Witnessing at the Cross
(No. 3363)
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1913.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"And one of the malefactors who was hanged, railed on Him, saying, If
you are Christ, save Yourself and us. But the other answering rebuked
him, saying, Do not you fear God, seeing you are in the same
condemnation? And we, indeed, justly, for we receive the due reward of
our deeds; but this Man has done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus,
Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom. And Jesus said unto
him, Verily, I say unto you, today shall you be with Me in Paradise."
Luke 23:39-43.
THE dying thief was certainly a very great wonder of Divine Grace. He
has generally been looked upon from one point of view only–as a sinner
called at the eleventh hour and, therefore, an instance of special
mercy because he was so near to death. Enough has been made of that
circumstance by others! To my mind, it is by no means the most
important point in the narrative. Had the thief been predestined to
come down from the Cross and live for half a century longer, his
conversion would have been neither more nor less than it was. The work
of Grace which enabled him to die in peace would, if it had been the
Lord's will, have enabled him to live in holiness. We may well admire
Divine Grace when it so speedily makes a man fit for the bliss of
Heaven! But it is equally to be adored when it makes him ready for the
battle of earth. To bear a saved sinner away from all further conflict
is great Grace. But the power and love of God are, if anything, even
more conspicuous when, like a sheep surrounded by wolves, or a spark in
the midst of the sea, a Believer is enabled to live on in the teeth of
an ungodly world and maintain his integrity to the end! Dear Friend,
whether you die as soon as you are born-again, or remain on earth for
many years is comparatively a small matter–and will not materially
alter your indebtedness to Divine Grace! In the one case the great
Husbandman will show how He can bring His flowers speedily to
perfection. And in the other He will prove how He can preserve them in
blooming beauty despite the frosts and snows of earth's cruel winter!
In either case your experience will reveal the same love and power.
There are other things, it seems to me, to be seen in the conversion of
the thief besides the one single matter of his being brought to know
the Lord when near to death's door.
Observe the singular fact that our Lord Jesus Christ should die in the
company of two malefactors. It was probably planned in order to bring
Him shame and it was regarded by those who cried, "Crucify Him! Crucify
Him!" as an additional ignominy. Their malice decreed that He should
die as a criminal and with criminals–and in the center, between
two–to show that they thought Him the worst of the three. But God, in
His own way, baffled the malice of the foe and turned it to the triumph
and Glory of His dear Son, for had there been no dying thief hanging at
His side, then one of the most illustrious trophies of His love would
not have been gained! And we would not have been able to sing to His
praise–
"The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day– And there
have I, though vile as he, Washed all my sins away!"
His enemies gave our Lord Jesus an opportunity for still continuing the
seeking, as well as the saving of the lost! They found Him an occasion
for manifesting His conquering Grace when they supposed they were
heaping scorn upon Him. How truly did the Prophet in the Psalm say, "He
that sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in
derision," for that which was meant to increase His misery revealed His
majesty! Moreover, though it was intended to add an ingredient of
bitterness to His cup, I do not doubt that it supplied Him with a
draught of comfort. Nothing could so well have cheered the heart of
Jesus and taken His mind off, for just an instant, His own hitter
pangs, as having an object of
pity before Him, upon whom He could pour His mercy! The thief's
confession of faith and expiring prayer must have been music to his
Savior's ears–the only music which could in any degree delight Him
amid His terrible agonies. To hear and to answer the prayer, "Lord,
remember me when You come into Your Kingdom," afforded our Lord a
precious solace. An angel strengthened Him in the Garden, but here it
was a man, nailed up at His side, who ministered consolation by the
indirect, but very effective method of seeking help at His hands.
Furthermore, the longs-continued testimony and witness for Christ among
men was at that time exceedingly feeble and ready to expire, but the
thief's confession maintained it. The Apostles, where were they? They
had fled. Those disciples who ventured near enough to see the Lord,
scarcely remained within speaking distance. They were poor confessors
of Christ, scarcely worthy of the name! Was the chain of testimony to
be broken? Would none declare His Sovereign Power? No, the Lord will
never let that testimony cease, and lo, He raises up a witness where
least you would expect it– on a cross! One just ready to die bears
witness to the Redeemer's innocence and to His assured coming to a
Kingdom! As many of the boldest testimonies to Christ have come from
the stake, so here was one that came from a cross and gained for the
witness the honor of being the last testifier to Christ before He died!
