Gadfly's Muse

2 Corinthians 5 & 6: Living and Bearing Fruit in the Light

Image: "Light and Fruit", 2021, Severna Park, Md.

2 Corinthians 5:6–8  So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15  For the love of Christ compels us because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 6:14  Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:17–18  Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18  “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and  daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”

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Paul is totally overwhelmed by what God has accomplished in Jesus Christ.  The world he lived in as he wrote these words was not the world into which he had been born.  Everything was different.  He had first known the world by sight, but no longer. (5:7)  Now his life was "in" or "through" or "by" faith.  Through faith, he now knew that this present life was only a prelude for that life which Jesus had purchased for him and which awaited him.  This knowledge so impacted him that he would be "well pleased" to be absent from this body in order to be present with the Lord.

But far from despising this mortal life with its ills and difficulties, Paul saw it as "opportunity".  This life counts!  He was convinced that everyone was going to appear before Christ's judgment seat and in some unclear manner, would receive from Him In accordance with "what he has done, whether good or bad."  Paul says because he knows this (vs. 5:11) he trembles at the thought of not having any fruit to present to his Lord.  The NKJV calls it the "terror of the Lord" but the word it translates is the normal word for "fear."  Paul is far too confident in the Holy Spirit's "guarantee" (5:5) to doubt his eternal salvation, but he is motivated by his intense faith, his knowledge of what Jesus has done and is doing, and the glorious nature of it all, to attempt great things.  Thus his ministry is to "persuade men."  

As as he is, so he calls on all who hear his message to be also.  Jesus Christ died so that we no longer should "live for" ourselves but for "Him who died" for us. (5:15)  This is what the love of Christ compels us to do.  Here is a seldom appreciated aspect of true, saving faith.  It is a powerful, compelling force that shakes us out of our self-focused complacency and forces our eyes toward the light of Christ.  God is here, in this world, "reconciling the world to Himself." (5:19)  There's something going on... something good.  And faith in Christ works powerfully in us to create a desire to be part of that work.  As Jesus was "in the world" in order to be "sin for us" (5:21), so we now are to "become the righteousness of God in Him."

Think about that!  God has given us the privilege of showing forth His righteousness to the world around us.  We have had the light shine on us so that we can reflect that light into the world.  Where the world knew only darkness and unrighteousness, they now have living exemplars of God's righteousness among them.  They now see that it is possible to be a peace with God because they can see an entire people who have that peace.  They have the witness of lives that hunger after righteousness before them and what they discover, to their astonishment, is that this hunger is filled.  

Paul calls us to see that this is what is meant by being "in Christ."  It is to be consumed by Him and to be wholly given over to His continuing ministry in the world.

When the people of God find their unity and their passion in this, then (6:16) they truly become the "temple of the living God."  They have God's promise that He will "dwell in them and walk among them."  How could such a "people" ever undertake to tarnish that witness?  How could they consider being "unequally yoked" with unbelievers in such a way as to obscure their whole-hearted witness to Christ? (6:14)  Paul is simply continuing and expanding the Old Testament call to service without distraction.  To be unequally yoked is to be in some kind of binding relationship (contract, marriage, etc.) with another person such that the unbeliever's example and conversation are at odds with ours.  How can anyone seek out such a relationship if they, through faith, have discovered the incredible truth of Christ?

They can't and they won't.  

Saving faith is a consuming reality that understands that "now" is "the accepted time... the day of salvation". (6:2)  Nothing is more important than that and everything should be subordinated to its imperative in our lives.

2 Corinthians 3 & 4: The Glorious Ministry

Image: "Testimony", 2021, Severna Park, Md

2 Corinthians 3:3  clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

2 Corinthians 3:9–10  For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.

2 Corinthians 3:17–18  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:3–4  But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

2 Corinthians 4:6  For it is the God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:17–18  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

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"What you see is what you get!"  That's a pretty good rule of thumb for "common sense" everyday living.  The world, on the whole, is pretty predictable.  Individual people are less so but even there, as one becomes more acquainted with another person, he generally "sees" that person for "what they are."

The saying has some application to religion also.  Paul, in these chapters, is concerned with "seeing."  In 3:7ff he speaks how the difference between people who "see" salvation/religion in terms of "works", be it the Old Testament Mosaic law for religion, or more generally basing our hopes on good deeds we have done, what they "see" can be glorious... to some extent.  (3:7-9)  There are many religions in this world, some of them falsely representing themselves as Christian, who sell a gospel of works.  They may dress it up in some very fine mystical robes, perhaps decorate it with beautiful music, conduct their services in awe-inspiring cathedrals, but, when all is said and done, it is works.  Plain and simple it is "do this and you shall live" as applied to stuff mankind has to perform.

Paul says that this is a "gospel" of condemnation. (3:9)  It, as with Martin Luther many years ago, leads to despair.  For, though it may satisfy for a while, it can never quench the nagging doubt in man's soul.  Deep down we know that our debt is too large.  We cannot pay what we owe.  Sooner or later terror returns.

