God's Elect or World's Elite? XXIV

"enriched in all utterance"

"I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance (logos), and in all knowledge." (I Cor. 1: 4-5)

"Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance (logos), and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also." (II Cor. 8: 7)

Having seen how the believer is "enriched" in riches, wisdom, knowledge, and power, and is therefore the truly elite, God's elect, we will next focus our attention on how the believer is "enriched in all utterance." They are not chosen because they made themselves elite, but they are elite because they have been chosen by God, yea, chosen from among the poor, the base, the weak and powerless, of this present evil age. This shows that elect status with God is not determined by merit. Paul's message in Corinthians may be summed up as follows:

Christ, who was rich as the Son of God, became poor to make believers rich

Christ who is the very Power of God became weak to make believers strong

Christ who is immortal became mortal to make believers immortal (died so we can live)

Christ who is righteous and holy became sin to make believers righteous and holy

The Greek word (ploutizo) translated “enriched” gives us our English word "plutocrat," meaning “a very wealthy person,” or a person whose power is due to their wealth. We have shown how believers, though often poor in this present world, are nevertheless rich in Christ. We have shown how this richness of believers is in several areas, those areas being ingredients of lofty status among peers. We have looked at wealth in general, which is an important criterion for elevated status in the world. We have looked at wisdom and knowledge as other aspects of status and have shown where God's elect are superior. We have shown also how the believer is superior in power and authority, though not fully and not as respects the present world. In this chapter we will focus on how believers are enriched in "all utterance." 

Knowledge and speaking ability were both highly esteemed attributes in the cultural mindset at Corinth as they are today. A man's status is judged not only by his wealth and social position but by his ability to speak, to persuade, to enunciate his beliefs. The elite in Paul's day, especially in cities like Corinth, were well trained in rhetoric and in "smooth talking." The Sophists were highly paid for their lectures and orations by their followers and from schools that supported them (much like today). 

Sophists & Rhetoric

In chapter one in this series I cited from a scholarly article from "Philo and Paul Among The Sophists" (here) I want to cite now once again from this article as a way of summing up what has already been said and also to prepare for our look into how the believer is enriched in his speech.

The author of the article (unknown) wrote:

"Paul deals with three crucial issues raised by the sophistic tradition, namely; status, imitation; and boasting."

It is concerning "status" that we have mostly focused our attention in the preceding chapters, a thing of importance to the Corinthians, and the framework for Paul's opening remarks to them. We have spoken of the elements of "high status," of being "elite," namely wealth, knowledge, wisdom, and power. Not only is power nearly always connected with wealth, wisdom, and knowledge, but it is also generally connected with speaking ability. Included in speaking ability is skill in argumentation and debate, and on how to use "the power of words" to obtain power and influence. 

Word Power & The Tongue

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Prov. 18: 21)

Words are powerful, and especially powerful when uttered by one trained in speech or public speaking. Many powerful rulers have come to their positions due to their speaking abilities. In democracies the leaders are they who can convince the majority of citizens to follow or vote for them. These well spoken people are often called "charismatic leaders," people who have "charisma" (of which we will have more to say). It is defined as "a special power that some people have naturally that makes them able to influence other people and attract their attention and admiration." (Cambridge Dictionary) The world's elite are people who are judged to have been favored by the gods (or God) with superior talents and gifts, and were therefore "graced," or became "graceful," meaning "showing grace or elegance." Kings and great leaders were often addressed as "your grace." Grace is associated with what is beautiful, well adorned, pleasing to the sight, attractive. 

Believers, because they have the Holy Spirit and the word of God (written revelation), become "enriched" in "utterance," in what they say, in their speaking abilities. This is especially true with some of them, with those who become teachers, pastors, evangelists, etc. as a result of some spiritual gift received. Even the believer with very little ability to speak well, when first saved, will no doubt grow in ability to speak for the Lord in communicating his word. This was true with many in the church of Corinth as Paul acknowledges. They all had to some degree been "enriched in speech," enriched in their communications with others. The believer is taught how to use his tongue in speaking well and will be given divine help and blessing in doing so, and upon this we will yet enlarge in the present chapters.

Speaking is both art and skill. This is both true in the world of natural men and in the body of believers in general, of the world of spiritual men. In the natural realm people have talents, creative gifts, and natural abilities in certain areas of human activity and know how. Some people, for instance, have a natural talent for mathematics more than does the average person. Others have ability in the various arts, such as painting, sculpturing, music, etc., abilities that others do not have naturally. For these people excelling in these things comes "naturally," being much easier for them to grasp the knowledge of those arts and skills. 

The same is true in the Christian community, or body of the church. Members are recipients of divine gifts, some in common with other believers, and some peculiar to each. Some of these gifts involve superior speaking abilities. Many of the first believers were enabled to speak in languages they had never known how to speak, yea, even in "tongues of angels" in addition to "tongues of men." Some were enabled by the Spirit of God to speak fluently and eloquently without any training in rhetoric or public speaking. Notice what Luke records in the Acts of the Apostles:

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2: 4)

What a message to the Sophist rhetoricians was this display of the powers of speech and language! By this display the Lord showed who was truly elect, truly elite, truly superior, as respects powers of speech and persuasion. But, upon this I will enlarge as we proceed with our study.

