Put Sex in its Place!

1 Corinthians 7:1-16

"But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband." 1 Corinthians 7:2

Paul is addressing one of the most sexually driven societies of history. The Greek and Roman legacy of uninhibited sexual conquest is well known. Sex was a way to make money for those that were slaves. Sex was a form of worship that was expressed through temple prostitutes as a sacrifice to the idols of fertility. 

In short, sex was a money making enterprise. Sex was big business, and business was good.

The natural response to becoming Christian for these Corinthians was to refrain from sex. If sex was the problem then the problem could be eliminated. Some of them decided to simply stop having sex. Yet, Paul does not approve of this response. Sex is a problem. More pointedly, the desire for sex, unabated, is a problem. To remove sex from the marriage was not a way to solve the problem. In fact, it made the problem worse. If the man and wife were to withhold sex from the other it could increase the temptation to fall back into previous ways of obtaining sexual satisfaction. Paul says, keep sex in marriage. But he means, keep having sex in marriage.

We face a society that sells sex. Here, sex is big business and business is good. Our kids are taught to relent to their desires for whatever they want. We are sold a lie. So that we will buy the result of that lie. This is not enlightenment. It is indulgence. Indulgence leads to becoming inconsequential. As a person. As a nation. As a culture.

Sex belongs.

But it does not belong in public.

It does not belong outside of marriage.

It does not make me a better person to have control over my sexual desires.

But those that have control over their sexual desires (including the ones that share them with their spouse) are more consequential people.

Run!

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." 1 Corinthians 6:18

Paul deals with a cultural and religious issue that was the hot topic of the day in Corinth. Is having sex with temple prostitutes wrong? Is sex with whomever I choose wrong? Can anyone tell me what I should do with my body? Shouldn't I be able to love whom I want? Isn't sex simply an expression of love? Paul doesn't entertain these questions. Mostly because they are asinine at the core.

Paul really has some simple advice. Stop talking and start running!

We can talk ourselves into anything. When we are done talking ourselves we will tune into hear other people talk for us. To hear someone else say the same things that I wanted to say helps concrete my assumption that I must be right. So Matt Lauer, Oprah, Tia Fey, or Will Farrell have authority over my moral choices. Not because what they say is right. Rather, what they say is what I want to hear. So the talking continues. I feel better about what I am doing. Yet...what I am doing still doesn't seem right. More Talking. More doing. Yet, I still feel guilt. The answer is not 1,200 hours of a therapist trying to get you to stop thinking about your guilt.

Paul has therapeutic advise for you, stop your crying (you mamby-pamby) and turn from the destructive behavior! Turn off the idiotic television and take control of your life. You are responsible for you! Like it or not. 

And I know you don't like it, get over it, there is no amount of enabling that comes from the media that will remove your sin. Just stop!

The only way to stop is to run in the other direction.

Away from doing whatever you want.

Run away from excusing your indulgence.

Run away from trying to excuse your moral failure (we all have them).

Own up to who you are and strive to do the right thing.

God made you. He loves you. He has sent his spirit to guide you. But for the sake of the one that died to free you.

Stop crying!

Start running!

The Man in the Middle.

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

"But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." -1 Corinthians 6:11

Old habits die hard. Especially when those habits are rooted and supported by the current culture and any behavior counter to those expectations leave a stigma or label. Such is the case for many Christians, such was the case for the Christians at Corinth.

Paul has heard in a report (or a letter) given to him that the members of the church in Corinth are bringing their conflicts before the local tribunal to settle civil disputes. This behavior is not odd for those living in Corinth. Paul admits that these same Christians were quite justified in this behavior before the work that God did through Christ in their lives (v. 11). But Paul is also clear that they are different now. They have been changed. The previous behavior is no longer to be tolerated. They are no longer allowed the behavior of bringing fellow Christians to a civil tribunal. So how are they to handle conflict?

Paul's answer to this sheds much light on the way that Christians should treat one another. First, the courts in Corinth were not the same as our courts today. The wealthy could press down on the poor or disreputable and have their way. In other words, the courts were unfairly biased to the rich and reputable (something we will see Paul address again). So his first charge is to drop it. Let it go. Get over it. If your Christian brother or sister has offended you, forgive them, and then move on. It is better to suffer than to bully your way through a conflict.

Secondly, if the dispute is not such that can be let go. Or if the conflict lingers then turn to the church. The church is the middle man that will shed light by the commands and concerns of Jesus Christ to the conflict that is between you. The goal is not to get your way! It is rather to find a way forward, in love, with your brother or sister.