However, Paul points us toward a different ministry... a ministry of glory that comes from beholding the glory of the Lord in the face of Jesus Christ.  Here we see true glory.  Once we, with spiritual eyes, truly behold Jesus as the eternal Word of God, then there is a transforming effect that immediately grips our soul.  (3:18)  We discover the glorious "liberty" or "freedom" that the Holy Spirit imparts to us as the "veil" of "works righteousness" is lifted from our eyes and we behold the magnificence of grace.  It transforms us because it lifts the burdens from our shoulders and enables and empowers us to become "epistles of Christ!"  (3:3)  Ponder that for a moment.

By looking to Christ through the eyes of faith and being transformed by it, our lives become a living "testimony" or "epistle" of God's grace.  People see in us the gospel of Jesus Christ made real, touchable, observable.  Practical theology calls this "incarnation discipleship" or other such words.  The point is that through faith we can incarnate the gospel... we do not "incarnate" Jesus, He has already done that - no, we embody His gospel.

Apart from a transformed life, this is impossible.  But Paul points us to how it works.  We do not "preach ourselves" but Christ Jesus and ourselves as "bondservants" for His sake.  It is a life which, of course, pursues "good works."  These are undeniably important.  But the "glory" of those works will be dimmed if it is only the "works" that are seen.  What must be manifested is the truth of the Living Lord in Whose name these works are done and by Whose Spirit they are accomplished.

To the degree that this is made clear, then the "life of Jesus" is manifested in our body (4:10) and will "cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God." (4:15)  

Here is joy, even in the face of difficulties, for they sell seem a "light affliction" (4:17) which are "working... a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."  This is a transformed life.  This is the glorious ministry that imparts light and life to a dying world.  This is our calling and our privilege.

 

2 Corinthians 1 & 2: Yes and Amen!

Image: "Not Defeated", 2021, Severna Park, Md

2 Corinthians 1:3–4  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:20–22  For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

2 Corinthians 2:6–7  This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.

2 Corinthians 2:15–16  For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

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If anyone had a reason to quit it would have been Paul.  He tells the Corinthians that he had been "burdened beyond measure, above strength", he had even despaired of life itself.  All he had, he says, was Jesus.  He saw his circumstances as being, in some sense, ordained by God so that he was brought to realize that he had no hope in himself, but only in "God who raises the dead." (1:8-9)

Though the Corinthian church had occasioned much worry in his heart, yet he also very much appreciated their prayers and their support. (1:11)  Here we get a glimpse into the "ordinary" life of the Christian Church when it engages the surrounding darkness.

We are so accustomed to our ease and relative prosperity, that we forget or have never known what it is like, to live "on the edge."  I get uncomfortable hearing some American Christians speaking of how they have been "persecuted" for their faith.  They may have had to endure some discomfort.  They may have had some people say nasty things or even "stab them in the back" at the workplace or in their social circles.  But few of us have been pushed to the limits.  Few of us have been brought to the brink of despair because of our faithful witness.  (I am not saying that no other circumstances may have done so!)  Paul had wondered if his body would be strong enough to endure, perhaps for even one more day.  

One terrible temptation Satan throws at us in such situations is doubt.  Paul knew the promises of God through Jesus Christ.  But, in the face of such rough treatment, he began to wonder.  It was the "comfort" he received in the face of despair, that reassured him.  Through the encouragement, the Corinthians and others extended to him, he again got back to "basics."  (1:15-24)  He remembered his work among them, the confident words he spoke to them, the fruits of the Word that came from it, and he gained a measure of joy again.  He again looked to his Savior and reaffirmed that "all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him, Amen, to the glory of God through us!"  The persevering witness of the Church, of his own continuing ministry, asserted God's continued sustaining love and even pleasure in him... and... in the Corinthians.  It was the Spirit who "sealed us" and who is our "guarantee."  

Noble words indeed and a much-needed reminder of how the Church ought to be functioning throughout the ages.  Jesus had said "woe be unto you when all men speak well of you." (Luke 6:26)  If the Church is not making waves in the culture in which it is immersed, then it needs to question whether it is doing its job.  And where there are waves, there will be a backlash.  Why should we be surprised when evil men and dominions react angrily to our message and our witness?  It has been the constant witness of generations of faithful Christian proclamation.  

And it is even necessary to the Church!  We all have to be brought to the edge on occasion.  We all have to be reminded that "all" we have is Christ and His promises.  It is exactly in these situations that the power of God and the Presence of His Holy Spirit will be most evident.  It is then that we become "the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing!" (2:15)  Paul, even as he is writing these words, suddenly regains a measure of joy.  He sees that God is leading "us in triumph in Christ!"  He must be, or such reactions from Christ's enemies would not be forthcoming. (2:14)

The Corinthians had responded to his previous letter and had dealt with the serious sin among them he had denounced.  Now, Paul says, they are to build on that work and extend it.  They were to be as zealous in "forgiveness" as they were in judgment. (2:7ff)  The witness of the Church, standing against sin, is also to be exhibited in its practice of the gospel, in its willingness and readiness to forgive.  If such is not present then Satan has further opportunity to take advantage.  