Believers were given special gifts to teach and to preach, as were the prophets, apostles, teachers, and evangelists. This gift of speech is spoken of in several places in scripture. Let us first mention Isaiah. He said:

"The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakens morning by morning, he wakens my ear to hear as the learned."  (Isa. 50. 4)

"By the tongue of the learned is meant, an ability of speaking plainly, convincingly, persuasively, and in all points, so as becomes a person taught of God, and filled with all divine and heavenly wisdom and knowledge." (Benson Commentary)

"The tongue of the learned - Hebrew, 'The tongue of those who are instructed;' that is, of the eloquent; or the tongue of instruction (παιδείας paideias, Septuagint); that is, he has qualified me to instruct others." (Barnes)

Isaiah in being gifted was divinely taught to the point of becoming an expert in both what to teach and how to teach it. He became an able communicator of the word of God by the special gifting he received from God as an act of grace. Earlier Isaiah gave a similar description regarding speaking ability, saying "he has made my mouth like a sharp sword." (Isa. 49: 2)

Moses had his limited speaking abilities when the Lord first commissioned and gifted him to speak.

"And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since you have spoken unto your servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who has made man's mouth? or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." (Exo. 4: 10-12)

Moses is like most of the people of God when they are converted; they lack confidence in speaking. By his adoption into Egyptian family and life, Moses was not "of low degree," and thus not lacking higher education and training in public speaking. The record is:  "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds." (Acts 7: 22) If Moses was "mighty in words" as a result of his being "learned" in the art of rhetoric and discourse, how then did he complain of being "slow of speech" and having a "slow tongue"? Commentators give different answers to the seeming contradiction. Moses says he cannot speak well, being of a "slow tongue," or "slow of speech," and yet Stephen in the Acts passage affirms that Moses was "mighty in words." So, which way was it? 

Many think that Moses was simply being humble and accounts for his low appraisal of his speaking abilities. But, there are problems with this view. Even though Moses acted out of humility (good motive), yet in doing so he was being deceitful with the Almighty, saying things about his inability which he knew was not really the case. This is a possible interpretation. After all, Moses stated fairly eloquently his case for not being eloquent! After all the record of Moses is: "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." Thus, it could be that Moses was somewhat shy and timid, not very bold.  

I do believe that Moses' speaking ability was not as great at that time as it was later in his life. After all, the Lord did promise to give him greater ability to speak. Therefore it is right to think that Moses spoke better after having been gifted and trained by the Lord. Further, we must not forget the reaction of the Lord to Moses' complaint and objection. The record says:

"So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do." (Exo. 4: 14-15)

Was the Lord displeased with Moses' humility? With his purposeful depreciation of himself? Probably. But also the Lord was angry at his lack of faith in the Lord. Moses' excuse condemned the wisdom of God in choosing and calling him. 

Therefore, I am sure that when Stephen says that Moses was a man "mighty in words and deeds" he is referring to the speaking and doings of Moses after this commissioning of the Lord. His mighty deeds certainly came after this initial encounter, when Moses was instrumental in causing the ten plagues, when he divided the Red Sea, when he performed miracles in the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Therefore, since Moses' "mighty deeds" allude to the time period after the Lord's promise to be with Moses and with his mouth, so too would his "mighty words" also be in that same time period. Moses was not mighty in words or deeds prior to Exodus chapter four. He was so afterward. 

Not only Isaiah and Moses, but many of the Lord's people have been gifted to be able to speak well, to speak with power and authority, with boldness and courage, with confidence. Not only are they gifted but they are regularly trained in the skill of oral communication. Sometimes this divine gifting and training is miraculous and drastic (as we saw in the example of speaking in tongues). So it was in one recorded case in the Gospel of Mark.

"And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain." (Mark 7: 32-35)

Many Christian pastors and evangelists in the history of the Christian church have had such experiences. There have been many who when converted and called to preach were men who could not speak well and yet, after their calling and gifting were able to speak freely, fluently, and with boldness, and people were amazed.

In the old testament God had foretold of this new testament enrichment in speech by the Spirit. 

"The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear." (Isa. 32: 4)

The Christian who is thus gifted and trained of the Lord sees great improvement in his ability to discourse, especially concerning the teachings of the holy scriptures. His tongue, while he was living in sin and unconverted, is described in these words:

“Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” (Rom. 3: 13-14)

After conversion however the tongue, mouth, and lips of the believer undergo a radical change. The mouth no longer curses, but blesses. The mouth is no longer destructive but constructive. The content of the convert's conversation is changed, and so is the style and delivery. Notice these verses on the tongue of the righteous.

"The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom." (Prov. 10: 20-21)

"The mouth of the just brings forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaks frowardness." (Prov. 10: 31-32)

"There is that speaks like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment." (Prov. 12: 18-19)

"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit." (Prov. 15: 4)

In the next chapter we will continue our look at how the believer, God's elect, is superior to the world's elite, to its elect, in its ability to speak truth.