(These are notes from a message I shared at Pastor Roger Legg's church in Ohio).
"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:17,18, NKJV).
..."to preach the Gospel": Paul defines the Gospel in 1 Cor. 15:1-5 as being the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. And this message is declared by Paul to be the power of God, to those of us who are being saved. But to those who are perishing it is foolishness. The word "perishing" in the Greek is;
#622 - apollumi {ap-ol'-loo-mee}
from 575 and the base of 3639; TDNT - 1:394,67; v
AV - perish 33, destroy 26, lose 22, be lost 5, lost 4, misc 2; 92
1) to destroy 1a) to put out of the way entirely.
And comes from two words;
#575 - apo {apo'}
1) of separation
1c) of any kind of separation of one thing from another by
which the union or fellowship of the two is destroyed.
#3639 olethros {ol'-eth-ros}
AV - destruction 4; 4
1) ruin, destroy, death
So to those who are lost in the realm of death, or those who are not in union with, or in fellowship with Christ, think this message of the cross to be foolishness.
But to those who are being saved it is the "POWER OF GOD".
Most Christians think that the message of the cross is for the unsaved only; but this is not at all what Paul is talking about.
Paul is writing to the church at Corinth, these are Christians he is writing to. He is saying, I didn't come to give you a fancy message all dressed up, but to give you a message that will bring full salvation.
Salvation is a ongoing process, your spirit gets saved at the new birth, then your soul starts the process of getting saved, then your body will be saved. You were saved, you are being saved, you shall be saved.
Peter says it like this: "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:9, KJV).
The writer of Hebrews sums it up with this statement: "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:39, KJV).
Also: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (SOULS)" (Hebrews 12:2-3, KJV).
Jesus is the beginning and the end of our faith. We start at the cross and we finish at the cross. We must consider HIM, i.e. the work of the cross, for it is there that we find the power to bring us to full salvation.
1Cor. 1:24 ..."Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16, KJV).
The Gospel is: (#1) the power of God, (#2) to salvation, (#3) for everyone who believes.
It must be believed, but in order for it to be believed it must be understood. We must understand the Gospel, then we must believe the Gospel, then we will be changed by the Gospel.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23, KJV).
Paul's blessing and admonition is for us that God will 'set you apart perfectly and completely in all respects'. Set us apart in spirit, soul and body. These are the 3 realms that He is working on.
We are to be reconciled to God, and I believe we are to do this in all three realms of spirit, soul and body.
Reconcile is 'to return to favor with', we are to return to favor with God in all areas of our life.
Spiritually speaking I have been reconciled to God, and God to me; but in my soul I know there are some areas that still need reconciling. There is still some darkness in my soul, or else I would be perfectly expressing the nature of Christ, I need my soul to be reconciled to God.
"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life" (Romans 5:10, KJV).
We have been reconciled to God through the death of Christ.
Why were we reconciled to God through death?
Because death removed everything that was wrong with us!
And the death of Christ will remove the death that is still in our souls. We were dead in trespasses and sins before Christ, and there is still some of that death working in us, and it must be removed. And it will be removed by the death of Christ.
Num. 16:44-48
I am seeing a picture of the death of Christ bringing reconciliation to the people. The lord in his anger is going to consume the people through a plague. [Adam sinned and brought sin and death to all people, this plague of sin and death is going to destroy all people.] Aaron takes a censer and gets fire from the alter, puts on incense, and stands between the people thereby stopping the plague of death. [The fire from the alter is the finished work of Christ, carried in a brass censer {judgment} The finished work held in judgment mixed with praise and worship from the finished work is put between man {the dead} and God {the living} and reconciles them together again.
Ps.85:
Is a picture of salvation coming to us in all three realms. In vrs. 1-3 we see salvation of the spirit, vrs. 4-8 salvation has to be seen in the soul, vrs. 9-13 salvation comes to the body- the land will yield it's increase.
Isa. 12:1-3
Christ is our salvation! We must draw our water out of the wells of salvation; the water in wells come from deep within the earth, speaking of the death of christ. The 12 wells of Elim in Ex. 15:27 speak of the work of Christ.
"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight" (Colossians 1:21-22, KJV).
........"in His body of flesh through means of His death." -Rhm
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24, KJV).
Why? Because the death removed all that was negative in you.
"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Philippians 3:10, KJV).
......."as to be continuously transformed by His death- in the hope of attaining, in some measure- the resurrection that lifts me out from among the dead" -Wms
Amplified is good too.
"But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10, KJV).
....."has rendered death ineffectual"- Ber
....."has put a stop to the power of death"- Wms
....."has broken the power the power of death"- Neb
....."has made an end of death"- TCNT
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15, KJV).
....."in order that by death he might render powerless him whose power lies in death that is the Devil"- TCNT
....."so that through death he might break the power of him who had death at his command"- NEB
....."He might paralyze him that held the dominion of death, that is the Adversary"- Rhm
....."so that by dying he might crush him who wields the power of death"- Mof
....."in order that by his death he might dethrone....the lord of death....who had the authority over death"
"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18, KJV).
Christ was dead.... Now He is alive and has the keys of death. Christ conquered death by His death and resurrection!
RHM
1997