This too will be difficult, even to the point of generating some further challenges, but the promises of Christ have to be trusted here, even as in all things.

We all should be humbled by this message and we need to strengthen our resolve to stand for Christ and His Kingdom over and against all contrary doctrines and "worldly wisdom" that is present in the darkness around us.

 

 

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 15 & 16: Really Good "News"!

Image: Snake River, 2013, Wyoming (rendered as oil painting)

1 Corinthians 15:22–23  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

1 Corinthians 15:52  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

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To me, there is no clearer statement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ than that found in 1 Cor. 15.  I can add comments to it but sometimes I wonder to what end?  Paul's words are so plain, so focused, so laser-like in the application, that I worry about hindering the message rather than advancing it.

What is it he says?  Summarized, it is "Christ is Risen"!  He sounds it loud and clear.  He shouts it from the housetops as it were.  Do you hear that world?  This man, Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, Who  "died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and ... was buried, and ... rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and ... was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time." (15:3-8)  

Paul does not speak these words as "articles of faith", to be believed on the basis of religious preference.  Paul proclaims them as attested facts, historical realities certified by multitudes of eye-witnesses.  This is the reality which transformed his life and it is the reality that he sees transforming lives around the world.  As it transformed lives then it transforms lives now.

Notice the astonishing corollaries to these facts!  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (15:17-19)  The entire Christian religion is founded on this fact (though not on this alone).  It is so integral to our faith that if it is not true then the entire hope we have is proved futile.  Thank God it is not false.  Christ is "risen" and therefore "alive" and therefore we are not "still" in our sins, nor have those Christians whose mortal lives ended long ago, perished.  Furthermore, we have "hope in Christ" not only for this life but for the next also.

All of this is guaranteed by the simple fact: Christ is risen!

And that's not all!  And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (15:49)  As He is now, in His risen, glorious body, so shall we be in His image.  Each of us is born into this world bearing not only God's image, though defaced by sin, but also the image of Adam.  Our bodies are like his, subject to mortal death.  We are limited by our passions, confused in our thinking, unable to overcome the constant limitations of frustrating toil and whelming forces, and constrained to failure in opposing the dynamic evil in our world.

But the risen Jesus is not like that!  He is not subject to the forces that constrain us.  In fact, He rules over those forces.  And Paul sees that we will be like Him in this regard.  We shall never equal Him because He is both God and Man.  But as He is Man, now, so shall we be.  Our bodies will put on incorruptibility (15:53ff) and we shall reign with Him and under Him and for Him, bearing His family resemblance.  We have no idea or capacity to understand, now, exactly what this will be.  All we know is that because He is alive, so shall we be alive, and as He is, so we shall be also.

Is that not Good News?

Of course, it is.  And it will all happen in the blink of an eye.  A "trumpet" will sound and all who are dead on the earth will rise and all we Christians will see the Lord together!  At that instant "we will be changed!"  We will receive our brand new immortal bodies and we shall embark on our new immortal life and we shall serve and worship our eternal Christ Whom we will see with our new immortal eyes.

Do we need anything else to sustain us in our journey through this phase of our lives?  No, not really.  Paul sums it up cleanly: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (15:58)  How can we not find all the strength, patience, fortitude, and motivation to abound in the work of the Lord when we know that everything we do for Him is conducive to this great blessing we are promised and have received.  It is not in vain.  He is alive and He will prove His Presence among us in all the things we undertake for Him and His glory.

Like a mighty river, His continuing life keeps flowing through His Church, flowing to its inevitable end - life everlasting with Him.

 

1 Corinthians 13 & 14: God is Truly Among You...

Image: "We Are Not Alone", 2021, Severna Park, Md

1 Corinthians 13:2  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

1 Corinthians 14:18–19  I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

1 Corinthians 14:22  Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.

1 Corinthians 14:24–25  But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

1 Corinthians 14:39–40  Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy and do not forbid to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

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How can anyone read 1Corinthians 13 and not experience a warm recognition of truth?  Yes, of course, this is how it is supposed to be!  Without love we are nothing.  Human love differs from animal love (pet lovers may disagree) in that it is consciously constructive.  When we love another person, as Christ and Paul call us to love, it is not a distant "adoring" kind of love.  We don't sit at our windows and contemplate the other person in an abstract, "moony" kind of manner.

No, Christian love is active love.  It is love that acts.  It suffers and is kind, rejoices with the individual rather than being envious, it does not rejoice in iniquity but in truth.  Love actively "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things." (cf. 13:7)  The big thing about love is: it never fails! (13:8)  Here is the power of love - it achieves its goal.

What is the goal of "love"?  It is to unselfishly seek the other's well being.  It is the opposite of "manipulation" where we do good for someone with the conscious or unconscious purpose of "getting something back."  Christian love will "bestow its goods to feed the poor or give its body to be burned" for the purpose that the "other" will be blessed.  Christian love's joy is seeing the beloved blessed in some way.