Finally, Paul compels us not to turn back. I have been forgiven of much. I cannot throw a temper tantrum for my rights to be granted. I have been relieved of my rights. I gave them away. You own them. Actually, God owns them. It is called surrender.

If you have a conflict, allow God to intervene.

Forgive.

Seek spiritual guidance.

Remember that you are a new creature, in Christ, remade for his purposes. Not your own.

The Church's Dirty Word

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

"And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you." -1 Corinthians 5:2

The church is full of sinners. We have all sinned. Are not all sins the same? The answer, bluntly is, no, they are not. Although all sins are egregious before a holy God. All sins are not of the same magnitude and not all sins afflict God and others with the same ferocity. A few things that need to be considered are, who committed the sin, who was the sin committed against, and how much damage has the sin caused? This leads us to interact with the dirtiest word in the church, discipline.

Paul has received a report that a man has become sexually active with his father's wife (his own stepmother). This is lauded by the church in some way that makes the Corinthians come off as arrogant. This is possibly because the man is affluent and the members of this church do not want to offend someone that could have negative social implications. This leads Paul to label their behavior as arrogant.

So, what should be done to this man? What form of discipline does Paul suggest is fitting with this man's sin? The answer, he is to be removed from the church. Now some may look at this and see little compassion or understanding. So, I think it is fitting to investigate the details here. One, this man's sin is well known (it came in a report to Paul). Two, it must be assumed that he is unwilling to relent from his behavior. Three, his behavior is repulsive (seen as incestuous). Finally, his behavior has negatively impacted the behavior of the church (leading Paul to call them "arrogant").

What will happen to this man once he is removed? The indication from Paul is that the man will hopefully see that his heart is indeed not focused on God and he will repent and believe. If this man is an unbeliever and he is allowed to stay in the church then he could die never knowing that he was never a believer at all. Many of our churches are filled with people that have claimed to pray a prayer and therefore believe that they are saved (mainly because that is what they have been told). The outside world looks at them and calls them "hypocrites" and I think that Jesus would agree (he had harsh words for hypocrites). The greatest gift that can be given them is a removal from fellowship and some time to honestly face themselves and God.

The reality is that we do not like discipline. Even this extreme example leaves us grasping for reasons not to be so "harsh." At the same time, Christians look at those outside of the church and throw judgment like it is theirs to wield.  Paul pulls our focus to the rightful place of our judgment, on ourselves. If we could every now and then live up to our own high standards then we would find more friends outside of our walls.

If I would allow my Christian brothers and sisters to hold me accountable then I will be a far more humble person.

A person of compassion.

A person of understanding.

A person of...discipline.

The Perfect Pastor!

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

"When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become the scum of the world, the refuse of all things." -1 Corinthians 4:12a-13

The church that was located in the port city of Corinth had as its founder and initial pastor the Apostle Paul. This fledgling church flourished in the pagan surroundings and began to see much success for a church in that day. 

However, it wasn't long before problems began to pop up. The pagan culture that the gospel was rooted into began to show buds of pagan living within a Christian community. There could only be one place for the church to put the blame for all of its problems, on the pastor.

It never ceases to amaze me the way churches behave toward their pastor. They are either deeply in love or holding pitchforks and torches. The expectations never stop increasing. So much so that one barely recognizes Paul's job description in verse 4:1. To be "servants of Christ" and "stewards of the mysteries of God." Are you kidding? I have known pastors that never even took theology and languages in seminary so that they could get to the "real work" of growing the church (as if that was their job)! They would read leadership books by the dozen and yet could not have a slightly intelligible discussion on the meaning of a single passage. The ability to be funny is preferred over foundational teaching, the focus on the blessings of the kingdom are emphasized more than the persecution of sin, and the eloquence of speech is more  valuable than the exactness of the message.

Why would people within the church prefer such things? Why would Corinth and why would we move so quickly from the men and women that are laser targeted on the supremacy of Scripture? Could it be that they do not make us feel better about ourselves? Church services have become another way for us to medicate our emotions through the pseudo-worship of God. The music says his name, the sermon probably has Scripture (right under the title of the sermon), and the worship room may have a cross but the focus is on us. What we want, what makes us happy, what helps us feel for a moment ...well...perfect.