Let us always expect, then, dear Friends, that God will overrule the
machinations of the foes of Christ so as to get honor from them. At all
times of the world's history, when things appear to have gone to pieces
and Satan seems to rule the hour, do not let us despair, but be quite
sure that, somehow or other, the Light of God will come out of darkness
and good out of evil!
We will now come close up to the dying thief and look, first, at his
faith. Secondly, at his confession of faith. Thirdly, at his prayer of
faith. And fourthly, at the answer of his faith. First, then, may the
Holy Spirit help us concerning this dying malefactor, to consider–
I. HIS FAITH.
It was of the operation of the Spirit of God and there was nothing in
his previous character to lead up to it. How came that thief to be a
Believer in Jesus? You who carefully read the Gospels will have noticed
that Matthew says (Matt 27:44), "The thieves also, which were crucified
with Him, cast the same in His teeth." Mark also says, "They that were
crucified with Him reviled Him." These two Evangelists plainly speak of
both thieves as reviling our Lord! How are we to understand this? Would
it be right to say that those two writers speak in broad terms of the
thieves as a class because one of them so acted, just as we in common
conversation speak of a company of persons doing such-and-such, when,
in fact, the whole matter was the deed of one man of the party? Was it
a loose way of speaking? I think not! I do not like the look of
suppositions of error in the Inspired volume. Would it not be more
reverent to the Word of God to believe that the thieves did both revile
Jesus? May it not be true that, at the first, they both joined in
saying, "If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us," but that
afterwards, one, by a miracle of Sovereign Grace, was led to a change
of mind and became a Believer? Or would this third theory meet the
case–that at the first the thief who afterwards became a penitent,
having no thought upon the matter, by his silence gave consent to his
fellow's reviling so as fairly to come under the charge of being an
accomplice therein–but when it gradually dawned upon his mind that he
was under error as to this Jesus of Nazareth, it pleased God in
Infinite Mercy to change his mind so that he became a confessor of the
Truth of God, though he had at first silently assented to the blasphemy
of his companion? It would be idle to dogmatize, but we will gather
this lesson from it–that faith may enter the mind, notwithstanding the
sinful state in which the man is found. Grace can transform a reviling
thief into a penitent Believer!
Neither do we know the outward means which led to this man's
conversion. We can only suppose that he was affected by seeing the
Lord's patient demeanor, or, perhaps, by hearing that prayer, "Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do." Surely there was enough
in the sight of the Crucified Lord with the blessing of God's Spirit to
turn a heart of stone into flesh! Possibly the inscription over the
head of our Lord may have helped him–"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of
the Jews." Being a Jew, he knew something of the Scriptures, and
putting all the facts together, may he not have seen in the prophecies
a light which gathered around the head of the Sufferer and revealed Him
as the true Messiah? Possibly the malefactor remembered Isaiah's words,
"He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted
with grief: and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was
despised, and we esteemed Him not." Or, perhaps, the saying of David,
in the 22nd Psalm rushed upon his memory, "They pierced My hands and My
feet." Other texts which he had learned in his youth at his mother's
knee may have come before his mind–and putting all these together,
he may have argued, "It may be. Perhaps it is. It is. It must be. I am
sure it is. It is the Messiah, led as a lamb to the slaughter." All
this is but our supposition and it leads me to remark that there is
much faith in this world which comes, "not with observation," but is
worked in men by unknown instrumentalities. And so long as it really
exists, it matters very little how it entered the heart, for in every
case it is the work of the Holy Spirit! The history of faith is of
small importance compared with the qualityof faith!