Paul calls Christian love the greatest of the spiritual triumvirate, surpassing both faith and hope.  Faith and hope can be viewed as the stepping stones to love.  What Paul is saying here is that Christian love is the foundation on which all other spiritual gifts are to be built. (14:1)  It is Christian love that empowers the other gifts.  

Paul spends a good deal of time in chapter 14 teaching about "tongues."  His statements are carefully considered and finely drawn.  His main point is that as love is superior to both faith and hope, so "prophecy" is superior to "tongues."  By moving from the "love chapter" to this topic, I think he is consciously showing that as long as both "tongues" and "prophecy" flow from love then both are good for the church (as it was empowered at that time).  In fact, this foundation in love points to the conclusions he draws.

"Tongues" in the ancient church was a spiritual gift of speaking in a foreign language.  I think it was probably a mix of "spiritual language" (14:2) as well as "foreign languages" (national languages foreign to the speaker).  The down-side of tongues is that the practice could and does lead to "puffing up." (13:1 & 5)  It is a "showy" kind of religious practice and its practitioners can, and often do, become vain and smugly superior.  There is no question that "glossolalia" (technical name) is present in the modern church though I believe that it is no longer Holy Spirit inspired.   That day is past.  But the danger of pride is very much present.

"Prophesy" though, both in the ancient and modern churches, differs.  Modern "prophesy" is identical with Spirit-inspired preaching and teaching wherein the speaker correctly understands, proclaims, and applies God's Word to the circumstances of God's people, individually and corporately, and increases their understanding.  It is to the end of "edification and exhortation" and leads to the "comfort of men." (14:3)  

Now there is no question that the sin of pride can show up in "prophecy" also but since its goal is directed toward the hearers rather than "showing off", it is less prone.  

However, Paul's main point still stands.  Both have to be built on and flow out of, a heart of love.  Paul particularly draws this out when he distinguishes "tongues" as being a "sign" for unbelievers.  Here I think he is speaking of "tongues" as "foreign languages."  Mere "babbling in tongues" has never been unique to Christianity.  Many pagan priests and oracles babbled and they needed an "interpreter" to give the pilgrim seeking advice that which he was seeking and for which he paid a fee.  But when a foreigner (there were many in Corinth) entered a room and heard someone speaking the gospel in his own language, that got his attention.  But that is all it did.  It was a sign.

It was the "prophecy" that drove the nail home. (14:25)  When he heard God's word and had it cut him to the quick and reveal the secrets of his heart, then he would fall on his face and worship.  He would "report that God is truly among you!"

This is what happens when "love" bears fruit in a congregation.  When "all things" are done decently and in order (14:39-49) and love powerfully inflames the preaching and teaching, and there is a genuine desire to bless other people, including the "new-guy", then those who long to be shown a "better way" will be convinced they have found it.

They will know that "God is truly among you" because His footprints are easily seen.

1 Corinthians 11&12: Sundry Things...

Image:  "Background", 2010, Lake Louise, AB

1 Corinthians 11:3  But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

1 Corinthians 11:27  Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 11:33  Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

1 Corinthians 12:1–3  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2... 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. .... 14 For, in fact, the body is not one member but many.

1 Corinthians 12:27  Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

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As is the custom with many, if not most, churches, there were many questions which the Corinthians had asked Paul's advice.  All of them are relevant, in principle, to questions we still face today.  All are too complex to completely develop but I'll at least point out a direction.

The question of women's long hair is intricately bound up in the social customs of the day as well as the new freedoms and status that the Christian "sect" had introduced.  

The Christians led the way in tearing down significant barriers facing women.  Women were able to participate in worship alongside and with equal status to men, sometimes actually participating in worship (prophecy, etc.).  Christian women showed greater boldness in conducting business and traveling with slaves, etc.  A new light was shown on the relative status of married women, especially when married to non-Christian spouses.  

However, this generated questions.  Are any social distinctions between men and women to be maintained?  Roman and Greek pagan worship practices differed but some attention was paid to whether men should cover their heads and, to my knowledge, women and men worshiped separately.  In the Christian worship service, Paul tells men to not cover their heads because their "heads" in a sense, reflected that they, as covenant heads of household, were directly responsible to Christ.  He was their head.  Women, conversely, though of equal value to men are positionally related to Christ in their individual households, through their believing husband.  Thus, in the worship service, each sex was to display the "ordering" of social relationships.  What is essential here is that the Christian community was to embody God's structuring of godly human society.  It was not then, nor should it be now, simply a question of whether women wear a veil over their hair.  There's more to it than that.  Rather, they are to display (as married women) that they are under the "authority" of a husband in their ordinary positions in life.

I know that is unsatisfactory, but the topic is too complex to address more comprehensively.

Another question arising in Corinth and present still, is that of the Lord's Supper.  Carefully note 11:17-22 for the context for what follows.  The early churches observed the Sacrament in what was called a "love feast."  We would call them "fellowship dinners".  They were truly meals.  At some point, the host would introduce the actual observance of the Sacrament.  We don't really know how that worked in a specific practice.  Paul's main thrust here is that the Lord's Supper was being profaned because the Corinthians were acting out selfish pride as well as base carnal desires.  Rather than sharing "commonly', some were eating separately, or in factions, and some were being deprived (vs. 11:21) and others were getting drunk.

