so that it is in effect the power of Christ, and “in Christ Jesus ” men ‘come to be of God”. God has made Him unto us “‘ righteous- — ness and sanctification and redemption” (i. 30, cf. vi. 11); with the “price” of His blood He “ bought” us, the body not excepted, for God’s property (i. 2, iii. 16, vi. 19 f.); from ‘the strength of sin” and the reign of death Christians are consciously delivered through the death, crowned by the resurrection, of the Lord Jesus and through faith in His name (xv. 1-4, 11, 17 f., 56 {.).
The Holy Spirit constitutes this mysterious power of God in operation. His “demonstration and power ” attended Paul’s mission to Corinth, giving it an efficacy otherwise unaccountable (ii. 1-6) ; all Christian revelations come by this channel (ii. 11-16). Only ‘in the Holy Spirit” does any man truly say, ‘Jesus is Lord” (xii. 3) ; ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God,” the foulest sinners of Corinth had been ‘“‘ washed” and ‘« sanctified” (vi. 11). The gifts possessed by this favoured Church are of the Spirit’s “‘ distribution,” while of God’s omnipresent ‘‘ work- ing” and held under Christ’s dominion (xii. 4-11). The manifesta- tions of the Spirit in the Gospel and in the Church differ from all forms of power the world has known; they reveal a kingdom rich in blessings such as “eye hath not seen nor ear heard, nor man’s heart conceived”’ (ii. 9 f.).
(2) The word of the cross discloses, to those who can understand, God's wisdom hitherto shrouded ‘‘ in mystery,” whose manifestation was determined for this epoch from the world’s beginning (ii. 6-9). By it the pretentious ‘‘ wisdom of the age ” will be overthrown. The world scorns to be saved by a crucified Messiah, and “the natura] man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God”; but wisdom is justified of her children. Bringing such a message, the Apostle discards adornments and plausibilities of speech; his word must speak by its inherent truth and force (ii. 1 ff.). As Christian men advance, the revelation of God increasingly approves itself to them ; it discloses its σοφία τοῖς τελείοις. No longer does the opinion of the world sway them nor its temper cleave to them, they become ‘“‘ men of the Spirit,” who ‘judge all things’ and are “ judged of none”’ (ii. 6-iii. 3). One day they shall ‘judge the world”’ (vi. 2).
Prom the standpoint thus gained, in view of the operation of God in whatever belongs to the Gospel, the Apostle defines in chaps. iii. and iv. the position of Christ’s ministers : ‘We are God’s fellow-workers”; Paul the planter, Apollos the waterer—they are nothing; God ‘gives the increase”. ‘Assistants of Christ, stewards of God’s mysteries,” their qualifications are fidelity and