The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1916-07-27
LESSON FOR JULY 80
~THE WORD OF THE CROSS"


LESSON TEXT-I Cor. IL; 2;5. Print
l-1S-2-2
GOLDEN TEXT-Far be II from me TO
glory, save in the cross OF our Lord Jesus
Chrlst.-Gal. 61i.
Paul's letter to the church at Cor
nth 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. II was a small
body Of believers In great city OF
four hundred thousand. II was sur
rounded by all kinds of llscentiousness
and excess so that to maintain q Chris
tian moral ldenl was difficult In the ex-
treme. That is why this first eplstle
has so much to do with church govern
ment and such questions as the mar
riuge relation, the conduct Of public
assemblies, spiritual gifts, the resur-
rectlon from the dead, different fac
tions, 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
dlcipline are discussed. Paul did not
himself write the letter. S0sthenes
acted as his amanuensis. In this let
ter Is the wonderful and immortal love
chapter (Ch. 13). and the magnificent
resurrection chapter (Ch. 15), Paul
recognizes many of the good things
that have been done by the Corinthan
church (See Ch. w. 1-0), but goes on
to entreat the church against any
party spirit and factions (vv. 1O-O.
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 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 compul-
sion.
|. The Power and Wisdom of God.
wv. 1929. To q sin-blinded mind the
preaching of the cross is foolishness.
Even some professed Christians reject
the doctrine Of substitution which Is
found everywhere in the Bible. lisa.
50 20; Gal. 3 :13; / Cor. 3 :2D. If the
doctrine of the cross Is foOlshness to
anyone II is to then that perish"
The Jews require n 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 God" 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" lisa.
20 IA CT. Jer s :9). God is constantly
making foolish the power and wisdom
of this world. Phllosophic research
after the unknowable tries to make
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. II :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
parlson 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 Il 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 keep
them near to concert pitch, yet he is
patient and, unto them which are
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of
God" is producing the anthem of glory
to the honor of his name.
u. The Preaching and Power Of Paul
wv. 20 to Ch. 2:2). Taking the Bible as
whole, we see In 1t Gods plan and
purpose with regard to the goal of
mankind The problem was by what
means this purpose could be per-
formed. The whole of the Old Testa-
ment is story of God working to this
end. Then at the best time in all his
tory came Jesus, the son Of God, into
the world, and, by his death on the
cross and his resurrection, we are all
bound together In one, summed up in
the cross as the power and the wisdom
of God for salvation. The symbol Of
the cross is common sight, yet the
great truth which 1t symbolizes Is
often obscured by scholars, and fails
to be lived by disciples. God chooses
those whom the world rejects, the
foolish" and whom the world rejects
as "the weak" These are the ones
that were called even in Paul's day.
The purpose of this call is to confound
Tor to put to shame) the wisdom Of
men. The most powerful motive in
existence is the motive of the cross.
(1) The cross is the highest proof and
the strongest expression of the love
of God for man. (2) the cross was
the agent whereby atonement was
made for sin. t3) The cross shows us
the terrible evils of sin and the de-
mand Of such a sacrifice as Gods son
in order to save us from it. (4) 1t
shows us that God wants us to come
to him and to be saved, and that there
is Joy in heaven over every repentant
sinner. (5) 1t shows the supreme val
lie of right and duty in that Christ
went to the cross at the terrible cost
of his life. (6) 1t shows the value Of