Paul takes them back to basics.  The Lord's Supper is a celebration of Christ's fellowship with us (corporately) and our fellowship with each other (corporately).  It is a celebration of what Christ has done to establish His Church and how He nourishes it.  It is virtually meaningless as an "individual" rite.  Paul charges his readers to pay careful attention to what Jesus has instituted and to examine themselves (11:28) to see if base desires or selfish motives are present in himself.  Paul says, "this is important, ensure the fellowship is present, wait for one another." (cf. 11:33)  Here is a message every generation of Christians must learn.  The Lord's Supper is a covenant celebration of what God has done through Jesus Christ in establishing and preserving His Church.  We have to always reinforce this central focus.

Then, as is always the case, there is that vexing question of spiritual gifts.  In the early Church, many such gifts were given that are no longer needed or present in the modern church.  We do not need revelatory prophecy now that we have the complete New Testament, etc.  However, that does not mean that there are no spiritual gifts remaining at all.  In 12:4-5, Paul sets down the central principle:  spiritual gifts will be provided to the Church in accordance with the number and variety of "ministries" that God calls forth.  What the Church must understand is that in the furnishing of such gifts, God is establishing both "unity and diversity."  Not everyone will have the same gifting... but all will be gifted for service.  So it is essential that all be encouraged, all are respected, and all are supported.  

However, Paul sums it all up by saying that such spiritual gifts for ministry are present in the congregation, are of far less importance than the supreme Spiritual gift which each Christian must possess.  It is the empowerment by the Holy Spirit to confess "Jesus is Lord." (12:3)  Here are the ground and foundation for all Christian ministry and its ultimate value.  Each is unified with the others in that they flow from that fundamental well-spring of confessing Jesus as Lord.  The diversity arises in that the Spirit is "given to each one for the profit of all". (12:7)  The body has to be composed of many parts but it is still one body.

These are powerful teachings and as relevant today as they can possibly be.  We are called to embrace our calling to reflect the new social order called the Kingdom of Christ, in everything we do.

 

1 Corinthians 10: Do All To The Glory of God...

Image: "The Spiritual Center", 2016, View Along the "Royal Mile", Edinburgh, UK

1 Corinthians 10:11  Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

1 Corinthians 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:16–17  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

1 Corinthians 10:31–32  Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,

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Mysterious... even "mystical"... "deep"... These are a few adjectives that apply to the teachings of this chapter.  Paul is seeking to "center" us in our faith.  He wants us to understand what it really means to live in such a way as to "do all to the glory of God." (vs. 31)  But he takes great pains to show us that this is not a matter of "mere discipline."  At its root, a life sanctified and active in bringing glory to God is grounded in mystery.  It is not a mystery that is hidden from us... far from it.  It is a mystery that possesses us though we cannot really explain how it makes itself known in us.  It's there... we know it's there... and it is the only power on earth that can really enable us to "change our spots."

Paul points us to the mystery in several places.  He reminds us of ancient Israel when God redeemed them out of Egypt.  Verses 1-4 are mysterious indeed.  He sums it up: 1 Corinthians 10:4  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.  In some "more than symbolic" manner, the Lord Christ was present with ancient Israel.  He was their "spiritual food" and "spiritual drink" (vs. 3).  Effectively their passage through the Red Sea was a "baptism" through the cloud and the water.  There was a mystic communion with Christ within the ancient Church.  This attending Presence was their deepest treasure though (vs. 5) they did not appreciate it.  Few among them devoted themselves to developing the kind of spiritual relationship with the Christ that we read about in the Psalms, especially those by David.

The point Paul makes is that this special relation to Christ, His immanence with us, is the source of our strength when facing temptation.  Sadly, (vs. 6ff) the majority of the Israelites failed miserably to partake of this strength.

But Paul says that this is not just a history lesson.  He says that all those things happened and were recorded for our "admonition." (vs. 11)  We are in the last period of history.  There will not be another "age" and another "Church" to follow us.  We are the target for these verses and therefore we are to take them to heart.

We will face temptation, both individually and corporately, but never beyond what we can avoid or overcome. (vs. 13)  We have an even stronger bond of fellowship with Christ than did the Israelites.  What was said of them, is equally and more powerfully said of us.  As they ate and drank of the Christ foreshadowed, we drink His cup and eat His body in fulfillment.  This is a great mystery.

Paul's entire point is that in our communion with Christ, at the table in the Lord's Supper, there is in fact His presence.  He becomes part of us in our eating and drinking.  The next point is that since we each have Christ, then truly we each are part of each other.  That part of us which is Christ is shared.  Thus there is a holy unity within the congregation such that "we, though many, are one bread and one body." (vs. 17)  

The result is a mutual fellowship, a common bond, a thorough mutual identity, that prevails.  This opens up the power of mutual accountability, mutual support, mutual care so that we don't face temptations alone but all of our spiritual family faces them with us.  Here then is where the power of the Holy Spirit becomes so clearly present.  When the atomization of our lives into radical individualism and subsequent isolation, is reversed into a bonding love that is entirely at odds with such isolation.  We become truly one Family, with one Head and with One Spirit.

