By the Power of Weakness
- Paul tells us that when he came to Corinth, he wasn't some smart, smooth-talking guy.
- Actually, he was kind of weak and afraid and all-around pathetic. We're not sure Paul is giving himself enough credit here.
- The point is that Paul didn't try to appeal to them using human wisdom. He let himself be filled with the spirit and power of God. And who needs coherent sentences when you've got that?
- So the Corinthians learned about God not because Paul reasoned and argued them into believing it, but because they felt God through him.
- Nice humble brag, Paul.
In the Know
- Besides, Christians don't need human wisdom. They have God's wisdom. It's waaaaay better, apparently.
- Just look at the people who run this world, Paul says. They're supposed to be "wise" and yet they put Jesus to death. Not such a smart move, guys.
- But Christians have the Spirit of God in them.
- That means they don't speak in terms that the rest of the world understands (Paul is probably referring to the practice of speaking in tongues, which can be pretty tough to understand).
- People who aren't living in the Spirit don't get this stuff. It just seems stupid or wrong to them.
- But, those who are in the Spirit know this stuff is right and from God. They don't answer to anyone or anything.
- They say that no one can know what God's thinking. But people in the Spirit do. They understand the mind of Christ. Whoa. Sounds like a pretty big responsibility.