“…[B]ut to those who are called…Christ the power of God…”

Power…it’s one of the Big Four. You know, the four big things that pagans typically clamor after. And if they don’t clamor for them, most probably and secretly wish they had them, or at least some of them. What are the others besides power? Fortune, fame and pleasure. Think of all the good things you could do for God if you were wealthy, how many missionaries you could support or poor you could feed. Consider how much farther your testimony would go if you were famous, how many extra people would listen to you. Ponder how much better you’d be at serving God in your spirit if all your sensitivities were fully satisfied. And power! Imagine how fast you could get things done for God if you had a concentration of power. This thinking isn’t bad, is it? In a word, yes. Such “wisdom” mixes pagan thinking with wannabe Christianity. That is not the Spirit of God talking. This is: “[N]ot many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen…that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

The Greek word for power in the overwhelming majority of cases in 1 Corinthians is dunamis. It gives us our English words dynamic and dynamite. It speaks of ability, having the raw power to perform miracles and other amazing feats. As we were driving back from one summer vacation I was thinking about the power of God versus the power of man. I began to think about how strong a person could be. I thought about endurance. Then I wondered, “How long can a person go without sleep?” Several days perhaps. But as hours turn into days without sleep how is his condition? Increasingly debilitated and weakened. Indeed, human beings are so ‘strong’ that on average they spend one third of every day in bed sleeping and resting. Very impressive this human power! Not so with God, who has lived for all eternity and not once visited a bed or took a “power nap” in his never-ending life.

So when we arrive in 1 Corinthians 1 we find Paul describing the “message of the cross” is “the power of God” for those who are being saved (v. 18). Then he immediately quotes Isaiah 29:14, talking about the destruction of the world’s so-called ‘wisdom’. What can stand against such power that hasn’t lost an ounce, fallen short a millimeter or otherwise depreciated in all eternity? Nothing of man can compare to the power, the wisdom, the justice, the purity or anything else that is resident in God’s nature.

Paul then distinguishes a difference between two ancient cultures, Jewish and Greek. “Jews request a sign,” he says (v. 22), “and Greeks seek after wisdom.” This delineation also speaks of two current cultures: Western and non-Western. Western culture prides itself on philosophy and academia, rationale and logic, and scientific explanations for virtually everything. While those from non-Western cultures would argue they have an under girding philosophy, one primary point of theirs would be the centrality of power. Thus, power encounters are much more normative there than in Western societies. Interestingly, Paul doesn’t berate the Jews’ request for a sign (of power) like he does the wisdom of the world. But when they repeatedly asked Jesus for signs (Matthew 12:38, 16:1, 27:39-42, John 6:30) he did not accommodate their request, at least in part because he knew their hearts were already hardened.

Paul quickly moves to his point: “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God” (v. 24). He is sufficient for both groups. Since our focus is on power, what exactly does this mean? Everywhere in the New Testament we see God’s power linked to the resurrection, the greatest demonstration of power. Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power…by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). The gospel of Christ is “the power of God” (Rom. 1:16) precisely because Jesus arose. Our sanctification is rooted in resurrection power: “But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11). Paul also craved to “know [Christ] and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10), the same power that “has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Christ came “according to the power of an endless life” (Hebrews 7:16). He doesn’t need to rest or sleep. He is alive and wielding resurrection power. Are their signs of this power in your life?