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Thank you for listening to First Day.

Paul continues in chapter five informing the Corinthians the outcomes that they should expect following their decision to die to self and live in Christ. These are the results of righteousness. Up front let me tell you that this chapter is one of the heaviest, most theologically and doctrinally dense chapters in the New Testament. Some of the commentary here may seem to you incomplete—and it probably it—because the themes and teachings here are fleshed out further in Romans. In fact, I’m starting to think that 2 Corinthians 5 should be required reading before tackling Paul’s magnum opus.

1 For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.

We sacrifice and are afflicted and face hardship and privation for the sake of the gospel; we experience these things in our physical bodies: hunger, pain, and emotional stress, to identify just a few. The Christian who allows his or herself to die with Christ on the cross to live in Christ will find that their faithfulness will yield the blessing of a new spiritual body. This is in keeping with Paul’s earlier teaching on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians. “…our earthly tent” may also refer to our lives in general, with Paul concerned with how we live them: Upon what do we focus? What are our priorities? 

2 Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

We long for that spiritual body given at resurrection just like we long to live in God’s kingdom. Either way, we will be “clothed” in Christ. When that time and state of being finally comes, we will find God to be our refuge, and God’s hand will cover us. Remember Psalm 116 from last episode. As Paul has already explained to the Corinthians, the only way for a person to gain immortality is to die to self and be made alive in Christ. From this perspective, being unclothed means to be mortal and to be clothed is to be immortal, clothed in the glory and majesty of God. We know that this will be the outcome of our faith because God has given to us His Spirit in Christ Jesus. 

6 So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Is Paul speaking specifically here—that this is about our physical bodies—or this Paul speaking generally about to kind of life that we live: our own, worldly one or Christ’s? As with most bibly things, even though most Christians want it either/or, it is probably both/and. Consider verse six: would you rather be here or in God’s kingdom? Would I rather be in the kingdom than be here where I must struggle against my pride every day? Duh… In verse eight Paul tells us his preference, that he’d prefer to be with God, but “whether we are home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him.” This really leads us to verse ten. We may long to be in God’s kingdom, like Paul, but the fact is we are still here. Let us spend a minute here in verse ten.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 11 Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences.

What Paul says to the Corinthians here is one of the most often ignored teachings in the whole of scripture. In our kneejerk reaction to what we perceive to be dogma in the Roman Catholic Church—what has come to be called “works righteousness”—we Protestants long ago decided that salvation was through faith alone. Some of you listening are going, “Yes,” and some of you are going, “No,” but most of you are going, “Where is he going with this?” Well, this is where: We Christians don’t tend to like to dive into the deep end of our common faith. I guess it’s called the comfort zone for a reason. To put this as succinctly as possible, Paul says here that we are to be judged not on what we believe but whether we have faith—which is belief in action. We must act on what we believe, and these actions declare what we believe. And Paul tells us in verse eleven that this is why he does what he does. “What we are in plain to God, and I hope it is plain to your consciences.”

12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

Paul has not written this letter to provide the Corinthians with evidence for his apostolic authority. Instead, he has written to them to provide them with an example for, or better, a counter argument to, those Christians who wear their belief on their sleeves—those who do what they do to set themselves apart—perhaps even to those who try to do the ministry of Christ commonsensically or as the world would do ministry. These Christians live for themselves, whereas in verse fifteen we hear Paul declare the necessity of the death-to-self: “…so that those who live should no longer live for themselves…” Why we do what we do is as important and necessary as what we choose to do. This message is in line with what he had already written to the Galatians: that we no longer live but that Christ lives in us. 

To me, verse fifteen is the standout. “And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.” Much of Paul’s soon to be written letter to the Romans is dedicated to explaining what the apostle means here, and I can’t wait to get there: Jesus died so that we might be able to live for something greater than ourselves. 

16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 18 Everything is from God, wh...

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Thank you for listening to First Day.

1 Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up.2 Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone’s conscience by an open display of the truth.

Paul spends much of chapter four discussing the ministry of the Spirit. In verse six he states that we—himself, the Corinthians, and the Church today—have been made competent ministers of the new covenant through the Spirit. In performing this ministry, the Church becomes “the aroma of the knowledge of Christ” and brings life and was a ministry in which we have no right to participate. Paul states that it is because of God’s mercy that we have become Christ’s credentials to the world. We did not receive the death that we deserved but through Christ have received mercy. And this motivates Paul and should motivate the Corinthian church to continue moving toward the life of Christ. 

Having been entrusted with this ministry, the faithful must cease acting for their own interests and begin only acting for God’s. This same message is repeated from chapter one. We are to live openly and honestly, thus revealing the truth of the gospel. This act is not going to make us rich or powerful or even liked by the world. But it will prove that the kingdom of God is here. The purpose of this ministry is obvious. 