We behave as if we are kings, like we are rich (blessed), and that we have all we want so why bother with theology (vv. 8-13)? Our faith has become something that we vicariously live through our pastor. He now must have the perfect family, yard, car, and work schedule. We want our pastor to be "all things to all men" but mostly just to me. Those pastors that dare kick against such things are shown the door to live their existence with those that are less eloquent, too young, too old, or too technical.

Perhaps our eyes have become blind to the true purpose of our pastor.

Perhaps we have forgotten what it means to be in want spiritually.

Perhaps we have it too easy.

Paul is clear. We are not better than our pastor and should not be on spiritual easy street while he maneuvers through oncoming traffic. We should not throw our Bibles into the rear window ledge of our cars and expect him to bring deep insights through hours of study (but only 20 minutes of preaching). We must learn to care for one another instead of all rushing to be the first to be coddled (and leaving the church if the coddling is not enough). 

We must take the burden of our feelings of perfection off of our pastor and allow him to live God's job description.

Spitting at God.

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

"Let no one decieve himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise." -1 Corinthians 3:18

I am surrounded by opinions. Opinions are king. Opinions are all powerful. If you are caught making an absolutely inappropriate and ill-timed comment, or if you happen to be simply wrong about a certain subject, simply respond with, "That's just my opinion." Then whomever you have insulted must immediately overlook your heavy stridden trollop over their feelings or else be labeled intolerant. The center of this kind of truth is me. 

The truth of this kind of thinking is that it is mistaken.

Paul left his fledgling upstart church in good hands. He spent 18 months nurturing these pagan converts and handed the struggling masses to Apollos. Apollos was a powerful preacher that could move hearts with words (Acts 18:24-28). This powerful eloquence overwhelmed these connoisseurs of rhetoric and they quickly began to compare Paul and Apollos. The critiques were solidly rooted in opinion only. Paul's response is amazing. He declares that the evidence of the preacher's ministry is the quality of the application. In short, the evidence of the ministry of Paul and Apollos were the Corinthians themselves. The fruit was not looking appetizing.

The appeal of Paul is really simple. Christians must not seek to locate their worth in their leaders, the quality of the worship that they find at church, the success or size of their denomination, the ability to brag about the church building, church carpet, church nursery, or the number of attenders. To pursue such opinion based efforts is to claim one church may be better than another.

I did not deserve to be included in the family of God. I am included only because of the grace and mercy of God. I prove my inadequacy every day of my life. To attempt to split what I do not deserve to be a part of is to spit in the face of the God that died to include me.

Every good and right thing in my life, I owe to Christ.

He determines my worth. Not your opinion.

• In Christ that we are made into one body (1:12; 12:1; Ephesians 1:22)
• In Christ we have victory (15:27, 56; Romans 8:28-39)
• In Christ we share in his glory (Rom.8: 18).
• In Christ I am rich (Phil. 3:7-11).
• In Christ I possess all things (Phil.4: 10-13).
• In Christ my Past is his gospel (1Tim. 1:12-17).
• In Christ my Present is in his hands (2 Tim. 2:8-13).
• In Christ my future is secure and my salvation is sure (Romans 8:31-39).
• In Christ I understand yesterday (Philippians 3:2-11).
• In Christ I look forward to a tomorrow with hope (Revelation 19:11-18).

Life in the Shadow.

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God." -1 Corinthians 2:6-16

One cannot help but be impacted by the Trinitarian thoughts that these passages put forth. What makes us unique among people is not our actions but our connection with God through his Spirit. To live in light of this truth moves me to live in the shadow of the Trinity. The revelation of the Spirit leads me to the reality of the Son, Jesus Christ, which then leads me to a reliance on the Father of all creation. The truth of the Trinity is this: I cannot know truth without the Trinity.

The wisdom of Paul’s discussion here is one of maturity. Once you have the Spirit of God in you then you will see the world differently. You will see the world the way God sees the world. You will find yourself connected with fellow believers, you will live differently in light of this reality of regeneration, and you will proclaim the wisdom of the Gospel that you possess in a way that is consistent with the revelation of the Gospel that you have received.

This reality is not just a cultural alternative to the secular world we live in. As if it is enough for me to refrain from watching one kind of movie and replace it with another, to refrain from watching four hours of secular television in order to watch four hours of Christian television, or to put down the secular fiction in order to read Christian fiction. The Christian life has been reduced to a cheap alternative to the secular life. It is no longer a life that ceases to focus on oneself but rather one that tries to focus on oneself with the “right” stuff. The Christian life, as we know it, is rarely lived in stark contrast to the world. This wisdom, however, demands that we think theologically and understand life biblically not just for our own sake but also for the sake of others.

