Christ who is God's power δύναμις (dunamis) and God's wisdom
"For Jews ask for signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
(I Corinthians 1:24, NRSVUE)
Christ, God's power
Χριστὸν Θεοῦ δύναμιν
Christon Theou dunamin
Do these Greek words look familiar?
Χριστὸν Christon = Christ (also translated Messiah), which means "anointed"
Θεοῦ Theou = God
δύναμιν dunamin = power
You already know a lot of Greek. ☺️
Preachers sometimes point out that dynamite is derived from δύναμις (dunamis), the Greek word for power. They then back-apply the idea of dynamite to the word δύναμις (dunamis) in Scripture.
Unfortunately, that is anachronistic logic.
Dynamite was named by Alfred Nobel, its discoverer, in an 1867 patent. The modern invention and use of dynamite cannot be what New Testament authors in the 1st century meant by δύναμις dunamis.
So what does it mean that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God?
δύναμις (dunamis) means power, strength, ability, energy, authority, might, or even miracle.
The noun δύναμις (dunamis) is related to 2 Greek verbs:
δύναμαι (dunamai) = "to be able to" do something. Like "can" in English. But it can also mean to be strong and powerful.
δυναμόω (dunamoō) means to make strong or strengthen.
Rather than dynamite, which is destructive and uncontrolled, δύναμις (dunamis) is often used to describe the controlled use of power - by people or by God or by other supernatural forces.
God, through Christ, is the ultimate source of all power, all forces, and all energy.
A bit later in I Corinthians, you find the verse:
(I Corinthians 3:7)
You can plant a seed and water it, but if that seed does not have life within it, it will not grow.
Life is miraculous. It is designed and sustained by the living God.
That kind of power doesn't seem explosive, but it is power nonetheless. A different kind of power.
Dynamite or dynamic?
Another English word that is derived from δύναμις (dunamis) is dynamic or dynamics. Engineers and scientists talk about thermodynamics. Dynamics has to do with the energy behind a chemical reaction or a mechanical process. The power and the forces behind an action. In the case of thermodynamics, that is usually heat.
Thermo = heat and is derived from the Greek word θέρμη (thermē). (I told you you know a lot of Greek already.)
Although dynamics is a modern idea, just like dynamite, perhaps dynamics gets us closer to the original meaning of δύναμις?
Isaac Watts describes both God's power and God's wisdom beautifully in his hymn "I sing the mighty power of God"
I sing the mighty power of God
I sing the mighty pow’r of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.
There’s not a plant or flow’r below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God, art present there.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
