Those who are perishing, the unsaved, consider the gospel to be foolishness, but to those who are saved, the gospel is the power of God (v. 1.18). Paul proves this point through Isaiah. He had prophesied regarding this matter in Isaiah 29.13-16 (v. 1.19). In this passage, the Lord is condemning Israel for following worldly plans, but claiming to follow God. Essentially, Israel had declared themselves equal to, or above, God in that they followed secret motives. They felt that God had no understanding of them. Israel was perishing and considered God’s wisdom to be foolishness. [IN WHAT WAYS DO WE CONSIDER GOD’S WAYS TO BE FOOLISHNESS? ARE THERE PARTS OF THE BIBLE THAT WE SIMPLY DO NOT ADHERE TO BECAUSE IT IS TOO DIFFICULT TO ADHERE TO FOR SOME REASON?]

Since it would be wise to act in accordance with the nature of God, to act in accordance with our own nature, worldly wisdom, is folly (v. 1.20). God created man with the nature to choose, therefore, in creating man, God made worldly wisdom to be foolishness. This call for the wise men (arguably of Egypt—Is. 19), the scribe (scholars) and the debater (philosophers) are to make a specific point. Remember that it is the saints in Corinth and all the saints which are being addressed here. Paul says this to make the point that the wisdom of these people is foolishness. [IN WHAT WAYS HAVE OUR WISE MEN, SCHOLARS AND PHILOSOPHERS ADVANCED MODERN SOCIETY? IN WHAT WAYS HAVE THESE ADVANCEMENTS INHIBITED OR ADVANCED THE WORK OF THE GOSPEL?]

Through worldly wisdom—selfishness—man cannot come to know God (v. 21). Because of this, God was happy to save those who would put aside their own wisdom, to humble themselves, and accept the message which was so contrary to their own nature. The Jews have a very apocalyptic view of life (v. 1.21). They are looking to be saved from oppression as had been prophesied, as if they were the last era (but the church is). So they are looking, not for salvation, but for signs of the return of Christ which would save them from oppression. The Greeks, on the other hand, were searching for enlightenment anywhere that they could. They were philosophers. But we—the saints—are on yet another path (v. 1.23,24). We are not looking for a release from oppression, nor are we seeking enlightenment. We have been released from the bonds of sin and have found peace in Jesus Christ and we are not looking for enlightenment, because we have found it through Christ in the power and wisdom of God. This is a stumbling block to the Jews because they believe that Christ is coming to release them from the Romans, not from sin. The Gentiles consider it foolishness because they are looking for worldly wisdom, self-enlightenment, not the mercy of God. [IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU NOTICED OTHERS’ NEED TO BE RELEASED FROM OPRESSION OR THEIR PURSUIT OF ENLIGHTENMENT? HOW CAN YOU USE THAT TO LEAD THEM TO CHRIST?]

There is an implied question in verse 25 (v. 1.25). ‘WHY DID GOD SAVE US THROUGH HIS OWN POWER AND NOT GIVE US A WAY TO FIND SALVATION ON OUR OWN?’ The answer is simple. God is simply wiser and stronger than man is capable of achieving. When we are working, we use the best tools at our disposal, not the broken ones. WHY WOULD WE WANT TO BE SAVED BY OUR OWN MERIT, INSTEAD OF BY GOD’S? If God allowed it, we would not be able to achieve His standards, so there is no other way in which it could have happened.

Paul recognizes that it is difficult to achieve this status of wise, noble or mighty according to the world (v. 26). God chose to use worldly foolishness. Jesus Christ (which is also God’s wisest), to bring shame upon those who have actually achieved the titles of wise, noble or mighty according to the world (v. 27). [IN WHAT WAYS DOES GOD BRING SHAME UPON THE WISE, NOBLE AND MIGHTY OF TODAY? IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT THAN IN THE 1ST CENTURY?]

Paul prefaces this statement by telling them to consider their own calling so that they can realize that none of them were able to meet the world’s standards, but through the mercy of God, they have far exceeded it. The interesting thing is that there is record of two men who were converted to Christianity who were rulers of the synagogue in Corinth, Sosthenes and Crispus. They had received this status in the world and stepped down from it, humbled themselves to embrace the foolishness of the world, Jesus Christ. [WHAT WAS YOUR ‘CALLING’ BEFORE YOU CAME TO CHRIST? DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE HUMBLED YOURSELF?]

