Irony is the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. We're all familiar with its use and we might chuckle with Paul as he uses irony in 1 Cor 4:8-13 to make his point.
After calling himself a lowly rower for Christ, he now added more adjectives to an apostle: last of all, spectacle, fool, weak, disrepute, poorly clothed, beaten and homeless, weary, enduring in persecution, blessing when reviled. Apostles, in short, were rubbish.
Then he called the Corinthians kings, wise, strong, honored.
But about the time they were polishing their fingernails on their chest, he revealed his meaning: he was admonishing them for putting their trust in the wrong place.
While they thought they were able to judge him, he reminded them that he cared for them as their father. Those traits that they mocked - lowly, weak, homeless, weary - were the traits that allowed him to pour himself out for them.
It was because he was willing to be used by God - and others - that his opinion was important. And he knew that the pride and judgmental stance of the Corinthians needed to be admonished.
They were his beloved children and he would not let them go down a self-righteous road without correction. He may have been viewed as weak and foolish, but his humble work would get the Corinthians on a healthier path with the Lord.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Rowing
The word means "rower" but what implications it has for the readers of Paul’s letter to Corinth.
Paul called himself a servant in 1 Cor 4:1 but he used a unique word: hupêretês, which literally means a rower, but was used in Paul’s day to indicate an underling.
Remember Ben Hur, with the men pulling long oars in the belly of the Roman ships? Those men rowed in time with a drummer and they had nothing to say about when they worked or how long they pulled those oars. It was ugly grunt work.
And that’s what Paul called himself. He was a rower for Christ, an underling willing to do whatever the Lord asked him to do.
He cared not if the church at Corinth judged him. In fact, he didn’t even judge himself. The One who judged him was the Lord and no other.
He recognized the Lord as far superior to him.
The great apostle, who wrote much of the New Testament, who evangelized many gentile cities and planted many churches across Asia and Greece, saw himself as a rower, a servant in the great ship that carried his Lord.
It’s a magnificent image, isn’t it?
Paul called himself a servant in 1 Cor 4:1 but he used a unique word: hupêretês, which literally means a rower, but was used in Paul’s day to indicate an underling.
Remember Ben Hur, with the men pulling long oars in the belly of the Roman ships? Those men rowed in time with a drummer and they had nothing to say about when they worked or how long they pulled those oars. It was ugly grunt work.
And that’s what Paul called himself. He was a rower for Christ, an underling willing to do whatever the Lord asked him to do.
He cared not if the church at Corinth judged him. In fact, he didn’t even judge himself. The One who judged him was the Lord and no other.
He recognized the Lord as far superior to him.
The great apostle, who wrote much of the New Testament, who evangelized many gentile cities and planted many churches across Asia and Greece, saw himself as a rower, a servant in the great ship that carried his Lord.
It’s a magnificent image, isn’t it?
Friday, November 27, 2009
Simple words
Although the complaint could have been crushing in a culture where fine speaking was adored, Paul did not wither.
In 1 Cor 3, Paul explained what the church in Corinth had called "simple preaching." Although the church expected the golden-tongued eloquence of philosophers, Paul told the people why he spoke simply.
"I could not speak to you as spiritual people," he said, "but...as infants in Christ."
The church was not ready for anything but the simplest of teachings, so Paul fed them spiritual milk.
Newborns drink milk because their immature stomachs cannot yet digest more complex foods. There's nothing wrong with milk for an infant but we get worried when a two-year-old cannot eat anything besides milk. We expect the body to grow and mature.
In the same way, Paul said the believers in Corinth were not ready to digest more than the simplest of teachings, so that is what he gave them.
And he had evidence that they were not ready for more. "For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving according to human inclinations?"
As the believers in Corinth divided over which teacher to follow, they revealed their immaturity.
So, if Paul spoke simply to them, he said, it was because they could handle nothing more.
In 1 Cor 3, Paul explained what the church in Corinth had called "simple preaching." Although the church expected the golden-tongued eloquence of philosophers, Paul told the people why he spoke simply.
"I could not speak to you as spiritual people," he said, "but...as infants in Christ."
The church was not ready for anything but the simplest of teachings, so Paul fed them spiritual milk.
Newborns drink milk because their immature stomachs cannot yet digest more complex foods. There's nothing wrong with milk for an infant but we get worried when a two-year-old cannot eat anything besides milk. We expect the body to grow and mature.
In the same way, Paul said the believers in Corinth were not ready to digest more than the simplest of teachings, so that is what he gave them.
And he had evidence that they were not ready for more. "For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving according to human inclinations?"
As the believers in Corinth divided over which teacher to follow, they revealed their immaturity.
So, if Paul spoke simply to them, he said, it was because they could handle nothing more.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD
who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the LORD.
May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the LORD.
May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
Psalms 134:1-3
Friday, November 20, 2009
The mind of Christ
When it came to Bible study time, the believers at Corinth had no New Testament to delve into. They had access to the Old Testament writings but the teachings about Jesus were not yet captured into a New Testament canon.
Today we can use the Bible as a standard but what could they do in Corinth? As they were being tempted to follow the teachers of their culture, what standard helped them evaluate the words of these speakers?
