Today we are continuing our processing through the book of 1 Corinthians. We’re going to jump right in to a conversation:
Describe your hometown.
Descriptions are interesting. If you were describing a person, you would rarely mention the things that most people have—arms, legs, eyes, and ears. Instead, you’d generally describe what makes them different: hairstyle, whether they’re tall or short, how they dress, what their personality is like. Did you notice this in the descriptions of our hometowns? Did people describe them by pointing out the differences?
Pointing out the differences is a powerful tool for description used in 1 Corinthians over and over again. Today we’re focusing on the Spirit, and how a person is different when they are connected with the Spirit of God. Notice the differences that Paul points out:
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)
Paul is waving his arms, asking us to look and see the difference. The Holy Spirit can help us be different. Hold on to that thought.
This letter was written to believers in Corinth. The city of Corinth was packed with differences. Because of its geography, it was a key port city and a major crossroads between east and west. It was a place where so many different kinds of people came together: rich and poor, slave and free, merchants and sailors and travelers and soldiers, tradespeople and immigrants. And these people were from everywhere; there were Greeks and Romans, Jews and Syrians, Egyptians, and more. And that means there were also diverse beliefs, from traditional Greek or Roman gods to emperor worship to Jewish beliefs to countless imported religious practices.
Into all of this, Paul came on his second missionary journey. Let’s review who Paul was.
Paul’s Jewish name was Saul. He was born in Tarsus, a major city in Cilicia (Acts 21:39). He was a Roman citizen, which gave him unique access and legal standing throughout the Roman Empire (Acts 22:25–29). Paul had a Jewish background; he was a Pharisee, trained under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). And he was a passionate persecutor of Christians; he opposed the early church and participated in persecution (Acts 7:58; 8:1–3). Then Saul/Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19) and was radically transformed, going from persecuting Christians to proclaiming Jesus (Acts 9:20–22). Paul had a specific calling: Jesus identified him as a chosen instrument to carry the gospel to Gentiles, kings, and Israel (Acts 9:15). After Barnabas brought Paul to the apostles and later sought him out in Tarsus (Acts 9:27; 11:25–26), he was sent by the Holy Spirit: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2).
Like Paul, whose name was changed from Saul, there are others in Scripture whose names were changed. Here are some examples:
Abram to Abraham: God changed his name as a sign of His covenant and promise that he would become the father of many nations. (Genesis 17:5)
Sarai to Sarah: Her name was changed as part of God’s covenant promise concerning her role as the mother of nations. (Genesis 17:15–16)
Jacob to Israel: God gave Jacob a new name after he wrestled with God, marking a significant turning point in his life. (Genesis 32:28)
Naomi to Mara: Naomi asked to be called Mara (“bitter”) because of the suffering and loss she had experienced. (Ruth 1:20)
Simon to Peter: Jesus gave Simon the name Peter (“rock”), pointing toward his future role among Jesus’ disciples. (John 1:42)
One thing I love about the Saul/Paul name change is that it kind of just happened. Luke begins using “Paul” as his Gentile missionary ministry expands (Acts 13:9). But you can see how it represents change. As Saul, his life and efforts and identity and focus were all in and toward the Jewish world. But as Paul, his life and efforts and identity and focus were all in and toward connecting the Gentiles to Jesus.
When we describe things, we focus on what’s different. And Saul/Paul personally went through a radical personal change of focus. “Different” happened!
Like Paul, we all experience moments that can cause significant change, whether those are major life transitions, failure or success, loss and pain, crisis, opportunity, changes in relationship or environment, moments of realization or new perspective, or just a desire for something different.
I’m going to give you a moment to tell your story. What moments like this have you had?
When have you significantly changed? And how did people’s description of you change?
Now, change is complicated. Paul talked about change in another letter he wrote, this one to the church in Galatia. Paul wrote Galatians because the people in the church there were struggling with what Christian freedom actually meant. They had been taught that faith in Christ was enough, but some were being persuaded that they also needed to follow Jewish law, especially circumcision, to truly belong to God’s people. Paul spent much of Galatians arguing that we are made right with God through faith in Christ, not by keeping the law. But with all this grace that we’re given, how are we supposed to live? Freedom doesn’t mean permission to do whatever. We are to live differently! Grace plus change.
If we don’t give it any effort and just let our fleshly desires run free, the results might look like this:
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
But instead, Paul says, we are to let the fruit of the Spirit reign in how we live:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
It’s a change, to love from self-centeredness; to joy from discontent; to peace from conflict; to patience from impatience; to kindness from indifference; to goodness from corruption; to faithfulness from unreliability; to gentleness from harshness; to self-control from self-indulgence.
