For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18 NASB)There are themes, intentions, and designs in this letter to the church in Corinth woven through the words of Paul. One of the foundational is a theme of 'unity'; the age-old question, 'Why can't we all just get along?' But unity without a focus, without a center, and without a core is temporary and often destructive. Without a core of our Creator, unity becomes selfish and often cruel. It's not enough to be unified.
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24 NASB)
So, Paul, calling on the battling factions within Corinth; people who seem to only agree that Paul, the founder of their church, is weak and foolish compared to where they have arrived now; provides a different core. The core of unity for Paul is Jesus. The Spirit of God unifies, but He unifies His people around Jesus; the whole story of his death, burial, resurrection and ascension. But this story, and this Person, is at odds with the prevailing wisdom of the day; kind of like today.
Paul says in this chapter that he was not called or chosen by Jesus to baptize (verse 17), but to proclaim the good news of Jesus. Jesus' 'Great Commission' includes baptism, but it also includes 'teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.' And perhaps these two things are best understood within a larger context of 'make disciples of all the nations,' because this seems to be the method of Paul. He brings the good news, and with it, makes disciples; who then make up a church.
In Corinth, things had gone very wrong after he left. As often happens, people new to a way of life integrate the way they used to be and think into the new one. We often 'enculturate' Jesus into our culture, adding elements of our society's perspective into worship and other things. But when we 'replace' the story of Jesus' death, burial, resurrection and ascension with our familiar comfortable acceptable cultural things; we have then left following Jesus. It happens when a dying, rising, and ascending God seems at odds with the prevailing wisdom of our world, the paths of science, the philosophy of the current crop of scholars; so we prune the account to be more acceptable and fit better with conventional wisdom.
This is what has happened in Corinth; the underlying way of thinking though has also undermined their acceptance of Paul as an apostle of God, and therefore as an authority in their lives. This gets at a personal problem I struggle with in my relationship with my Master. Part of the problem is that I 'filter' authority in my life. I say 'part' of the problem because, in a sense, we are supposed to filter authority. The thing is, my filter is often has a 'tighter mesh' than it should be.
What happens is this, I know that I am to filter according to what my Master has preserved in Scriptures. But then I also filter according to my particular reading, then according to my particular view, and then according to my favorite passages, and then according to my comfort level, and then...I have a very self-centered view, and I'm the authority, not the person my Master has placed in my life. I can't really live that way, but I try. I set aside even my Master in favor of my authority. The world around me constantly tells me that is is not only okay, but right, my right! But it's wrong.
It's subtle though. I don't share the good news of my Master with my neighbors, and I come up with good 'reasons' (also known as 'excuses'). And the result is that it becomes easier to make the next compromise. My 'light' no longer sits on the window sill, but hides under a basket. And in the darkness of that basket, I'm free to set aside all sorts of other commands of my Master. I make a thin pretense of following my Master when in reality I'm not sold out to Him at all. My family sees it, perhaps close friends, but eventually I don't even see it.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing myself to others. The real easy problem here is to look at what I do, where I'm at, and then look around me and say, "What? I'm not that bad." When what I need to do is to look at my Master, listen to His voice, and repent (agree with His assessment of me). And then I receive the grace He offers in restoration of our relationship, restoration of where our relationship was, not that I had lost it, or had no relationship.
That's probably where the most dangerous lie of my enemy stems from. I'm not out of relationship with my Master, I'm just not completely invested in it. I can continue on in a cold heart and wonder away, but that's not likely with me. I'm more likely to find a comfortable, lukewarm, place in the sun and relax. I'm in relationship, just not the sort my Master is calling me into. I know Him, but I'm not exactly available. I have a desire for Him, just not strong enough to overcome my fears. I love Him, but not more than myself, and my comfort. From one perspective, I have been saved, but from another, He is not my 'Lord'. I believe in the resurrection, but do not permit the power of the resurrection to bring life to my soul. From one perspective I am saved, from another, perhaps not.
I believe I am saved, in that my Master is able to work in my life, bring these sorts of things to my mind, and use me to further His kingdom to an extent. But there is more than I have been experiencing. And it's my fault I'm not experiencing it already. I suppose, that is really the core of my lesson from this passage. I too, like the Corinthians, have brought the wisdom of this world into my relationship with my Master, and replaced His commands with more comfortable recommendations. So this is not just some millennia-old letter from some grumpy religious philosopher to an ancient group of people about archaic beliefs. It is a letter from my Master to me.
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