Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-07-28
LESSON FOR JULY 30
"THE WORD OF THE. CROSS"

Chrlst.-Gal. 6:14.
Paul'S letter to the, church at Cor
inth was written from the city OF
Ephesus some four of five years after
Paul had left Corinth. We have seen
some of the difficulties which sur
rounded this church. 1t was a small
body of believers in a great city OF
four hundred thousand. 1t was sur
rounded by all kinds of liscentiouSness
and excess so that to maintain Il Chris
tan moral ideal was difficult in the eN-
treme. That is Why this first epistie
has so much to do with church govern
ment and such questions as the mar
riage relation, the conduct of public
assemblies, spiritual gifts, the resur-
rection from the dead, different fac
tons, the love feasts of the rich and
the poor. eating meat offered to idols,
law suits conducted before the heath
en-, the Lords supper and church
dlclpllne are discussed. Paul did not
himself write the letter. Sosthenes
acted as his amanuensis. In this let
ter is the wonderful and immortal love
chapter (Ch. 49,, and the magnificent
resurrection chapter och. 15). Paul
recognizes many of the good things
that have been done by the Corinthian
church (See Oh. w. 1-9), but goes on
to entreat the church against any
party spirit and factions (vv. 10-7).
His argument for church unity is
superb.
The only unity desirable or possible
is that which Christ prayed for (John
II :2D. This is not a unity of opinion
or of organization, but unity of pur-
pose and power, the working together
of Delivers in harmony to attain the
great purposes of Christianity. 1t is
unity of freedom and not of coElpul-
sion.
/. The Power and Wisdom of God.
wv. 1920. To sin-blinded mind the
preaching of the cross is fo0lishness.
Even some professed Christians reject
the doctrine of substitution which is
found everywhere in the Bible lisa.
53 :6; Gal. BIS; Cor. 5 :2). If the
doctrine of the cross is foolishness to
anyone it is to them that perish"
The Jews require sign ". 22) but
the cross puts them to shame ". 27).
God is made unto us wisdom, not the
wisdom of men but the wisdom of the
Spirit. 1t is such preaching as this
that is "the power of Cod" 1t has
proven itself the power of God in our
lives. 1t will destroy the wisdom of
the wise" and bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent" Qsa.
29:14 cf. Jer. S:9). God is constantly
making foolish the power and wisdom
of this world. Philosophic research
after the unknowable "tries to make
a God of its own pattern but does
not satisfy the longings of the human
heart" and God through the foolish
| ness of the thing preached is pleased
| to save them which believe" The
| performing of miracle (Math. Il :3S)
! and the Greeks seeking after wisdom,
! or philosophical reasoning, is no match
/ for the Christ crucifed whom Paul
! preached. The wisdom of man in com.
parison with the wisdom of God is
worthless: the foolishness of God is
wiser than that of man, and the weak
ness of God is stronger than that OF
! man. God does a good deal of playing
upon imperfect instruments.
He doubtless often longs to produce
better music through these human in
struments, but hard as it is to keeI
them near to concert pitch, yet he is
patient and, unto them which are
called, both Jews and Greeks, Chris
the power of God and the wisdom o
God" is producing the anthem of glor,
to the honor of his name
II. The Preaching and Power of Pau
wv 26 to Oh. , :2). Taking the Bible al
purpose with regard to the goal o
mankind. The problem was by wha
means this purpose could be per
formed. The whole of the Old Testa
inent is a story of God working to thi
end. Then at the best time in all his
tory came Jesus the son of God, int,
the world, and, by his death on tn
cross and his resurrection, we are al
bound together in one, summed up il
the cross as the power and the wisdom
of God for salvation. The symbol o
the cross is a common sight, yet tn
great truth which it symbolizes i
often obscured by scholars, and fail
to be lived by disciples. God choose
those whom the world rejects, 9TH
foolish" and whom the world reject
as "the weak" These are the one
that were called even in Paul'S day
The purpose of this call is to confoun
(or to put to shame) the wisdom o
men. The most powerful motive i
existence is the motive of the cross
(1) The cross is the highest proof an
the strongest expression of the Low
of God for man. (2l the cross wa
the agent whereby atonement wa
made for sin. CD The cross shows u
the terrible evils Of sin and the dc
, Inand of such q sacrifice as Gods so
in order to save Us from it. (4)
shows US that God wants US to com
+, to him and to be saved, and that ther
is joy in heaven over every repentan
sinner. (5) 1t shows the supreme va
ue of right and duty in that Chris
went to the cross at the terrible cos
| OI HIS Ale. (OJ II SHOWS IIle value
: the human soul. % From the cros'
: through the resurrection and the evel
living Saviour, God has given US tn
) fullness of the Spirit to inspire an
! transform.
We are nothing in ourselves, an
/ Cod has made Christ unto us "wisdor
and Righteousness" that is, God
righteousness is provided for US i
Christ Il Cor. 5 :21; Rom. 81; Phi
: SO r. W: also sanctification an
) redemption, that is, we are separate
, from the world unto God and in hil
t we are redeemed from sin and it's col
: sequences.
There is left no room for glorying
ourselves.
Paul tried such preaching of th
wisdom of men at Athens, but he r,
nounced it upon reaching Corinth an
formed the resolution to know bl
one theme among men Il Cor. 2 :2).