How do we do this? We might expect Paul to give us more rules at this point, but he doesn’t. Instead, he gives this answer:
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)
That’s it. Keep the Spirit central.
How do we know if we’re keeping in step with the Spirit? Jesus used the picture of fruit to help us understand:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” (Matthew 7:15-17)
Am I keeping in step with the Spirit? You will be able to tell by my actions—by the fruit.
Jesus also said this:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:1-4)
This means that in order to keep in step with the Spirit, I need the Spirit’s help.
Let’s put it all together. We talked about how differences are an important tool for description, and about how we know if we’re keeping in step with the Spirit by looking at our fruit. We also saw that we need the Spirit’s help to keep in step with the Spirit. So let’s talk about this:
What stands out in a person who is seeking to be led by the Spirit—not just in what they do, but in who they are?
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, immediately after writing about the fruit of the Spirit, he highlights our relationships with one another:
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2)
We are to help each other out!
As we put all of these ideas together and think about keeping in step with the Spirit, I want to give you a moment to process or meditate individually. You might even write out your thoughts.
How is walking in step with the Spirit impacting who I am, what I do, and how I relate to others?
Now let’s talk for a moment:
What is the value of walking in step with the Spirit?
(How does it change a person’s actions? How does it change a person’s thinking?)
Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth:
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-4)
Paul is saying that it’s not about him. It’s not about what teacher you listen to. It’s not about him being convincing or impressive. In fact, he was not eloquent or polished. No, faith in Jesus doesn’t rest on human wisdom but on the power of God. Faith in Jesus wasn’t up to Paul, and the Spirit is here to help.
Let’s process for a moment. If the Spirit reveals the things of God and enables us to understand spiritual truth, then what do you need to prayerfully ask for help with? Just like it wasn’t all up to Paul, it’s not all up to us. The Spirit is here to help.
If the Spirit reveals the things of God and enables us to understand spiritual truth, what do you need to ask the Spirit to help you process and/or understand?
We have said that the Spirit makes us different. I want to highlight three things that happen in relationship with the Spirit, two from what Paul says in Romans and the last one from our text for today from 1 Corinthians 2.
First, the Spirit dwells in us.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:11)
The Spirit is in us to reveal the things God has prepared for us, search all things, know the thoughts of God, help us understand what God has freely given us, teach us, enable us to discern spiritual things, and give us the mind of Christ.
The Spirit dwelling in us—that’s different!
The second thing that happens is that the Spirit sets us apart as children of God.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” (Romans 8:14-15)
A child of God is led by the Spirit, free from fear, in relationship with God as Father, and an heir of God and co-heir with Christ.. It means having assurance that we belong to God, sharing in Christ’s sufferings, and sharing in His glory.
Being a child of God—that’s different!
The third and last one is that the Spirit gives us the mind of Christ.
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)
Someone without the Spirit considers the things of God foolishness and can’t understand them. But feel the difference—someone with the Spirit can understand and discern the things of God, and has the mind of Christ.
Having great understanding and insight and perspective with the Spirit—that’s different!
So once again, the Spirit dwells in us, the Spirit sets us up as children of God, and the Spirit gives us insight into the things of God. Let’s process this for a moment and put it into our own words.
What happens when we live by the power of the Spirit?
In this series, we are asking again and again, What is at the center?
Paul calls out several things in this letter, all of which are not intended to be scolding the symptoms but instead focusing on what is underneath that—what is actually at the center of our lives.
Today, Paul starts to build this foundation that he talks about over and over in all his letters: The Spirit of God lives in you. The Spirit sets you apart as a child of God. The Spirit will give you deep insight in how to live in relationship with God.
We’re going to close with a final question—what is key for you in being more Spirit-led? Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians give me focus:
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
Let’s talk:
What is key for you in being more Spirit-led?
Take It Deeper Questions
Read 1 Corinthians 2:1–16.
What kinds of people, abilities, or accomplishments tend to impress you? Why?
Paul says he didn’t have everything figured out when he came to Corinth. How does this challenge what we assume someone used by God should look like?
How does it challenge how and when you can be used by God?
Paul says the Spirit helps us understand what God has freely given us. How have you seen this?
What do you think it means for us to have “the mind of Christ”? How could that change the way we see ourselves and one another?
Bible Reading Plan
1 Corinthians 2 • Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit
Luke 4 • Jesus Empowered by the Spirit
Acts 4 • Courage and Words from the Spirit
Acts 13 • Directed by the Spirit
Romans 8 • The Spirit Helps Us in Our Weakness
Galatians 5 • Character Formed by the Spirit