Why God Chooses Weakness Over Power? | John Stott

Описание: "The central theme explored in the source material, based on the study of 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, is ""power through weakness,"" specifically how divine power operates through human weakness. This concept is presented in stark contrast to the secular world's ""lust for power,"" which is seen in the pursuit of money, fame, and influence, and which also manifests in political, business, and even church life, where power can be more intoxicating and addictive than drugs or alcohol. Lord Acton’s epigram, ""power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,"" is cited to underscore the danger of this lust.
The speaker expresses fear regarding the contemporary evangelical hunger for power, even the quest for the power of the Holy Spirit, suggesting it may be a mask for personal ambition, ego, and the desire to dominate or manipulate. True Christian engagement is described as being focused on the ""imperial majesty"" of Christ, opposing any other form of ""imperialism"" that seeks to build human empires instead of the Kingdom of God.
The principle of power through weakness is illustrated using three examples from the Corinthian correspondence:
1. In the Gospel Itself: The weakness of the cross is revealed as the power of God. The world, through its own wisdom (philosophy and rhetoric), failed to know God, but God chose to save believers through the ""folly"" of the gospel message.
◦ The Jewish demand for power: Jews demanded miraculous signs, expecting a political Messiah who would drive out the Roman legions and demonstrate strength. A crucified Messiah was a contradiction in terms—a ""stumbling block"" to those who worshipped power.
◦ The Greek search for wisdom: Greeks looked for wisdom and philosophical reason, believing in the autonomy of the human mind. They considered the message of a crucified man, reserved for criminals and slaves, as ""foolishness"".
◦ The Christian Proclamation: Christians proclaim ""Christ crucified,"" who to God's people is revealed as the power and wisdom of God. The ""foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength"".
◦ Application: The cross remains a stumbling block today for the morally proud who are confident in their ability to contribute to their own salvation, and for the intellectually proud who find the core Christian doctrines contemptible. The gospel necessitates humbling oneself to receive salvation as a ""totally non-contributory gift of God"". The cross solved God's dilemma—how to be a just God who punishes sin (holiness/justice) and a Savior who forgives sinners (love)—by demonstrating both justice and love simultaneously.
2. In the Converts: God chose the weak, foolish, and lowly people of the world to shame the strong and wise (e.g., those not of noble birth, uneducated, poor, or slaves). This selection ensures that no human being might boast in God's presence. It demonstrates that their salvation is due entirely to God's grace, wisdom, and power. The strong and influential must first acknowledge their weakness and inability to save themselves to be reached by God's grace.
3. In Paul the Evangelist: Paul, in contrast to ""super apostles"" and false teachers who boasted of their wisdom and authority, came to the Corinthians in ""weakness and fear and trembling"". He deliberately renounced both the human philosophy (sophia) and ornamental rhetoric (logos) valued by Greek-Roman culture. Instead of human eloquence, Paul relied on the ""demonstration of the Spirit's power"".
◦ Paul's physical frailty and poor speaking ability (his bodily presence was weak and his speech contemptible, according to critics) would have disqualified him by worldly standards, yet these disabilities forced him to rely on divine power.
◦ The Holy Spirit takes words spoken in human weakness and carries them home to the hearers, demonstrating Christ’s superior power. This reliance on divine power is not a pretense of frailty or a suppression of argument, but an honest acknowledgement that humans cannot save souls; only the power of God can.
The overall conclusion is that divine power is best displayed in human weakness. This concept is symbolized by the ""Lamb on the throne"" in Revelation—the ultimate weakness (the Lamb slain) sharing the throne of ultimate power. Christian leaders are called to adopt the mind of Christ, who humbled himself, and to follow the Lamb, knowing that power is best shown in weakness.
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