I Corinthians 11
I Corinthians 11:1-16: Verse one is a continuation of the last chapter. The division of these letters into chapters and verses, indeed the division of the entire Bible into chapters and verses came later. Paul is inviting the Corinthian Christians to imitate him, especially in the matter he has been discussing, namely, not insisting on one’s “rights” at all cost, but being sensitive to others. Paul saw that in Jesus and he tries to live it in his own life. This may seem egotistical, and perhaps there is some of that present. On the other hand, to tell a group of people, “I think I have this right” puts a lot of pressure on the person making that assertion. I think all spiritual leaders live in the tension between acknowledging their own imperfections (as Paul will do in II Corinthians) while also needing to be a role model for people on the spiritual path. The words “Do as I say, not as I do” don’t wash for spiritual leaders.
From profound insight to difficult material, here Paul speaks about worship and worship leadership and offers words that disturb the contemporary reader. The passage is difficult and leaves the modern reader with many unanswered questions…. Interpreting the text as though it taught the subordination of women is clearly a misreading, since it clashes with Paul’s teaching and practice elsewhere. (People’s New Testament Commentary). Here we go.
Paul commends the Corinthian Christians for maintaining the traditions he has handed down to them. They obviously have not gotten everything right, but like a good teacher Paul commends them for what they are doing right. Then he takes up a new topic of controversy – worship, worship leadership, and the role of men and women is such leadership. Some of his statements are puzzling. Before addressing the issues directly, Paul makes a comment about the relationship between men, women and God. Paul states that Christ is the head of every man, and that man is the head of woman. What can he mean by this? It contradicts what he will say shortly, in verse 12 – that both men and women have their source in God. The language Paul uses is ambiguous, as “head” in Greek can also mean “source.” Paul may be alluding to the creation story in Genesis, but his purpose might only be discovered as we read past verse 3. Paul discourages men praying or prophesying (speaking a word from the Spirit) from covering their heads while doing so. The exact nature of Paul’s objection, what it is he is objecting to, is shrouded in mystery. There is some context for his remark, but we have lost it. For Paul to cover the head is to dishonor the “head,” that is, Christ. Paul is using word play and that does not make this passage any easier work with. In turn, then, Paul objects to women praying or prophesying without covering her head. Again, the context is lost. With the context lost, all we have are some harsh sounding words from Paul. However, part of the context for Paul’s words may be found in the culture of his time. “In some sections of the first-century Mediterranean world certain hairstyles indicated promiscuity, homosexuality, or participation in the frenzied worship of some pagan cults” (People’s New Testament Commentary). To bolster his argument for some differences in how men and women are to lead in worship (though notice both men and women lead in worship!), Paul alludes to the creation story in Genesis. Again, these verses should not be taken out of context or be seen as promoting a distinct hierarchy of men over women. Paul says as much in verses 11-12: “nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman… all things come from God.”
This is Paul’s basic stance. His instructions on worship leadership need to be seen in light of this stance. Could it be that Paul is once again asking the Corinthian Jesus community to be sensitive to the faith of “weaker members”? Could it be they find it disturbing when the usual social order is disrupted too much? Could it be that certain hairstyles communicated something that did not bother some of the community, but others found troublesome? Once again, Paul may be asking for sensitivity to others. To read this passage in a way that is entirely insensitive to the leadership gifts of women, then, is a poor reading of the text, and a direct contradiction of its basic intent.
I Corinthians 11:17-34: Paul began the last section commending the Corinthians, but on the matter he will now discuss, he cannot do so. When they come together for “the Lord’s supper” “it is not for the better but for the worse.” What a difficult word to share. The following information from The People’s New Testament Commentary is very helpful in understanding what is going on here. The congregation met in private homes of those wealthy enough to provide for such meetings. The church service somewhat resembled a dinner party. The dining room held eight or ten persons, the adjoining atrium forty or fifty more. It was absolutely “normal” in such settings that those of higher status received privileged places and better food in the dining room, while slaves and those of lower status ate in the atrium…. In such a context, the central symbol of Christian worship was radically egalitarian – slaves and masters, rich and poor, men and women all ate together as an expression that they were one body in Christ. Their problem was that they were transferring the understanding of social relationships normal in their culture into the life of the church, without realizing that they very event they were celebrating… had made everything new.
As they ate a meal together around the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, some ate to excess, while some went hungry. Some drank until they became intoxicated. Those who had very little would be humiliated in such situations and Paul will have none of this. Paul reminds them of what the Lord’s Supper is all about, and in his words we have words that have been used in Christian worship for centuries. There is no systematic discussion of the meaning of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament…. The Eucharist is a symbolic act instituted by Jesus that cannot be reduced to one or several “meanings,” but points the participant in several directions. (People’s New Testament Commentary). Paul shares what has been handed down to him in the tradition, and what, he in turn, has handed down.
Paul then writes with deep seriousness about what it means to ignore the egalitarian nature of sharing in the Lord’s Supper, how it should break down social conventions that divide people. His rhetoric is very sharp, but it is rhetoric, not literal speech that Paul uses. Paul encourages self-examination as one shares in the Eucharist. Unfortunately, some read these words and stay away from the Lord’s Supper, worried that they are not worthy. This is not Paul’s intent, nor would he be pleased with such a reaction. What he desires is that the Corinthian Jesus community live up to who it is, live out the true meaning of this celebration. Failure to do so demonstrates a lack of judgment, and Paul wants the community to be discerning. Paul’s words about sickness and death are difficult to interpret. Did he believe that some were sick and dying because the community was not celebrating the Lord’s Supper well? Perhaps. As I read this, one might also read these words as saying that some are sick and dying in the community because of a failure to share adequately with each other, as joint participation in the Lord’s Supper would suggest they should do. Whatever Paul’s precise meaning, he would not want people to avoid the Eucharist, but rather wants them to become who they say they are – caring for each other as parts of the same body of Christ.
I Corinthians 12
I Corinthians 12:1-11: Apparently, the community has written Paul to ask about spiritual gifts. Christians trust that God’s Spirit works in people’s lives to bring out their best gifts, and even seems to “bestow” certain kinds of gifts on people. The Corinthians seem fascinated by such special gifts, and Paul wants them to be informed about them.
Paul notes that some of the Corinthian Christians had previously worshipped other gods. The reference to this seems out of place, unless you assume that Paul acknowledges that in those other worship centers there were also “spiritual experiences,” and that his concern here is to distinguish Christian spirituality from pagan spirituality. Paul has already indicated that he knows that those Hellenistic gods do not really exist, but he will not deny that the followers of these religions had ecstatic religious experiences, just as some of the Corinthian Christians seem to be having. What place do such experiences occupy in the Christian life of faith? How are we to discern genuine Christian experiences?
Paul’s next line makes a great deal of sense in that context. God’s Spirit at work in people’s lives leads them to acknowledge that “Jesus is Lord.” It would be reading too much into these verses to make them a general statement about the value of other spiritual traditions. Paul is writing to a Christian community helping them figure out what it means to be Christian. To be Christian is to affirm that Jesus is Lord. There is confusion about the meaning of the other part of the verse. Who was saying, “Jesus be cursed”? It may be that some superspiritual Corinthian Christians wanted to dismiss the earthly Jesus as less important than the cosmic Christ (another version of relegating bodily existence to a level of unimportance). It may be that Paul is simply engaging in a rhetorical move, contrasting true Christian confession with its opposite. The real test of the Spirit’s presence is not flashy “spiritual experiences,” but confession in word and deed, that the crucified man of Nazareth is Lord of one’s life and Lord of the church and world (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Paul emphasizes that spiritual gifts help the church affirm that centrality of Jesus. Now he emphasizes that they all come from one God, no matter which gift one may have. Paul uses the word “charisma” to speak of the gifts of the Spirit, and Paul is the only one to use this Greek word. He may have invented it. It is related to the Greek word for grace (“charis”) and thus emphasizes that all these gifts are gifts of God’s grace, and are to be exercised for “the common good.” Paul’s lists vary, but here the gifts (listed with The Message translation in parentheses) are: wisdom (wise counsel), knowledge (clear understanding), faith (simple trust), healing (healing the sick), miracles (miraculous acts), prophecy (proclamation), discernment of spirits (distinguishing between spirits), tongues (tongues), interpretation of tongues (interpretation of tongues). Paul begins and ends his list with gifts that the Corinthians were especially enamored with, that they particularly prized. Yet, throughout Paul emphasizes that all the gifts come from the same Spirit.
I Corinthians 12:12-31: Paul now introduces a metaphor to emphasize even more strongly that these gifts are for the common good, emphasizes even more strongly the interconnection between the lives of those in the Corinthian Christian community. They are all a part of the same body! All – Jew or Greek, slave or free – were baptized into the body of Christ and given God’s Spirit. They belong together and to speak otherwise is like a foot thinking less of itself because it is not a hand, or an ear denigrating itself because it is not an eye. Paul is at his humorous best here – just take in the picture as you read. A body is not a giant eye, and the parts can’t tell each other they are not needed. When a part of the body hurts, it is the whole body that hurts. Paul turns from the anatomy lesson to the church. YOU are the body of Christ, Paul tells them (and through them he speaks to us). God has given gifts for the benefit of the entire body. Note Paul’s list here is a little different from the previous list.
What are some of your gifts? How are you using them for the work of the body of Christ? If you don’t see yourself as gifted, look again!!!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
I Corinthians 8
I Corinthians 8:1-13
Paul continues to comment on the relation of Christian faith to bodily existence, but the focus changes dramatically. He now writes about food sacrificed to idols. Meat which had been sacrificed to gods other than the God of the Christians might be available for purchase in the market or might be served at a dinner. Practically all meat sold in the marketplace had been ritually slaughtered in connection with some temple. Could Christians continue to purchase and eat such meat at home? Could they continue to attend dinner parties at the homes of their non-Christian friends, where such food would be served? (People’s New Testament Commentary). These questions bring with them questions about fitting in to the surrounding culture, and questions about how people of differing opinions might live together in community.
“All of us possess knowledge” was another one of those slogans used by some in the Corinthian Christian community. These “enlightened” and very spiritual Christians often reveled in their freedom in Christ. The way Paul writes about this attitude, it seems to lack humility, hence Paul’s response that “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” Paul is not trumpeting an anti-intellectualism, but cautioning against unwarranted pride and encouraging persons to be centered in love. We want to love God and be known by God – that is the best “knowledge.”
