Title: Gospel Wisdom and the Holy Spirit
Gospel Wisdom and the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 2:10-12
I. Making known the wisdom of the gospel
A. Cross
Through the cross, we come to realize that human beings whose body and soul are stained with sin are inevitably punished. This cross reminds us that we have a penalty for sin, and this penalty also makes us aware that man is responsible to God for it. In the face of responsibility for sin, we can confirm that human beings are endowed with life by God and realize who we are and how we should live.
Nevertheless, we learn that God did not hold us accountable for our sins and that He sent Jesus to impute our sins to Him and die for us only in order to save us. We realize that there is a purpose in saving us by giving even the life of his Son, and we come to realize that there is a purpose in God's salvation. In this way, the purpose of creating us and the purpose of saving us can be clearly found in the cross. Just as a screw must be used to tighten a watch, humans can distinguish good people from bad people depending on whether they live according to the purpose of their creation.
When we live according to this standard set by God, we can become good people before God. But we can live like this only when God changes us. God can use even useless humans to be useful in this world, but this is only possible for those who have accepted the love of the cross.
B. By the Holy Spirit
It is not easy to realize the cruelty of the meaning of the cross in this day and age. It was almost impossible in the context of the time to believe that it was the Son of God who died under these horrendous death sentences. It is impossible for a natural person to believe this fact with common sense, but it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can accept this gospel. It is only the work of the Holy Spirit that can hold on to our faith in Jesus as our hope and reason for our true life.
Ⅱ. Purpose of giving the Holy Spirit: to make known grace
The reason that God's wisdom was made known only through the power of the Holy Spirit, not through human wisdom, is the wisdom of God who wants to know that all these are grace. In other words, God's wonderful wisdom is not only in the gospel, but also in the way he makes the gospel known. It is through the Holy Spirit that the wisdom of God is believed. No, it's not that you believe, you know because you believe.
Then, why aren't we overflowing with joy about the gospel of God now? Did you realize the reason for human existence at the cross and are you now full of joy because of that love? This joy is only possible when we understand the meaning of the cross more deeply through the Holy Spirit. Because daily repentance through the cross is possible only when the Holy Spirit works, we must pray with all our hearts that the Holy Spirit will work powerfully on our souls and on the souls of our neighbors. If the sword is the word of God, the hand of the general who wields the sword is the Holy Spirit. When the sword is held in the general's hand and swung vigorously, souls are struck by the sword and bleed and repent. Only when the Holy Spirit works strongly in us can we receive this great wisdom of God and live a life full of vitality. 2008-08-13