I Corinthians 1:18-31

 I Corinthians 1:18-31

At its core, the message of the gospel is foolishness, or put another way, it’s just plain crazy. This passage is a little difficult for us to understand because we have no personal experience with crucifixion. We have almost 2000 years of history of looking at the cross as a reminder of the death of Christ and the salvation that it brings. We have sanitized across the hard edges and the sharp, painful part. We have made it beautiful, made it a fashion accessory, and made it acceptable. Not so with the Romans. Within the Roman Empire, the cross was the agency of state domination. It was the means of capital punishment that produced mind-boggling agony and helpless humiliation. Nothing in the entire world was worse than crucifixion. What a swastika would be for a Jew or a mushroom cloud would be for someone from Hiroshima or a KKK flag would be for a Black man, that is with the cross was for everyone in the Roman Empire, a reminder or threat of pain and misery.

Along come Christians saying the message of the cross is salvation. Try telling a Jew that the message of the swastika was the best news that they could have. Tell a Black man that he needs to come and submit to the flag of the Ku Klux Klan. That might give you the kind of reaction you would get to the cross in the first century. The good news of the cross in the mind of the Roman world was just plain crazy.

The Jews wanted to sign. The law came with signs, the plagues on Egypt, the Red Sea parted, and the voice of God from the mountain. The Greeks wanted wisdom, to know how it all fit together. They wanted a bit of insight to explain philosophy, history, science, and religion to find the supremely elusive principle that could make sense of everything. Along come the Christians, and rather than offer miraculous proof or a unifying theory that explains everything, Christianity offered a condemned criminal hanging in agony. It seemed crazy. The cross was and is, until we understand who He was and what He did, madness. But as a perfect sin-bearing sacrifice whose death is a substitution for the sin and death of all men, Jesus on the cross makes signs inconsequential and a unified theory banal. This crazy thing God did in the atonement removes all the wise things we might want to appeal to for understanding. Signs and wisdom are replaced with God’s own wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. If someone says Christianity is the craziest thing the world has ever seen, we should reply thankfully, “Yes, it is.”

“Thank You< Lord, for the Cross. AMEN”

1 Corinthians 1:1–17

1 Corinthians 1:1–17

Paul begins this letter with a positive introduction. If all we had of First Corinthians was this introduction, we might come to the conclusion that this was a strong and healthy congregation. Paul was an optimist, but he wasn’t naïve. He begins the letter to the most immoral of churches with the list of positives about the life of the church. In verses 4–7 he expresses thanks for them, his confidence in their faith, and that they will ultimately be found blameless in the Lord. How do we reconcile this deeply corrupt, immoral church with Paul’s positive assessment? Paul is not being disingenuous and flattering the Corinthians, nor is he failing to take their problems seriously. The answer is found in verse nine, most specifically in the first three words: “God is faithful.” Paul’s confidence doesn’t rest in the Corinthians but in God, who called them. In fact, these three words could almost serve as the theme for the whole letter. The phrase “God is faithful” was a common and favorite theme of the ancient Jews. God, by His character, always accomplishes what He promises. There’s another concept here as well. It is in the faithfulness of God‘s people that we see expressed the faithfulness of God. Paul is confident God will accomplish His purpose even in this messed-up church. His thanks is for what has been begun because he is sure it will be fulfilled.

It is worth noting that of all the issues that Paul will address in this letter, it is the issue of the division that he addresses first. We might expect Paul would begin with some more scandalous issue in the church or the more public or those more theologically oriented. But it begins by addressing the divisions and the party spirit that plague the church. He did this because each of the problems would require the whole church’s participation to resolve. To address these other issues first would only draw more battle lines and more deeply divide the church. A church that is divided is going to be utterly ineffective at both correcting its own spiritual corruption and making disciples in the world. A divisive spirit in a congregation will sooner or later kill that congregation.

“Lord, help me to live out the truth that You are Faithful. AMEN”

Romans 16:1-27

 Romans 16:1-27

When we think of church, we generally think of a specific building, in a specific location, with a group of people meeting for a specific time. That would have been unrecognizable to Paul. The church in Rome was a network of relationships, connections, and loyalties between what we would consider small groups or home churches. Paul specifically greets about 20 people, and there is no reason to believe that this was the entire church. The church in Rome may have had scores of what we would call cells, all interconnected and mutually supportive but also living and working in different spheres. The arrangement would be more effective in disciple-making and would have supported the priesthood of every believer and would have been very important in the years to come during persecution.