We do not know the origin of this man's faith, but we do know that it
was amazing faith under the circumstances. I very gravely question
whether there was ever greater faith in this world than the faith of
this thief, for he, beyond all others, realized the painful and
shameful death of the Lord Jesus and yet believed! We hear of our
Lord's dying upon the Cross, but we do not realize the circumstances
and, indeed, even if we were to think upon that death very long and
intently, we shall never realize the shame, weakness and misery which
surrounded our Lord as that dying thief did, for he was suffering the
pangs of crucifixion at the Savior's side and, therefore, to him it was
no fiction, but a vivid reality! Before him was the Christ in all His
nakedness and ignominy surrounded by the mocking multitude–and dying
in pain and weakness–and yet he believed Him to be Lord and King! What
do you think, Sirs? Some of you say you find it hard to believe in
Jesus, though you know that He is exalted in the highest heavens. But
had you seen Him on the Cross. Had you seen His marred Countenance and
emaciated body, could you then have believed on Him and said, "Lord
remember me when you come into Your Kingdom"? Yes, you could have done
so if the Spirit of God had created faith in you like that of the
thief! But it would have been faith of the first order, a jewel of
priceless value! As I said before, so I say again–the vivid sympathy
of the thief with the shame and suffering of the Lord rendered his
faith remarkable in the highest degree!
This man's faith, moreover, was singularly clear and decided. He rolled
his whole salvation upon the Lord Jesus and said, "Lord, remember me
when You come into Your Kingdom." He did not offer a single plea
fetched from his works, his present feelings, or his sufferings–he
cast himself upon the generous heart of Christ! "You have a
Kingdom–You are going to it. Lord, remember me when You come into it."
That was all. I wish that some who have been professors for years had
as clear a faith as the thief–but they are too often confused between
Law and Gospel, works and Grace– while this poor felon trusted in
nothing but the Savior and His mercy. Blessed be God for clear faith! I
rejoice to see it in such a case as this, so suddenly worked and yet so
perfect–so outspoken, so intelligent, so thoroughly restful!
That word, "restful," reminds me of a lovely characteristic of his
faith, namely, its deep peace-giving power. There is a world of rest in
Jesus in the thief's prayer, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your
Kingdom." A thought from Christ is all he needed! And after the Lord
said, "Today shall you be with Me in Paradise," we never read that the
petitioner said another word. I did think that, perhaps, he would have
said, "Blessed be the name of the Lord for that sweet assurance. Now I
can die in peace." But his gratitude was too deep for words and his
peace so perfect that calm silence seemed most in harmony with it.
Silence is the thaw of the soul, though it is the frost of the
mouth–and when the soul flows most freely, it feels the inadequacy of
the narrow channel of the lips for its great water floods–
"Come, then, expressive silence, muse His prase." He asked no
alleviation of pain, but in perfect satisfaction died as calmly as
saints do in their beds!
This is the kind of faith which we must all have if we would be saved.
Whether we know how we come by it or not, it must be a faith which
rolls itself upon Christ and a faith which consequently brings peace to
the soul. Do you possess such faith, dear Friend? If you do not,
remember that you may die all of a sudden, and then into Paradise you
will never enter! Look well to this and believe in the Lord Jesus at
once! And now in the second place, we are going to look at this man's–
II. CONFESSION OF FAITH.
He had faith and he confessed it. He could neither be baptized nor sit
at the Communion Table, nor unite with the Church below. He could not
do any of those things which are most right and proper on the part of
other Christians, but he did the best he could under the circumstances
to confess his Lord!
He confessed Christ, first of all, almost of necessity, because a holy
indignation made him speak out He listened for a while to his brother
thief, but while he was musing, the fire burned and then spoke he with
his tongue, for he could no longer bear to hear the innocent Sufferer
reviled. He said, "Do not you fear God, seeing you are in the same
condemnation? And we, indeed, justly, for we receive the due reward of
our deeds: but this Man has done nothing amiss." Did this poor thief
speak out so bravely and can some of you silent Christians go up and
down the streets and hear men curse and blaspheme the name of
Christ–and not feel stirred in spirit to defend His cause? While men
are so loud in their reviling, can you be quiet? The stones you tread
on may well cry out against you! If all were Christians and the world
teemed with Jesus' praise, we might, perhaps, afford to be silent. But,
amidst abounding superstition and loud-mouthed infidelity, we are bound
to show our colors and avow ourselves on Christ's side! We doubt not
that the penitent thief would have owned his Lord apart from the
railing of his comrade, but as it happened, that reviling was the
provoking cause. Does no such cause arouse you? Can you play the coward
at such a time as this?