God chose (v. 28). This word is used to say ‘set apart’ or ‘picked out’. It is also often used in the context of righteous judgment. This is how it is used here. God chose the things of the world which were base things and despised, “the things that are not” wise according to the world, in order to nullify “the things that are” wise according to the world. Verse 29 is so impactful (v. 1.29). God did not choose to send the self-righteous to hell simply because in His sovereignty, He has chosen and we should comply; rather in His sovereignty, He will not allow any man to come before Him with any form of wisdom, specifically any other form of salvation, other than His own; so that we cannot boast before God. “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Due 4.24).

This takes us back to the creation account. Adam and Eve had one command. “…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Gen 2.17). It was not that God forbid them to find sustenance in His creation; He had already said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food” (Gen 1.29). The serpent had it right. In tempting Eve, he said, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3.5). The sin was to try to be like God and we have a jealous God. He does not want anyone to come before Him believing that anything they have received from God has been anything other than His mercy and grace; and it is His sovereign right to require this of man. [HOW DO YOU TRY TO BE LIKE GOD? DO YOU FEEL THAT THESE AREAS EXPRESS A REFUSAL TO SUBMIT TO GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY?]

Where God requires us to be humble before Him, we can still boast, however not in our own doing; “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD” (v. 1.31). It is our responsibility to boast about what God has done for us: “righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (v. 1.30). In light of the greater context of this first chapter (evangelism for church growth and the presence of all gifts) I believe this to be one way in which we can evangelize. We do not hold gifts over the heads of our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we boast about these things (righteousness and sanctification, and redemption) in the presence of the unsaved who have not experienced the mercy of the Lord. [IN ORDER TO BOAST ABOUT THESE THINGS, WE MUST BE ABLE TO PUT IT INTO WORDS. HOW HAVE YOU SEEN RIGHTEOUSNESS IN YOUR OWN LIFE? SANCTIFICATION? REDEMPTION?]

We will study the beginning of chapter two in more depth in the next section, but it is vitally important to take Paul’s words here as part of the context of chapter 1 (v. 2.1-5). Paul is making a statement which is in direct obedience with the previous section. Paul basically says, “All I know is that Jesus Christ was crucified, so that we could live.” He came without any strength and in fear. He didn’t preach “in cleverness of speech” (1 Cor 1.17). Instead, he humbled himself before God and man and preached the message God gave him through His Spirit and for the express purpose that their “faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Cor 2.5). His foremost example is to come before them humbly so that they too can come before God humbly. What an amazing implication that is made in this text; we humble ourselves before God so that He receives all glory and all honor and all praise. And when we do this, God works through us to draw others to himself in humility.

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Reproductive technology works well with God’s command to “…Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1.28). Certainly, God intended that man and woman be able to have children, but it is not always possible. Often men are not capable of creating sperm qualified for fertilizing an egg. In this case, a third party donor is often considered. Since there is no intercourse between the wife and the donor, there is no possible argument for adultery. In most cases the donor is actually kept anonymous. There is no direct break of command when it comes to the practice of third party sperm donation, however many will argue that it defies God’s plan, therefore challenging His sovereignty. This is a narrow- minded view. God Himself commanded that we “subdue the earth” (Gen. 1.28). This means we are to make use of its resources in every way possible. To make use of this technology is to recognize His sovereignty.

Many will argue that Genesis suggests, on a contextual level, that introducing genetic material which is not from the man or wife, would defy God’s intention for marriage; “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2.24). The argument of the greater context of the passage is a weak argument in that they are making symbolic assumptions in order to form an alternate context. For example, in verse 23 Adam says, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2.23). The assumption is that it is symbolizing an autonomous family relationship. This contextual argument is actually defying proper hermeneutic. Since the passage is narrative, it should be taken literally at first. Symbolism should only be derived further if it is consistent with the rest of scripture, which in this case it is not. The better understanding of “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” is that Eve was literally created from the bone and flesh of Adam and she was created for Adam. The passage has to do with marriage between a man and a woman, not with family autonomy.

