we shall look at Grace. Until then may the LORD add to your stature His grace and faith. Now i want to interject this, think if you will what Jesus said about his humanity in John 11:25-26.
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