Paul acknowledges that other gods and idols really have no existence, at least not an existence equal to the existence of the God of Jesus Christ “from whom are all things and for whom we exist.” At best they represent forces or spirits of some sort, but not equal to God. But not everyone understands this. Some have a weaker conscience, that is, their religious awareness is not deeply developed. Some among the Corinthian Jesus community claim that food is irrelevant (“food will not bring us close to God”). From that they might feel free to eat whatever is sold or offered. Paul concedes this point, but then argues that Christians need to use their freedom wisely, taking care that their actions don’t become a stumbling block to those still new to the faith. Eating at a temple did not entail worshipping of the temple god, rather dining rooms were often attached to temples and they were the sites of social occasions as well as religious ones. Nevertheless, eating there might be misinterpreted, and misinterpreted is such a way that persons might drift away from Christian faith. If that can happen, perhaps one ought to take that into account when one acts.
The issue of meat sacrificed to idols is not a live issue in our day and time. However, issues about our behavior and how it may affect others remain important. Should our lives be completely “other oriented,” so that we never do anything that might “offend” another? I think that is a misreading of this passage. On the other hand, we should not simply be content with claiming our rights to act in this way or that. Rather we need to take seriously how our actions may affect others. The precise way this balance plays itself out in our lives is a matter for deep thought and prayerful discernment. I may think my faith leads me to a certain position on a difficult issue confronting society, say, the war in Iraq. I could choose to say nothing, but I am not sure that is very faithful to the Christian calling. If I come to believe that continuing the war is wrong, it may be important for me to say that, even knowing that it will offend others. However, how I say what I feel I need to say matters. There I can be more or less sensitive to the opinions of others. Taking Paul seriously, I think I need to be sensitive to the differing viewpoints of others.
I Corinthians 9
I Corinthians 9:1-24: Paul has been arguing that Christians ought to take into consideration the impact of their actions on others in the faith community. There are healthy limits to this idea, but in our very individualistic society it is a concept we as Christians need to take more seriously. If church communities were to do that, it might strengthen our ability to share our faith meaningfully with others.
As noted, some Corinthian Christians were enjoying their freedom in Christ tremendously, and were not concerned with the impact their actions might have on others. Paul discusses the meaning of Christian freedom more deeply by referring to his own situation. Paul is an apostle and a free person. He has “seen” Jesus.” Given who he is as an apostle, and the work he has done with the Corinthian church, Paul could assert certain “rights,” among them the right to receive some material support from this faith community. He chooses not to assert his rights, concerned that such action would get in the way of the gospel. He is concerned that if he were to receive some kind of compensation it may be like charging for the gospel, which he feels compelled to preach. People who make their living working in the church have a right to their wages, but all of us who do so need to be careful. We all know situations where the material lifestyle of clergy became a hindrance to ministry.
Paul, though free, has made himself a “slave” so that more people might become persons of Christian faith. Again, Paul is using highly rhetorical language, and there are limits to how much one can give of oneself and remain healthy enough to give into the future. Nevertheless, there is a lesson to be learned here about setting aside one’s “rights,” about reaching out to others in ways that are meaningful to those others – the “religious, the nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized” (Peterson, The Message). All this requires healthy self-discipline, and Paul encourages this, using metaphors from Greek athletic games. Punishing the body and enslaving it are metaphors for such athletic training.
I Corinthians 10
I Corinthians 10:1-22: “The subject continues to be the same: to what extent Christians can participate in pagan culture, especially attendance at festive meals in pagan temples” (People’s New Testament Commentary). Paul has argued that such behavior needs to take into account the impact on others in the faith community. In this section, he is concerned that such behavior might have a negative affect on the person engaged in it. To make his point, he uses the Exodus story as a metaphor.
In the Exodus, all who participated ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink, and all were “baptized,” as it were. Many, however, seem to have lost their way on the journey. Paul likens their temptations to the experiences of the Corinthian Christians already discussed in the letter. Guard against sexual immorality. We must not turn our religion into a circus. We must be careful not to stir up discontent. (The Message) “So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall.” Paul is not trying to make this group of disciples constantly anxious, only trying to remind them that all of life provides opportunity for learning and for growth. When we think we have nothing left to learn, then we have more to learn than we even imagined. “Cultivate God-confidence” (The Message).
From caution against becoming spiritually blinded by one’s own sense of spirituality, Paul returns to the topic of what it means to live in community. We participate together in Christ, so we need to be considerate of others. He also uses this image to suggest that if Christian rituals involve a deep participation in Christ, what might be involved if people find themselves at temple rituals? Paul encourages caution, even if these other gods are no gods.
I Corinthians 10:23-32: Verse 23 is reminiscent of 6:12, but notice a subtle shift. In chapter 6, the second “all things are lawful” is followed by “but I will not be dominated by anything.” Here it is followed by “but not all things build up.” In deciding about our actions, we take into account not only their impact on our own lives, but also on the lives of others. Often what might be detrimental to others turns out to damage us as well. Paul offers some very specific guidance in these verses. Buy what you like at the meat market. Eat what is set before you, unless you are told that the meat has been sacrificed to idols. In that case, for the sake of others refrain. Such food still belongs to God (“the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s), but, again, we need to be concerned for the well-being of others. “We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well” (The Message).
On the other hand, there are limits to always watching out for what others think, and Paul notes that here as well. He encourages the Corinthian Christians to “do everything for the glory of God.” Yet he quickly reminds them again to “give no offense.” What a fascinating balance we are asked to strike. What an adventure we are asked to live.
I Corinthians 8:1-13
Paul continues to comment on the relation of Christian faith to bodily existence, but the focus changes dramatically. He now writes about food sacrificed to idols. Meat which had been sacrificed to gods other than the God of the Christians might be available for purchase in the market or might be served at a dinner. Practically all meat sold in the marketplace had been ritually slaughtered in connection with some temple. Could Christians continue to purchase and eat such meat at home? Could they continue to attend dinner parties at the homes of their non-Christian friends, where such food would be served? (People’s New Testament Commentary). These questions bring with them questions about fitting in to the surrounding culture, and questions about how people of differing opinions might live together in community.
“All of us possess knowledge” was another one of those slogans used by some in the Corinthian Christian community. These “enlightened” and very spiritual Christians often reveled in their freedom in Christ. The way Paul writes about this attitude, it seems to lack humility, hence Paul’s response that “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” Paul is not trumpeting an anti-intellectualism, but cautioning against unwarranted pride and encouraging persons to be centered in love. We want to love God and be known by God – that is the best “knowledge.”
Paul acknowledges that other gods and idols really have no existence, at least not an existence equal to the existence of the God of Jesus Christ “from whom are all things and for whom we exist.” At best they represent forces or spirits of some sort, but not equal to God. But not everyone understands this. Some have a weaker conscience, that is, their religious awareness is not deeply developed. Some among the Corinthian Jesus community claim that food is irrelevant (“food will not bring us close to God”). From that they might feel free to eat whatever is sold or offered. Paul concedes this point, but then argues that Christians need to use their freedom wisely, taking care that their actions don’t become a stumbling block to those still new to the faith. Eating at a temple did not entail worshipping of the temple god, rather dining rooms were often attached to temples and they were the sites of social occasions as well as religious ones. Nevertheless, eating there might be misinterpreted, and misinterpreted is such a way that persons might drift away from Christian faith. If that can happen, perhaps one ought to take that into account when one acts.
The issue of meat sacrificed to idols is not a live issue in our day and time. However, issues about our behavior and how it may affect others remain important. Should our lives be completely “other oriented,” so that we never do anything that might “offend” another? I think that is a misreading of this passage. On the other hand, we should not simply be content with claiming our rights to act in this way or that. Rather we need to take seriously how our actions may affect others. The precise way this balance plays itself out in our lives is a matter for deep thought and prayerful discernment. I may think my faith leads me to a certain position on a difficult issue confronting society, say, the war in Iraq. I could choose to say nothing, but I am not sure that is very faithful to the Christian calling. If I come to believe that continuing the war is wrong, it may be important for me to say that, even knowing that it will offend others. However, how I say what I feel I need to say matters. There I can be more or less sensitive to the opinions of others. Taking Paul seriously, I think I need to be sensitive to the differing viewpoints of others.
I Corinthians 9
I Corinthians 9:1-24: Paul has been arguing that Christians ought to take into consideration the impact of their actions on others in the faith community. There are healthy limits to this idea, but in our very individualistic society it is a concept we as Christians need to take more seriously. If church communities were to do that, it might strengthen our ability to share our faith meaningfully with others.
As noted, some Corinthian Christians were enjoying their freedom in Christ tremendously, and were not concerned with the impact their actions might have on others. Paul discusses the meaning of Christian freedom more deeply by referring to his own situation. Paul is an apostle and a free person. He has “seen” Jesus.” Given who he is as an apostle, and the work he has done with the Corinthian church, Paul could assert certain “rights,” among them the right to receive some material support from this faith community. He chooses not to assert his rights, concerned that such action would get in the way of the gospel. He is concerned that if he were to receive some kind of compensation it may be like charging for the gospel, which he feels compelled to preach. People who make their living working in the church have a right to their wages, but all of us who do so need to be careful. We all know situations where the material lifestyle of clergy became a hindrance to ministry.
Paul, though free, has made himself a “slave” so that more people might become persons of Christian faith. Again, Paul is using highly rhetorical language, and there are limits to how much one can give of oneself and remain healthy enough to give into the future. Nevertheless, there is a lesson to be learned here about setting aside one’s “rights,” about reaching out to others in ways that are meaningful to those others – the “religious, the nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized” (Peterson, The Message). All this requires healthy self-discipline, and Paul encourages this, using metaphors from Greek athletic games. Punishing the body and enslaving it are metaphors for such athletic training.
I Corinthians 10
I Corinthians 10:1-22: “The subject continues to be the same: to what extent Christians can participate in pagan culture, especially attendance at festive meals in pagan temples” (People’s New Testament Commentary). Paul has argued that such behavior needs to take into account the impact on others in the faith community. In this section, he is concerned that such behavior might have a negative affect on the person engaged in it. To make his point, he uses the Exodus story as a metaphor.
In the Exodus, all who participated ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink, and all were “baptized,” as it were. Many, however, seem to have lost their way on the journey. Paul likens their temptations to the experiences of the Corinthian Christians already discussed in the letter. Guard against sexual immorality. We must not turn our religion into a circus. We must be careful not to stir up discontent. (The Message) “So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall.” Paul is not trying to make this group of disciples constantly anxious, only trying to remind them that all of life provides opportunity for learning and for growth. When we think we have nothing left to learn, then we have more to learn than we even imagined. “Cultivate God-confidence” (The Message).