The practice of third party sperm donation can quickly become unethical when the procedure itself is considered. Typically, they create more embryos than they actually need since the implantation process is often unsuccessful. This cuts costs in the event that the woman would like to try again if they are lost. If the procedure is successful, then the embryos must be dealt with. Either they can be destroyed or they can be implanted at a later date. If they are destroyed, then it is no different than abortion. It is unethical because it is killing an unborn child. If they are implanted at a later date, then it can be considered moral because it no longer directly defies God’s commands. There is a second problem. The doctor will usually implant four embryos in hopes that at least one will survive. In the event that all of them survive, they will usually suggest that at least one be removed. The most responsible way for this procedure to be done is to fertilize six eggs and implant them three at a time. This gives the greatest possibility of having at least one child, but the man and woman must be ready to have up to six children, should they all survive.

Ultimately, it is up to each individual to form their own convictions on the matter. This is not a push for relativism or socially constructed ethics; rather, the heart must be right before God. Seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Above all, consider the benefit for the gospel when making convictions as directed in First Thessalonians; the “gospel did not come to you in word only, but also…with full conviction” (1 Thes 1.5). The gospel is our greatest tool for determining whether something is right or wrong. Mohler says, “Understanding the culture…[is] a matter of evangelical urgency” (2008). For purposes of third party sperm donation, we must consider the evangelical benefit of our decision, which will be relative to cultures since each culture will react differently. In some cultures this act may discredit the gospel, where in others it may not. If we somehow discredit the gospel or the church through any action, we can be confident that the action is immoral.

References

Mohler Jr., R. Albert. (2008). Culture Shift. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Multnomah Books

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Understanding Lust

The secular definition of lust goes as follows:

• An overwhelming desire or craving.

• Intense eagerness or enthusiasm.

• craving, desire, hunger, itch, longing, thirst, wish, yearning

The biblical definition is consistent, but comes with implications.

…we…all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind…(Ephesians 2.3 NAS)

The Bible says that lust is the indulgence of the desires of the heart and mind. This is the

What is Mortification?

• The secular definition of mortification is as follows:

• To practice ascetic discipline or self-denial of the body and its appetites.

• Comes from the middle English word ‘mortifien’ which means ‘to deaden or subdue’ and from the Latin word ‘mortificare’ which means ‘to kill’.

abolish, annihilate, blot out, clear, eradicate, erase, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, liquidate, obliterate, remove, root out, rub out, snuff out, stamp out, uproot, wipe out.

Again, the biblical definition is consistent, but comes with implications.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, (Romans 6.12 NAS)

To mortify is to get rid of sin, so that it is not the focus of your mind and heart so that you will not act in sin.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is…with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you shall also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members…(Col 3.2-5 KJV ~ simplified)

To mortify is to remove all concentration on worldly things and to focus on heavenly things. To mortify is not simply to root out or eradicate sin, but to remove the focus of sin from things which are against God to things which are for God.

Why Should I Mortify Sin?

…God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie [literally: we are liars] and do not live by the truth. (1 John 1.5,6)

This passage makes it abundantly clear that the person, who walks according to Christ’s ways, is a brother of Christ and will receive his inheritance in God’s kingdom. The person who claims to be a brother to Christ, but instead of following His commands lives according to his own lusts is living a lie and does not live according to the truth. The implication is that this person whose sin is un-mortified is only claiming the name of Christ, but has no inheritance, has not made a true commitment to follow Christ and therefore is not saved from eternal condemnation.

How Do I Do It? *

Habitual weakening of lust. Every lust is a righteous habit, which has not been developed and is therefore pushing the heart toward evil. This person who does not form righteous habits is described in Genesis 6.5, “the LORD saw that…every intent of the thoughts of [man’s]…heart was only evil continually. A persistence for bodily and mental sin leads to an evil heart. By nature, man’s habit is to “gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Rom 13.14 NIV). Sin is “waging war against the law of my mind [God’s law according to general revelation] and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Romans 7.23 NIV).

If every desire of the heart is habitually bent on evil, then the logical conclusion is to form righteous habits to replace the negative ones. Even clinical psychologists agree on this principle and have used it to break smoking and other drug habits. Paul gives advice on the matter of discerning good and evil when he told the Corinthian church, “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10.31 NAS). The idea is that we should not be so concerned with formulating a legalistic set of rules to follow; rather in all we do, we should take time to discern what would glorify God and do that. As we perform actions for God’s glory, we replace actions which are for our own gratification, thereby mortifying our sin. In case of specific struggles that we have, the principle applies as well. Find an action which you know to glorify God and when the lust of your flesh tempts you to sin, do what glorifies God. Examples are prayer, singing of hymns and reading God’s word.

