Come Follow Me LDS- 1 Corinthians 1-7 Part 1

'The Wise & The Foolish'
- The wisdom of the world vs. the wisdom of God
- 'Mysteries' of 'The Beginning' and 'The Temple'
- Paul makes Higher & Lower Law parallels
- 'Weakness' in the world is a strength

 

 Come Follow Me

LDS Mormon New Testament 1 Corinthians Bible

 

in this episode we're going to talk

about the wise and the foolish here we

go so in this episode as we go through

the letter to the Corinthians the

Epistle to the Corinthians much of the

theme here that we're covering is

something that we've been covering from

the very beginning which is the higher

and the lower laws and he compares this

in several different ways that you're

going to identify and you're gonna see

this we've seen this in acts with Paul

we've seen this in the Epistle to the

Romans we just went over we see it

throughout all of the epistles of Paul

where we get the higher and the lower

laws working sometimes together but

usually it's the conflict that we have

it's the carnal side which tries to go

and be more important more

valuable higher in the values hierarchy

and the law of the higher law being

lowered and what Paul is trying to do is

trying to reverse that he's trying to

put the spiritual above the carnal and

again there are a lot of things that are

compared to the carnal there are

temporal things there are checklists the

letter of the law money and physical

temporal economy as compared to a

spiritual economy and what Paul is

trying to say here is that look a lot of

these things are weak and we how we've

gone over weaknesses and the letter of

the Epistle to the Romans he continues

that theme here and talks about weakness

actually being a strength weakness in

terms of a mortal weakness that is being

here on earth with weaknesses that might

hold you back some

from being mightier or being in royalty

or being part of the courts and the

inner circle in civilization

so weakness could be something where

you're poor weakness can be a health

issues weakness can be that you're an

outsider you're an outcast perhaps Paul

is trying to gather this and say look

these are strengths because you're more

open to the spiritual law to the higher

law going through 1st Corinthians

reminds me a lot about Alma teaching the

poor that were outcasts among the 0s or

mites remember when they're in the in

their synagogues in their churches they

are very grandiose in how grateful they

are for everything that they have and

the position in life where they've been

elevated in a mortal world in a carnal

sense and yet here are the people

outside that are outcasts because of

their poverty or their weakness are the

ones that Alma ends up going to and he's

actually grateful that they're in that

position because they're going to be

more open to receiving the gospel and so

that weakness actually becomes a

strength of course in the Book of Mormon

as with all of us it's a point of are we

able to stay that way are we able to

stay humble even as we grow in the

principles of the gospel and better

ourselves that's the key the conflict

can you keep both things going so his

first point to them really is about

divisions about how of course you've got

the Jews on one side you've got the

Greeks on the other or the Gentiles and

then other divisions among them where

they are kind of following different

ideas or different they all have

different values hierarchies what is

more important to them is it about the

resurrection is it about the crucifixion

is that the teachings of Peter is it the

teachings of Paul is it the teacher

of Apollo's and so inevitably this is

what always happens in all organizations

you end up with divisions things start

to break apart and so this is what he

says in verse 10 now I beseech you

brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus

Christ that ye all speak the same thing

and that there be no divisions among you

but that ye be perfectly joined together

in the same mind and in the same

judgment remember how we've talked about

being in the same mind in the same heart

it's very different from being different

from each other there's an article out

on lds.org right now from elder soirees

that talks about this exact thing it's a

lot like the Rubik's Cube that we've

talked about we're all different that's

okay we need to blend together and make

each other strong with those differences

but that's not what's happening here at

Corinth and of course Paul's letters are

constantly trying to keep everything

together which is a very difficult thing

no social media no internet no phones no

easy communication even for the leaders

of the church at this time think about

that they're out Peters out here Paul's

out here Apollos out here you know

you're all over the place and you're

coming across these new issues within

the church how difficult is it to stay

on the same page we saw the conflict in

in the book of Acts where the issue of

circumcision just became a huge problem

in divided people for a while how do you

go out in a an evangelical preaching

missionary effort to different cities

different countries different

civilizations and try and keep

everything together on the same page you

know sometimes I think that might be the

only reason that the gospel in the last

days here is going to be able to make it

because as each dispensation moves along

the divisions come it breaks apart

and it just cannot be held together and

of course there's sin that is a big part

of that but I think that communication

might be a big issue with that - maybe

it's technology that actually does end

