The Apostle Paul brings to a close his section on apostolic authority and opens his section on the particular rebukes he levies against the church in Corinth. The remainder of this Epistle (chapters 5 to 15) will show Paul’s systematic chastening of sins reported among the Corinthian Christians. The first of which deals with sexual immorality, the type that not even the Greeks would tolerate (and the Greco-Roman world tolerated a lot)! Both Jesus and Paul agree that the unity of the church is never at the expense of her purity.
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A series of four ironic statements draw attention to the Church’s penchant for entertaining error rather than mortifying sin. Everything Paul has said is to the church’s shame, yet it is not said to shame her but to admonish her. His love for this congregation is present in a pastoral call for imitation. Imitation of humility, suffering, steadfastness, and hope. We all are just regular folks called by God to submit to Christ and love one another. If Paul can do this, so can we. The Apostle is very much aware of his ministry to the Gentile world and his overall work on behalf of the Church. Paul never questions his authority and inspiration, so neither should we. In fact, he wants to remind us that his role is as a servant of Christ and as a steward of the mysteries of God. An important qualification of these stewards is trustworthiness. If a minister of the Gospel concerns himself with trustworthiness in the wider community before being trustworthy to God, that leads to serious errors. Paul, Apollos, and any other minister is never to be esteemed higher or lower than is prescribed in Scripture. This is true not only for ministers but for all Christians because the fact of our salvation is not through any work of our own, but through the full and finished work of Christ. The spiritual Temple of God is to be built with choice materials, sparing no expense when it comes to construction. This, of course, is usually the mindset of someone building their own house. The only reason one would willingly use inferior materials is because the cost of superior ones is too high. In architecture, this can provide an immediate solution but will likely pose problems years down the road or during a trying event. The same is true with the Church as the Temple of God. If Christians use inferior materials to build, compromising integrity for a false sense of harmony, that building will not stand under the trials and testing God has in store. Paul ties this engineering metaphor with his previous argument: the inferior is the wisdom of this age; the superior is the wisdom of God. This contrast is startlingly sharp for 21st century Christians. Too many churches have allowed or invited in worldly wisdom, setting aside the more challenging yet superior Godly wisdom. Paul makes clear that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God, while the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world.
Paul ties together the imagery of building on the right foundation by highlighting what it is that’s being built. That, of course, is the Temple of God. This is no physical edifice, but a spiritual one. It is not marked by physical boundaries but by holiness. It’s architect and architecture are known and loved by builders. It’s supports are godly wisdom rather than profane folly. These are the precious stones, gold, and silver with which the believer ought to build. Doing so produces a humility and submission to the Triune God, who is present and active in our justification and sanctification. |
About the SeriesPaul’s First Epistle to the church in Corinth is a letter full of love and sorrow. Love for God’s Word and His Church is present on every page and sorrow for a church that has given over to the divisive wantonness of a real-world “Vanity Fair.” Categories
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