Paul’s gospel is not intending to show the Corinthians the “right” way to live the Christian life but rather that the Christian life is altogether different than the world around them. The motivation to live a crucified life cannot be communicated from the pulpit or coerced from a tract but must be compelled by the Spirit of God. This is not a “better way” to live life but the only way to live life in the shadow of a crucified Christ.

A Dangerous Message!

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus and him crucified." -1 Corinthians 2:2

There is a central message in the life of a Christian. A message that communicates historical event. A message that recalls a religious history. A message that conveys a spiritual reality. The message of the cross is a message that has power to those that have embraced its spiritual reality. That God, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, would come and pay the penalty of his own wrath for the opportunity for his people to be brought back into relationship with him. This message forms the central core of all that Christianity is. Yet this message is controversial for those that are not believers and also for those that are believers.

Paul does not waste time in identifying the people he is talking to in verse 20. Where are the wise people? Where are the well read and able writers? Where are these powerful arguments? Well... where are they? In two thousand years they have managed the same tired arguments that have been put down by ample evidence and proper history. The arguments against the faith now have largely been relegated to the popular realm where men with powerful writing ability rehash the same garbage for people to pick up off of a Walmart shelf. The rest are seated in the chair for an interview on the "Wikepedia" Channel (i.e.. History Channel). Their arguments are no more the most accepted or intelligible which is why they are teaching religion at BOBO's School of Typewriter Maintenance. Of course they will continue to take the "wise" label and dispel the "fool" label but has it ever been any different?

Paul has a message to those that are believers, as well. This gospel that you so often applaud and discuss in your inner circles is a dangerous message. It cost people their lives. It cost them imprisonment. It has caused families to separate. Paul himself was beaten, imprisoned, and eventually killed for this message. In this way, the message of the cross is "foolish" and "weak." Make no mistake about it. This is why some 90-95% of Christians never share their faith with another living person. Never. Because it is dangerous. We attempt to live our lives incognito and fool our friends into thinking that we are really just like them. We are not. We are behind enemy lines and we have the only message that matters. Labels of "fool", "weak", or the favorite "Hypocrite", cannot de suede the truth. The truth is dangerous.

I am not searching for what is wise.

I am searching for what is true.

If truth costs me.

Then...so be it. Truth is worth the cost. Christ has far greater worth than someone's poor opinion of me or label of "fool."

If I would focus on the truth of Christ more, perhaps I would more often feel a bit...well...dangerous.

I Have My Rights!

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." -1 Corinthians 1:10

One of the major problems that Christians have today is unity. We want to be individuals. We have problems when we all have to share a sandbox. This was a major problem for the church at Corinth, as well. A woman named Chloe sent people to Paul to make a report to him. part of that report included the church members claiming allegiance to different leaders. Paul, Apollos, and Peter were being claimed. Members of the Corinthian church wanted to have their own views acknowledged based on the church leader that they claimed to speak from.

 The really ambitious members even went as far as to claim to speak for Christ. This is the earliest example of the denomination problem that plagues the church.

I live in a community with at least twenty churches within a population of 3,000! Most of the people in the community do not attend any of these churches. For all the effort spent in disagreement and separation one would think they would mount an effort to share community with others. They do not. They want to be to themselves for the most part. Denominational separation is usually about selfish infighting rather than true reflection on the things of God and people outside of the church know it, so they stay away.

Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and worship are supposed to be the things that unite Christians together. Yet these are the very bones of contention between them. The most vicious fights in a church will surround such issues. The church at Corinth is a prime example of how not to handle such things. Paul is clear, "be united." But how do we attain such unity? We have opinions on these important matters and we feel that we are right.

Paul has given us a way over the chasm. I can choose not to claim my rights!

It is not that I am not right. It is that my love for others is stronger than my need to be right.

I can choose responsibility for the unity of the church.

I have my rights, and I give them away, for you.

God's Grace to Sinners

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." -1 Corinthians 1:8

There are few things that stand off of the pages of Scripture more than the pure waywardness of the church at Corinth. I was taught early in my training to read whatever book of the Bible that I was studying twice completely before I began to study. This is a good example of why. As soon as we read verse 8 we see something rather odd. A letter that is full of correction and seeming disapproval at every turn contains this strange statement of God's faithfulness to this seeming failure of a church.

