In this episode, we unpack the profound spiritual insights from 1 Corinthians Chapter 2. Reflect on the journals of Alan J. Huth and explore the Triple I Doctrine, which underscores the divine inspiration and inerrance of Scripture. Embrace a journey of faith that’s built on the power and wisdom imparted by the Holy Spirit.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 03 :
Today we are in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. It’s a short chapter, only 16 verses, and we’ll listen to our guest reader, Dr. Michael Elliott, my former pastor and and Chairman of the Board of the Ezra Project for 14 years, Dr. Elliott, as he reads 1 Corinthians chapter 2.
SPEAKER 02 :
1 Corinthians chapter 2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling. And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstrations of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith may not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret, hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” But it is written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him. These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thought except the spirit of that person which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, I wish it were so that I could have the mind of Christ. That’s what I wrote in my journal in 1994 after reading this chapter. And then I wrote, stay focused, know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Faith rests on the power of God. Those were my journal entries in 1994. In 2004, I read 1 Corinthians 1 through 4 on the same day, but I did highlight a couple of verses in chapter 2. I wrote, Paul taught, not with fancy words, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. He boldly proclaims, we have the mind of Christ. Wow! And in 2015, I read 1 Corinthians 2 and 3 on the same day, and I wrote, Paul did not persuade people to become Christians. He demonstrated the Spirit and power of God by faith. In witnessing, this is important. I will not convince someone to become a Christian. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. I provide witness and testify of my own salvation and watch the Holy Spirit do the work, not the wisdom of men. And then I wrote, I long to have the mind of Christ. I pray for it often, especially related to Gideon discussions and the Ezra project. Paul opens chapter 2 with this persuasive argument, though he says he didn’t come proclaiming with great speech, lofty speech, or great wisdom. He does articulate his point very, very well, doesn’t he? He says, He goes on to say, And as I wrote in one of my journals, that is so important. It is not our eloquency that’s going to convince someone to come to saving faith in Christ. It is the power of God. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to draw them into faith in Christ. I am so thankful that it’s not on my eloquent words that eternity depends for someone’s life. And it’s amazing that the great apostle Paul understood the very same thing. Paul is clear what we do share with people. He continues on in this chapter and he says, “…yet among the mature we do impart wisdom.” Although it is not a wisdom of this age or the rulers of this age, we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. And then he quotes Isaiah 64, 4. As it is written, What no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him. And then he continues, these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. So we can share with people, from a spiritual perspective, the wisdom that God gives us as we open our mouth and proclaim testimony for Him. And here’s a great verse to remember, verse 11. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. And Paul continues, And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. What do I get out of all this? God calls us to be witnesses. There’s no question about that in Scripture. But we have to be discerning. If God has not prepared the heart of the person we’re sharing with, it will be folly to them. What we have to share is spiritual. And if they are not spiritually prepared, they cannot receive it. So if you begin to get in a conversation with someone and it appears that they’re rejecting everything, probably it’s best to just stop and wait for a better time. And that’s why prayer is so important as we intend to share spiritually with someone. Pray that the Spirit draws them. Pray that the Spirit opens their heart to the things that are spiritual. And then Paul finishes this chapter with this incredible statement, but we have the mind of Christ. Oh, I want that, Lord. Oh, I pray for that. Father, help me have the mind of Christ. I can’t even comprehend what that statement means, Lord, but you said it here in your word that we can have the mind of Christ, so we pray it so. We ask humbly that you impart to us the mind of Christ. so that we can be ambassadors for you, we can be witnesses for you, we can speak spiritually on your behalf to those who need to hear spiritual truth. Father, by faith we ask for the mind of Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to AdBible. Though the Bible can be read at the speed I’m speaking in about 78 hours, surveys show we don’t read it. How many of you have ever read the Bible cover to cover? How many have tried and failed? I want to encourage you to try it again. I want to share with you what I call the Triple I Doctrine and some powerful reasons to stay in your Bible daily. I begin with a verse from 2 Peter 1.21. But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. That’s how we got the Bible. The Holy Spirit moved holy men of God to write it, all of it. Because he did, we can now look at the Triple I Doctrine, the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. But what do these terms mean? Inspired means God breathed. 2 Timothy 3.16 says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God. What does infallible mean? It means no potential or ability to err. Totally reliable. It cannot contradict itself. And Hebrews 6.18 says, It is impossible for God to lie. And the last one is inerrant. What does that mean? It means it’s technically correct. It’s free from falsehood and deceit. Wholly true. It’s doctrine. It’s history. It’s science. It’s geography. And Matthew 5.18 says, For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. And Revelation 22, 18 and 19 say, For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. So the Triple I Doctrine is reason enough to be in God’s Word each day. But in case you need more encouragement, here are three more thoughts. First, improve your spiritual maturity. According to Barna Research, of the seven dimensions in which Americans were asked to rate their faith maturity, Bible knowledge ranked dead last. So if you want to improve your spiritual maturity, stay in God’s Word daily. Number two is develop a dynamic relationship with God. Dr. Woodrow Kroll, former president of Back to the Bible, wrote a book called Taking Back the Good Book. He said, When people tire of reading the Bible, it’s because they read it for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way. They read the Bible to gain knowledge, store facts, or pick up a few principles to live by. When you see the Bible as a means to a dynamic relationship with God, you can’t get enough of it because you can’t get enough of Him. And the third thought is to be transformed. Don’t read the Bible to be informed. Read it to be transformed. And I’m going to share a fun little story with you about being transformed by the Word of God. It’s about an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early, sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old, worn-out Bible. His grandson, who wanted to be just like him, tried to imitate him in any way he could. One day the grandson asked, Papa, I try to read the Bible, just like you, but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do? The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water. The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, You’ll have to move a little faster next time and send him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, I don’t want a bucket of water. I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re just not trying hard enough. And he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather, the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, See, Papa, it’s useless. So you think it’s useless, the old man said. Look at the basket. The boy looked at the basket, and for the first time, he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. Son, that’s what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, But when you read it, it will change you from the inside out. So read the Bible so you can improve your spiritual maturity, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed, not informed. The Bible came to us from the Holy Spirit, directed by holy men of God. The Triple I Doctrine reminds us it’s inspired, God-breathed, infallible, without error, and inerrant, technically correct, and wholly true. Read it to grow spiritually, develop a dynamic relationship with God, and be transformed. I know you’re going to like it and want to share it with others.