Into this open network of churches, sooner or later, some bad actors would show up. Paul describes them as people who cause “dissensions” and “hindrances.”. The word dissension literally means “standing apart” on non-important issues. This word is only used twice in the New Testament, here and in Galatians, where it is listed with the works of the flesh. It is a sad wonder that churches that would never put up with idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness, or sexual misconduct will tolerate or even elevate a person who causes “dissensions.” The word “hindrance” is the Greek word from which we get “scandal”; it means a stumbling block. These people look for reasons to have the believers in a squabble over some scandal. They do not want to work things out, which is what they may claim based on what we see in verse 18. Rather, they want to enhance their power by means of agitation and conflict.

In verse 20, Paul talks about the crushing of the powers of darkness under the feet of the believers. This verse is often quoted in reference to “spiritual warfare.” But we need to pay attention to the context. In verses 17–19, Paul talks about two things before he talks about the defeat of the powers of darkness. The key to the defeat of the enemy is the unity of the church and holiness in God’s people. We can ramble on about spiritual warfare, recite clichés, and declare the enemy’s defeat, but unless we are united in the body of Christ and our living lives of holiness, then the enemy will only laugh at the show that we put on.

“Lord, grant that I will live in unity and holiness and by these work against the powers of darkness. Amen.”

Romans 15:14-33

 Romans 15:14-33

In the Protestant church, we have talked about the priesthood of all believers, that every Christian is a priest before God. Much of this has been a reaction to the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and a sort of democratic view of church leadership. Rarely do we talk about the service we all have as priests. When we do talk about the role of believers as priests, it is essentially limited to public worship service, serving communion, or some formal function in the ministry of the church worship service itself. Paul in this passage gives us a glimpse at the priestly function of the disciple, which is very different than what we see in most churches. In verses 15-16, Paul describes his role as a priest in terms of his evangelistic efforts among the Gentiles. The offering that Paul was bringing to God in his role as a priest was making disciples. Don't miss the upside-down marvel of the statement. In every other priestly sacrificial system, a physically living animal, and sadly sometimes a person, was brought before a deity where it died. Here the spiritually dead are brought to the Lord, and they are made spiritually alive. The newly enlivened sacrifice came to be the next generation of priests replicating and repeating the process.

This work is not easy but rather requires great sacrifice on the part of the priest. In verse 16 Paul uses the word “minister,” which originally was the word used to describe the patron who, for the love of his city, would pay for major public works projects, even going so far as to outfit, man, and maintain a warship. We must not imagine our role as priest is to sit comfortably in a chair and occasionally offer a prayer or read a scripture. Our role as priests is to make disciples, leading the spiritually dead to Christ where He will give them life.

Paul makes a point of telling about his future mission efforts and his hope for help from the church at Rome. The end of Acts gives us the record of what happened next for Paul, and it wasn’t what he had hoped for. But we will do well to note how Paul conducted his missions. First, Paul took the gospel to places where there was a cultural crossroads without a Christian witness. Second, he also avoided working where others did their ministry. How different we are in our churches. Nearly everything we do as believers is done in, with, and for other believers. Perhaps we should change our approach to be more like Paul’s, to go where no one speaks the good news and in that community love people into knowing Jesus.

“Lord, help me to be a good priest and minister in Your service.  AMEN”

Romans 15: 1 - 13

 Romans 15: 1 - 13

Being part of a Christian community is not easy; it isn't meant to be easy. The powers of darkness hate the church more than anything on Earth, with the possible exception of the faithful disciple. If the church were united, the powers of hell would be completely overwhelmed. We must never doubt that factions, frictions, conflicts, and quarrels within the church, both universally and locally, are a high priority in the war department of hell. Unity can't be faked. The facade may last for some time, but at the spiritual and unseen level, disunity will undermine the church.

It has been my sad responsibility, on a few occasions, to serve local congregations that underwent conflict. Long before anyone knew that there was a problem, things changed within the church. Attendance began to decline, visitors suddenly stopped coming, and the spirit or the feel was just different. God will not bless a church where his people are beating each other up. Why would He bring a new believer or someone wanting to learn about Christ to such a congregation? In these cases I have watched churches die as a result of unresolved conflict. It may take some time, but if repentance does not happen and reconciliation is not part of the church life, conflict will ultimately kill a congregation.

As long as a church is pulling together, there is hope. It may have to struggle through many hardships, and it will require perseverance in the face of external pressure, and it will need relentless encouragement within, but the church united can and will press on.