up saving the church in the end where we

are able to feel the support and the

Brotherhood and sisterhood of the entire

global church because of Technology so

Paul says look that I understand that

there's been contentions among you and

he says down here in verse 12 now this I

say that every one of you saith I am of

Paul and I of Apollo's and I have safest

which is Peter and I of Christ and then

he asks is Christ divided was Paul

crucified for you or were you baptized

in the name of Paul of course it's very

easy when you have a person that you're

learning from to elevate them too much

that's a problem you can see the cult of

personality a lot of churches are built

off of this cult of personality

especially cults are built off of a cult

of personality totalitarian regimes are

built off of a cult of personality they

have to be elevated to make things kind

of work in those civilizations and it's

easier for us to do that because we see

them we talk to them we hear them but

Paul here will have none of it and he's

saying no we need to keep Christ at the

top of the values hierarchy at all times

again this goes right toward the knee

whore principle even things like this

where individuals get elevated to high

like Moses for the Jews Christ has to

always be at the top of our values

hierarchy and then he goes into this

weakness and strengths here the weakness

of the individuals he's speaking to and

of really the path in a sense of

accepting the gospel versus those that

will not easily accept the guy

so for the Jews as an example he says

that they won a sign and it becomes a

stumbling block for them they don't have

the faith they are focused on the letter

of the law and of course the major sign

that Paul and everyone else is preaching

about in Christianity is the sacrifice

of Christ in Gethsemane his death and

then his resurrection so the Jews want

something more they want to see

something about this they want to put

the sign in front of faith that's the

problem that they're having it's very

similar to the Antichrist those that are

called Antichrist in the Book of Mormon

for example Korihor wanted a sign

now core whore was an atheist and so he

didn't have any faith in anything but

Sharom that comes to Jacob Sharom was a

believer in the lower law but not in the

higher law he did not believe in Christ

and he was the same way he required a

sign before faith and of course that

goes against everything in the plan of

salvation it goes against everything in

our personal progression if we can't

learn to trust in something something

that's true and lean on a principle then

we cannot progress and he's saying

that's where the Jews are right now at

this time that they're trying to preach

too and on the other side you have the

Greeks and their issue is they don't

think that this is wise right they're

too sophisticated

they look at this as foolishness because

in their schools of philosophy they have

developed their thought processes up to

a certain point and these things don't

jive together the gospel is too simple

and so in their own way they are missing

the mark right they're going beyond the

mark as well mentally so he says here in

verse 23 but we preach Christ crucified

unto the Jews a stumbling-block and unto

the Greeks foolishness

so it's kind of like giving us those two

areas like okay you're not willing to

trust you're not willing to put faith to

try and learn and grow and progress and

or you think you're too sophisticated

for this those are the two obstacles

those are the two sides in this case of

kind of the duplex of the great and

spacious building at this time among the

Christians it's the shame that's coming

from them from that building that of

course is elevated and that's the whole

point right that's what Lehigh is seeing

in that vision he's seeing the world

that is mighty and elevated and strong

while those that are weak so to speak as

Paul is speaking here going to the tree

of life and of course many fall away

from that because of a stumbling block

that is taught to them to not count on

their faith or its foolishness and you

should be ashamed and he says this

very interestingly he says in verse 26

for ye see your calling brethren how

that not many wise men after the flesh

not many mighty not many noble are

called and how true is that right those

that are strong in the sense of this

world we're all individuals we all have

our own agency we can all make our own

decisions so we don't want to just

classify everybody but generally

speaking it's the poor it's those that

are in a weakened position that look

more for God and that believe more

especially I think in Christianity it's

those that are willing to have faith and

we find that over and over again in the

scriptures just like with the Zoramites

it's not always the case but overall

with a large enough number a large

enough sample size that's what we see we

see the same thing in the world right

now where do we see the fastest growth

in the church it's not in the civil

that have advanced really far that are

mighty in the world the fastest-growing

areas are I believe are the Philippines

Latin America and Africa few other

pockets here and there right third world

countries places where there is not a

lot that are strong according to this

world and he says in verse 27 but God

hath chosen the foolish things of the

world to confound the wise and God hath

chosen the weak things of the world to

confound the things which are mighty we

think about the plain and simple things

that Nephi talks about or how about a

14-year old farm boy from upstate New

