I Corinthians chapters 1 to 3 is famous and powerful instruction regarding the power of the gospel to save. Paul emphasised that his gospel is devoid of worldly wisdom, lest its power be nullified by worldly wisdom. He wanted the cross of Christ to have full emphasis with nothing worldly to detract or distract from this, in order to save believers by it. When I was freed from my teenage habitual lying by the power of the Spirit, it was a simple gospel message I had believed in my heart, the words “CHRIST DIED FOR YOU”. Anything more complex and I would have been dubious about whether I had understood it correctly and it would not have opened the way for God to free me by heavenly power from my dishonest sinning. Now the water gets cloudy when you add concepts like essence of divinity. These were concepts borrowed from Ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle.
If the truth is stated simply: The Most High God is God. The Son is the Son of God. The Father of the Son is the Most High God. That is simple and powerful. It is truth that, along with the power of God, can be depended on. Trinitarian philosophy of Tertullian and others clouds all this. To obey 1 Cor 1 to 3 teaching we should imitate Paul and keep such philosophy out of our gospel.