In the church in Rome, the potential for conflict was between Jews and Gentiles. With a long history of conflict, tension, and sometimes outright hate and open war, unity between Jews and Romans was going to be a challenge. But by bearing with the weak, working for the good of others, and building up each other, even this great divide could be bridged.

There is a final note we must not miss. We won't do this on our own. In verse 13, Paul tells us that it is God who fills us, and we have the power of the Holy Spirit. We have our part to play in unity. We must desire it and seek the good of our brothers and sisters. But we must not assume that some man-made contrivance or program will accomplish all that much. It is as disciples seeking God that we are empowered by Him for the unity of the church.

“Lord, give me the grace to live in unity and godly love with my brothers and sisters. AMEN”

Romans 14: 1 - 23

 Romans 14: 1 - 23

There is an old cliché, “In matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion, liberty; and in all things, love.” That, to a certain degree, captures the spirit of Romans 14. If only it were that simple. We are often in disagreement on what is a matter of faith or orthodox Christian conduct and what is a matter of opinion or personal choice. We assume that what we call a matter of faith ought to be so for everyone. Rather than an endless list, Paul provides general principles and several examples and then a good hope.

In the church at Rome, some believers came to Christ out of Judaism, and they still felt that the regulations of the law should be observed. Paul describes these persons as having weak faith. Having been saved by grace, they continue to try to have a righteousness based on the law. There are two principles in dealing with anyone who has a weak faith: patience and gentleness. Using the example of keeping holy days or diet, Paul teaches that the road forward is not in criticism, argument, or debate. Rather leave them to the Lord. Jesus has saved them, and He can bring them through. It is almost as if Paul is saying, ‘Mind your own business.’.

But Paul also tells us not to put stumbling blocks in the path of other believers. The conscience is a strange thing. It is powerful but not completely trustworthy. Some people have done terrible things with a clear conscience. Our conscience is trainable, and it does not come fully formed when we are born. A young lady in a remote corner of New Guinea may dress modestly in her culture and conscience, but in North America a woman dressed that way would be a scandal, a stumbling block. We must be very careful about violating our own or asking someone else to violate their conscience. Not because conscience is always right, but because if we violate the conscience too often, it will become weakened and ineffective. God may be training and shaping a new believer’s conscience in one given area. If they have misguided scruples in another area and we teach them to ignore their conscience in that area, we may inadvertently teach them to ignore God's training in the first area as well. The kingdom is not so much about setting up a list of can and can't do. It is about righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

“Lord, give me grace in the difficult situation of living in a Christian community. AMEN”

Romans 13:1-14

Romans 13:1-14

Rarely has the importance of historical context been more important in understanding a passage than it is here. The relationship between the disciple and the state is not always easy to sort through. Sometimes this state is positively disposed toward the disciple and the church. Sometimes the state actually opposes and persecutes believers. So discernment is needed to understand how we relate to our governing authorities. There are occasions that the same government will change its perspective and relationship to the church. Here at the end of the book of Romans, the state serves and is seen in a positive light. As the first century closed, Rome is in Revelations described as the “Whore sitting on Seven Hills.”. Rather than hard-and-fast rules for Christian citizens, we need principles that apply properly to diverse circumstances. First, in verse 5, Paul uses the term “conscience,” which is the inner conviction of what we know is right. We are trained as disciples to love all men. When we are so trained, then our conscience can be helpful to know how to relate to the government. Second, in verse 7, Paul says “give back” or “render” what is due to government officials and the state. We cannot give to the state that which is only God's, but all else is fair game. We will never say, “Caesar is my Lord,” but we will respect and pay our taxes.

Beginning in verse 8, Paul shapes Christian conduct around the twin themes of “Love” and “Time.”. Time is a strange thing; in the moment it seems that we have so much of it, but in retrospect we always ask, “Where did the time go?” I write this on New Year's morning. I've been at my desk for about an hour; both the past hour and the past year seem to have flashed by. Based on the age at which my ancestors tended to die, my life is somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 over. The priority of “now” needs to be applied to our lives. Living well in the now requires us to live in love. If we are behind in our debts, get caught up now. Love neighbors now. If there is unrepentant sin or a habit of evil, turn to the Lord now. If we scheme to find a way to indulge our flesh, stop that now. It may be that we will live out our days, and if we do, we will come to the end and wonder where they all went. So now is the time to live holy. We may not live till sunset, so now is the time to live holy. The Lord may return today, so now is the time to live holy. The best time for the holy things is always now. 

“Lord, help me to live now in such a way as to honor You. AMEN”