York and in fact we almost see this as a

calling card with a lot of the profits

and a lot of the principles that the

prophets and apostles talk about we hear

about Moses not being able to speak well

I often wonder about that if that's

really true or if that's just kind of a

thing that needs to be pointed out that

he's weak and in a sense that's a

calling card to those that are listening

that understand this kind of thing that

that makes him strong or Nephi in his

famous Psalm in the Book of Mormon

talking about how he is weak anyway just

seems to be a common thing that we get

with a number of the prophets and the

Apostles here in the scriptures and here

in chapter 2 this is almost how well if

this is how Paul opens up down here in

verse 3 says and I was with you in

weakness he is claiming this see he

wants people to know that as he's

talking about this weakness that he is

part of that that he's among that

weakness in a sense it's kind of like

saying that he is humble and that he has

problems and therefore he has something

higher that he has to call upon he says

and I was with you in weakness and in

fear and in much trembling and then he

says this and this is important for the

Greeks that are there with all of the

rhetoric and the philosophy and logic

that they

learn to argue with in their points you

imagine Paul coming to some of these

grief going to Athens and talking to

these individuals that are trained to

talk in a certain way and to win an

argument and here's what he says he says

and the end of my speech and my

preaching was not with enticing words of

man's wisdom that's exactly what he's

talking about but in demonstration of

the Spirit and of power and why does he

do that because in verse 5 he says that

your faith should not stand in the

wisdom of men but in the power of God

that's pretty powerful right he's not

trying to win an argument that is

oftentimes how we might discuss

something especially like religion he's

trying to teach with a spirit he's

trying to convert so your faith he says

should not stand in the wisdom of men so

I think we should be careful about who

we listen to and what narratives that

are being put out there in any realm

that we might think are wise and

contrast that with the spirit and in

verse 7 he says but we speak the wisdom

of God in a mystery it's a great word

look for that word throughout the

scriptures it's almost always tied to

the temple and specifically it's usually

tied to the Holy of Holies I can't

remember if I've talked about that

before but I'll take just a minute here

to talk about that he says but we speak

the wisdom of God in a mystery even the

hidden wisdom which God ordained before

the world unto our glory so it was

ordained before the world well where is

the beginning what do we talk about with

the beginning it's the sawed in Hebrew

it's the counsel in heaven in the

pre-existence that's part of what the

holy holy the holy of holies represents

that's where the mysteries were given in

this council and so if you read things

like job Nephi in many many other places

and you see the term

mysteries oftentimes what you're talking

about not directly but very closely

attached to the temple because the

temple is all about those mysteries back

in the Holy of Holies that were given in

the council in heaven their mysteries

because they're veiled behind the veil

in the Holy of Holies so the Greeks

would understand this very well because

in their temples they used the term

mysterion

and that meant the mysteries of their

own temples they know kind of what that

means that could include the ordinances

the covenants and all those things that

go along with what was revealed in that

council and then back down to the higher

in the lower laws all this weakness of

earthly weakness and spiritual

weakness and earthly strength and

spiritual strength it's all about kind

of this higher and lower law the

spiritual and the carnal he finishes up

with this we hear this term in that Book

of Mormon as well he says but the

natural man receiveth not the things of

the Spirit of God for they are

foolishness unto Him just like the

Greeks are saying neither can he know

them because they are spiritually

discerned

so the natural man what is the natural

man the natural man is us without the

spirit

it's the carnal and we use that term

carnal and a lot of times we think of

primarily lust which is probably the

major passion or carnal passion but

carnal really represents everything in

the lower law everything earthly and

that's what the natural man is of nature

of earthly nature and if we are residing

mentally emotionally spiritually down in

a lower law down in the natural man only

then we can't discern the spiritual

things we can't discern the mysteries we

can't really discern the plan and the

counsel that was given to us in the

pre-existence and all of the principles

that were laid out for us

including agency and sin and the fall

and the atonement and then in chapter 3

he brings us right back again to higher

and lower what is it he uses different a

different metaphor here but it's higher

lore we've heard this metaphor many

times other places it says in verse 1

and I brethren could not speak unto you

as unto spiritual but as unto carnal

even as unto babes in Christ so in other

words as if you don't have a full

understanding yet of the mysteries you

don't have a full understanding of the

gospel because obviously we don't throw

pearls before swine as we're told in the

Gospels that's inappropriate and it's

wrong for the listener to receive too

