The Garnished Gospel

By Steven  Lester

I Corinthians 1:17,18

"For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

My wife told me the other day she always heard it said that there will come a time there would be a famine in the land for the Word of God.  When she was young she did not believe it, but now understands this to be very true.  Yes we have churches on every corner and new ones popping up in storefronts all the time.  But just because there may be new eateries all over town, does not mean that all their food is palatable.  Now this article is not meant to stand in judgement of any churches, but to clarify gospel teaching.  My desire is to see that we "would have the same mind and be in the same judgement."  So here is a brief commentary on the text in 1 Corinthians.    

Paul states that his purpose was to preach the Gospel. What is the Gospel? Simply put, it is the reconciliation of humanity which is spiritually dead and under the wrath, unto God. Reconciliation to God that was affected by Jesus Christ's doing and dying. His sacrifice was vicarious and accepted by God based upon his physical, literal resurrection from the dead. His righteousness was imputed to us through faith.  As the Gospel is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit awakens the sinner to the condition of sin, the wrath of God, the good news in Christ, and the faith toward his cross. The sinner then repents and believes upon Christ. The sinner is converted, made a new creature; he is born again. This process is accomplished by believing upon Christ as he is presented in the scriptures.  Notice that Christ and his doing and dying is the object of the message.  

The problem in the Corinthian church is ambitious teachers that disfigure the gospel and adulterate the pure knowledge of Christ through their teaching of the Gospel with human wisdom, senseless speculation and philosophies. The effect the teachers had on the message is that the cross is made of none effect.

The aim of preaching is to present Christ clearly. If preaching is centered on anything other than Christ's redemptive work three things should be mentioned: 

1. The sinner has not the pure Gospel from which to come to knowledge of salvation. There is an obvious ignorance as to the plan salvation. 

2. The sinner has not the means of salvation. As stated above, the preaching of the Gospel is the agent by which the Holy Spirit presents Christ. 

3. Christ is not glorified where he and his work is not proclaimed. Christ has the preeminence and is the first, last, author and finisher of faith. When he is not clearly proclaimed he is not glorified and has not a position of supremacy.

What are these words of wisdom which Paul is speaking of? He is referring to one principle that takes several forms. The principle in question is the over-emphasis on presentation and appearance in Christian teaching. One form of this is an emphasis on elegance and neatness of expression. Another form is ingenious speculations about scripture and philosophy. Still another form is focuses upon emotionalism or mysticism. The teachers were seeking to flatter, and entice the hearer with show, emotion, or ingenious speculation in order to make a name for themselves. In the process, the Gospel, particularly the preeminence of Christ, was lost or at least hid by their show. This is the activity that Paul condemns.

Today this error is widespread. Much of the Gospel in our culture is hidden, layered over in a palatable coating, robbing it of its simplicity and thus power. Teachers attempt to market themselves in various genres within orthodoxy so as to draw an audience. One majors in philosophies another in spiritual power, another still in end time prophesy, another in spiritual gifts, while the Gospel is assumed, hidden, or irrelevant. The Corinthian teachers were full of ambition, eager to gather to themselves followers, and boasted in great words, show and human wisdom. The evil that necessarily follows is that Christ has been made to wear alien and foreign garments. The simplicity of Christ and the Gospel has been taken away, adulterated and nowhere to be found.

Paul does not condemn the assistance of human wisdom or eloquence. All gifts are from God and should be used for his Glory. Yet to boast and glory in the means is forbidden. The message of Christ takes preeminence. The gifts of wisdom and eloquence should be likened unto the platter on which a roast is served. One platter may be crude and rough, another polished and pretty, yet the purpose is to present the true meal. One does not glory in the platter but the roast; one does not feed upon the platter, but the roast. The gift of eloquence only presents Christ. One does not feed upon the delivery but the Christ delivered.

It is important to note that we are not talking about a departure from orthodoxy, but a concealing of it. The enemy could not stop the Gospel from coming, so he secretly tries to overthrow its power by causing men to deviate from the purity of it. It is to this cause that the first four chapters are addressed. It seems that the enemies troubling the church were not directly opposed to the Gospel, or Paul would have called them out and renounced their doctrine publicly. Had Paul detected outright heresy he would have addressed it along with the other issues found in this letter. He does not, so the conclusion is that the ones troubling the church are not perverting the Gospel but garnishing the gospel for selfish ends.

Let me explain what I mean by garnishing the Gospel. To garnish something is to add to something that which is nonessential. These teachers were adding to the Gospel by speculating on mysteries in order to say something new or different. They were wrapping the Gospel up in philosophy and human wisdom to the point the message was hid. All this in an attempt to heap to themselves a following. Paul, therefore, reproves their ambition. He does not believe that the substance of the Gospel was altered, but that they were turning the Gospel into human philosophy and thus robbing it of its simplicity and power. Paul is condemning those that would making a name for themselves by garnishing and adapting the Gospel to the culture in order to become popular.

The letter states that the Greeks desired wisdom and the Jews desired signs. They had little regard for the Gospel in its simplicity. They doubted that simple preaching had any power or attractiveness. The Corinthians had a hunger for an ingenious Gospel, a made-over Gospel that they could boast in as being a new thing. Thus they, as Calvin says, “painted over (the Gospel), so as to differ nothing from worldly philosophy.” It seems in the address of Paul that he is answering an attack upon his preaching style. He confirms that he is not a gifted orator. He contends that by his plain speech, centered upon Christ, that he has brought to foolishness the wisdom of the world.

The text is very clear in saying the the Gospel "is the power of God."  The text is clear in advocating a simple Gospel preached.  The text is clear that selfish ambition leads to garnishing the Gospel in order to draw audience.  The text is clear that Christ is not to be denied, or assumed in preaching but have the focus.  My prayer is that we can teach the simple Gospel of Christ together, winning the lost, and making Christ the central object of our doctrine, doing and doxology.