The preliminary comments of Paul before he speaks of the church as a farm and a building are directed at those having a hard time because they lack maturity and revelation.
But as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up in man's heart; things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Cor. 2:9)
Things not dreamt of God has to reveal to His people.
Things which had never entered into their heart God has to show them.
After these premiminary comments some of the things are shared by the Apostle. Mainly in this chapter that Christ is a life having been planted in the believers and for the growing within them.
Christ is actually the buiklding material of the house of God.
And as Christ grows they are being built up.
This is the wisdom of God spoken by Paul, "which has been hidden, which God predestinated before the ages for our glory."
Praise the Lord for His supply to His church.
@sonship saidYou clearly 'mingle' Christianity with Greek mythology in your belief that mankind is God-ized and effectively turned into demi-gods. To see you now comparing yourself to the Apostle Paul to validate this is shameful.
The Apostle Paul was criticized by some of the Corinthians because they expected something sounding more like Greek philosophy. He informed them that the apostolic wisdom they spoke was not of this age.
The atheist here is in the process of perishing.
So the whole word of the cross and in fact the whole word of the Gospel is "foolishness" to him.
Thier scoffing at First Corinthians is a indication of them on the road to perishing. That is until they repent FIRST of all to realize that there is a God.
In the meantime the Holy Spirit is revealing to the apostles and prophets the depths of God in His eternal purpose. This purpose includes actually planting the Son of God within the redeemed that He may grow in them.
"For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's cultivated land [or farm], God's building." (3:9)
ie. "Why that's all foolish talk!" scoffs the one being sucked down the black hole of his atheism on the road to perishing. Pray for such ones that the mercy shown us who have received Christ would be shown to them also.
"But we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, that we may knowo the things which have been graciously given to us by God." (2:12)
Part of those things graciously given His servants by God is the understanding that the local church is a farm for growing Christ and building God's temple. This has been graciosly revealed to the obedient and consecrated seervant of God. He is about to elaborate on these things in the next chapter.
This things graciously given to the apostle for ministry are of the Holy Spirit.
And they speak them with words taught by the Holy Spirit. It is not with the worldly wisdom of philosophers of Greece they speak. And of course not with the blindness of atheism.
"But we received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God . . . Which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words." (2:12,13)
Included in those spiritual words are what he writes " . . . you are God's cultiaved land, God's building."
These are the Spirit taught words given to Paul. And such words are considered foolishness to those bound in the natural mind lacking any revelation from God's word or God's Spirit.
" But the soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know them because they are discerned spiritually." (2:14)
This inability has nothing to do with how smart and intellegent the soulish person is. It has to do with what light of enlightenment they are opened to in thier spirit and conscience. Some are not open at all. "God's farm, God's building," Christ planted and Christ growing in the believers is all just foolishness to these ones.
There even some Christians in the church life in Corinth which needed deliverance from being natural minded and soulish.
We Christian must have some amount of sympathy for those who are"NOT ABLE" to discern some spiritual matters.
But the soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are FOOLISHNESS to him and he is NOT ABLE to know them . . . "
This can be like arguing with a man blind about the difference between the color GREEN and BLUE. The whole idea may seem foolish for his substantiating organ is not functioning.
When you see a red thumbs down sometimes that may be because of someone's inability to know spiritual things. He thumbs down often because of not possessing the ability to know the things of the Spirit.
Sometimes thumbs down for some other reason.
But sometimes this is indicative of one not ABLE to know the things graciously shown the apostles.
And it has nothing to do with how smart, educated, and clever they are.
Some were like this in Corinth when Paul wrote his letter.
There was hope for those who would receive the impanted Christ.
Christ could grow them OUT of this dreadful state.
@ghost-of-a-duke saidInteresting point Ghost.
You clearly 'mingle' Christianity with Greek mythology in your belief that mankind is God-ized and effectively turned into demi-gods. To see you now comparing yourself to the Apostle Paul to validate this is shameful.
This is what Freemasons do and they are Luciferian.
@The-Gravedigger
How about you express your view of what Paul meant by "we shall be saved in His life".
That is the zoe - divine life, not the psuche or soul.
Please tell what it would mean to be saved in God's divine life.
Then you might tell what you think about being "swallowed up by life".
You can hardly separate the life of God from God Himself.
Can we separate your life from YOU yourself?
So what do you think the Apostle Paul meant by the redeemed of Jesus being "saved in His life" and "swallowed up by life"?
See Romans 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:4)
It would be illogical for me to say the game of Chess reminds me of Russian Roulette.
Simply because in chess two people take turns and in RUssian Roullete two peoplwe do the same does not make them equivalent.
Comparing the New TEstrament salvation to Freemasonary is just as foolish simply because someone thinks he can draw some far fetched similarities.
@sonship saidLess verbiage, more listening Godward -- that's my advice. 😉
It would be illogical for me to say the game of Chess reminds me of Russian Roulette.
Simply because in chess two people take turns and in RUssian Roullete two peoplwe do the same does not make them equivalent.
Comparing the New TEstrament salvation to Freemasonary is just as foolish simply because someone thinks he can draw some far fetched similarities.
@sonship saidHe wasn't comparing "the New Testament" to Freemasonary. He was comparing how the ideology of your cult - which he contrnds, mingles Christianity with Greek mythology - to another cult that mingles mythology into its ideology.
Comparing the New TEstrament salvation to Freemasonary is just as foolish simply because someone thinks he can draw some far fetched similarities.
No one will comment on "saved in His life" other than retort "Greek mythology".
No one will comment on "swallowed up by life" other than assertions of "Freemasonary".
You see Christ became "a life giving Spirit" in order to GIVE . . . guess what? - life. That is the divine life - the life of God.
Not written by Plato or Aristotle but by the Apostle Paul - "The last Adam became a life giving Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45)
Christ HIMSELF said (not Plato or Socrates) - "I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly." (John 10:10b) .
You who have touched Jesus know that He indeed came and your life was enriched with God. Your life was enriched with Christ giving life to your inner being. And if you grow this life comes more abundantly. And as you gather and are builted up in love with fellow receivers of Christ you are enriched even more abundantly.
Then we have life WITHIN springing up as a fountain INTO eternal life.
"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of watrer springing up into eternal life." (John 4:14)
So God as the divine zoe life is springing up from within.
And God as the divine zoe life will also "swallow up" from without.
" . . . that we do not desire to be unclothed, but clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." (2 Cor. 5:4)
Within and without the Triune God is operating to dispense His life into His redeemed people. We need not have to go study Greek mythology. We only need to open our being and receive the Gospel with a believing heart.