Fight against sin. We are at war with sin. The following are important in any battle and are pertinent even on the topic of overcoming lust.

• Know the enemy. It is critical that you understand what you are dealing with in order to overcome it. The enemy is our own sinful nature. Adam and Eve were only had one sin, which was to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2.17). There was only one lust. That lust was a desire to be like God. The temptation was to eat the fruit so that they could be like God, able to discern good and evil (Gen 3.5). Notice that where the serpent was the tool of for the temptation, the lust itself was rooted at the heart of man. If Adam and Eve did not have the wicked desire to be like God, they COULD NOT have been tempted by the serpent. Your battle against sin is rooted in your own wicked heart. “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick;” (Jer 17.9).

• Be acquainted with the success of lust. I’m not suggesting that you intentionally fall to sin. That would be foolish indeed. Rather, you must be aware of situations, places, people and occasions which make it difficult for you to overcome your sin. Once you know your enemy, where they go, what they do, it is easier to defeat them. So it is with sin. We must be familiar with the situations which cause us to fall and succeed. Once we know how to defeat an enemy, we can do it repeatedly, which means we can form a habit so that the sin will be mortified.

• Intentional daily attack. Don’t wait for sin to attack you in order to attempt defense. Form a game plan. List your struggles and make conscious efforts to attack them daily. Do this by considering what you will be doing day by day so that you can prepare yourself for the temptations that are coming. You know your lusts so only you are qualified to determine this attack.

Conclusion

We can only mortify our sins in order to overcome lust by the power of the Holy Spirit and through forming of convictions. We do this so that we can bring glory to God and partake in Christ’s inheritance which is the kingdom of God.

* Much of this section on mortifying sin is sampled from John Owens, “The Mortification of Sin.”

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In Revelation, the seventh angel sounding his trumpet brings the accomplishment of the mystery of God. Similarly in Genesis, the seventh day marks the completeness of creation. There are too many of these accounts to go over in a blog post, and there is no need to. We can certainly draw application from the number seven, so long as the application is directly from the word of God. It is far too easy to idolize a number, to begin to think about how the number seven affects your life instead of how God would have you live.

Here is where seven becomes important. I’ll give you one account. Jesus said that we should forgive our brothers not “up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matt. 18.22 NAS). Since seven symbolizes completeness, we should not just forgive completely, but exponentially (70x) more than completely. This means that we should forgive infinitely. Interestingly, that is how God forgives, infinitely. There is no sin so heinous that he refuses to forgive (there is one that prevents us from seeking forgiveness, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit). There is also no number of sins that cuts us off from forgiveness, so it is infinite in both respects.

Taking from this example, I would employ you to simply use the knowledge of biblical number simply for study purposes and within reason. To run out and buy a number 7 Bible cover is not a sin in itself; just remember who you worship.

The Meaning of Numbers in the Bible

On day one of creation, God said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3 NIV). Certainly we know that this is a literal light as it also says that, “God called the light day, and the darkness he called night” (Genesis 1:5 NIV). However, God did not create the sun, the moon or the stars until the fourth day. So where did the light come from? This seems simple to some, but is not easy for all to grasp.

This passage from John is talking about Jesus Christ. All things were made through Christ. He, exclusively, was the light that shined for the first three days of earth’s existence. Not only that! His light is also the light of men, which is life. The first verses of the Bible tell us that life is through Christ. It was this way for Adam and Eve, and for the Israelites and for mankind today. If we want life, we obtain that one way and that is through Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:4 says that, “God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness” (NIV). Remember that the light is Jesus and it is good according to God the father. In contrast the darkness is everything else, everything which is not good. God made a specific point to separate the light from the darkness, the good from the evil. It was on this first day of creation that it was established that Christ was good and everything which is not of Christ is sin.

Now it’s time to apply this.

We are called to walk in the light, which is Jesus, according to creation. Isaiah said, “let us walk in the light of the LORD” (Isaiah 2:5). To walk is to live your life according to something. If we claim to be without sin, then we are living a lie and we walk in darkness; Christ is not in us. Hold to the teachings of Christ and you walk in the light. This is the path to life.

