“For you see your calling,
brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty,
not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26)
ALL of Scripture is a wake-up call about who we
really are, but 1st Corinthians Chapter One is a great place to stop,
read and absorb what is being revealed, especially if we are tempted to
feel undue pride about who and what we are. The “Corinthians” lived in the area of the city of Corinth in southern
Greece, 2000 years ago. Paul the Apostle wrote and sent this letter to
them. But please note carefully - it is also sent to you and to me.
Paul had received information about the
Christians at Corinth, and this letter is his answer. Word had been sent
to Paul about Corinth from contemporaries who had visited the place.
Priscilla and Aquila had actually lived there (Acts 18:1-2), and a
gifted speaker named Apollos had visited (Acts 19:1). There were
undoubtedly others. Paul himself stopped there. It has been interesting
to many that communication and travel were so very effective during the
centuries the Roman Empire existed. News got around, almost as well as
it does today.
The people in Corinth had heard the Gospel, the
good news about our Lord Jesus Christ, and many had expressed faith in
Him. They had received bountiful gifts of the Holy
Spirit. As Paul expressed it, “you were enriched
in everything by Him,” by God Himself, “in
all utterance and all knowledge… so that
you come short in no gift…” (1 Corinthians 1:5-7 & context). They
were BLESSED by God. But there were many problems among them, which included
factionalism, in which groups of proud Corinthian believers thought they were
better than others, and there were lawsuits by believers against
other believers. They oddly seemed to be pleased that blatant immorality
existed among them and their religious practices were questionable. An
example was the Lord’s Supper, which was turned into a time for the rich
to gorge themselves while the poor went hungry. And even the use of the
spiritual gifts had become a problem. Their difficulties were not unlike
problems in the church today, and pride was rapidly leading to their fall. In that
setting, Paul wrote this epistle (letter) to the Corinthians.
He pointed out that there were unnatural “divisions” among them, and he asked them to “be perfectly jointed together in the same mind…” (1
Corinthians 1:10). It should occur to us all that the “divisions” among Christians actually are roadblocks
that prevent others from coming to Christ. Jesus anticipated that divisions would arise among us, praying to the Father, “that all may be ONE, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You,
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You
sent Me” (John 17:21). Why doesn’t the whole world turn to
Christ? The answer for at least part of the problem is the church – we
have “divisions” among us, just like religious groups everywhere. We
don’t seem different to the world because in many ways we aren’t.
Paul, the writer of First Corinthians, observed
that there were “contentions” among
believers in that place, or in some translations, “quarrels” (1 Corinthians 1:11). Have you thought about
the doctrinal differences that have led to the various denominations in
Christianity? If we insist that it’s “my way or the highway” in relation
to our doctrines, the tendency is to break away from other Christians
and not associate with them. Zoning laws often define where churches may
be located in cities. You’re likely to see several churches on the same
block or corner. And if you talk to ministers, elders, deacons and lay
people in them, you find they often don’t associate with the churches
next door. They fail to receive Jesus’ words: “He who is not against us is on our side” (Mark 9:40).
And when they read about His prayer in John 17:21, for us to be “one,” they apparently didn’t understand it, or simply
don’t agree with it.
Here’s the bottom line to Christ’s teachings
about how to be right with God: It’s all about faith, belief, trust,
hope and love. One of His most clear statements on how to be “saved” is
also the most famous – John 3:16 – “For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He
also told His disciples, those who have placed their faith in the Lord,
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By
this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another” (John 13:34-35). Salvation is not complex rules
and regulations – it’s about faith in the Lord. If you trust in
Him, you are His.
Do you love other Christians? Do you ACTIVELY
love them? When you meet someone and have a talk with them; it’s so
common to ask, “Are you a Christian?” And then, it’s also common to ask
the seemingly innocent question, “Where do you go to church?” And if you
don’t like their answer to that question, you might dismiss them
as second-rate Christians in your mind (or
not Christians at all), and
then not associate with them.
Paul expressed many other concerns in this
letter to the Corinthians, but he seemed to view a partisan spirit as
the root cause of many of their problems. He commented, “each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I
am of Cephas’ (Peter), or ‘I am of Christ.’
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in
the name of Paul?" (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). How does God view us
if we feel smug in our little branch of Christianity, saying, “I am a
Methodist,” or “a Baptist;” I’m Roman Catholic,” or “Greek Orthodox,” or
“Church of Christ,” or “Calvary Chapel,” or “Assemblies of God,” or
whatever, and feel we are somehow better than others who wear the label,
“Christian,” but aren't in our group?
Paul observed that those in humanity often miss
the point in life, whereas those in the Lord have received something,
Someone amazing. He
said, “The message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing” and he continued, “but
to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
There is a tremendous gulf between those who reject the Risen Savior,
Jesus Christ, and those who allow themselves the “foolishness”
of trusting in Him.
But just because we accept the Lord does not
mean we are wise. Paul observed, “Not many
(are) wise according to the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called.” And he continued, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world… and … the
weak things… and the base things … to bring to nothing the things that
are, that no flesh should glory in His presence...” “Christ Jesus” alone is our “wisdom.”
(1 Corinthians 1:26-30).
Looking at these verses might make anyone feel
that “I can’t!” fully respond to God or serve Him, because somewhere inside we
see the truth that we are “foolish… weak… (and)
base.” You might say, “Speak for yourself!”
but it’s true for us all. We are not as good as we’d like to be; not
worthy like you would hope. But God who has called us can do what we
can't. What we
fail to do in our strength, He will do in His, out of His power and in His
love. Let’s look to Him now.
Father, thank You that it’s not
our cleverness that brings us to the Lord; but instead it’s the love of God in
Christ Jesus that saves us. We abandon ourselves to Your love, to Your
Son, knowing that You can and will do through us what we cannot do. We trust in
You now. Thank You for saving and helping us. Give us love for one
another.
In Jesus Name. Amen.
