The church has been entrusted with a treasure - the gospel - which must be guarded carefully and faithfully. Otherwise we will be found unfaithful when Christ comes again. We are stewards of this pearl of great price and we must never alter it no matter how much pressure people with itching ears crave another gospel.
When Paul tells us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, he means that the very essence and depth of the sinner's being is corrupted so that the mind is darkened, blinded, and broken. It cannot process God's Revelation to us and twists His truth into a lie.
The world's wisdom is foolishness to God. If we are going to be wise in God's real wisdom, we must be willing to be regarded as fools by the world.
Faith is a gift from God given when He makes us new creations. Faith embraces the wisdom of God even though the world calls it foolishness. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Man the sinner cannot and will not believe God's Word.
The wisdom of God, the truth of Christ and His Word and gospel, is only seen and heard by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. A real Christian is a person who had heard Christ, who has learned Christ, who has been taught Christ - all by the life-working work of the Holy Spirit. Apart from this spiritual work in us by the Spirit, we would never HEAR Christ.
We must be careful to build Christ's church upon the one true foundation - which is Jesus Christ. And we must be careful to add to that foundation by the foolishness of the message preached - Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We must never mingle the wisdom or methods of the world with the gospel.
The Lord blinds, hardens, and strikes down evil rulers who mock Him. We see this pattern repeatedly in Scripture.
Christ and Him crucified is the foundation of the church and we must be very, very careful to build upon that foundation and no other. It is sadly possible for a Christian to work very diligently, perhaps even effecting huge "results," when at the Day of the Lord it all goes up in smoke.
Many people are wondering today if we are in the last days? The Bible says that we are - that this era between the resurrection of Christ and the Return of Christ is the Last Days. But there are also signs that indicate Christ's return in approaching closer.
Paul continues to admonish the Corinthians for their arrogance which had produced quarreling and factions in the church.
