HEAVENLY MINDED AND EARTHLY GOOD (11 OF 36)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
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Heavenly Minded and Earthly Good (11 of 36)
Series: Saints Gone Wild
Keith Krell
1 Corinthians 3:18-4:5
There is an old expression that states, ''Don't be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good.'' Clever and catchy cliché, isn't it? The only problem is that these words are unbiblical. The Bible says, ''Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth'' (Col 3:2). Contrary to popular opinion, being heavenly minded always inspires us to be more earthly good. Thus, our goal as Christians must be to set our minds on things above and faithfully serve the Lord.
Paul is going to teach us that God's approval is better than man's applause. In 1 Cor 3:18-4:5, he will instruct us how to regard ourselves and others. He will do so by sharing two prohibitions: (1) Do not adopt the world's wisdom and (2) do not judge God's servants.
1. Do not adopt the world's wisdom (3:18-23). This section refers back to 1:18-2:16 where Paul contrasts the wisdom of the world with the foolishness of God. In the following six verses Paul carefully contrasts the wisdom of this world (3:18-20) with the wisdom of God (3:21-23). He is going to answer the question: How can we be truly wise? The answer he gives is simple-by trusting in the foolishness of God's wisdom. In 3:18, Paul writes, ''Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.'' For the first time in his book, Paul calls upon his readers to do something, to change something. The key word is the word ''let'' (3:18). Paul will use this command two more times in this section (3:21; 4:1). In 3:18 Paul's readers are commanded to stop deceiving themselves with worldly wisdom. Apparently, Paul believed that it was possible for Christians to be deceived because he warns each person against falling victim to self-deception. This means no one can stand before God and claim to have been inadvertently swept along in the fas ...
Series: Saints Gone Wild
Keith Krell
1 Corinthians 3:18-4:5
There is an old expression that states, ''Don't be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good.'' Clever and catchy cliché, isn't it? The only problem is that these words are unbiblical. The Bible says, ''Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth'' (Col 3:2). Contrary to popular opinion, being heavenly minded always inspires us to be more earthly good. Thus, our goal as Christians must be to set our minds on things above and faithfully serve the Lord.
Paul is going to teach us that God's approval is better than man's applause. In 1 Cor 3:18-4:5, he will instruct us how to regard ourselves and others. He will do so by sharing two prohibitions: (1) Do not adopt the world's wisdom and (2) do not judge God's servants.
1. Do not adopt the world's wisdom (3:18-23). This section refers back to 1:18-2:16 where Paul contrasts the wisdom of the world with the foolishness of God. In the following six verses Paul carefully contrasts the wisdom of this world (3:18-20) with the wisdom of God (3:21-23). He is going to answer the question: How can we be truly wise? The answer he gives is simple-by trusting in the foolishness of God's wisdom. In 3:18, Paul writes, ''Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.'' For the first time in his book, Paul calls upon his readers to do something, to change something. The key word is the word ''let'' (3:18). Paul will use this command two more times in this section (3:21; 4:1). In 3:18 Paul's readers are commanded to stop deceiving themselves with worldly wisdom. Apparently, Paul believed that it was possible for Christians to be deceived because he warns each person against falling victim to self-deception. This means no one can stand before God and claim to have been inadvertently swept along in the fas ...
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