Look at the Book

Why does having the Holy Spirit make such a difference in how we judge between wisdom and folly? Only those with the Spirit can see God’s wisdom as true wisdom.

Do you believe that the apostles were spokesmen for God, taught by the Holy Spirit? Paul did. He depended on it for both authority and impact.

How can anyone hope to understand the ways and wonders of God? Only the Spirit of God, through the words of Scripture, can reveal that truth.

Can anyone search the depths of God? The Holy Spirit can — because he himself is God, and he delights in knowing the depth of infinite glory.

How could the Holy Spirit search the infinite depths of God without being infinite himself, yet somehow distinct from the Father and the Son? The Christian God is triune.

Mature believers are not perfect people. But as we grow in discerning good and evil, we better understand and apply the wisdom of God.

The mystery of God’s goodness in Christ exceeds everything we can imagine. We need God himself to reveal it to us.

The rulers of this age mistook Jesus, so they crucified him — and ushered him into new glories he shares with his saints.

When this world fell into sin, God didn’t scramble for a backup plan. He had planned from all eternity to rescue a people through the work of his Son.

Why should we refuse to get sucked in by the empty promises of this world? Because this age is passing away; nothing it offers will eternally satisfy.

How did Paul demonstrate the power of the Spirit in his ministry? By preaching in weakness, Paul showed a faith that boasts only in Christ crucified.

Paul relates everything to Christ crucified, including his own ability to preach. How else could he promote faith that boasts in God’s power?

Paul could have come to the Corinthian church with oratorical skill and philosophical wisdom, but he chose not to. Why?

Our union with Christ grants us every blessing of the Christian life and voids any pride we could take in our own strength. How could we boast in anything but God?

Did God choose us for our connections, influence, or intelligence? No, God saves in a way that abolishes all human boasting.

Paul builds his case for unity in the Corinthian church by piling seven arguments on top of one another. How do those arguments fit together?

Eloquence and cleverness cannot deliver us from God’s wrath. Only the death of Christ on behalf of sinners can turn condemnation into justification.

Why does the same gospel message offend some and delight others? Because the message of Christ crucified lands only on those whom God has called.

In wisdom, God hides his plan of salvation from the self-proclaimed wise of this age. In grace, he reveals the power of the cross to those he calls.

What makes Paul so unwilling to add eloquence to the word of the cross? The apparent folly of the cross proves its actual power to those who are saved.

Paul was taught by the Holy Spirit — but does that mean God told him exactly what to write? God preserved his truth through Paul’s personality.

As Paul discipled the Corinthian church, he never intended to be their celebrity pastor. He aimed at something far greater: preaching a powerful cross.

When Paul looked back on his work of establishing the Corinthian church, he thanked God for keeping him from baptizing too many believers. Why?

In the face of church factions, Paul exhorts members of Christ’s body to focus on the unique work Jesus has done through his death and resurrection.

The Corinthian believers tried to split into fan clubs, but they never belonged to their favorite teachers. In Christ, their teachers belonged to them.