From caution against becoming spiritually blinded by one’s own sense of spirituality, Paul returns to the topic of what it means to live in community. We participate together in Christ, so we need to be considerate of others. He also uses this image to suggest that if Christian rituals involve a deep participation in Christ, what might be involved if people find themselves at temple rituals? Paul encourages caution, even if these other gods are no gods.
I Corinthians 10:23-32: Verse 23 is reminiscent of 6:12, but notice a subtle shift. In chapter 6, the second “all things are lawful” is followed by “but I will not be dominated by anything.” Here it is followed by “but not all things build up.” In deciding about our actions, we take into account not only their impact on our own lives, but also on the lives of others. Often what might be detrimental to others turns out to damage us as well. Paul offers some very specific guidance in these verses. Buy what you like at the meat market. Eat what is set before you, unless you are told that the meat has been sacrificed to idols. In that case, for the sake of others refrain. Such food still belongs to God (“the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s), but, again, we need to be concerned for the well-being of others. “We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well” (The Message).
On the other hand, there are limits to always watching out for what others think, and Paul notes that here as well. He encourages the Corinthian Christians to “do everything for the glory of God.” Yet he quickly reminds them again to “give no offense.” What a fascinating balance we are asked to strike. What an adventure we are asked to live.
Friday, December 21, 2007
I Corinthians 7
I Corinthians 7:1-16: Paul ended chapter 6 with the encouragement to “glorify God in your body.” He now begins to address issues brought to him by the Corinthian Christian community, beginning with issues that have to do with the body and with sexuality. Discussions of appropriate sexual expression for Christians have apparently been around a long time, as we have already seen in this letter. As we read Paul’s words it is helpful to remember that “what Paul writes is not an essay on marriage but part of a letter conditioned by one particular situation” (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Regarding the earlier situation of the man who had taken up with the widow of his father, one group of Corinthian Christians seemed to argue that they were not bound by some traditional notions of appropriate sexuality. Paul disagreed with them – Christian freedom did not mean the freedom to do anything one liked. This chapter begins with the polar opposite. Some others in the Corinthian Jesus community have as a motto – “It is well for a man not to touch a woman.” “Touch” here has distinctly sexual meaning – it is being used euphemistically. While this point of view seems to be the opposite of that discussed in chapter 5, there is a common root. For many in the Greco-Roman world, body and spirit were understood to be very distinct. For Paul, body and spirit are intertwined, interconnected. For those who view the body and spirit as distinct and separable, two responses are common: (1) it doesn’t matter what I do with my body because it is separate from my spirit – the body is inconsequential because it is distinct and separable from spirit, or (2) being spiritual means denigrating or denying my body and the pleasures of bodily existence – the body is a distraction at best and evil at worst because it is distinct and separable from the spirit. Paul has already rejected #1. Here he will also reject #2, though not always, perhaps, in the most positive way. The history of the Church indicates that #2 remains a real temptation for Christians – a denigration of bodily existence, seeing the body as a distraction at best and evil at worst. When that happens, the Church is not being very faithful to its own best theological insights.
The superspiritual argue against sexual contact even among married couples. That is the context in these verses. Paul argues that married couples should have a normal sex life, that each should give to the other their conjugal rights. Christian faith can be very earthy and it seems to reach into every area of our lives. Notice the equality presupposed in verses 3-4. Now one primary reason Paul gives for married couples having a normal sexual life is that otherwise they may be tempted toward “sexual immorality.” Paul seems to undercut his own basic point about glorifying God with our bodies, though realistically, he may have something of a point. Paul does allow that there may be times when couples jointly decide to abstain from sex, but they should come back together again. Paul is not commanding or advising this, only conceding that there may be certain circumstance where sexual abstinence within marriage has some spiritual benefit – but not as a permanent condition. Paul does hint that an unmarried celibate life has advantages (“I wish all were as I myself am”), but he goes on to say that both celibacy in singleness and a joyful and robust married life are gifts from God. Paul, in places, comes close to saying that the body is a distraction to the spiritual life, but I would argue when he does so, he undercuts his own best insights.
Paul comes close to making that mistake in the following verses (8-9). Paul encourages the widows and widowers (probably the meaning of “unmarried” in this verse) to stay unmarried, unless self-control becomes an issue then “it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.” Not the most ringing endorsement of marriage, but one should not push Paul’s point too far. It is some of the Corinthian superspiritualists that argue that marriage and a normal sex life within it hamper spiritual development. Paul is saying that marriage can be an important part of the life of a Christian disciple, and if you are inclined to marry do so with joy. It is interesting to see how Paul in places evokes the name of Jesus in giving advice and in other places says this is just his best judgment. Such statements seem to undercut some of the charged language about the Bible being the inerrant word of God. Inspired, yes, inerrant, that’s questionable.
Paul discourages divorce. Is this an absolute prohibition? To read this passage in that way does not do it justice in its context. Verse 15 acknowledges a situation in which divorce might indeed be an option. Paul, however, encourages those married to “unbelievers” to stay in those relationships. God has called us to peace.
I Corinthians 7:17-24: Whether married or not Paul invites all to “lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God has called you.” Paul says, “This is my rule in all the churches.” Paul goes on to illustrate his point that Christians, after becoming Christians, can retain some of their previous lives – married or not, circumcised or not, slave or free. Paul is not endorsing slavery here. Paul’s point is that God calls each of us in different circumstances, and while God wants to transform our lives, not everything about them must change. Sometimes circumstances change and sometimes they do not, but the opportunity to live as a person of God is always a possibility.
I Corinthians 7:25-40: Paul now addresses the topic of the unmarried (virgins). Here again, he offers opinion. With a crisis impending, though what Paul has in mind here is left vague, he may have had a sense of an immanent return of Christ. He may also have been talking about something more mundane. The married should stay married and the unmarried should stay unmarried – “but if you marry, you do not sin.” That last line seems absurd to most of us, but remember the Corinthian church had those who would have seen sin in marriage.
Paul’s sense of imminent crisis pervades some of the verses. Paul is not saying that we should not marry, or that mourning, rejoicing, buying are evil. He is trying to say that we need to keep our perspective on all of this. We need to remember that “the present form of this world is passing away.” This reminds me a little bit of the Buddhist idea of the impermanence of life. Things change and pass away. Keep things in perspective. Live by your values.
Marriage can bring with it a whole set of “anxieties,” and Paul is concerned about these. Marriage is not second rate spirituality. Singleness can offer persons the opportunity to focus more on God’s work in the world without having to worry about how God’s work in the world might involve a family. Paul’s big concern is to promote good order and deep devotion to Jesus. Marriage or singleness both can be ordered well and are compatible with a deep devotion to Jesus. If you marry, great; if you don’t – great (v. 38).
Christian faith has implications for all of our lives, for how we express our sexuality, for the intimate relationship of marriage. No question seems out of bounds to Paul. No area of life is left untouched by Christian faith.
I Corinthians 7:1-16: Paul ended chapter 6 with the encouragement to “glorify God in your body.” He now begins to address issues brought to him by the Corinthian Christian community, beginning with issues that have to do with the body and with sexuality. Discussions of appropriate sexual expression for Christians have apparently been around a long time, as we have already seen in this letter. As we read Paul’s words it is helpful to remember that “what Paul writes is not an essay on marriage but part of a letter conditioned by one particular situation” (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Regarding the earlier situation of the man who had taken up with the widow of his father, one group of Corinthian Christians seemed to argue that they were not bound by some traditional notions of appropriate sexuality. Paul disagreed with them – Christian freedom did not mean the freedom to do anything one liked. This chapter begins with the polar opposite. Some others in the Corinthian Jesus community have as a motto – “It is well for a man not to touch a woman.” “Touch” here has distinctly sexual meaning – it is being used euphemistically. While this point of view seems to be the opposite of that discussed in chapter 5, there is a common root. For many in the Greco-Roman world, body and spirit were understood to be very distinct. For Paul, body and spirit are intertwined, interconnected. For those who view the body and spirit as distinct and separable, two responses are common: (1) it doesn’t matter what I do with my body because it is separate from my spirit – the body is inconsequential because it is distinct and separable from spirit, or (2) being spiritual means denigrating or denying my body and the pleasures of bodily existence – the body is a distraction at best and evil at worst because it is distinct and separable from the spirit. Paul has already rejected #1. Here he will also reject #2, though not always, perhaps, in the most positive way. The history of the Church indicates that #2 remains a real temptation for Christians – a denigration of bodily existence, seeing the body as a distraction at best and evil at worst. When that happens, the Church is not being very faithful to its own best theological insights.
The superspiritual argue against sexual contact even among married couples. That is the context in these verses. Paul argues that married couples should have a normal sex life, that each should give to the other their conjugal rights. Christian faith can be very earthy and it seems to reach into every area of our lives. Notice the equality presupposed in verses 3-4. Now one primary reason Paul gives for married couples having a normal sexual life is that otherwise they may be tempted toward “sexual immorality.” Paul seems to undercut his own basic point about glorifying God with our bodies, though realistically, he may have something of a point. Paul does allow that there may be times when couples jointly decide to abstain from sex, but they should come back together again. Paul is not commanding or advising this, only conceding that there may be certain circumstance where sexual abstinence within marriage has some spiritual benefit – but not as a permanent condition. Paul does hint that an unmarried celibate life has advantages (“I wish all were as I myself am”), but he goes on to say that both celibacy in singleness and a joyful and robust married life are gifts from God. Paul, in places, comes close to saying that the body is a distraction to the spiritual life, but I would argue when he does so, he undercuts his own best insights.
Paul comes close to making that mistake in the following verses (8-9). Paul encourages the widows and widowers (probably the meaning of “unmarried” in this verse) to stay unmarried, unless self-control becomes an issue then “it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.” Not the most ringing endorsement of marriage, but one should not push Paul’s point too far. It is some of the Corinthian superspiritualists that argue that marriage and a normal sex life within it hamper spiritual development. Paul is saying that marriage can be an important part of the life of a Christian disciple, and if you are inclined to marry do so with joy. It is interesting to see how Paul in places evokes the name of Jesus in giving advice and in other places says this is just his best judgment. Such statements seem to undercut some of the charged language about the Bible being the inerrant word of God. Inspired, yes, inerrant, that’s questionable.
Paul discourages divorce. Is this an absolute prohibition? To read this passage in that way does not do it justice in its context. Verse 15 acknowledges a situation in which divorce might indeed be an option. Paul, however, encourages those married to “unbelievers” to stay in those relationships. God has called us to peace.