On a side note, does this mean that if we sin, we do not walk in the light? Certainly not. We are affected by the darkness even from the perspective of light. That is why we receive purification from the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Walking in darkness requires a deliberate act of defiance against the nature of Christ or the nature of God according for those who have experienced Christ only through general revelation.

“Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’ Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD” (Psalms 4:6 NIV). In this Psalm David pleas with God to shine his light, or his goodness down on the Israelites. This is the same light that comes from Christ. In context, he is asking for virtue to be cast onto them so that they will remember God and come to repentance of their sins.

This is another reminder from Daniel. Do not claim to be holy. There is corruption in all of man. The man who claims to be humble is the least humble. God will judge the heart and reveal the darkness within. True light comes from heartfelt commitment to Jesus Christ and none other. The light must dwell in you. If it does not, then darkness does.

What to do with the light?

If we have the light within us, then all are to see it. Christ is saying, “Hey, if you have my light in you, then go shine my goodness out on others.” The goodness of Christ should pour from us like the beacon in the lighthouse so that others can see Christ in us. This is not merely evangelism, although it is that too. This is treating others as Christ would and as he has treated you, with grace, compassion and mercy. Why? So that they will praise God and so they will know Christ because of your demonstration of Christ in you.

In the end, when we go to be in heaven with the Father, there will be no need for the sun and the stars. We will live eternally, our lives lit by the glory of the Lord. Remember though that the light was separated from the darkness. Those who did not accept Christ will live eternally in darkness and eternal torment. They will be thrown “into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50 NIV).

The Challenge.
If you have the light in you, do not hold it in. Be a beacon of Christ’s light to the world so that they can experience the same eternity as you.

Ever since the appearance of Charles Darwin and Charles Lyell’s’ theories, Christian’s have tried to fit an old earth theory with the Bible. With the ever popular scientific idea of evolution, the question has been asked, “well, couldn’t God have used evolution as the vehicle to bring about creation?” According to Ken Ham, “When we consider the possibility that God used evolutionary processes to create over millions of years, we are faced with serious consequences: the Word of God is no longer authoritive, and the character of our loving God is questioned” (32). The Word is compromised because Ham holds that the Hebrew word for day, “yom” can only mean a literal 24 hours in the way it’s used in Genesis, especially since it is qualified with the phrase “evening and morning.” Additionally, the character of God is questionable ass God called his creation “very good” upon completion, and if evolution were the means to bring it about, it would include millions of years of death. God would therefore be calling death “good”.

Old-earth responses to these objections are interesting. To the “yom” objection, old-earth creationists point to 2 Peter 3:8. “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” Since only God was at the beginning, it is how a day is relative to God, not man. Man did not exist until the sixth day. Of course, young-earth creationists counter this by saying that the second half of the verse essentially cancels out the first half and that this verse is only explaining God’s timelessness. As for the character of God being pulled into question, the old-earth creationists have three general refutes. First they claim that nowhere in Genesis is animal death prohibited. Yes, God does say that he gave every herb for animals to eat (Gen. 1 29-30), but He does not say that they cannot eat meat. Old earth creationists say that the prohibition against animal death is only an inference. Secondly, old-earth creationists claim that Eden was set apart from the rest of the world and that God only made that proclamation to Adam in Eden, and that outside of the garden animals did not get along as they did with Adam on the inside. Obviously, this refute is a bit of a stretch. Thirdly, they claim that Adam’s sin introduced physical death for man and not for animals. Animals were already exposed to physical death due to the natural renewal cycles of ecosystems. They also point to various “designed” features of animals, such as venom, spider webs, carnivorous plants, vultures, etc. as proof.

Ham believes in a literal, straight-forward reading of Genesis. Nowhere, does he think, are we given the idea that the account is not true, accurate, literal history. For, if it is not accurate history, the why did Jesus quote it as such? Ham does state that a rejection of six literal days does not affect one’s salvation; however, he cautions against opening the door to compromise. He asserts, “the real battle is the authority of the Word of God vs. man’s fallible opinions” (38).

For more information on young-earth and old-earth theories visit answersingenesis.org and answersincreation.org, respectively.