Observe next, that he made a confession to an unsympathetic ear The
other thief does not seem to have made any kind of reply to him, but it
is feared that he died in sullen unbelief. The believing thief made his
confession where he could not expect to gain approbation, yet he made
it none the less clearly. How is it that some dear friends who love the
Lord have never confessed their faith even to their Christian Brothers
and Sisters? You know how glad we would be to hear of what the Lord has
done for you, but yet we have not heard it! There is a mother who would
be so happy if she did but know that her boy was saved, or that her
girl was converted–and you have refused her that joy by your silence!
This poor thief spoke for Jesus to one who did not enter into his
religious experience–and you have not even told yours to those who
would have communed with you and rewarded you with comfort and
instruction! I cannot understand cowardly lovers of Christ! How you
manage to smother your love so long, I cannot tell. Love is usually
like a cough, which speaks for itself, or a candle which must be seen,
or a sweet perfume which is its own revealer! How is it that you have
been able to conceal the day which has dawned in your hearts? What can
be your motive for coming to Jesus only by night? I cannot understand
your riddle and I hope you will explain it away. Do confess Jesus if
you love Him, for He bids you do it and says, "He that confesses Me
before men, him will I confess before My Father which is in Heaven."
Observe well that this poor thiefs confession of faith was attended
with a confession of sin. Though he was dying a most horrible death by
crucifixion, yet he confessed that he was suffering justly. "We indeed
justly." He made his confession not only to God, but to men, justifying
the law of his country under which he was then suffering. True faith
confesses Christ and, at the same time, confesses its sin. There must
be repentance of sin and acknowledgment of it before God if faith is to
give proof of its authenticity. A faith that never had a tear in its
eye, or a blush on its cheek, is not the faith of God's elect! He who
never felt the burden of sin, never felt the sweetness of being
delivered from it! This poor thief is as clear in the avowal of his own
guilt as in his witness to the Redeemer's innocence! Reader, could we
say the same of you?
The thiefs confession of faith was exceedingly honoring to the Lord
Jesus Christ He confessed that Jesus of Nazareth had done nothing
amiss–when the crowd around the Cross were condemning Him with speech
and gesture! He honored Christ by calling Him, Lord, while others
mocked Him. He honored Christ by believing in His Kingdom even while
Jesus was dying on the Cross and by entreating Him to remember him
though he was in the agonies of death. Do you say that this was not
much? Well, I will make bold to ask many a professor whether he could
honestly say that throughout the whole of his life he has done as much
to honor Christ as this poor thief did in those few minutes! Some of
you certainly have not, for you have never confessed Him at all! And
others have confessed Him in such a formal manner that there was
nothing in it. Oh, there have been times when, had you played the man
and said right straight out, in the midst of a ribald crew, "I do
believe in Him whom you scoff and I know the sweetness of that dear
name which you trample under foot," you might have been the means of
saving many souls–but you were silent and whispered to yourself that
prudence was the better part of valor and so you allowed the honor of
your Master to be trailed in the mire! Oh, had you, my Sister, taken
your stand in the family–had you said, "You may do what you will, but
as for me, I will serve the Lord"–you might have honored God far more
than you have done, for I fear you have been living in a halting,
hesitating style, giving way to a great deal which you knew was wrong,
not bearing your protest, not rebuking your brother in his iniquity,
but studying your own peace and comfort instead of seeking the
Redeemer's Glory! We have heard people talk about this dying thief as
if he never did anything for his Master, but let me ask the Christian
Church if it has not members in its midst–gray-haired members, too,
who have never, through 50 years of profession, borne one such bravely
honest and explicit testimony for Christ as this man did while he was
agonizing on a cross? Remember, the man's hands and feet were tortured
and he was suffering from that natural fever which attends upon
crucifixion! His spirit must have melted within him with his dying
grief–and yet he was as bold in rebuke, as composed in prayer, and as
calm in spirit as if he were suffering nothing! And thus he reflected
much Glory upon his Lord.
