Knowing Christ: A Meditation on 1st Corinthians 2

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, 

declaring unto you the testimony of God.

For I determined not to know any thing among you, 

save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, 

but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, 

but in the power of God.

The city of Corinth, to whom St. Paul is writing and a place he had previously visited in his missionary journeys, was as cosmopolitan as any of the great cities of antiquity, and would find kinship with modern seaside cities like New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle, where the confluence of travel, politics, education, and trade made them known for prosperity and sophistication.  Corinth was a wealthy city with prestigious citizenry who had been exposed to much of what transited the Mediterranean Sea, and were accustomed to the eloquence of those who brought their philosophies and theologies from far and wide.

The church in Corinth was having problems, not least of which were divisions driven by different political factions whose charismatic and articulate leaders wooed people into rival camps.  Rather than descending into endless debate with all these emerging sectarians on the basis of human philosophy, Paul chooses instead to stand on the Word and witness of Christ.  This witness, without the pomp and heraldry of soaring rhetoric or clever sophistry, is what converted and transformed the hearts of the Corinthian Christians in the beginning, and it is what Paul returns to in order to reach them again.  Paul was certainly well educated, and from his references elsewhere in the New Testament, we know that he was quite knowledgeable of Greek and Roman writings, methods, and practices.  If anyone was qualified to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ and turn it into a sophisticated systematic theology full of philosophical rigors and references, it was St. Paul.

But that's not what he did.  Unlike so many church growth gurus and self important academics in our age (and perhaps the Scholastics and Rationalists of every age) who hock endless programs and books meant to reach the latest target demographics, Paul was determined to know nothing but Christ, and Him crucified for the sins of the world.  There would be no complicated surveys and analyses of what the seekers were seeking, or what programs the pagans were interested in; no paid consultants sent in to borrow the church's watch so as to tell it the time; no complicated or expensive materials to buy from some particular publishing house, sure to pack the pews and offering plates.  Paul didn't mess with any of that crap which modern denominations and hierarchies spend countless resources on today, and we should take notice-- the greatest missionary in the history of the world was determined to know nothing but Christ crucified.

But of course, this points to the faith of St. Paul which is so terribly lacking in our day, even among those who dress in churchy clothes and prance about doing churchy things.  Paul knew that the Word of God is what made and sustains the world, until that same Word comes to end the world in fiery judgment.  He knew that the omnipotent and eternal Word of God was made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, and that this Jesus died and rose again so that everyone might live in Him forever.  He knew the Word of God had overcome sin, death, hell, and the devil, and promised the fruits of that victory to everyone who would abide in Him by grace through faith.  He knew that when Jesus as the very Word of God was preached to dead and dying sinners, God's Spirit used that Gospel Word to give them faith, forgive them, and raise them up unto eternal life.  He knew that the promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation which the Word of Christ bound to the earthly elements of people preaching and teaching, Baptismal water, Eucharistic bread and wine, and proclaimed Absolution, were as powerful to accomplish their ends as the Word of Christ was when it established the universe.  Paul knew that the way to know Christ was by the Word of Christ, so that all who might hear, repent, believe, and abide in His Word would also abide in Him forever.

That's the kind of confidence no human philosophy, program, or systematic theology can give, no matter how complex, sophisticated, or popular it may be.  Where human knowledge always fails at the limits of its fallen capacities, the Word of Christ endures steadfast and sure.  Have you been deluded by the endless machinations of those who sell the latest fads and systems for revival of the church and the world?  Have you finally seen the vapid ends of hoping in politics and consultants to save your nation, your community, your family, or yourself?  Have you finally wearied of endless studies and surveys which would somehow teach you the perfect way to manipulate your neighbor toward your ends?  Be of good cheer, dear Christian, for Christ did not come to torment you with any of these things.  Like the people in the Church at Corinth, it was never their business, or politics, or education, or pleasurable diversions which raised them from the dead and gave them eternal life-- only the Word of Christ can do that, and only the Word of Christ continues to do that.  The saving power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not found in the works or thoughts or swelling words of men, but in the living Word of Christ crucified for you.  Hear Him calling to you today.  Repent, believe, and live.  Amen.