In Athens, the stronghold of Greek... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

...that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:5

In Athens, the stronghold of Greek wisdom, the apostle Paul had given a very special speech at the Areopagus (Acts 17:22–34). Then he had moved on to Corinth to proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ there as well. Although the Greek philosophers of religion had also discussed salvation, Paul calls their reasoning the “wisdom of men”. Indeed, God’s plan with mankind is not the result of logical reasoning; rather, He Himself has revealed how He will save His creatures.

Only through the atoning sacrifice of Christ, the crucified One, real redemption is possible. Paul had explained this to the Corinthians in his sermon. In doing so, he explicitly emphasises that he did not reach for “persuasive words of human wisdom”. Instead, he had proclaimed to them “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:4). That was the bottom line!

As a very well-read and learned man, Paul could well have discussed and exchanged arguments at length with the philosophers of his day. But this was not his intention, for in doing so, no one would have been led to repentance and living faith. God’s gospel is not only addressed to our intellect, but first and foremost to our heart and conscience. And genuine, living faith must have Christ crucified, dead, risen and glorified as its content. This was the central point of the gospel for Paul; and it remains so today.

By “faith”, then, the Bible does not mean just any religion, nor does it mean the holding of Christian doctrines to be true. Faith encompasses much more than just the mind or feelings. Faith means unconditional trust in the Son of God and the surrender of one’s life, the surrender of one’s whole being, to Him as Saviour and Lord.

Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 10:1-19 · 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12