Paul had to establish the authority of the apostles and he did so in the middle of 1 Cor 2. There, he reminded the church at Corinth that "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." (1 Cor 2:12)
The "we" in that statement refers to the apostles. These apostles were speaking from what the Spirit of God was giving them.
He explains further: "This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." (1 Cor 2:13 )
Their words were from God, not their own opinions. Their teaching was not to sooth human understanding but to express God's truth.
Other teachers might use eloquent words or popular rationalizations, but Paul spoke truth from God. That was why the people should listen. Not because of his talented oratory but because of God's message.
Paul knew this authority had to be established early in his letter for the rest of his teaching to be effective. We recognize 1 Corinthians as inspired by God - and Paul needed the church at Corinth to recognize the same thing.
He closed chapter 2 with a powerful reminder: "But we have the mind of Christ."
1 Cor 2:16
Today we can use the Bible as a standard but what could they do in Corinth? As they were being tempted to follow the teachers of their culture, what standard helped them evaluate the words of these speakers?
Paul had to establish the authority of the apostles and he did so in the middle of 1 Cor 2. There, he reminded the church at Corinth that "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." (1 Cor 2:12)
The "we" in that statement refers to the apostles. These apostles were speaking from what the Spirit of God was giving them.
He explains further: "This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." (1 Cor 2:13 )
Their words were from God, not their own opinions. Their teaching was not to sooth human understanding but to express God's truth.
Other teachers might use eloquent words or popular rationalizations, but Paul spoke truth from God. That was why the people should listen. Not because of his talented oratory but because of God's message.
Paul knew this authority had to be established early in his letter for the rest of his teaching to be effective. We recognize 1 Corinthians as inspired by God - and Paul needed the church at Corinth to recognize the same thing.
He closed chapter 2 with a powerful reminder: "But we have the mind of Christ."
1 Cor 2:16
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
3-D glasses
Although the glasses were boxy and cardboard, we all donned them once we sat down in the theater. We had entered a 3-D movie showing and we were curious.
We had a big bug fly within inches of our noses and a box tossed in the air seemed headed for our very row. We even ducked unconsciously.
The movie looked different through those glasses. I find a similar situation with Paul's discussion of wisdom and foolishness.
Paul wrote: "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor 2:14)
In other words, those sitting in the movie theater with us but not wearing our cardboard glasses would not see what we were seeing. In the same way, those who accept the world's standards and do not put on the glasses of the Spirit can't see what God reveals.
"We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." (1 Cor 2:12)
Believers receive God's Spirit and he allows us to see things from his point of view. Otherwise, we use our own understanding which we've crafted from our culture, our upbringing, our own ideas.
Those don't help us see things from God's point of view.
Paul said that believers were given new glasses, those tuned to God's standard. Then his words make perfect sense.
We had a big bug fly within inches of our noses and a box tossed in the air seemed headed for our very row. We even ducked unconsciously.
The movie looked different through those glasses. I find a similar situation with Paul's discussion of wisdom and foolishness.
Paul wrote: "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor 2:14)
In other words, those sitting in the movie theater with us but not wearing our cardboard glasses would not see what we were seeing. In the same way, those who accept the world's standards and do not put on the glasses of the Spirit can't see what God reveals.
"We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." (1 Cor 2:12)
Believers receive God's Spirit and he allows us to see things from his point of view. Otherwise, we use our own understanding which we've crafted from our culture, our upbringing, our own ideas.
Those don't help us see things from God's point of view.
Paul said that believers were given new glasses, those tuned to God's standard. Then his words make perfect sense.
"...no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God"
(1 Cor 2:11)
Monday, November 16, 2009
Eloquent speech
God's a speaking God. In the beginning, he spoke the world into existence. When Jesus came to the earth, he was called the Word of God. God values words.
So, ironically, did the residents of ancient Corinth. They appreciated good oratory, a good debate, eloquent speakers.
And so they determined that Paul may not have met their expectations because he spoke simply, not eloquently. Paul confronted that judgment in the second chapter of 1 Corinthians.
He spoke simply, he told them, because he wanted their faith to rest on God's power, not on a man's eloquence. These new believers were using the standards of their culture to determine their leader when they should have trusted God's calling.
Words are important to God but believers should follow those who speak God's words, not the sweet words that tickle our ears.
Today we still like good oratory and will follow someone who speaks well. We might miss the speaker's meaning in the glow of his eloquence. But Paul was clear. He spoke simply of God's power "so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Cor 2:5)
What words do we treasure today?
So, ironically, did the residents of ancient Corinth. They appreciated good oratory, a good debate, eloquent speakers.
And so they determined that Paul may not have met their expectations because he spoke simply, not eloquently. Paul confronted that judgment in the second chapter of 1 Corinthians.
He spoke simply, he told them, because he wanted their faith to rest on God's power, not on a man's eloquence. These new believers were using the standards of their culture to determine their leader when they should have trusted God's calling.
Words are important to God but believers should follow those who speak God's words, not the sweet words that tickle our ears.
Today we still like good oratory and will follow someone who speaks well. We might miss the speaker's meaning in the glow of his eloquence. But Paul was clear. He spoke simply of God's power "so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Cor 2:5)
What words do we treasure today?
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