I Corinthians 7:17-24: Whether married or not Paul invites all to “lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God has called you.” Paul says, “This is my rule in all the churches.” Paul goes on to illustrate his point that Christians, after becoming Christians, can retain some of their previous lives – married or not, circumcised or not, slave or free. Paul is not endorsing slavery here. Paul’s point is that God calls each of us in different circumstances, and while God wants to transform our lives, not everything about them must change. Sometimes circumstances change and sometimes they do not, but the opportunity to live as a person of God is always a possibility.
I Corinthians 7:25-40: Paul now addresses the topic of the unmarried (virgins). Here again, he offers opinion. With a crisis impending, though what Paul has in mind here is left vague, he may have had a sense of an immanent return of Christ. He may also have been talking about something more mundane. The married should stay married and the unmarried should stay unmarried – “but if you marry, you do not sin.” That last line seems absurd to most of us, but remember the Corinthian church had those who would have seen sin in marriage.
Paul’s sense of imminent crisis pervades some of the verses. Paul is not saying that we should not marry, or that mourning, rejoicing, buying are evil. He is trying to say that we need to keep our perspective on all of this. We need to remember that “the present form of this world is passing away.” This reminds me a little bit of the Buddhist idea of the impermanence of life. Things change and pass away. Keep things in perspective. Live by your values.
Marriage can bring with it a whole set of “anxieties,” and Paul is concerned about these. Marriage is not second rate spirituality. Singleness can offer persons the opportunity to focus more on God’s work in the world without having to worry about how God’s work in the world might involve a family. Paul’s big concern is to promote good order and deep devotion to Jesus. Marriage or singleness both can be ordered well and are compatible with a deep devotion to Jesus. If you marry, great; if you don’t – great (v. 38).
Christian faith has implications for all of our lives, for how we express our sexuality, for the intimate relationship of marriage. No question seems out of bounds to Paul. No area of life is left untouched by Christian faith.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
I Corinthians 5
I Corinthians 5:1-8: In these past couple chapters, Paul has been dealing with divisiveness based on spiritual arrogance. “The main trouble in Corinth seems to have been a form of superspirituality” (Gary Wills, What Paul Meant, 114). Various factions within the Christian community in Corinth have been claiming spiritual superiority based on the person they received their spiritual teaching from and on the kind of spiritual gifts they experienced. Paul suggests that there may be varying levels of spiritual understanding, but his more basic point has been that by their very behavior, these divisive persons are demonstrating that they lack spiritual depth. Paul retorts that he then needs to go back to square one with them, rather than move on to deeper truths. As we left the last chapter, Paul was wondering what sort of tone he would need to take with them when next he visited. In the coming chapter, including this one, Paul begins to address other issues of concern in the community.
Paul takes up as an issue something he has heard reported, not something the Corinthians had written to him about, a situation of sexual immorality. Were they o.k. with the situation? But what is the situation? Apparently a man, a member of the Christian community is living with his father’s wife. The phrase “living with” implies a long-term sexual relationship. “Both the Old Testament and Gentile law forbade such unions as a violation of community standards” (People’s New Testament Commentary) - thus Paul’s remark that such behavior is not acceptable even in non-Jewish contexts (“among pagans”). Jerry Springer visits Corinth! Apparently the community is o.k. with what is happening – “and you are arrogant!” Again, arrogance rears its ugly head in this community. Paul is as disappointed in the community as in the man who is acting this way. He recommends that the man be removed from the community, let go to do his own things, and Paul has some confidence that if this happens the person will understand the error of his ways. This passage my be most instructive for us in helping us ask tough questions. What behaviors would we not tolerate in our church communities? What behaviors might lead to a letting go of a person? If there are those who might harm others, we might put limits on their participation in our community life. These are the issues raised by this passage, more than the specific violation of sexual morality that is the presenting issue.
Again, Paul focuses on the issue of arrogance, here an arrogance that has allowed inappropriate behavior to go unchallenged. Paul introduces a new metaphor to his discussion, yeast in a loaf. The background for this metaphor is the exodus story where the exodus is celebrated with unleavened bread. The church is to clean out its old yeast so that it can truly be unleavened bread. He then suggests a more precise symbolism – yeast is evil and malice, and needs to be gone so that the community might be the unleavened bread of “sincerity and truth.”
I Corinthians 5:9-13: Apparently Paul had written to the Corinthians before about sexual morality. In that letter, which we do not have, Paul seems to have cautioned them about associating with sexually immoral persons. Some interpreted him to mean avoiding any persons who are immoral, but Paul rightly points out that we cannot simply talk to each other. We need to be in the world to witness to our faith, and in the world we will encounter “immoral persons.” While we will know persons who are not a part of the Christian community, and some of them may engage in “immoral behavior,” we still need to stay involved with their lives. Once someone becomes a part of the community, however, one needs to live a life that fits with the faith. Failure to do so means the community may need to act for its own good. Paul is not interested in “judging” the world, but in reaching out to it. Having someone in the church engaging in flagrantly immoral behavior makes reaching out to others more difficult, hence, the community may need to act to protect itself. Again, how such thinking may be applied in our day and time needs careful consideration. Some Christian traditions have a history of expelling persons quickly and judgmentally. Others never deal with problematic behavior at all. Perhaps it is less a matter in our own time of “expelling” any one than of maintaining appropriate standards and helping people meet those standards. When they don’t, forgiveness is always the first option. In some cases, however, a church may need to protect itself from behavior that is destructive of the community, and the kind of behavior I have in mind here is maliciousness, spreading vicious rumors, behavior that takes undue advantage of vulnerable church members. Sometimes we may need to put boundaries around how certain people participate in our common life. Again, great care needs to be taken in any such cases.
I Corinthians 6
I Corinthians 6:1-11: Another problematic divide in the Corinthian Jesus community was a divide between those who were powerful and had resources at their disposal, and those who were not. “Most of the problems at Corinth stem… from powerful patrons within the assembly, important people both very good for help, support, and protection, but also very bad for unity, equality, and commonality” (Crossan and Reed, In Search of Paul, 338). Is this the same group that Wills refers to as “superspiritual”? It may well be, or, at the very least, the seems to be a large overlap between the well-to-do and the superspiritual, and the divisiveness that is created is a real problem. Here the issue is that some members of the Jesus community are taking others members to court in the Roman court system. Paul is incredulous. His impatient, heavy-handed, sarcastic tone reflects his frustration that they have little understanding of who they are as baptized members of the body of Christ who participate in the life of the Spirit. The social situation also plays a role. The disputes in court were about property, which reflects an upper-class activity. The wealthier members of the congregation were using the court system as an instrument of injustice against the poorer members. (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Paul’s language in the first part of this chapter is meant simply to distinguish those in the church from those outside, not to make a moral comment about those outside (“unrighteous”). Paul believes that in our faith we have an insight into the truth about the world, a truth that will “judge” the world (though there is a vagueness about what precisely this means). Can’t they find people wise enough in the congregation to mediate disputes?
“In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you.” When the community is bringing things to the Roman court it communicates something about the faith. If people of faith are in court just like everyone else, what difference does this Jesus faith make? If there is nothing different about our lives as Christians, why would someone want to be a Christian? Isn’t it better, sometimes, to let little things go? In our day and time, there are instances when recourse to legal authorities may be warranted – when we need to protect the vulnerable, when we need to prevent harm from spreading. Paul’s words are not meant as general advice for all time. His basic point is that life in Christian community should be different from life in the surrounding culture.
Verses 9-10 have often been controversial, but again, Paul’s basic point is that we should be distinct from the world around us in certain ways. Paul’s list fit his day and time. We might state things somewhat differently. Paul here expands his vice list of 5:10 from six to ten items, but in neither place is his purpose to draw up a list of those who will enter the kingdom and those who will not…. Paul’s point is to illustrate the new reality to which the Corinthians now belong. This list illustrates the way some of them were, but Paul’s point is they no longer belong to the world where these kinds of sins prevail. The problem is that they are living as though they were still resident members of the old world, taking each other to court over property matters. It is ironic that much recent discussion of this text focuses on items in Paul’s illustrative list (especially the reference to homosexual acts) and ignores his main point. (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Well, even if the “list” is not the main point, it seems a point of debate, so something needs to be said about it. “Fornication” which tops the list is the same word uses at the beginning of chapter 5 (porneia – yes, the root of our word for “pornography”) which was there translated as “sexual immorality.” This “is a broad catchall term for Paul” (New Interpreters Study Bible). Idolatry and adultery are fairly straightforward in definition. “Male prostitutes” is a word literally meaning “soft.” In the King James Version it is translated “effeminate.” The word translated “sodomites” is a rare word in Greek, and, in fact, the usage here is the earliest recorded usage of the word in Greek. William Placher, in Jesus the Savior contends that neither of these words “exactly means ‘homosexual’ in our usual modern sense” (98). Placher goes on to write about some of what we know about Greco-Roman sexual practices as a context for trying to understand Paul more adequately. He concludes with these words. In the Hellenistic world, Paul witnessed (how closely and how often we have no idea) particular culturally shaped forms of homosexual activity…. Paul condemned what he saw, and we encounter that condemnation in the pages of the Bible…. On the other hand, we are not sure why Paul condemned what he saw. Would he have felt differently if everyone involved had been an adult? If the relation would have been understood as between equals? If “homosexuality had defined some people throughout their lives, rather than being part of the lives of lots of people who also had other forms of sex?... Would very different forms of homosexual activity have seemed wrong in the same way to Paul? But we cannot summon him up from the dead, introduce him to contemporary forms of homosexuality, and find out what he would have thought of them. (100)
The church spends a lot of time these days debating these issues. Funny, we don’t spend a whole lot of time asking what Paul may have meant by “greedy.” Does a 30% interest rate on a credit card mean the credit card company is greedy? Again, Paul’s main point is that Christians are to live counter-culturally. They have been “washed, sanctified, justified” in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of God. We have been, too. What parts of our culture need to be countered in the way we live?
I Corinthians 6:12-20: In these verses, Paul is making a deep connection between the spiritual life and bodily existence. Our bodies are “members of Christ” and “a temple of the Holy Spirit within you.” We are to “glorify God” in our bodies. Eugene Peterson renders this final verse as follows: So let people see God in and through your body (The Message). Frederick Buechner writes: “One of the blunders religious people are particularly fond of making is the attempt to be more spiritual than God.” (Wishful Thinking). Our bodies matter. Except for the Jewish community, the world into which Christianity was born made little connection between religious faith and sexual ethics. Sex prior to and outside marriage was generally accepted as normal (for males) and was not considered a religious or moral issue. The Corinthian Christians, most of whom had been Gentiles before their conversion, brought these attitudes with them into church. (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Paul is probably responding to a phrase popular among some Corinthian Christians as he begins this section – “all things are lawful for me.” The superspiritual were reveling in their freedom in Christ. Yes, Paul says, that may be true, but actions have consequences. Certain behaviors water down our witness (taking people to court), certain actions damage the community, certain behaviors may enslave you (how one uses one’s body).