This then enables and empowers us, in our individual lives, to be the "tentacles" of the organism which is Jesus' Kingdom.  We carry with us not only our inner spiritual strength but the corporate strength of the Living Christ manifested in His people.

As such we can and will make huge strides in living to His glory.  Mountains can be reduced to rubble and cast into the sea.  Spiritual citadels of darkness will wither in the light of His Truth going forth in and through us.  We can begin, and prosper, in doing "all to the glory of God."

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 8-9: The Power of the Good Confession

Image: "Confidence", 2009, roadside view near Acadia National Park, ME1 Corinthians 8:12  But when you thus sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:14  Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

1 Corinthians 9:16  For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

1 Corinthians 9:22  to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might, by all means, save some.

1 Corinthians 9:27  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

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Every grouping of people seeking a bond and identity must have a central premise, or affirmation, which seals them in unity.  The ancient Israelites found theirs in Deut. 6:4,5:  Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one!  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

This was much more than a political slogan.  It constituted the core foundation on which all facets of the subsequent Israelite history were to develop.  

Some important theologians understand 1 Corinthians 8:6  yet for us, there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live, to be the NT Church's restatement of Deut. 6:4 updated to reflect the New Covenant Israel, the Church of Christ.

It certainly is sufficient for the task.  Notice how Paul applies it here.

He addresses the question of eating food previously sacrificed to idols and, as with previous chapters, he situates the question in the larger framework.  "Look", he says, (8:4)  "there ain't nothing to these idols.  They are useless statues in and of themselves.  And, as far as any 'dark power' that may be behind them (8:5) is concerned, it exists only on the fringes of the One True God."  He then goes on to remind the Corinthians of their confession: the only thing that is truly important is our one God and one Lord Jesus Christ.  If we fixate on that truth, no matter what comes before us, we cannot go far wrong.

Paul then sums it up:  food doesn't commend us to God and it doesn't separate us from Him either.   Therefore, in and of itself, food sacrificed to idols is just more roasted meat.  But, however, we have to watch the context.  Though we have the freedom to eat or not eat, we do not have the freedom to "sin against the brethren". (8:12)  Our confession of One God and One Lord binds us together and that binding takes precedence over any "freedom" we may be given.  

We have to distinguish here between Christian freedom and obedience to Scripture.  We do not have freedom where God has commanded obedience, so, Christian freedom is not freedom to sin, such as in not hallowing the Lord's name.  Christian freedom here extends to ceremonial acts like eating food but it does not extend to offending our brother.  That's how we maintain our unity.  God always comes first.

Paul extends this primary framework (unity in confession) to another touchy subject.  Very few things in any church receive as much scrutiny as the pastor's salary.  There is no question, at least in my mind, that many pastors are over-paid.  This is usually the case in larger churches where the pastor is supposed to be treated in parity with high paid executives in the secular world.  So, it is right and good for the church to be conscious of the pastor's salary.  However, there are also those who think that the pastorate should be a call to poverty.  Some congregations do not really think that his job is "all that tough" and that "anyone could do it."  Therefore they can be pretty chintzy in his salary.

Paul reminds them that serving the One God and One Lord Jesus Christ, is a consuming lifestyle.  He likens it to an ox treading on the grain.  It is right and good that the congregation remember that the pastor is pointing them to eternal life, calling them to service, exhorting them to love, as well as functioning in a variety of supporting roles.  He is, as Paul says, "plowing in hope."  It is right and good for the congregation to feel an obligation to support him adequately so that he can devote himself to the work without distraction.  Paul, using his own freedom, chose to not be directly supported by the Corinthians.  But he does expect that when he has to move on and can no longer earn a modest living on the side, that they will liberally support him.  The bottom line is that "those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel." (9:14)

Lastly, Paul applies the "One God" confession to the broader context of ministry.  The Old Testament statement (Dt. 6) united a people who were already (mainly) one blood.  They were united by kinship.  That situation no longer pertains at all to the NT Church.  God's people are to flow into fellowship and into covenant relation with others without regard to their ethnic background.  This means the gospel has to be presented in a manner suited to their hearing.  No principle is to be sacrificed but the manner is to be adapted.  Paul preaches to Jews as a fellow Jew.  He preaches to those who have not been trained by the law as a man who is not bound by the Jewish law.  His goal is to point every person to the One God and One Lord Jesus Christ.

In these chapters, we are taught how Christian Freedom is a byproduct of our Christian confession.  it enables it as well as conditions how it is to be exercised.

 

Christian Nationalism: We Ought To At Least Understand The Label

Image:  "Beginning of the End", 2009, near Bar Harbor, Me

More and more we are hearing "Christian Nationalism" being bantered about in a vaguely dismissive and smearing manner.  It seems that anytime a person mentions politics or law, and God in the same breath they are immediately lumped into the same category as rabid zealots seeking to tear down the constitutional separations and bring back the inquisition.  

