Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Paul seems to be defending himself in this section of his letter. Apparently, there were some drawing divisions between him and the apostles who had actually walked with Jesus, possibly even saying that he was somehow lesser. His response is direct: I am an apostle because I have produced the fruit of an apostle, and you are that fruit. Perhaps because of this strong stance, he also backs off a bit, reminding the Corinthians of the importance of building one another up by joining the struggles of others, as he did often.

Paul has spent a few chapters on accountability within the church, now he looks outward. Just as the sexual ethic of the Corinthians should reflect their respect for people created in the image of God, so should daily practice reflect the Church teaching new believers how to live be exemplifying it. Certainly, in that situation, there was no room for “do as I say, not what I do.” Paul wanted them to live what they preached.

Is it possible to live the way that Paul is describing? Just before this, he was talking about calling one another to account. Now he is describing a situation where we conduct legal matters between believers within the church itself. Does that happen anywhere? It's a radical picture of how we should be bound together, so maybe it's worth a try.

Paul is introducing some tough stuff here: accountability. The body of Christ isn’t just a place to be accepted no matter what you do. What we do matters, both to one another and to God. He is describing cutting off an immoral church member, not an outsider. When we become part of Christ, it means we submit not only to Him, but to one another. Only by the Spirit’s guidance can we do this wisely.

Paul is doing the last of his work to tear down the Corinthians’ focus on earthly heroes (such as himself) by portraying himself and Apollos as servants, even those in the place of slaves. If his previous argument didn’t work, this one should drive it home. Just as Jesus said, “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first,” Paul is giving that picture full color.

Paul probably isn’t out to insult his audience by calling them babies. Well… maybe a little. But he is trying to dislodge them from their obsession with hero worship. Since he is one of the heroes, he means to remove even himself from that tangle, and point them back to Christ. Truly, this could only come from a person who had already been transformed themselves.

Paul isn’t advocating stupidity in this verse. What he is saying, and this means a lot coming from someone as greatly educated as he, was that knowledge of the Spirit is given by the Spirit. In a community of Romans and Greeks, this must have rankled a few. Greeks especially valued their education. While education can teach us about God, only the Spirit can allow us to know God. Waiting for God to reveal himself, putting ourselves in his hands, is not a process that can be taught by merely reading about it.

As Paul opens his letter to the Corinthians, he isn't telling them that they can't think for themselves. That kind of message would have fallen flat with a Greek and Roman audience, which Corinth was. By trying to encourage them to be in agreement, he was encouraging unity in the essentials, which is where their struggle lay. They are faithful, but they are tied up in the superstars of the day. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas (or Peter) were giants in the early church, and they were identifying with the celebrities instead of being united in Christ. They are to embrace the community that was created by Jesus, even though its message defies earthly logic and makes us citizens of a very different Kingdom.

Is Paul being too rough on people who "don't work"? This is certainly not a condition of salvation. We belong to Christ, even if we are lazy. This is why Paul, at the end, says these folks should still be treated as fellow believers. But if we are part of the body of Christ, we must be functioning parts. If we aren't contributing our gifts, then the place God has given us to serve will not be filled, and we will not know the full joy of this kind of community.