On Sunday, I am preaching a sermon on this text. It fits nicely with Advent – as we wait to celebrate the incarnation of God in Jesus as the Christ. Our bodily lives matter. How do we glorify God in our bodies today? I suggest that we look at caring for ourselves physically as a spiritual discipline. Our care for the body also means we care for the physical well-being of others and for the well-being of our earth.
I Corinthians 5:1-8: In these past couple chapters, Paul has been dealing with divisiveness based on spiritual arrogance. “The main trouble in Corinth seems to have been a form of superspirituality” (Gary Wills, What Paul Meant, 114). Various factions within the Christian community in Corinth have been claiming spiritual superiority based on the person they received their spiritual teaching from and on the kind of spiritual gifts they experienced. Paul suggests that there may be varying levels of spiritual understanding, but his more basic point has been that by their very behavior, these divisive persons are demonstrating that they lack spiritual depth. Paul retorts that he then needs to go back to square one with them, rather than move on to deeper truths. As we left the last chapter, Paul was wondering what sort of tone he would need to take with them when next he visited. In the coming chapter, including this one, Paul begins to address other issues of concern in the community.
Paul takes up as an issue something he has heard reported, not something the Corinthians had written to him about, a situation of sexual immorality. Were they o.k. with the situation? But what is the situation? Apparently a man, a member of the Christian community is living with his father’s wife. The phrase “living with” implies a long-term sexual relationship. “Both the Old Testament and Gentile law forbade such unions as a violation of community standards” (People’s New Testament Commentary) - thus Paul’s remark that such behavior is not acceptable even in non-Jewish contexts (“among pagans”). Jerry Springer visits Corinth! Apparently the community is o.k. with what is happening – “and you are arrogant!” Again, arrogance rears its ugly head in this community. Paul is as disappointed in the community as in the man who is acting this way. He recommends that the man be removed from the community, let go to do his own things, and Paul has some confidence that if this happens the person will understand the error of his ways. This passage my be most instructive for us in helping us ask tough questions. What behaviors would we not tolerate in our church communities? What behaviors might lead to a letting go of a person? If there are those who might harm others, we might put limits on their participation in our community life. These are the issues raised by this passage, more than the specific violation of sexual morality that is the presenting issue.
Again, Paul focuses on the issue of arrogance, here an arrogance that has allowed inappropriate behavior to go unchallenged. Paul introduces a new metaphor to his discussion, yeast in a loaf. The background for this metaphor is the exodus story where the exodus is celebrated with unleavened bread. The church is to clean out its old yeast so that it can truly be unleavened bread. He then suggests a more precise symbolism – yeast is evil and malice, and needs to be gone so that the community might be the unleavened bread of “sincerity and truth.”
I Corinthians 5:9-13: Apparently Paul had written to the Corinthians before about sexual morality. In that letter, which we do not have, Paul seems to have cautioned them about associating with sexually immoral persons. Some interpreted him to mean avoiding any persons who are immoral, but Paul rightly points out that we cannot simply talk to each other. We need to be in the world to witness to our faith, and in the world we will encounter “immoral persons.” While we will know persons who are not a part of the Christian community, and some of them may engage in “immoral behavior,” we still need to stay involved with their lives. Once someone becomes a part of the community, however, one needs to live a life that fits with the faith. Failure to do so means the community may need to act for its own good. Paul is not interested in “judging” the world, but in reaching out to it. Having someone in the church engaging in flagrantly immoral behavior makes reaching out to others more difficult, hence, the community may need to act to protect itself. Again, how such thinking may be applied in our day and time needs careful consideration. Some Christian traditions have a history of expelling persons quickly and judgmentally. Others never deal with problematic behavior at all. Perhaps it is less a matter in our own time of “expelling” any one than of maintaining appropriate standards and helping people meet those standards. When they don’t, forgiveness is always the first option. In some cases, however, a church may need to protect itself from behavior that is destructive of the community, and the kind of behavior I have in mind here is maliciousness, spreading vicious rumors, behavior that takes undue advantage of vulnerable church members. Sometimes we may need to put boundaries around how certain people participate in our common life. Again, great care needs to be taken in any such cases.
I Corinthians 6
I Corinthians 6:1-11: Another problematic divide in the Corinthian Jesus community was a divide between those who were powerful and had resources at their disposal, and those who were not. “Most of the problems at Corinth stem… from powerful patrons within the assembly, important people both very good for help, support, and protection, but also very bad for unity, equality, and commonality” (Crossan and Reed, In Search of Paul, 338). Is this the same group that Wills refers to as “superspiritual”? It may well be, or, at the very least, the seems to be a large overlap between the well-to-do and the superspiritual, and the divisiveness that is created is a real problem. Here the issue is that some members of the Jesus community are taking others members to court in the Roman court system. Paul is incredulous. His impatient, heavy-handed, sarcastic tone reflects his frustration that they have little understanding of who they are as baptized members of the body of Christ who participate in the life of the Spirit. The social situation also plays a role. The disputes in court were about property, which reflects an upper-class activity. The wealthier members of the congregation were using the court system as an instrument of injustice against the poorer members. (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Paul’s language in the first part of this chapter is meant simply to distinguish those in the church from those outside, not to make a moral comment about those outside (“unrighteous”). Paul believes that in our faith we have an insight into the truth about the world, a truth that will “judge” the world (though there is a vagueness about what precisely this means). Can’t they find people wise enough in the congregation to mediate disputes?
“In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you.” When the community is bringing things to the Roman court it communicates something about the faith. If people of faith are in court just like everyone else, what difference does this Jesus faith make? If there is nothing different about our lives as Christians, why would someone want to be a Christian? Isn’t it better, sometimes, to let little things go? In our day and time, there are instances when recourse to legal authorities may be warranted – when we need to protect the vulnerable, when we need to prevent harm from spreading. Paul’s words are not meant as general advice for all time. His basic point is that life in Christian community should be different from life in the surrounding culture.
Verses 9-10 have often been controversial, but again, Paul’s basic point is that we should be distinct from the world around us in certain ways. Paul’s list fit his day and time. We might state things somewhat differently. Paul here expands his vice list of 5:10 from six to ten items, but in neither place is his purpose to draw up a list of those who will enter the kingdom and those who will not…. Paul’s point is to illustrate the new reality to which the Corinthians now belong. This list illustrates the way some of them were, but Paul’s point is they no longer belong to the world where these kinds of sins prevail. The problem is that they are living as though they were still resident members of the old world, taking each other to court over property matters. It is ironic that much recent discussion of this text focuses on items in Paul’s illustrative list (especially the reference to homosexual acts) and ignores his main point. (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Well, even if the “list” is not the main point, it seems a point of debate, so something needs to be said about it. “Fornication” which tops the list is the same word uses at the beginning of chapter 5 (porneia – yes, the root of our word for “pornography”) which was there translated as “sexual immorality.” This “is a broad catchall term for Paul” (New Interpreters Study Bible). Idolatry and adultery are fairly straightforward in definition. “Male prostitutes” is a word literally meaning “soft.” In the King James Version it is translated “effeminate.” The word translated “sodomites” is a rare word in Greek, and, in fact, the usage here is the earliest recorded usage of the word in Greek. William Placher, in Jesus the Savior contends that neither of these words “exactly means ‘homosexual’ in our usual modern sense” (98). Placher goes on to write about some of what we know about Greco-Roman sexual practices as a context for trying to understand Paul more adequately. He concludes with these words. In the Hellenistic world, Paul witnessed (how closely and how often we have no idea) particular culturally shaped forms of homosexual activity…. Paul condemned what he saw, and we encounter that condemnation in the pages of the Bible…. On the other hand, we are not sure why Paul condemned what he saw. Would he have felt differently if everyone involved had been an adult? If the relation would have been understood as between equals? If “homosexuality had defined some people throughout their lives, rather than being part of the lives of lots of people who also had other forms of sex?... Would very different forms of homosexual activity have seemed wrong in the same way to Paul? But we cannot summon him up from the dead, introduce him to contemporary forms of homosexuality, and find out what he would have thought of them. (100)
The church spends a lot of time these days debating these issues. Funny, we don’t spend a whole lot of time asking what Paul may have meant by “greedy.” Does a 30% interest rate on a credit card mean the credit card company is greedy? Again, Paul’s main point is that Christians are to live counter-culturally. They have been “washed, sanctified, justified” in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of God. We have been, too. What parts of our culture need to be countered in the way we live?
I Corinthians 6:12-20: In these verses, Paul is making a deep connection between the spiritual life and bodily existence. Our bodies are “members of Christ” and “a temple of the Holy Spirit within you.” We are to “glorify God” in our bodies. Eugene Peterson renders this final verse as follows: So let people see God in and through your body (The Message). Frederick Buechner writes: “One of the blunders religious people are particularly fond of making is the attempt to be more spiritual than God.” (Wishful Thinking). Our bodies matter. Except for the Jewish community, the world into which Christianity was born made little connection between religious faith and sexual ethics. Sex prior to and outside marriage was generally accepted as normal (for males) and was not considered a religious or moral issue. The Corinthian Christians, most of whom had been Gentiles before their conversion, brought these attitudes with them into church. (People’s New Testament Commentary).
Paul is probably responding to a phrase popular among some Corinthian Christians as he begins this section – “all things are lawful for me.” The superspiritual were reveling in their freedom in Christ. Yes, Paul says, that may be true, but actions have consequences. Certain behaviors water down our witness (taking people to court), certain actions damage the community, certain behaviors may enslave you (how one uses one’s body).
On Sunday, I am preaching a sermon on this text. It fits nicely with Advent – as we wait to celebrate the incarnation of God in Jesus as the Christ. Our bodily lives matter. How do we glorify God in our bodies today? I suggest that we look at caring for ourselves physically as a spiritual discipline. Our care for the body also means we care for the physical well-being of others and for the well-being of our earth.
Friday, December 14, 2007
I Corinthians 2
I Corinthians 2:1-5: Paul has been contrasting the wisdom of God, found in the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus, with the wisdom of the world. In these verses, Paul continues to contrast “wisdoms,” but with a little different twist. Paul was an educated person who could write thoughtful and profound letters and he is not extolling an anti-intellectualism here. He is simply saying that in his preaching and teaching as he founded this church, he was not relying on his own abilities to be intellectually brilliant, though he may have been at times, but rather trying to be a person through whom others came to know the power of God. Paul no doubt appealed to some sense of common intelligibility in his preaching, but he was more concerned to show how the way of Jesus was different from the way of success as understood in the surrounding culture. Paul’s task is our task, relating the gospel intelligibly in our day and time, while not being so caught up in making our speech so plausible that the power of God is lost. The way of Jesus may resonate with deep hopes in our culture, but it is a way different from much of what our culture teaches us.
