The power of God
I Corinthians 1:24
What is the Power of God? All the types of power in this world were created and they were created by God; whether the power of physics or chemistry, the power of the mind, the human, and the animal, etc. all these created powers are used by innocent and evil people. Satan himself has a power which he uses against the believers (II Thessalonians 2;9,10). But what is the true Power? If the powers we have mentioned are ephemeral and are used by Satan, then what is the true Power that comes from God? All material things cannot be considered as power if they separate from the true wisdom. For Solomon, when the power of wealth, reputation, and royalty separated from wisdom, it was no longer a power but became death and annihilation. "Riches do no profit the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death." (Proverbs 11:4). When Samson, renowned for his physical power, left wisdom, his power did not return to him, but only annihilation. When Israel separated from the Wisdom of God in the Cross, it lost its power, and the Jewish nation was annihilated and dispersed.
What is the Power of the Cross? The Cross, with its humble appearance, is the Power of God because the Wisdom of the Cross made this work, which had no material power, but appeared to be humbled and vanquished, connected it with the eternal Power of God. Therefore the Power that lies in the Cross is a miraculous and eternal Power, for it is the Power of God.
With the Cross, Christ saved humanity from the most powerful creature which had lost the wisdom because of his separation from God, Satan. So Christ gave humanity salvation from the power of death. "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be your plagues! O grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from my eyes." (Hosea 13:14).
The power of the devil is a false power with which he deceives. It is the power of death which has no true basis for it separated from the source of truth and existence. Christ with the Cross appears in weakness, but He is the Wisdom of God and the Truth, therefore the Power that is in the Cross is as great and as wonderful as the magnificent Power of God.
If we, the believers, take the wisdom from the Holy Spirit, the degree of the activity of the power within us is different from the standard visible degrees of power in the world. The meaning of power to the Christian is beyond material things; therefore it is not the power that allows motion in the three dimensions, longitude, latitude, and height, in time, and whatever material benefits that may follow, wealth, riches, authority, possessions, and material victories.
The Power of God in Christianity has a fourth dimension, beyond matter, which is related to God. The Power that was with the Apostles and the martyrs vanquished the Roman Empire and made it change from paganism to Christianity. Did they do this with money or with physical force? The martyrs did the same, but what was their power when they were being killed for Christ, except that they converted people to the faith. They maintained the faith of the Church throughout the centuries, and this is proven by the Coptic Calendar Anno Martyri.
This same Power is in our daily life, even though we cannot see it, yet with faith we act with it with the power of faith in the Cross. It is the true Power of God that we acquire from the fourth dimension that is different from the material dimensions, but that has some influence on them according to the Wisdom and Authority of God.
"Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of mocking and scourgings, yes, and of chains ad imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth." (Hebrews 11:35-38).
What type of power will you choose and use in your life? Will you choose the Power of God and the Wisdom of God in the Cross of the agony and shame of Christ (Hebrews 11:26), or have you not yet perceived the eternity of faith?
"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for that joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2).
Copyright © 2007 Saint Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery, California, U.S.A. The above article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Saint Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery, California, U.S.A.
source: http://www.stantonymonastery.org/elibrary/sep07_powerofGod.asp
What is the Power of God? All the types of power in this world were created and they were created by God; whether the power of physics or chemistry, the power of the mind, the human, and the animal, etc. all these created powers are used by innocent and evil people. Satan himself has a power which he uses against the believers (II Thessalonians 2;9,10). But what is the true Power? If the powers we have mentioned are ephemeral and are used by Satan, then what is the true Power that comes from God? All material things cannot be considered as power if they separate from the true wisdom. For Solomon, when the power of wealth, reputation, and royalty separated from wisdom, it was no longer a power but became death and annihilation. "Riches do no profit the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death." (Proverbs 11:4). When Samson, renowned for his physical power, left wisdom, his power did not return to him, but only annihilation. When Israel separated from the Wisdom of God in the Cross, it lost its power, and the Jewish nation was annihilated and dispersed.
What is the Power of the Cross? The Cross, with its humble appearance, is the Power of God because the Wisdom of the Cross made this work, which had no material power, but appeared to be humbled and vanquished, connected it with the eternal Power of God. Therefore the Power that lies in the Cross is a miraculous and eternal Power, for it is the Power of God.
With the Cross, Christ saved humanity from the most powerful creature which had lost the wisdom because of his separation from God, Satan. So Christ gave humanity salvation from the power of death. "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be your plagues! O grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from my eyes." (Hosea 13:14).
The power of the devil is a false power with which he deceives. It is the power of death which has no true basis for it separated from the source of truth and existence. Christ with the Cross appears in weakness, but He is the Wisdom of God and the Truth, therefore the Power that is in the Cross is as great and as wonderful as the magnificent Power of God.
If we, the believers, take the wisdom from the Holy Spirit, the degree of the activity of the power within us is different from the standard visible degrees of power in the world. The meaning of power to the Christian is beyond material things; therefore it is not the power that allows motion in the three dimensions, longitude, latitude, and height, in time, and whatever material benefits that may follow, wealth, riches, authority, possessions, and material victories.
The Power of God in Christianity has a fourth dimension, beyond matter, which is related to God. The Power that was with the Apostles and the martyrs vanquished the Roman Empire and made it change from paganism to Christianity. Did they do this with money or with physical force? The martyrs did the same, but what was their power when they were being killed for Christ, except that they converted people to the faith. They maintained the faith of the Church throughout the centuries, and this is proven by the Coptic Calendar Anno Martyri.
This same Power is in our daily life, even though we cannot see it, yet with faith we act with it with the power of faith in the Cross. It is the true Power of God that we acquire from the fourth dimension that is different from the material dimensions, but that has some influence on them according to the Wisdom and Authority of God.
"Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of mocking and scourgings, yes, and of chains ad imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth." (Hebrews 11:35-38).
What type of power will you choose and use in your life? Will you choose the Power of God and the Wisdom of God in the Cross of the agony and shame of Christ (Hebrews 11:26), or have you not yet perceived the eternity of faith?
"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for that joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2).
Copyright © 2007 Saint Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery, California, U.S.A. The above article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Saint Antony Coptic Orthodox Monastery, California, U.S.A.
source: http://www.stantonymonastery.org/elibrary/sep07_powerofGod.asp
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