One other point about this man's confession is worthy of notice,
namely, that he was evidently anxious to change the mind of his
companion. He rebuked him and he reasoned with him. Dear Friends, I
must again put a personal question. Are there not many professing
Christians who have never manifested a tithe as much anxiety for the
souls of others as this thief felt? You have been a Church member 10
years, but did you ever say as much to your brother as this dying thief
said to the one who was hanging near him? Well, you have meant to do
so. Yes, but did you ever do it? You reply that you have been very glad
to join others in a meeting. I know that, too, and so far so good! But
did you ever personally say as much to another as this dying man did to
his old companion? I fear that some of you cannot say so. I, for my
part, bless and magnify the Grace of God which gave this man one of the
sweet fruits of the Spirit, namely, holy charity towards the soul of
another so soon after he, himself, had come to believe in Jesus! May
we, all of us, have it yet more and more! So much for the confession of
his faith. Now a little, in the third place, about–
III. HIS PRAYER OF FAITH.
"Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom." He addressed the
dying Savior as Divine. Wonderful faith this, to call Him Lord who was
"a worm and no man," and was hanging there upon the Cross to die! What
shall we say of those who, now that He is exalted in the highest
heavens, yet refuse to acknowledge His Deity? This man had a clearer
knowledge of Christ than they have! The Lord take the scales from their
eyes and make them pray to Jesus as Divine!
He prayed to Him, also, as having a kingdom. That needed faith, did it
not? He saw a dying Man in the hands of His foes nailed to the
Cross–and yet he believed that He would come into a kingdom! He knew
that Jesus would die before long, the marks of the death-agony were
upon Him–and yet he believed that He would come to a kingdom! O
glorious faith! Dear Friend, do you believe in Christ's Kingdom? Do you
believe that He reigns in Heaven and that He will come a second time to
rule over all the earth? Do you believe in Christ as King of kings and
Lord of lords? Then pray to Him as such, "Lord, remember me when You
come into Your Kingdom." May God give you the faith which set this
thief a praying in so excellent a fashion!
Observe that his prayer was for a spiritual blessing only. The other
thief said, "Save Yourself and us!" He meant, "Save us from this cross.
Deliver us from the death which now threatens us!" He sought temporal
benefits, but this man asked only to be remembered by Christ in His
Kingdom. Do your prayers run that way, dear Friends? Then I bless the
Lord that He has taught you to seek eternal, rather than temporal
blessings! If a sick man cares more for pardon than for health, it is a
good sign. Soul mercies will be prized above all others where faith is
in active exercise.
Observe how humbly he prays. He did not ask for a place at Christ's
right hand. He did not, in fact, ask the Lord to do anythingfor him,
but only to "remember" him. Yet that, "remember," is a great word and
he meant much by it. "Do give a thought to Your poor companion who now
confesses his faith in You. Do in Your Glory dart one recollection of
Your love upon poor me and think on me for good." It was a very humble
prayer and all the sweeter for its lowliness. It showed his great faith
in Jesus, far he believed that even to be remembered by Him would be
enough. "Give me but the crumbs that fall from Your table, and they
shall suffice me. But a thought, Lord Jesus, but one thought from Your
loving mind, and that shall satisfy my soul."
Did not his prayer drip with faith as a honeycomb with honey? It seems
to me as if it laid soaking in his faith till it was saturated through
and through with it, for he prays so powerfully, albeit so humbly.
Consider what his character had been, and yet he says, "Lord, remember
me when You come into Your Kingdom." Note well that it is a thief–an
outcast, a criminal on the gallows who thus prays! He is an outcast by
his country's laws and yet he turns to the King of Heaven and asks to
be remembered! Bad as he is, he believes that the Lord Jesus will have
mercy upon him! Oh, brave faith!
We see how strong that faith was because he had no invitation to pray.