I Corinthians 2:6-16: While Paul may not have tried to be “brilliant,” here he claims that his teaching and preaching contained wisdom. Did he “speak wisdom” to those who were mature, or is it that those who were mature understood that Paul was speaking wisdom all along? Paul may be suggesting that within the gospel itself are degrees of wisdom, and only some are ready to receive certain aspects of this wisdom – only the mature. If so, there is an analogy here with the Buddhist idea of skillful means - that the Buddha taught people according to their ability to receive the teaching. Paul’s most important point is that the wisdom of faith remains distinct from the “wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age.” Does Paul have in mind what passed for wisdom in imperial Rome? Again, in contrast to such wisdom, Christians have a wisdom from the Spirit, who “searches everything, even the depths of God.” In wisdom Paul seeks to interpret spiritual things “to those who are spiritual.” For Paul, this includes all who have received God’s Spirit. “We have the mind of Christ.”
In these verses, Paul continually and consistently contrasts Christian, spiritual wisdom with the wisdom of this age and its rulers. Anti-intellectualism is not his point. Paul cautions us against getting too caught up in the thinking of our age. The way of Jesus, the way of God, the way of life is often different from conventional wisdom. What parts of what pass for conventional wisdom might we need to question in our own lives and in our own society? Furthermore, while intellectual gifts can be gifts of God and God’s Spirit, sometimes our intellectual sophistication gets in the way. There is such a thing as paralysis by analysis – refusal or inability to act because we see the complexity of the world. We should see the world in its marvelous complexity, and act for justice and peace and reconciliation and love nevertheless.
I Corinthians 3
I Corinthians 3:1-23: In the beginning of this chapter, Paul does seem to indicate that he needed to offer his teaching at different levels. While the Corinthian Jesus community may have the mind of Christ, apparently, they also struggle with being “of the flesh.” He is not denigrating their bodily existence, but telling them that their thinking is still too influenced by what the culture considers wise. Paul is not focusing on a contrast between spiritual infants and spiritual elites, but encouraging the Corinthians to be more who they already are in Christ, and let go of what they used to consider wisdom. “For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?” Petty jealousy and quarreling about whose teacher was the best are indications that they are not living out the transformed life they have begun in Christ. I have often argued that in our day and time our inability to manage conflict any better than the world around us weakens our witness as the church. Paul reminds the church that he and Apollos, and other teachers all worked to bring them closer to God, and that it is the work of God in their lives that matters, not who their teacher was.
Paul shifts from an agricultural image to a construction image. Each teacher in the church has a part of the job of helping build up the body of Christ – one may lay the foundation, and another build upon it. While each builder must choose carefully how to build, it is the building up that matters. Paul extends the image by imagining that different materials may be used in the work, and in the end the work will be tested. Paul utilizes a familiar image for testing – fire. Fire purifies metals, harden pottery, but burns away wood and straw. We seek to use the best human materials to build our lives in Christ. What sort of materials would you consider good materials for building a Christian life? Could this refer to certain virtues and practices? Christian teachers and leaders are to use the best materials possible to build up the life of the community. Paul’s use of this building image implies that both the teacher and the community will be tested.
Paul continues with the building image, but takes it in a slightly different direction. Here he explicitly tells the community that it is God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells within them. He warns people against messing with the temple – jealousy and quarreling mess with the temple. Paul moves again to a warning about living as if the wisdom of this world is really wise. In Christ, they have life. They belong to Christ and to God – just as we do. We, too, are asked to build the Christian community.
I Corinthians 4
I Corinthians 4:1-13: If the Corinthian Christians have been fighting about their teachers, creating divisions and problems, Paul wants to again remind them about who their teachers really are, how they really function. Christian teachers are not out to gain followers, like perhaps some of the Greek and Roman philosophers and teachers might. They are “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” What an intriguing description of the work of ministry – and it is work that belongs to both ordained clergy and those not ordained.
Paul sees himself as a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God. It does not really matter to him if some Corinthian Christians do not think he is as eloquent and brilliant as some of the other teachers in the faith they have knows. He is trustworthy in carrying out his ministry. While Paul has a clear conscience, he holds out the possibility that there may be things in his life he could do better. This would hold true for Apollos and other teachers as well.
Given this understanding of the role of their teachers, the Corinthian Christians should avoid being puffed up. They have all received the gift of God’s grace and Spirit, and thus already have all they could want. They are rich in Christ. Or is Paul being sarcastic here? Could he be noting with sarcasm and irony – you are the rich ones, the wise ones, virtual kings, but we, your teachers about who you brag so much are hungry, poorly clothed, weak from work, homeless. Maybe there is a little of both. Maybe Paul is trying to remind them that they are rich in important ways, and therefore they should let go of seeing their importance by becoming jealous and quarrelsome.
I Corinthians 4:14-21: Paul’s cautionary words are intended to teach in hopes that the Christians will learn. He is not trying to shame them. He now assumes the role of caring father for his children in the faith. He wants them to imitate his Christian practice. In the world of the time, children learned by following the model of their parents. He will see how genuinely “powerful” some of these arrogant people are. The kingdom of God is not about talk, but about the power to transform, and be transformed.
The Corinthian Christians are in need of guidance. Paul offers them two options – he can come with a stick or with “love in a spirit of gentleness?” If they respond to this letter, he will come with love, but if they continue to struggle with factionalism, jealousy and quarreling, Paul may feel he needs to be firm (come with a stick). In our own lives, we may need something like the firmness of a stick sometimes, and at other times love in a spirit of gentleness. What do you tend to respond to? What do you need right now in your life?
I Corinthians 2:1-5: Paul has been contrasting the wisdom of God, found in the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus, with the wisdom of the world. In these verses, Paul continues to contrast “wisdoms,” but with a little different twist. Paul was an educated person who could write thoughtful and profound letters and he is not extolling an anti-intellectualism here. He is simply saying that in his preaching and teaching as he founded this church, he was not relying on his own abilities to be intellectually brilliant, though he may have been at times, but rather trying to be a person through whom others came to know the power of God. Paul no doubt appealed to some sense of common intelligibility in his preaching, but he was more concerned to show how the way of Jesus was different from the way of success as understood in the surrounding culture. Paul’s task is our task, relating the gospel intelligibly in our day and time, while not being so caught up in making our speech so plausible that the power of God is lost. The way of Jesus may resonate with deep hopes in our culture, but it is a way different from much of what our culture teaches us.
I Corinthians 2:6-16: While Paul may not have tried to be “brilliant,” here he claims that his teaching and preaching contained wisdom. Did he “speak wisdom” to those who were mature, or is it that those who were mature understood that Paul was speaking wisdom all along? Paul may be suggesting that within the gospel itself are degrees of wisdom, and only some are ready to receive certain aspects of this wisdom – only the mature. If so, there is an analogy here with the Buddhist idea of skillful means - that the Buddha taught people according to their ability to receive the teaching. Paul’s most important point is that the wisdom of faith remains distinct from the “wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age.” Does Paul have in mind what passed for wisdom in imperial Rome? Again, in contrast to such wisdom, Christians have a wisdom from the Spirit, who “searches everything, even the depths of God.” In wisdom Paul seeks to interpret spiritual things “to those who are spiritual.” For Paul, this includes all who have received God’s Spirit. “We have the mind of Christ.”
In these verses, Paul continually and consistently contrasts Christian, spiritual wisdom with the wisdom of this age and its rulers. Anti-intellectualism is not his point. Paul cautions us against getting too caught up in the thinking of our age. The way of Jesus, the way of God, the way of life is often different from conventional wisdom. What parts of what pass for conventional wisdom might we need to question in our own lives and in our own society? Furthermore, while intellectual gifts can be gifts of God and God’s Spirit, sometimes our intellectual sophistication gets in the way. There is such a thing as paralysis by analysis – refusal or inability to act because we see the complexity of the world. We should see the world in its marvelous complexity, and act for justice and peace and reconciliation and love nevertheless.
I Corinthians 3
I Corinthians 3:1-23: In the beginning of this chapter, Paul does seem to indicate that he needed to offer his teaching at different levels. While the Corinthian Jesus community may have the mind of Christ, apparently, they also struggle with being “of the flesh.” He is not denigrating their bodily existence, but telling them that their thinking is still too influenced by what the culture considers wise. Paul is not focusing on a contrast between spiritual infants and spiritual elites, but encouraging the Corinthians to be more who they already are in Christ, and let go of what they used to consider wisdom. “For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?” Petty jealousy and quarreling about whose teacher was the best are indications that they are not living out the transformed life they have begun in Christ. I have often argued that in our day and time our inability to manage conflict any better than the world around us weakens our witness as the church. Paul reminds the church that he and Apollos, and other teachers all worked to bring them closer to God, and that it is the work of God in their lives that matters, not who their teacher was.
Paul shifts from an agricultural image to a construction image. Each teacher in the church has a part of the job of helping build up the body of Christ – one may lay the foundation, and another build upon it. While each builder must choose carefully how to build, it is the building up that matters. Paul extends the image by imagining that different materials may be used in the work, and in the end the work will be tested. Paul utilizes a familiar image for testing – fire. Fire purifies metals, harden pottery, but burns away wood and straw. We seek to use the best human materials to build our lives in Christ. What sort of materials would you consider good materials for building a Christian life? Could this refer to certain virtues and practices? Christian teachers and leaders are to use the best materials possible to build up the life of the community. Paul’s use of this building image implies that both the teacher and the community will be tested.
Paul continues with the building image, but takes it in a slightly different direction. Here he explicitly tells the community that it is God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells within them. He warns people against messing with the temple – jealousy and quarreling mess with the temple. Paul moves again to a warning about living as if the wisdom of this world is really wise. In Christ, they have life. They belong to Christ and to God – just as we do. We, too, are asked to build the Christian community.
I Corinthians 4
I Corinthians 4:1-13: If the Corinthian Christians have been fighting about their teachers, creating divisions and problems, Paul wants to again remind them about who their teachers really are, how they really function. Christian teachers are not out to gain followers, like perhaps some of the Greek and Roman philosophers and teachers might. They are “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” What an intriguing description of the work of ministry – and it is work that belongs to both ordained clergy and those not ordained.