One of the most popular reasons that I hear for people not wanting to attend church is that it "is full of hypocrites." I have news for us all, the world is full of hypocrites. I was the worst of hypocrites before I surrendered to Christ. I wore masks at work to hide problems at home. I wore masks at home to cover my true desires and the selfish plans that I contrived to get my way. When I began attending church I was not made a hypocrite, I was revealed as one.

These men and women of Corinth have slipped into deep sin. Chances are they never really crawled out of their pagan forms of worship completely before joining the church at Corinth. They struggle with unity, purity, and fidelity to the gospel. These are the core of any church. Yet how often are they achieved? The truth is that Corinth is far less the exception but is rather the rule.

God answers this wayward group of misfit believers that would find it hard to be accepted in any of our churches today. He has a name for them...Christian. God's faithfulness is not thwarted by our waywardness. The one whom has called you will keep you till the end. The sin that I deeply want to rid myself of reminds me that I am not complete...yet. I long for a day when I can worship my God without erring thoughts, when he is the center of my orbit, when he saves me from myself.

Until then...God is faithful, God's grace will keep this sinner, and I wait.

Spiritual Gifts and the Early Church.

There is much discussion about the gifts of the Spirit that are active for the church today or whether some of the gifts have ceased with the Apostolic Fathers. Modern denominations are formed on the basis of this continuation of gifts. Revivals and massive gatherings center on the speaker being able to perform "miracle healings". How much of this should we accept as biblical and authoritative? Better yet, did the Early Church continue the practice of all of the spiritual gifts after the time of the Apostles?

 To explore this we first need to agree on our language. The "gifts" of the church are called "charismata" by Paul (although he will also call them "pneumatika"). This "charismata" is where we get the word charismatic. Today we are just as likely to use this word for a group speaking in special tongues or other miraculous manifestations or to describe the compelling personality of a person. The word "charismata" was used often by the Early Church but many scholars looking to defend their practice take every reference without searching for specific content. The Early Church used "charismata" to refer to God's gifts of material possession that were intended to be shared, the wisdom to be shared, and the help the strong could lend to the weak. Only once is a reference using "pneumatika"made in the Apostolic Fathers to refer to a spiritual gift (Epistle of Barnabas).

Here are some of the gifts that are associated with the modern pentecostal movement treated in light of the Early Church:

Apostles:

The Didache uses the word "apostle" to denote a missionary or an "appointed messenger". The document uses the words prophet, teacher, and apostle interchangeably for its instruction about testing them. The Early literature quickly began to use the singular expression of "apostle" to refer to Paul. Very early in the tradition the church began to hold the term to refer to activity located around the twelve. There is no suggestion of some succession from the Apostles themselves.

Prophecy:

This is impossible to treat in a paragraph without making sweeping statements so we will treat this in a later post specifically. However, here we can say that the early Christians saw prophets the same way they did in the Old Testament, they were a mouthpiece for God and proclaimed forth his "word". These proclamations were sometimes predictive in nature but were usually relevant observations based on the general revelation given of God's will to a specific situation. There was a sect of early Christians called the Montanists that were a prophetic movement following Montanus that came up around 172 AD in Phrygia. There is much made of the Montanist movement by pentecostal scholars. It is important to note that the "prophets" of the Montanist movement were predicting the return of Christ. They were repeatedly revealed to be false prophets when the return of Christ did not manifest. Even though Tertullian joined this Montanist movement in his later teaching, the sect was made distant from the Orthodox teaching of the early Christians. Again, we will return to this later.

Tongues:

Tongues as a spiritual gift were primarily a marker of the movement of the gospel into other nations and people groups. This word "glossolalia" has the potential of four meanings:

1. to speak a human language that one has not learned (Acts 2)
2. to speak a non-human language (1 Cor. 13:1)
3. to speak in unintelligible words that need interpretation
4. to utter sounds in musical cadence

Early references to speaking in tongues outside of the New Testament are extremely sparse. Irenaeus refers to the use of tongues as a move of the twelve and Paul in line with foreign languages, not at all like modern glossolalia. He also uses the term to refer to frivolous or silly speech as opposed to speech that is unintelligible. The lack of mention of the occurrence of speaking in tongues in the second century has been interpreted as being so common that it need not be mentioned. However, the controversy surrounding the Montanists provided the opportunity for it to be reflected on. The reason they were not mentioned could also be because they has ceased.