Yet, we have to admit, that some Christians have gone way over the line in identifying their support for President Trump and his "MAGA" agenda as being almost messianic in its essence.  It is always problematic to anoint a politician with holy oil. To declare that a particular legislative or political agenda as being "God's will" must conform to very stringent criteria before any Christian, or the Church as a whole should buy into it.  Furthermore, Christians have been too quick to equate "Americanism" with Christianity, either in its origins, its history, or its declarations.

First, let me attempt to define "Christian Nationalism" as it is manifested in our current circumstances.

Michelle Goldberg invented the term in her 2006 book "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism".  Goldberg used the term to describe people who think this way:

“Christian nationalists believe in a revisionist history, which holds that the founders were devout Christians who never intended to create a secular republic; separation of church and state,  according to this history, is a fraud perpetrated by God-hating subversives … The goal of Christian nationalist politics is the restoration of the imagined Christian nation.”

This is a reductionist formulation to say the very least.  However, if it was universally adopted then it could only be consistently applied to a very narrow segment of American Christianity.  In application, modern leftists have sought to caricature every Christian attempt to influence policies and laws (e.g. abortion laws) in a manner consistent with Biblical principles as bowing to this "Christian Nationalist" creed.

Ralph Drollinger and the organization "Capitol Ministries" has published a paper called "Better Understanding the Fallacy of Christian Nationalism." [Link Here]  This paper furnishes some good background for understanding the various approaches Christian political activism or exhortation may take and clearly states that not all such attempts should be called "Christian Nationalism".  However, this paper errs, in my opinion, in its conclusions about how Christians should think about the whole subject.  After essentially defining Christian Nationalism as the sum of its individual components (Dominionism, Reconstructionism, and Theonomic Importation), the paper concludes that the "only" use of Christian doctrine that should be advanced into the political/legislative sphere is the "Moral Law of the OT" because it is "a reliable informant for civil government leaders in their lawmaking."  The authors advance this idea because this Moral Law is "installed in everyone He has created" as a "conscience chip" written on our hearts.  

Thus, these authors essentially say that Christians have common ground with Pagan unbelievers because we all have the "law" written on our hearts and thus reason can build on this common ground and Christians can influence government without actually prophetically speaking to it.  There is no room, in this view, for "Thus saith the Lord."  I find this analysis more disturbing than Goldberg's.  At least, in her formulations, there is no blurring of the issues.

I would propose the following definition for how "Christian Nationalism" ought to be understood.

Christian Nationalism is a perspective that calls for an activist proclamation of the Christian world view into the public sphere with the goal of exhorting laws or policies which are more consistent with that view, as well as prophetically reminding those in government that they are responsible to God for their conduct in office, specifically in that they are to promote justice as Biblically understood.

Let's add clarity by analyzing the terms:

"Nationalism" is used to speak of a distinct cultural social order wherein members of that order identify with it as well as participate in its goals and activities.

"Christian" is used, in this context, to speak of a comprehensive, over-arching framework for viewing all things through the lens of Biblical Christian teaching.  It is characterized by a reliance on the authority of Scripture as superior to all other foundations of reasoning.  It does not deny natural revelation but it subordinates any interpretation of natural revelation to Scripture, rightly understood.

This view, though it does not embrace "Dominionism, Reconstructionism, and Theonomic Importation" as Drollinger, et al, define them, does recognize that not everything that the proponents of those views said is inherently wrong.  Nor does this view accept Goldberg's narrow characterization. Though every world-view, including Christianity, reflects a spectrum of opinion, her definition is only true for a fairly radical fringe in Christianity.  True Christian Nationalism, or perhaps Christian Political Activism, does not equate the United States to the Israel of God or even as a nation particularly beloved of God beyond all others.  True Christian Nationalism believes that this is a nation "under God" and accountable to Him.  Since this is true for every political magistrate and authority, of whatever nation, then this does not equate to a narrow view of American exceptionalism in a religious sense though "exceptionalism" in a political/historical sense may very well be in order.

Second, let's consider the following quote:

Every social order rests on a creed, on a concept of life and law, and represents a religion in action.  Culture is religion externalized.  [reference, pg. 219]

Now the author of this statement is not highly regarded in modern Christian circles but perhaps this statement ought to be given some consideration.

First of all, its truth appears to be self-evident.  Though some may dispute whether a God-less social order "represents a religion in action", all that is needed is to replace the word "religion" with "practical philosophy" and it fits.  What the author declares is that there is no such thing as a "value-neutral" social order.  Life, in community, is constrained by that community in a thousand different ways, not all of which are verbalized or even consciously held.  Every person born into society is socialized according to the mores and values of that social order.  The implicit notions of what constitutes life, the goal of life, the practice of life, etc. are part and parcel of that social order.

As such we can see that other than quibbles about words, each social order is a religion in action.  Its members conform to the common expectations or are marginalized or institutionalized.  Thus American Nationalism seeks to influence that social order so as to move its "religion in action" along more Christian pathways.

