he has nothing to prevent much fear and trem bling. God has so “ unlearned” the Apostle of his worldly wisdom that he fears and trembles lest the people sense anything of the artistic or the ora torical in his presence or presentation. Paul dared not seek to make the Cross acceptable to Corinthian taste and preference lest their faith stand in the wisdom of men and not in the power of God. Paul preached the Cross in all its bald, unadorned reality —just the mean, plain, helpless, foolish message of a crucified Nazarene. Paul could say with heavenly old John Woodman, “ I was jealous o f myself lest I should say anything to make my testimony look agreeable with that mind in the people which is not in pure obedience to the Cross of Christ.” Paul would agree with John Colvin that “ the knowledge of all the sciences is mere smoke where the heavenly science is wanting, and man with all his acuteness is as stupid for obtaining of himself a knowledge of the mysteries of God as an ass is unqualified for understanding musical harmonies.” Paul embodied his message, and therein he had God’s secret weapon. As to method and message he followed his Master. He who preached Christ crucified was himself crucified to the world, to its ways, to its wisdom — crucified together with Christ. He counted the world’s wisdom but refuse and folly; he feared and trembled lest he conceal the naked Cross, or so smother its cutting power in the flowers of oratorical eloquence that he would make the Cross of Christ of none effect. Paul sank himself into such full fellowship with Christ cru cified that he embodied the foolishness o f God and the weakness of God. He was foolishness personi fied, foolishness two-fold — “the foolishness of the message and the weakness o f the messenger” (Fox). The clever Corinthians stumbled over him and even questioned his apostleship. To them he was only an ugly little Jew, whose presence was weak and whose speech was contemptible— a man without purse, without power, and without the art of oratory. To God, however, he was a vessel unto honor, a vessel in which He could conceal His treasure, hide His power, and pour forth His might. The writer was once asked to speak at a Young People’s Camp. It was apparent very early that some of the leaders were fearing the message of the Cross, but, thank God, the atmosphere cleared after the first few days. At the close of the mom- Conttnued on page 39 t h e k in g ' s b u s in e s s
A f u n d a m e n t a l p r e a c h e r goes over this country visiting the various centers of Christian edu cation, and returns to lament “the second-rate men God is using to get His work done.” Does this poor fellow not know that God’s work has ever been done through weapons of weakness ? It has scarcely dawned upon him that the Church may still be full of men “ too many, too mighty, and too wise” for God to work deliverance; and Heaven must there fore set about to lessen, to weaken, and to impov erish. This man’s surprise over the second-rate men God is using was well rebuked by Professor Denney a half-century ago: “ Perhaps this is not so alarming as the clever people think. There always have been men in the world so clever that God could make no use of them; they could never do His work, because they were so lost in ad miration of their own. But God’s work never depended on them, and it does not depend on them now.” It is much easier to stand up for Christ than to be identified with Him. Most leaders o f God’s young people are strong for Christ, but they are not yet “weak with Christ.” His weakness they fear and refuse, yet it is this very weakness that opens the door to Heaven’s power. Little wonder that without this power there is such a scramble for the help of the world, the patronage of its princes, the loan of its resources, and the use of its wisdom. Remember, the early church employed none of these. Come to Corinth and listen to the apostle Paul. Facing that carnal and conceited world, he knew that he did not have “what it takes.” Hear him confess, “ I was with you in weakness and in fear, and in much trembling . . . That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power o f God . . . I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him cru cified” (I Cor. 2:3, 5, 2). Over against the Apostle’s confession, let us set forth the reasonings of modem orthodoxy were it facing the evangelization of Corinth: We need a strong man for Corinth. Paul has been brought up at the feet of Gamaliel. He has what it takes — is second to none. He can stand on any Corinthian platform and face the people fearlessly and with out apology. Paul is just the man to send to Corinth. But I hear Paul confess in no mock humility that 36
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