much too fast that they can't absorb yet

they're not in a position yet to

understand or to accept the

responsibility that goes along with that

information and so he says in verse 2 I

have fed you with milk and not with meat

so milk is the lower law meat would be

the higher law in this case for hitherto

ye were not able to bear it neither yet

now are ye able again going back with

Paul and with all of the scriptures but

Paul really goes into this a lot it's

Genesis 1:1 in the beginning that's

where the mysteries are given in the

beginning God created the heaven and the

earth the higher and the lower laws

there has to be both what's given to us

immediately and that was part of the

principle in the beginning in the

council in the pre-existence and in

verse 3 here he follows up and says for

ye are yet carnal for whereas there is

among you envying and strife and

divisions are ye not carnal and walk as

men so these are all things that would

be results of behavior of a lower law

and then Paul gives us example that we

see many times throughout the scriptures

we see it in the parables

in the Gospels we see it in alma 32

where there is a seed that is planted

and then it's cultivated and watered and

builds from there and he talks about how

he has come and put the seed in place in

many places and then Apollo's you

remember from the book of Acts the one

that was from Alexandria Egypt he would

come in and Paul says that he would then

water what he what Paul had planted but

he says look these are not the Lord

these are not the ones that are to be

venerated not the planter and not

the waterer

or in the parables it might be those

that are in the vineyard there is a lord

of the vineyard and so he says in verse

eight now he that planteth and he that

watereth are one in other words they

should be again like one mind they're

the same purpose and every man

shall receive his own reward according

to his own labor that by the way goes to

works works is definitely a part of the

equation here for we are laborers

together with God ye are God's husbandry

ye are God's building so again Paul

brings in temple which is what he's

really gonna be doing here throughout

the epistles temple which is the

building and the church and our bodies

he does this often he says according to

the grace of God which is given unto me

as a wise master builder I have laid the

foundation and another buildeth thereon

but let every man take heed how he

buildeth thereupon for other foundation

can no man lay than this is laid which

is Jesus Christ again the knee whore

principle it has to be Christ all the

way down so to speak as Stephen Hawking

well probably wouldn't have said but

it's Jesus Christ all the way down and

then in verse 16 he brings this body in

church and temple together he says know

ye not that ye are the temple of God so

this is the context of this verse

it's always important understand what

the context is he's talking about the

church and this is since it's not just

our bodies he's talking about the

foundation that's being built on Christ

and this building that is being created

he's talking about the church know ye

not that ye are the temple of God that's

the church members and that the Spirit

of God dwelleth in me or among you

If any man defile the temple of God him

shall God destroy for the temple of God

is holy which temple ye are sometimes we

use that with an example of the word of

wisdom or our bodies and it does apply

to that but there's plenty of other

scriptures that directly apply to that

this here is talking about the building

of the church not that you can't take it

one step over and say well this is you

individually also you can but the

context here is talking about the church

and then he goes back to being wise and

being foolish and he makes the

recommendation here that you be foolish

at least in the way that he's talking

about it what does he say he says let no

man deceive himself If any man among you

seemeth to be wise in this world so he

was talking about wise in a worldly

sense let him become a fool that he may

be wise or really wise truly wise think

about that that is a really hard thing

it is so hard because of pride to break

down knowledge and wisdom of the world

that we gain to put ourselves in a

vulnerable position that seems lowered I

mean are you going to lower yourself

here is you build up your knowledge

especially think about the Academy I

think about academics why is there such

a wise or such an opposition to theology

in academics more than we might find in

other places I think that's a pretty

simple answer right because of the

wisdom

the world that is built up there a lot

of it is wonderful stuff but it also

puts individuals in a position where

it's hard to be as Paul would say here a

fool and put yourself in that type of a

vulnerable position for the wisdom of

this world is foolishness with God for

it is written he taketh the wise in

their own craftiness and the Lord

knoweth the thoughts of the wise that

they are vain so they have no purpose

therefore let no man glory in men for

all things are yours and whether Paul or

Apollo's or Cephas

that's Peter or the world or life or

death or things present or things to

come all are yours in other words you

are an individual and this is all for

your benefit they all come to you don't

lift the wrong people up because as he

finishes off here in verse 23 and ye are

Christ's and Christ is God's so there is

our hierarchy are fluid hierarchy fluid

not because they move but food because

we can move with them I'll talk to you

next time