THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians
Message One—The Crucified Christ
Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 1:23-24, 30; 2:2, 9-10; 5:7-8; 10:4; 15:45b; 1 Pet. 2:24
I. The crucified Christ was the unique subject, the center, the content, and the substance of the apostle’s ministry—1 Cor. 2:2: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
A. The death of Christ has become God’s power to eliminate all the problems in the universe; thus, Christ crucified is God’s power to abolish all negative things and carry out His plan—1:23-24: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
1. The human way of solving problems is to negotiate, but God’s way is to terminate; the best way to solve problems among people is to terminate everyone involved—Gal. 2:20; cf. 1 Cor. 6:7-8. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
2. The crucifixion of Christ has silenced the entire universe and simplified the extremely complicated situation in the universe—cf. 2 Cor. 11:2-3. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
B. When we enjoy the crucified Christ, all that we are, all that we have, and all that we can do are completely terminated, and His resurrection life is imparted through us into others—John 12:24-26; 2 Cor. 4:10-12. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
II. The enjoyment of the crucified Christ as the life-giving Spirit in our spirit solves all the problems in the church and issues in the growth in life for the building up of the church—1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2; 15:45b; 6:17; 3:6: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
A. The crucified Christ is the unleavened bread to be a feast to us—5:6-8: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
1. Leaven signifies evil things and evil doctrines (vv. 6, 8; Matt. 16:6, 11-12); since Christ is unleavened, if we feast on Him daily, we can have an unleavened church life. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
2. We need to enjoy Christ as our unleavened banquet for the entire period of our Christian life—1 Cor. 5:7-8; Exo. 12:15-20; cf. 13:4-9: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
a. The crucified Christ whom we enjoy today as our feast is the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, and included in His being is His killing death; as long as we enjoy Him, we will be nourished, and the negative elements within us will be killed—1 Cor. 15:45b; Exo. 30:23-25. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
b. To eat the Lord Jesus, to feast on Him, is to receive Him into us that He may be assimilated by the regenerated new man in the way of life; we can eat Him by eating His words—John 6:57, 63; Jer. 15:16. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
B. The crucified Christ is our spiritual rock who was smitten and cleft by God to flow Himself out as the spiritual water for us to drink—1 Cor. 10:4; John 19:34; Exo. 17:6: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
1. We need to call on the Lord continually and draw water with joy from Him as the fountain of living water—1 Cor. 12:13, 3b; Isa. 12:3-4; John 4:10, 14. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
2. We need to speak to the Lord constantly to receive Him as the living water—Num. 20:8. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
C. The crucified Christ is the power of God for us to live in any kind of environment and to live out every kind of virtue—1 Cor. 1:18, 24; Eph. 1:19-23: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
1. We are able to live a contented life in any kind of environment by Christ as our inward power—Phil. 4:11-13. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
2. We are able to live Christ out as every kind of virtue by Him as our inward power; to live a life of these virtues is much more difficult than doing a Christian work—vv. 13, 8. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
3. We can enjoy the transmission of Christ as the power of God and the transfusion of Christ as the peace of God by practicing fellowship with Him in prayer—vv. 6-7. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
D. The crucified Christ is the wisdom of God as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption to us—1 Cor. 1:30: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
1. Christ became wisdom to us from God to transmit all that He is into our tripartite being for His eternal expression, making us the masterpiece of God for the wise exhibition of all that Christ is—Eph. 2:10; 3:10. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
2. When we lay hold of Christ as the personified wisdom of God, He becomes the reality of the tree of life to us for us to minister Christ as life to others— Prov. 3:18-19; 2 Chron. 1:10; Col. 2:2-3; 1:28; 1 Tim. 5:1-2. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
E. The crucified Christ is our Healer, our healing tree—Exo. 15:22-26; 1 Pet. 2:24; John 11:25; Rev. 2:7: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
1. When we experience the healing tree of the cross of Christ and live a crucified life, our bitter situation becomes sweet. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
2. We need to apply the cross of Christ to our whole being, that the bitterness within us may be healed and changed into sweetness. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
F. The crucified Christ is the depths, the deep things, of God—1 Cor. 2:6-10: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
1. The deep things of God are Christ in many aspects as our eternal portion, foreordained, prepared, and given to us freely by God—Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 6:17. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
2. To realize and participate in the deep and hidden things God has ordained and prepared for us requires us to love Him—2:9; Mark 12:30; cf. 1 Cor. 16:22: (2002 WT. msg. 2)
a. In this way we have the closest and most intimate fellowship with God, and we are able to enter into His heart and apprehend all its secrets—Psa. 73:25; 25:14. (2002 WT. msg. 2)
b. When our entire being becomes one with God through loving Him in intimate fellowship, He shows us, in our spirit through His Spirit, all the secrets of Christ as our portion—1 Cor. 2:10-12. (2002 WT. msg. 2)