Let Us Determine….

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ,
and him crucified.” 1 Cor. 2:2

If we are a Christian, then I think we would be wise to determine the same as the Apostle Paul; that is, not to know any thing except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Why? Because the Gospel is quite simple: Jesus came, and was crucified for sinners. Yes, in His resurrection, His testimony is sure, but that was the evidence of our elder brother and of Whom we had a good report. If we are a Christian, the Father drew us to Him as a sinner; such was our innermost knowledge of the depth and ugliness of our sin that when we heard this wonderful message, we came before Him in brokenness, then praise and thankfulness. Incredibly we learned inwardly that God, our Father, loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son that even I could believe in Him; not to perish, but to have everlasting life.   

Such a glorious message is meant to be simple and to be kept simple. We must determine, as the Apostle Paul, to place it central to all that we are and where we are headed during our journey home. Jesus Christ, and him crucified, is the cornerstone; not only of His church, but for the Holy Spirit to correctly interpret and apply the Word to our lives. For example, I often hear people refer to Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is a verse named, claimed, and in the absence of faith, sometimes blamed against those who do not receive what it was that they hoped. However, and I ask this with all humility, what has happened to ‘Thy will, oh Lord; not my will be done?’ Consider also the verse that follows Hebrew 11:1, “For by it the elders obtained a good report.” The reference to ‘a good report,’ is in accordance with Vine’s Expository Dictionary, ‘to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration.’ It’s the manifestation of our faith that affirms our testimony; bearing witness that we have rightly divided the Word of God; asked and received in accordance with God’s will. In this, is there a good report of us to be heard?

Moreover, when we determine to keep it simple; that is, not to know any thing among what others might believe; save Jesus Christ, and him crucified, we sidestep the sectarianism that exists today. In Paul’s day the Corinthians disputed who followed whom: Apollos or Paul. Are we any different? No. When we add to the Gospel any thing except Jesus Christ, and him crucified, we may find ourselves inquiring more about the church one goes to, maybe the name of the one that is followed; such as, Hinn, Osteen, Graham, MacArthur, or Warren. I personally tend to mention Sproul, Edwards and Calvin too often. Now, I realize that it is human nature to try to identify what the other person is all about and what they might believe, but that potential conflict would be reduced considerably if we simply asked, ‘what is the substance of your hope?’ If the response is, ‘Jesus and him crucified’ what can you say? To raise any other concern above that response subordinates the Gospel message to empty doctrine. I say empty because Jesus Christ, and him crucified, is all and fills all doctrine. Yes, we may find eventual differences; even possibly those fakers, but once we determine that our message and faith is in Jesus Christ, yes, and Him crucified, we are called to love the other. We must consider that the Apostle Paul didn’t say the Corinthians weren’t believers; despite their problems with sexual improprieties and mishandling of the gifts; nor should we do so, even though we know sin and a lack of understanding exists. The Corinthians were young, yes, but Paul determined to keep it very simple, and in doing so, God used him mightily. Can we determine the same?