Psalm 112:1-10, Matthew 5:13-20, and 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Last Sunday, in my sermon, I shared my thoughts on missions and the life of a believer. Among them, we face the question of how to manage the various material debts and donation needs that arise in our lives. While common sense would be to pay off debt first, we Christians said we would do missionary work and make offerings despite being in debt. Here, I might ask a question: If the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God are different, what is their true nature?
The words of 1 Corinthians 2 suggest several things to us. The Apostle Paul says that God’s wisdom helps us understand God’s will and plan. When a person has the wisdom of God, they can understand the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The plan to send the Son of God to save humankind and have him die as a sacrifice on the most humiliating cross is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. Therefore, believers need God’s wisdom.
This wisdom of God can be obtained through the Holy Spirit. They are spiritually mature believers. When people are babies, they drink their mother’s milk, and as they grow up, they drink milk and other drinks. Later, they eat bread, vegetables, fruit, and meat. As they grow, they eat the nutrients their body needs at the right time. Just as the plants and animals of the world grow, so too do people with faith grow. And they have to keep growing. Anyone who has attended church since infancy, as a student, or as an adult, should become a more mature believer than when they first came to faith. Their roles can shift from novice recipient of grace to dedicated servant and steward. Of course, we are all still thirsty children before God’s grace. However, the Apostle Paul emphasizes in his letter to the Corinthians that there were spiritually immature people in the first century. They were sometimes swept up in heresy, including the Gnostics. Some people did not understand Jesus’ ministry on the cross. Why do they have these limitations? Because they did not fully rely on the Holy Spirit.
This is verse 10. “These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” It is a fact that the world’s wisdom cannot understand, but the Holy Spirit enables humans to do so. There was a problem that the Corinthians had at that time. They were gifted with an overflowing gift. However, those who were supposed to serve the church and the world with these things were in conflict within the church. They were busy arguing and splitting up along the lines of their preferred leader. So, Paul judged them to have received grace and gifts and possessed faith, but he believed they had not yet acquired the wisdom to understand the gospel of the cross. Furthermore, he concluded that Jesus’ love on the cross was not practiced throughout their lives. So, he asked those who could not believe in Jesus to rely on the Holy Spirit to be saved and live transformed lives. It is to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not the way of life and strength they have relied on until now. Therefore, we believers must always seek the Holy Spirit’s help when facing any issue. Just as you invited me in the summer of 2024, despite the many limitations, we must pray at every crucial moment of choice. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of God, we must move forward step by step.
Paul asks: “Who has known the mind of the Lord to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. Some scholars believe that Paul’s question expresses his reception of the Holy Spirit. However, I interpret this part literally to mean that we can receive the Holy Spirit when we have the mind of Jesus Christ. When I understand the mind of Christ, I can repent. Since I was in elementary school, I attended an early-morning prayer gathering with my mother every Sunday. Typically, most Korean churches install a large cross on the wall behind the pulpit with blue or red lights illuminating it. After the pastor’s sermon and hymns, all the lights in the sanctuary are turned off, and only the blue light of the cross is dimly visible. My mother prayed with her eyes closed, and one time, I was tearful when I looked at the cross. I remember meditating on the death of Jesus and crying a lot while confessing my faults and sins. It is difficult to understand or explain that time rationally. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine Jesus, who loved me so much that he climbed Golgotha for me. That touched my heart so deeply. In this regard, I understand the Apostle Paul’s words. “We have the mind of Christ.” I can confess too. I have the mind of Christ. And you have it, too.
Dear friends, the Apostle Paul urged the Corinthians, who had received abundant grace and gifts, to live a mature life of faith. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus Christ giving specific directions to his disciples. It is an invitation to live as salt and light.
Salt has been an essential survival element throughout human history, and has been called “white gold,” a symbol of wealth and power, and a key means of trade. It was essential for food preservation, currency, and religious rituals, and trade routes such as the Salt Road across the Sahara Desert determined the exchange of civilizations and the rise and fall of great powers such as Rome and Venice. The four major civilizations, including Mesopotamia, began in places where salt production and trade were easy, and populations gathered around salt production sites. In ancient Rome, soldiers were paid with salt, which is where the word ‘Salary’ comes from. Just as salt is essential to our lives, modern Christians must serve this society as essential beings.
Like lighting a lamp to illuminate the surroundings, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Jesus commands: “Let your light shine before others.” I want to accept these words as words addressed to us today. May we shine the light of Christ before everyone we meet. I hope that through our good deeds, people will be reminded of the living God. We have the mind of Christ. You are the Salt and Light of God for this land.