This does not mean that this action, in and of itself, is evangelistic.  If anything it is more apologetic.  It does not promise salvation if the culture does move in the directions it advances.  It simply understands that such directions are more pleasing to God than their opposites would be.

Second, it must be said out front that all such endeavors presuppose that the Christian will be in conflict with the social order.  The social institutions of any secular culture are controlled by the Satanic "principalities and powers" which are diabolically used to suppress the truth of Christ.  However, every institution is made up of people and therefore the Christian Nationalist seeks to undermine the Satanic agenda wherever it is encountered.  Thus questions of pragmatic "best methods" in finance, administration, etc. which do not directly endanger a Christian worldview, are understood as areas where common-cause can be won.  

However, where there is a distinct moral component that runs counter to that Christian world view, then it is the duty of the Christian to oppose it in a distinctly Christian manner.  The sovereignty of God over all human endeavors must be acknowledged by the Christian as a core aspect of his/her actions and statements.

So, I believe there is ground for Christian activism in all spheres of the social order including the political.  I do not believe we should ever equate "Americanism" with Christian Nationalism but neither do I believe that Christians can rely only on some "common ground" with non-Christians for advocating only moral law issues.  

This is not the place for a more definitive discussion of the Christian Worldview.  That is a far more extensive topic.  If any reader has a question about some aspect of that worldview, it might prompt some further elaboration.

 

1 Corinthians 6-7: And Such Were Some of You!

Image: "Blooming Nature", 2008, Severna Park, Md

1 Corinthians 6:1–2  Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

1 Corinthians 6:11  And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:2–3  Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

1 Corinthians 7:24  Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

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If there is any "one thing" that we Christians seriously underrate or fail to give proper credit, it is the potential we, having been regenerated, possess.  These two chapters reflect Paul's shifting focus from the internal schisms within the Corinthian Church to serious ethical questions that have arisen.  There should be some dismal comfort for us in the fact that as seriously "messed up" as we often are, it is no new circumstance.  The Corinthians were having difficulty separating themselves from the "ethos" or cultural imprinting that had controlled them prior to hearing the gospel.  They, like many of us today, were prone to reverting to "type" when faced with personal challenges within the group.

Paul's antidote for that is to call them to "remember who you are!"  He affirms to them that they are not the same person they once were.  They have a new Lord and He has given them a new heart and a new mind.  They must grasp this and begin to appropriate it.  Else the "slippery slope" will land them right back among the stray dogs yapping in the street.

For example, there was this issue of a brother suing another brother in the civil courts.  Paul is astonished.  His first concern is how this dishonors Christ.  What a spectacle such a thing presents.  How the local tribes must have sneered at the sight of so-called Christians flailing away at each other pursuing civil litigation.  For Paul, it would be better if they just accepted being cheated.  What would they lose that they would not gain, with added profit, in Christ's Kingdom?  

And even if they could not do that, the church needs to understand that it has the authority and the responsibility to mediate such disputes and exhort each party to its appropriate Godly behavior.

Paul is here saying: "You are acting like you are still of the same character as before.  Stop it! You were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.  This is who you now are!"  (cf. 6:11)

The same teaching and exhortation are explicitly put forth regarding sexual sin.  "Your body is now a temple of the Holy Spirit.  Are you going to act like those outside who frequent prostitutes?  (cf. 6:19-20)  Remember who you now are!"

Chapter 7 is based on the same premise though the questions and the answers are much more subtle.  

There are always those in the Christian community who believe that sexual "asceticism" somehow deepens one's spirituality.  This is a form of "fasting" and Paul, knowing that there is some benefit to fasting in all its forms, walks a cautious line.  He says that it can be good and useful to abstain from sex for a time if it does not expose your spouse to temptation (7:5) but that a permanent pursuit of celibacy is not for everyone.  It is only for those who are called to it. (7:8-9)  He famously states that "it is better to marry than to burn with passion."  This is the same Paul who wrote the famous 5th chapter of Ephesians so we should not accuse him of minimizing the institution of marriage to just that of legitimizing sexual relations.

His point is clear.  It is good to seek a deeper spiritual life.  "Fasting" can be useful as a tool.  But it is absolutely wrong to think of physical sexual activity as inherently "dirty" or "evil."  It is part of God's gift to man and it functions in several different capacities, not the least of which is to lessen the force of sinful sexual temptation.

Paul then goes on to develop a more wide-ranging commentary on several different issues that the question of marriage and or sexual relations may bring up.  Here we find that Paul holds marriage in very high regard however it is subordinate to a spouse's prior bond to Christ.  This shows up in the question of a believing wife remaining married to an unbeliever unless her superior subordination to Christ rather than to him, leads him to seek divorce.  In such an instance she is not to pose any objections to the divorce.

We have to recognize how incredibly strange these teachings were to first-century Gentile converts.  It sounded as if the world was being set on its ear.  Paul knew that, at least at first, they would hold back somewhat.  But his answer is firm:  "You were once people who could not live like this.  You are no longer such.  Embrace the King and His call on your life.  Through the Holy Spirit, you can walk as I have called you to walk."