Paul sees himself as a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God. It does not really matter to him if some Corinthian Christians do not think he is as eloquent and brilliant as some of the other teachers in the faith they have knows. He is trustworthy in carrying out his ministry. While Paul has a clear conscience, he holds out the possibility that there may be things in his life he could do better. This would hold true for Apollos and other teachers as well.
Given this understanding of the role of their teachers, the Corinthian Christians should avoid being puffed up. They have all received the gift of God’s grace and Spirit, and thus already have all they could want. They are rich in Christ. Or is Paul being sarcastic here? Could he be noting with sarcasm and irony – you are the rich ones, the wise ones, virtual kings, but we, your teachers about who you brag so much are hungry, poorly clothed, weak from work, homeless. Maybe there is a little of both. Maybe Paul is trying to remind them that they are rich in important ways, and therefore they should let go of seeing their importance by becoming jealous and quarrelsome.
I Corinthians 4:14-21: Paul’s cautionary words are intended to teach in hopes that the Christians will learn. He is not trying to shame them. He now assumes the role of caring father for his children in the faith. He wants them to imitate his Christian practice. In the world of the time, children learned by following the model of their parents. He will see how genuinely “powerful” some of these arrogant people are. The kingdom of God is not about talk, but about the power to transform, and be transformed.
The Corinthian Christians are in need of guidance. Paul offers them two options – he can come with a stick or with “love in a spirit of gentleness?” If they respond to this letter, he will come with love, but if they continue to struggle with factionalism, jealousy and quarreling, Paul may feel he needs to be firm (come with a stick). In our own lives, we may need something like the firmness of a stick sometimes, and at other times love in a spirit of gentleness. What do you tend to respond to? What do you need right now in your life?
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
THE FIRST LETTER OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIAN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY – an introduction
If Paul’s letter to the Roman Christian community was his longest, his letters to the Corinthian Jesus community/Christian community are the most extensive when put together. And to think these are not all the letters he wrote them (see 5:9, for instance). These letters contain some of Paul’s most moving writing, as well as some of his most controversial writing. A little introduction to Corinth and Paul’s relationship with the church there seems in order.
According to Acts, the church at Corinth was founded by Paul, Silas and Timothy, sometime in about 50 CE. Paul stayed in Corinth for about a year and a half. After founding the church, he continued to correspond with it. This letter was probably written from Ephesus in the winter of 53-54 CE. No one seriously doubts that this is an authentic letter of Paul’s.
The city in which Paul founded this church was a city of great status. It was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia, and a center of commerce and the arts. The ancient Greek city of Corinth had been destroyed by the Romans in 146 BCE, but it was rebuilt under Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. Caesar populated the city with Roman military veterans and freed slaves. The city had a reputation as a center of sexual immorality, but it was probably no better or worse than many other Roman cities. It was also a place where a variety of Roman gods were worshipped. “Corinth developed a reputation for possessing wealth without culture and for abusing its poor” (New Interpreters Study Bible).
The church that Paul founded was predominantly Gentile. Paul had begun his work in Corinth in the synagogue, but when his message was not well-received there, he turned to the Gentiles. The recipients of the letters “had for the most part been adherents of pagan religions who did not entirely leave their previous understandings of religion and ethics behind when they were baptized” (People’s New Testament Commentary). “The congregation at Corinth was a cross section of the socio-economic and religious makeup of the city – indeed, of much of the Greco-Roman world, in which a few wealthy people sat atop the social pyramid, most were poor, and there was no middle class as we know it” (New Interpreters Study Bible).
As already mentioned, Paul wrote other letters to the Corinthians than those we have in our New Testament. This letter is not really the first (see 5:9). It is written in response to questions the community has asked and to reports Paul has received about the church. There are no deep tensions between Jews and Gentiles in this community, but there are divisions within it that need addressing. Other teachers have come after Paul, and people seem to be dividing themselves according to who passed on the Christian faith to them. A host of more concrete and practical issues are addressed, but these also give Paul the occasion to write more broadly about significant issues. Some see this letter as one of the best views we have into the life of a first century church. If that is the case, those who wish to go back to the first century church had better be careful what they ask for!
I Corinthians 1
I Corinthians 1:1-9: Paul begins his letter in typical Roman fashion. He identifies himself as an apostle, not of his own initiative, but by the will of God. He is writing to the church of God in Corinth. People who belong to the church are “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” All Paul is saying here is that those who belong to the church are, indeed, people of God, called to be about God’s work in the world, called to be a community that reflects God’s intention for the human community. But the Corinthian Christians are not alone, they are a part of a larger movement of all those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, to call anyone other than the emperor or a high public official “Lord” would have had a subversive quality to it. Paul begins by wishing these people “grace and peace.”
These people have been given grace by God in Christ. They have been enriched in all kinds of ways and lack no spiritual gift. This God who has given them grace will keep them strong in that grace “to the end.”
Paul writes a lavish and generous description of this church. As we shall see soon enough, this place has problems. Can we see our own lives as being filled with the grace of God and the gifts of God’s Spirit? Can we describe our own church community in such terms? While we may want to change the language some, we, too are persons to whom God’s grace has been given. We, too, have been given gifts of the Spirit, as individuals and in community. Perhaps Paul reminds them of this because he is convinced that they will need to remember who they really are if they are to address their problems creatively and constructively.
I Corinthians 1:10-17: It doesn’t take long for Paul to begin addressing issues and problems. His first appeal is that the church be in agreement and that there be no divisions among them. Is Paul suggesting that we have to agree on everything? I don’t think so. The image suggested by the Greek language is that of mending a net, restoring it to its original unity. We need not be united in all our theology to share in deep community in Jesus Christ. It is amazing how the human tendency to engage in oneupsmanship finds its way into the church – here in the form of claiming that the one who taught you the Christian faith is better than others who have taught the Christian faith. It is not the eloquent wisdom of the teachers of the faith that matters, but the message about Christ that is powerful.
I Corinthians 1:18-31: The message about the cross can seem like sheer foolishness. Two thousand years of usage as a positive religious symbol, as decoration, and as jewelry have dulled the impact of the words “cross” and “crucify.” The Romans used crucifixion to make an example of those who disturbed the good life of the Roman peace… as a public display of how important they considered “law and order.” Roman citizens who committed crimes were not crucified. The punishment was reserved for revolutionaries, terrorists, the worst criminals, and slaves. “Cross” has the connotations of ugliness, contempt, weakness, loser, criminal, slave, unpatriotic lowlife. (People’s New Testament Commentary). How can your teacher of wisdom, how can one who teaches you about God, embodies God, be such a loser, a crucified criminal in some backwater of the empire? Absurd, foolish, at least to those who are “perishing,” and by that Paul does not necessarily mean those destined for some kind of eternal punishment. Those who are perishing are those who just don’t know how God’s love and power really work so they can’t avail themselves of it fully and their lives suffer for it – even if some of their lives may seem o.k. on the outside. For some Jews, the fact that Jesus was crucified was a stumbling block. Surely God would not have allowed such a thing to happen to a messianic person. For some Gentiles, that fact that Jesus was crucified meant that he stood outside the usual ways of wisdom and power. Yet the way of Jesus is the way of life, the way of God’s “salvation.” For those in the Corinthian Christian community, however, this very foolishness has made all the difference in their lives. In this crucified Christ they have experienced the wisdom and power of God. The term Paul uses for “stumbling block” is the root of our word “scandal.” There is something scandalous in God’s love as seen in Jesus Christ. Part of that scandal is that those who would have been seen as on the lower rungs of society are a part of the people of God in Corinth.
In many ways these verses are difficult because in the United States being Christian and being respectable have often been synonymous. That’s not all bad, but have we lost something in wanting to maintain both our respectability and our faith? Are there times when we, too, need to be counter-cultural? Are there times when we need to risk looking foolish in order to live our faith? Questioning the god of national security may seem foolish, but perhaps we should question anyway. Questioning the equation of success with material possessions may seem foolish, but perhaps we should question anyway. Questioning the need for economic growth regardless of environmental cost may seem foolish, but perhaps we should question anyway. Questioning the ever expanding use of sports metaphors of winning and losing into more areas of our lives – politics, relationships, may seem foolish, but perhaps we should question anyway. In none of these cases am I dismissing legitimate concerns for national security, a certain level of material well-being, or economic growth. Nor am I rejecting sports as one legitimate form of entertainment. I am questioning our faithful allegiance to whatever happens under these banners. I think Paul questioned such things, in his own way, in his own day and time.
If Paul’s letter to the Roman Christian community was his longest, his letters to the Corinthian Jesus community/Christian community are the most extensive when put together. And to think these are not all the letters he wrote them (see 5:9, for instance). These letters contain some of Paul’s most moving writing, as well as some of his most controversial writing. A little introduction to Corinth and Paul’s relationship with the church there seems in order.
According to Acts, the church at Corinth was founded by Paul, Silas and Timothy, sometime in about 50 CE. Paul stayed in Corinth for about a year and a half. After founding the church, he continued to correspond with it. This letter was probably written from Ephesus in the winter of 53-54 CE. No one seriously doubts that this is an authentic letter of Paul’s.
The city in which Paul founded this church was a city of great status. It was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia, and a center of commerce and the arts. The ancient Greek city of Corinth had been destroyed by the Romans in 146 BCE, but it was rebuilt under Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. Caesar populated the city with Roman military veterans and freed slaves. The city had a reputation as a center of sexual immorality, but it was probably no better or worse than many other Roman cities. It was also a place where a variety of Roman gods were worshipped. “Corinth developed a reputation for possessing wealth without culture and for abusing its poor” (New Interpreters Study Bible).
The church that Paul founded was predominantly Gentile. Paul had begun his work in Corinth in the synagogue, but when his message was not well-received there, he turned to the Gentiles. The recipients of the letters “had for the most part been adherents of pagan religions who did not entirely leave their previous understandings of religion and ethics behind when they were baptized” (People’s New Testament Commentary). “The congregation at Corinth was a cross section of the socio-economic and religious makeup of the city – indeed, of much of the Greco-Roman world, in which a few wealthy people sat atop the social pyramid, most were poor, and there was no middle class as we know it” (New Interpreters Study Bible).
As already mentioned, Paul wrote other letters to the Corinthians than those we have in our New Testament. This letter is not really the first (see 5:9). It is written in response to questions the community has asked and to reports Paul has received about the church. There are no deep tensions between Jews and Gentiles in this community, but there are divisions within it that need addressing. Other teachers have come after Paul, and people seem to be dividing themselves according to who passed on the Christian faith to them. A host of more concrete and practical issues are addressed, but these also give Paul the occasion to write more broadly about significant issues. Some see this letter as one of the best views we have into the life of a first century church. If that is the case, those who wish to go back to the first century church had better be careful what they ask for!