I do not know that he had ever heard Christ preach. No Apostle had said
to him, "Come to Christ and you will find mercy," and yet he came to
Jesus! Here comes an uninvited guest in the sweet bravery of holy
confidence in Christ's majestic love–he comes boldly and pleads,
"Lord, remember me!" It was strong faith which thus pleaded. Remember,
too, that he was upon the verge of death. He knew that he could not
live very long and probably expected the Roman bone-breaker to give
him, very soon, the final blow! But in the very hour and article of
death he cried, "Lord, remember me," with the strong confidence of a
mighty faith.
Glory be to God who worked such a faith in such a man as this! We have
done when we have mentioned, in the fourth place–
IV. THE ANSWER TO HIS FAITH.
We will only say that his faith brought him to Paradise. We had a
Paradise, once, and the first Adam lost it. Paradise has been regained
by the Second Adam, and He has prepared for Believers an Eden above,
fairer than that first Garden of delights below! Faith led the dying
thief to be with Christ in Paradise which was best of all! "Today shall
you be with Me in Paradise." Whatever the joy of Christ, and the Glory
of Christ, the thief was there to see it and to share it as soon as
Christ Himself!
And it brought him Paradise that very day. Sometimes a crucified man
will be two or three days a-dying. Jesus, therefore, assures him that
he shall not have long to suffer and confirms it with a, "verily,"
which was our Lord's strong word of asseveration, "Verily I say unto
you, today shall you be with Me in Paradise." Such a portion will faith
win for each of us, not today, perhaps, but one day. If we believe in
Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, we shall be with Him in the
delights and happiness of the spirit world and with Him in the Paradise
of everlasting Glory. If we commenced to believe at once and were to
die immediately, we would be with Christ at once, as surely as if we
had been converted 50 years ago! You cannot tell how short your life
will be, but it is well to be ready. A friend was here last Lord's-Day
of whom I heard this morning that he was ill–and in another hour that
he was dead. It was short work. He was struck down and gone at once.
That may be the lot of any one of you. And if it should be, you will
have no cause whatever to fear it if you now, like the thief, trust
yourself wholly in Jesus' hands, crying, "Lord, remember me when You
come into Your Kingdom."
The lesson of our text is not merely that Christ can save in our last
extremity, though that is true, but that now, at this moment, Jesus is
able to save us, and that, if saved at all, salvation must be an
immediate and complete act, so that, come life or come death, we are
perfectly saved! It will not take the Lord long to raise the dead–in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the dead shall be raised
incorruptible–and the Lord takes no time in regenerating a soul. Dead
souls live in an instant when the breath of the Spirit quickens them!
Faith brings instantaneous pardon! There is no course of probation to
go through! There are no attainments to be sought after and no
protracted efforts to be made in order to be saved. You are saved if
you believe in Jesus! The finished work of Christ is yours. You are
God's beloved, accepted, forgiven, adopted child! Saved you are, and
saved you shall be forever and ever if you believe!
Instantaneous salvation! Immediate salvation! This, the Spirit of God
gives to those who trust in Jesus! You need not wait till tomorrow's
sun has dawned. Talk not of a more convenient season. Sitting where you
are, the Almighty Grace of God can come upon you and save you–and this
shall be a sign unto you that Christ is born in your heart, the hope of
Glory–when you believe in Him as your Pardon, Righteousness, and
All-in-All, you shall have peace. If you do but trust yourself in
Jesus' hands, you are a saved soul and the angels in Heaven are singing
high praises to God and the Lamb on your account! Farewell.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-24.
Verse 1. Paul, called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ through the will
of God, and Sosthenes our brother This brother had been put to great
shame. He was beaten before the judgment seat, if you remember, and now
he has the great and lasting honor of being mentioned by the Apostle
with himself. God will honor those who bear dishonor for His name's
sake. Be not ashamed even to be beaten for Christ–the stripes are
stripes of glory!
2. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every
place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and
ours.The Epistles were written to distinct churches, but they have a
bearing upon all Christians. Hence the Apostle says, "With all that in
every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord." Let us thank
God no Scripture is of private interpretation–every promise belongs to
all the Seed. If you are a Believer, you may freely appropriate to
yourselves whatever was said of old to any individual Believer, or to
any congregation of Believers!
