The Spirit is, therefore I think.

The Spirit is, therefore I think.


It’s important for us to remember because we are surrounded by people who don’t think like we think. We are surrounded by people who have built their lives on a different foundation than the one that we have on Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote: “…where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:20-24)

Christianity does not exist in a bubble. We are constantly exposed to the false thinking and philosophies of this world.

We go to church on Sunday, but the rest of the week we are exposed to people who don’t think like we do.

We go to work or school.
We spend time with co-workers, friends, relatives.
We spend time watching TV, or surfing the internet.
We read, we talk on the phone and so, and so on.

Everyplace we go we are exposed to somebody who doesn’t buy into our Christianity. They may say they do but they really don’t “get it”. Also, some may even reject or mock God’s kind of thinking. AND since a lot of these folks are very smart or very influential, we might be led to doubt or question what we believe. There are going to be times when you and I are going to feel outgunned and outmatched.

So Paul wanted to set the issue straight: On the face of things… we ARE outgunned and outmatched.

“Remember, … that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27)

And of himself, Paul wrote: “…I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.” (1 Corinthians 2:1) “I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:3)

His point was this: Just looking at the church the world will tend to look at us as being : Not very smart. Not eloquent. Not very important. Unpersuasive. They’ll often see us as weak and maybe even foolish.

So, if that’s true - then how in the world are we ever going to win the world to Christ? We’re not eloquent, we’re not persuasive, we’re not all that important to many people. Guess what? We can’t on our own!

That’s why so many churches and preachers try so hard to be eloquent, and persuasive and important in this world. They build majestic buildings and have powerful preachers and celebrity guests. They rejoice when the newspapers or TV reporters recognize them. And they glory in the praise and applause of the world. They believe that IF they are popular and attractive… that they can win the world over to Christ.

But Paul says…that’s a pipedream. The world isn’t looking for the things God wants to offer

Some of those in the world are looking for miracles, others are looking for wisdom. But God is offering something the world does not embrace.

1 Corinthians 1:18 says “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”

So, if we can’t win people to Christ by our popularity… what can we do?

Well, we can learn to rely less on our impressiveness and more on the Spirit’s power.

Paul wrote: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…” 1 Corinthians 2:3

Did you catch that?

It is the Spirit INSIDE of us Christians that gives us the edge in winning the world.

You see, once we became Christians, that Spirit came and set up shop in our hearts.

Peter told the crowd at Pentecost: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive (what???) the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38

You can’t belong to Jesus if you don’t have that Spirit inside of you. “…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9b

AND the Spirit is the mark of God’s ownership of us. “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13b-14)

So, what Paul is telling us here in I Corinthians is this: The Spirit is what makes us think and live different than the rest of the world. And it’s the Spirit that will make all the difference in our ability to overcome the world.

Centuries ago, a French philosopher named Descartes struggled with the idea of reality. He wondered whether or not he could prove that he even existed (which gives something of an idea of how bizarre philosophers can get). And since he wondered how he might prove that he actually existed, he wracked his brain and struggled with reasonings that eventually led to make his famous declaration: “I THINK… therefore I am.”

That’s nice.

But that is a fairly pathetic statement. By contrast God has something far more impressive to tell you and I. YES, you exist. I created you. But this is what is really good: YOU THINK great things because His Spirit is inside of you. “The Spirit is, therefore you think.” That’s what God is telling us!!!

God’s Spirit inside of us makes us THINK like God thinks.

“And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.… But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:12, 14, 16

The Spirit makes us think like God thinks.

It is only thru the Spirit that we begin to understand how God wants us to live. And God’s kind of thinking is not reasonable to the world. How on earth would someone without the Spirit ever understand these teachings:

We see unseen things (2 Cor. 4:18)

We find rest under a yoke (Mt. 11:28-30)

We become wise by being fools for Christ's sake (1 Cor. 1:20, 21)

We are made free by becoming His bond servants (Rom. 6:10)

We conquer by yielding (Rom. 6:16-18)

We reign by serving (Mark 10:42-44)

We are made great by becoming little (Luke 9:48)

We are exalted by being humble (Mt. 23:12)

We become strong by being weak (2 Cor. 12:10)

We triumph by defeat (2 Cor. 12:7-9)

We find victory by glorying in our infirmities (2 Cor. 12:5)

We live by dying (John 12:24,25; 2 Cor. 4:10,11)

These things make absolutely NO SENSE to those without God’s Spirit inside of them. The King James Bible in 1 Peter 2:9a that we are “a peculiar people”. They might be able to comprehend WHY these statements are true… but they can’t make those principles be part of their lives, because God’s Spirit is not there to guide them into using them correctly.

We need to be so used to being guided by God’s Spirit that we don’t even give it much thought. God’s Spirit should be so much a part of our lives that we couldn’t think of living without His influence.

But we think differently than the world thinks because we have the Spirit of God inside us. It’s that way of thinking that gives us the edge in overcoming the world and winning them to Christ.

Now, how will we know if we have the Spirit in us? Well, Paul tells us: “…the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...” Galatians 5:22-23a

When the Spirit is in control of our life - the changes that can take place inside us can make us a force for God.

And that is the power of the Spirit within us - the ability to show that we are redeemed by the change that God’s Spirit brings to our lives.