I Corinthians 1
I Corinthians 1:1-9: Paul begins his letter in typical Roman fashion. He identifies himself as an apostle, not of his own initiative, but by the will of God. He is writing to the church of God in Corinth. People who belong to the church are “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” All Paul is saying here is that those who belong to the church are, indeed, people of God, called to be about God’s work in the world, called to be a community that reflects God’s intention for the human community. But the Corinthian Christians are not alone, they are a part of a larger movement of all those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, to call anyone other than the emperor or a high public official “Lord” would have had a subversive quality to it. Paul begins by wishing these people “grace and peace.”
These people have been given grace by God in Christ. They have been enriched in all kinds of ways and lack no spiritual gift. This God who has given them grace will keep them strong in that grace “to the end.”
Paul writes a lavish and generous description of this church. As we shall see soon enough, this place has problems. Can we see our own lives as being filled with the grace of God and the gifts of God’s Spirit? Can we describe our own church community in such terms? While we may want to change the language some, we, too are persons to whom God’s grace has been given. We, too, have been given gifts of the Spirit, as individuals and in community. Perhaps Paul reminds them of this because he is convinced that they will need to remember who they really are if they are to address their problems creatively and constructively.
I Corinthians 1:10-17: It doesn’t take long for Paul to begin addressing issues and problems. His first appeal is that the church be in agreement and that there be no divisions among them. Is Paul suggesting that we have to agree on everything? I don’t think so. The image suggested by the Greek language is that of mending a net, restoring it to its original unity. We need not be united in all our theology to share in deep community in Jesus Christ. It is amazing how the human tendency to engage in oneupsmanship finds its way into the church – here in the form of claiming that the one who taught you the Christian faith is better than others who have taught the Christian faith. It is not the eloquent wisdom of the teachers of the faith that matters, but the message about Christ that is powerful.
I Corinthians 1:18-31: The message about the cross can seem like sheer foolishness. Two thousand years of usage as a positive religious symbol, as decoration, and as jewelry have dulled the impact of the words “cross” and “crucify.” The Romans used crucifixion to make an example of those who disturbed the good life of the Roman peace… as a public display of how important they considered “law and order.” Roman citizens who committed crimes were not crucified. The punishment was reserved for revolutionaries, terrorists, the worst criminals, and slaves. “Cross” has the connotations of ugliness, contempt, weakness, loser, criminal, slave, unpatriotic lowlife. (People’s New Testament Commentary). How can your teacher of wisdom, how can one who teaches you about God, embodies God, be such a loser, a crucified criminal in some backwater of the empire? Absurd, foolish, at least to those who are “perishing,” and by that Paul does not necessarily mean those destined for some kind of eternal punishment. Those who are perishing are those who just don’t know how God’s love and power really work so they can’t avail themselves of it fully and their lives suffer for it – even if some of their lives may seem o.k. on the outside. For some Jews, the fact that Jesus was crucified was a stumbling block. Surely God would not have allowed such a thing to happen to a messianic person. For some Gentiles, that fact that Jesus was crucified meant that he stood outside the usual ways of wisdom and power. Yet the way of Jesus is the way of life, the way of God’s “salvation.” For those in the Corinthian Christian community, however, this very foolishness has made all the difference in their lives. In this crucified Christ they have experienced the wisdom and power of God. The term Paul uses for “stumbling block” is the root of our word “scandal.” There is something scandalous in God’s love as seen in Jesus Christ. Part of that scandal is that those who would have been seen as on the lower rungs of society are a part of the people of God in Corinth.
In many ways these verses are difficult because in the United States being Christian and being respectable have often been synonymous. That’s not all bad, but have we lost something in wanting to maintain both our respectability and our faith? Are there times when we, too, need to be counter-cultural? Are there times when we need to risk looking foolish in order to live our faith? Questioning the god of national security may seem foolish, but perhaps we should question anyway. Questioning the equation of success with material possessions may seem foolish, but perhaps we should question anyway. Questioning the need for economic growth regardless of environmental cost may seem foolish, but perhaps we should question anyway. Questioning the ever expanding use of sports metaphors of winning and losing into more areas of our lives – politics, relationships, may seem foolish, but perhaps we should question anyway. In none of these cases am I dismissing legitimate concerns for national security, a certain level of material well-being, or economic growth. Nor am I rejecting sports as one legitimate form of entertainment. I am questioning our faithful allegiance to whatever happens under these banners. I think Paul questioned such things, in his own way, in his own day and time.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Romans 15
Romans 15:1-13: Those who cannot in good conscience eat certain foods, or who wish to observe certain ritually pure days, should follow through, for to act against conscience and against one’s understanding of faith is sin according to Paul (14:23). But for those who don’t feel bound to former rules about food or drink or days, one should still be careful to monitor the effects of one’s behavior on others. While one should not abandon one’s own happiness completely, neither should one’s short-term pleasure be the final arbiter of one’s actions. We need to consider what might build up our neighbor as well as our own good. We have our example in Christ. Here Paul uses a scripture to interpret part of the meaning of Christ, noting that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” This same attitude toward the scriptures might be emulated by us. We read them for our instruction, to be formed in faith. This has little to do with views of the Bible as inerrant and infallible. Paul’s interpretive method is more pragmatic and open-ended.
Whatever the specific controversy – food or no food, ritually pure days or no – God is a God of steadfastness and encouragement whose hope is for God’s people to live in harmony with one another. It is in joining voices together that we most glorify God. If the glory of God is a human person fully formed (Irenaeus, an early Christian theologian), perhaps the glory of God is also human community living in harmony. We get to this by welcoming one another, welcome others as we have been welcomed in Christ. Paul searches the Hebrew scriptures to find texts that paint a vision of the human community united across typical divides – in this case, Jew and Gentile. Paul uses another benedictory phrase to end this section of his letter. The words are beautiful and could be a prayer for our lives and our church. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. For all his ability to look at the dark and difficult side of the world and human life, Paul is joyfully hopeful and sees joy, hope and peace at the center of the Christian faith.
Romans 15:14-33: Remember, Paul has never visited this church. Here he offers kind words to the recipients of his letter – telling them that he is sure they are filled with goodness, and have the knowledge to instruct each other. This may be seen as Paul appealing to their own good sense. He tells them that what he has written is really a reminder of what they already know, even if he has written boldly. Paul claims that he writes boldly, in part, because of the way the Spirit of God continues to work in his life to reach out to Gentiles. He has focused his work on sharing the gospel in places where it has not been shared, and claims that this is part of the reason he has not yet been to Rome. Paul goes on to share his hopes and itinerary. Paul asks for their prayers and wished them God’s peace.
Romans 16
Romans 16:1-16: This final chapter is comprised primarily of greetings to Paul’s friends and coworkers now in Rome. “There are Jewish, Greek and Latin names, the majority of which are slaves or freed-persons, although some are nobility” (New Interpreter’s Study Bible). There are women and men mentioned among these leaders in the early Christian movement.
Romans 16:17-20: In the midst of sharing greetings with trusted friends and colleagues in the work of ministry, Paul offers a warning against those who might come teaching, but offer teaching that leads the church away from God, not toward the God of Jesus Christ. Such teaching has as its purpose dissension and offense, and those who offer it seek to enhance only themselves. Paul is confident in God’s triumph over evil.
Romans 16:21-27: Paul now continues with names, this time persons who are with him who send their greeting to Rome. He ends the letter with a long doxological statement. It is a statement of trust in a wise God who is able to strengthen people in their faith. As we read through the New Testament, may this wise God strengthen us in faith, hope and love.
Romans 15:1-13: Those who cannot in good conscience eat certain foods, or who wish to observe certain ritually pure days, should follow through, for to act against conscience and against one’s understanding of faith is sin according to Paul (14:23). But for those who don’t feel bound to former rules about food or drink or days, one should still be careful to monitor the effects of one’s behavior on others. While one should not abandon one’s own happiness completely, neither should one’s short-term pleasure be the final arbiter of one’s actions. We need to consider what might build up our neighbor as well as our own good. We have our example in Christ. Here Paul uses a scripture to interpret part of the meaning of Christ, noting that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” This same attitude toward the scriptures might be emulated by us. We read them for our instruction, to be formed in faith. This has little to do with views of the Bible as inerrant and infallible. Paul’s interpretive method is more pragmatic and open-ended.
Whatever the specific controversy – food or no food, ritually pure days or no – God is a God of steadfastness and encouragement whose hope is for God’s people to live in harmony with one another. It is in joining voices together that we most glorify God. If the glory of God is a human person fully formed (Irenaeus, an early Christian theologian), perhaps the glory of God is also human community living in harmony. We get to this by welcoming one another, welcome others as we have been welcomed in Christ. Paul searches the Hebrew scriptures to find texts that paint a vision of the human community united across typical divides – in this case, Jew and Gentile. Paul uses another benedictory phrase to end this section of his letter. The words are beautiful and could be a prayer for our lives and our church. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. For all his ability to look at the dark and difficult side of the world and human life, Paul is joyfully hopeful and sees joy, hope and peace at the center of the Christian faith.
Romans 15:14-33: Remember, Paul has never visited this church. Here he offers kind words to the recipients of his letter – telling them that he is sure they are filled with goodness, and have the knowledge to instruct each other. This may be seen as Paul appealing to their own good sense. He tells them that what he has written is really a reminder of what they already know, even if he has written boldly. Paul claims that he writes boldly, in part, because of the way the Spirit of God continues to work in his life to reach out to Gentiles. He has focused his work on sharing the gospel in places where it has not been shared, and claims that this is part of the reason he has not yet been to Rome. Paul goes on to share his hopes and itinerary. Paul asks for their prayers and wished them God’s peace.
Romans 16
Romans 16:1-16: This final chapter is comprised primarily of greetings to Paul’s friends and coworkers now in Rome. “There are Jewish, Greek and Latin names, the majority of which are slaves or freed-persons, although some are nobility” (New Interpreter’s Study Bible). There are women and men mentioned among these leaders in the early Christian movement.
Romans 16:17-20: In the midst of sharing greetings with trusted friends and colleagues in the work of ministry, Paul offers a warning against those who might come teaching, but offer teaching that leads the church away from God, not toward the God of Jesus Christ. Such teaching has as its purpose dissension and offense, and those who offer it seek to enhance only themselves. Paul is confident in God’s triumph over evil.
Romans 16:21-27: Paul now continues with names, this time persons who are with him who send their greeting to Rome. He ends the letter with a long doxological statement. It is a statement of trust in a wise God who is able to strengthen people in their faith. As we read through the New Testament, may this wise God strengthen us in faith, hope and love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