3, 4. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from thee
Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf, for the Grace
of God which is given you by Jesus Christ Paul is a great preacher of
Divine Grace and, therefore, he is a great giver of thanks. Grace
should be followed with thankfulness. "I thank my God." What a
beautiful expression! Not only, "I thank God," but, "I thank myGod." He
has God in possession! He has taken Him to be his own forever and ever!
Beloved, have we all done the same? Can we say, "I thank my God"? You
notice how often Paul, in the first ten verses mentions the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. I think it is 11 times. He was full of Christ. Not
only did he love Christ in his heart, but he had Christ's name
continually on his tongue, for he was not ashamed of the sweet name of
Jesus Christ! Honey in the mouth, music in the ear, Heaven in the heart
is that sweet name of Jesus!
5. That in everything you are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in
all knowledge. The church of Corinth was a church of all the
talents–it was not, however, a church so much of all the Graces, and
so it was a very poor example for us. I sometimes think that its mode
of worship is recorded rather as a warning beacon than as an example to
us. It caused, incidentally through the abundance of their gifts and
everybody wanting to exercise his gift, great divisions, and there was
an absence of humility and love in the church. However, Paul is
thankful for what they have.
6, 7. Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. So that you
come behind in no gift: waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
This is a fine trait in their character–they did look to the Second
Advent–it operated upon them, it helped them in many ways. We cannot
now mention all the holy uses which lie in the warning for the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but it ought to be a good description of all
Christians.
8, 9. Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that you may be
blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ God is faithful Blessed
is His name that He is. We are often very unfaithful. Man is always so,
but "God is faithful."
9, 10. By whom you were called unto the fellowship ofHis Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Now Ibeseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the
same mind and in the same judgment Where it is not so, the life of
piety seems to ooze away. The blessing of God cannot rest upon a church
unless we dwell together in unity, and for unity it is necessary that
we be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same
judgment.
11-15. For it has been declared unto me ofyou, my brethren, by them
which are ofthe house ofChloe, that there are contentions among you.
Now this I say, that everyone ofyou says, I am of Paul; and I of
Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ Is Christ divided? Was Paul
crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank
God that I baptized none ofyou, but Crispus and Gains. Lest any should
say that I had baptized in my own name. It may have been an accidental
circumstance that he did not happen to have baptized them, but he is
glad of it, for he says that in the temper they were in, some of them
would have made a boast of it.
16, 17. And I baptized also the household of Stephanus: besides, I know
not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize,
but to preach the Gospel. There were other people who could baptize for
him. It was enough that he should concentrate all his energies upon
that one matter of preaching the Gospel–not that he neglected the
Divine command–but that it was not necessary that he, any more than
his Master, should personally baptize, for we read that, "Jesus Christ
baptized not, but His disciples." Not to put a dishonor upon the
ordinance, but to let us see that the ordinance does not depend upon
the man, but upon that sacred name into which we are baptized–and upon
the true faith of the person baptized.
17. Not with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made
of no effect A very remarkable passage! Paul could have used the wisdom
of words. In some of his Epistles he gives us a specimen of his mighty
rhetoric. He was a born master of speech. There was a touch of poetry
in him and always a high logical power, but he would not use it in his
preaching, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of no effect. You
may do what you like with human wisdom–put a bit into its mouth and
try to lead it into obedience to Christ–but somehow or other its
tendency is to rebel against Him!
18-21. For the preaching ofthe Cross is to them that perish,
foolishness, but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. For it
is written, I will destroy the wisdom ofthe wise, and will bring to
nothing the understanding oftheprudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish
the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world
by wisdom knew not God. You have only to study the history of the world
at the time when Paul was writing, and you will see that the "world, by
wisdom knew not God." It had made
itself exceedingly philosophical and sage, but if you weigh its wisest
conclusions, you will find that they were only polished folly. There is
nothing left us of all the wisdom of that period! Time itself has
proved it–no, has disproved it!
21. 22. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them
that believe. For the Jews require a sign. Some miracle, something that
shall attest it in a supernatural way.
22-24. And the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks
foolishness. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Beloved, you know how
true this is! It has been a wonderful power in you, and this day it is
the only wisdom which you desire to possess!