3 But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. 6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

If the gospel message is not understood by those who are not walking with Christ it is because “the god of this age” prevents them from seeing Christ for who He is. Paul states that Jesus, “is the image of God.” Jesus cannot be understood to be anything else: not only a good, wise, or righteous man—not even an exemplary man—apart from his status as the image of God. This is why Paul can tell the Corinthians as he did in 1 Corinthians that human understanding did not bring them their knowledge of God. The message that Paul proclaims is not concerned with what is possible for humanity if it chose to follow Jesus’ example but rather that the image and glory of God is the Lord and not even the “best” human being. “What is impossible for men is possible for God.”

7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.

“Clay jars,” what a fitting description. Regardless of its size, drop a clay jar from a certain height onto a hard enough surface and…crack! We cannot be lords; we cannot create anything that truly lasts; we cannot even be the heroes of our own stories because of the fragility of our lives. And it is this way intentionally so that we can not boast that by our authority, design, and power we “have overcome the world.” We are what we are so that all people, everywhere, might know that only God’s power can bring complete and lasting transformation. As much as I love Star Trek, we simply don’t have that in us. Perhaps this is why God made us from clay/the dust of the ground and not out of trees. 

 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body.

Consider how Jesus lived and what He experienced. Consider the practices and lives from which Paul told the Corinthians that they should distance themselves: social status, wealth, influence, self-promotion, and elevation. Only when we have nowhere left to turn, nothing of our own to rely upon, can the life of Christ—that which is the only way to make anything that lasts, which can make anything new—be known. Paul says here that only in our impotence and our unimportance can that which matters be revealed. 

11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. 

Paul tells the Corinthians that all the struggles and the afflictions that he has experienced, all of the failures, setbacks, and weaknesses—the stammering and the ineloquence and the imperfections—everything that Greeks and Romans and modern day Westerners and Americans consider undesirable, these he has willingly experienced and lived so that the life of Jesus—the life we are to live—might shine. In his “death” Jesus’ life is working in Corinth. Remember, Titus has brought Paul good news concerning them—probably for the first time ever! This is why they are the proof of his apostolic authority.

13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. 14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. 15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.

Paul quotes here the LXX’s Psalm 116:10: “I believed, therefore I have spoken. I was greatly afflicted.” Although the following reading of Psalm 116 is from the NRSV, 1989—which uses the Masoretic Texts—the message is the same. It is “A Thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness”:

“I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplication. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the LORD: ‘O LORD, I pray, save my life.’

“Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. The LORD protects the simple; when I was brought low He saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

“For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I walk before the LORD in the land of the living. I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; I said in my consternation, ‘Everyone is a liar.’

“What shall I return to the LORD for all His bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His faithful ones. O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the child of Your servant girl. You have loosed my bonds. I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD. I will pa...

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Thank you for listening to First Day. 

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are Christ’s letter, delivered by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

In Macedonia Paul has learned that the Corinthian church has repented and is seeking to fully embrace their life in Christ. Paul has sent Titus with this letter back to them. Here, Paul asks if he needs credentials to prove that truly represents the gospel of Christ. Perhaps there were those on his painful visit that questioned him in this regard; perhaps those people are still around. In verse two, Paul tells the Corinthians that they are the only proof for his apostolic calling that they need. Likewise, they are the only proof that Paul needs to have confidence in his call. 

But these are not the only two ways that the Corinthians serve as proof:

“You show that you are Christ’s letter, delivered by us [me], not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 

Paul says that the church is also Christ’s credential that is read not through some statement of creed or written declaration but read through their actions and the intentions of their hearts. How we allow the Spirit to operate in our lives acts as a witness for God. 

4 Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.

Without the presence of the Spirit, nothing that we would do would be sufficient, effective, or lasting. If Paul—or the Corinthians or us, today—preach the gospel through our own power for our own purposes, it would not measure up. The work we do in only “adequate” when it arises from deep in the heart of God. 

What Paul says in verse six is something that should cause pause in the Church as it surely was intended to do in the Corinthian church. 

 6 He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Do as I say. And those who do not do as I say, they are right out. Here is your list of don’ts and do’s. Behave, follow the letter, and you will be okay. The is the ministry of the letter—or at least one way of taking Paul’s meaning here and applying it today. Following the letter of a law or code is not competent ministry and cannot make the new covenant effective. The letter cannot bring life, only death. Only the new covenant—the Spirit—brings life because it is written upon our hearts. And what it writes is the very life of God!

Another way to apply this in our Church today is to understand that no amount of programming, no belief statement, no change in worship form, no change in church-governance will bring life. If what we do is for the sake of numbers, for the balance sheet, it will not bring to our Church lasting life. Only when a church submits to the Spirit—commits to being what God has called it to be in Christ—only when it chooses to begin being Christ’s credential to its community—will it find life. 

7 Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory. 10 In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

Here Paul refers to Exodus 34:

29 As Moses descended from Mount Sinai—with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain—he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord.30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone! They were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them to do everything the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 and the Israelites would see that Moses’s face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the Lord. (25-39)

This glory was externally applied like glowing paint that letter of the law had coated Moses. But it is not so with the glory that has been implanted into the human heart by the ministry of the Spirit. It doesn’t fade like that applied to Moses but it radiates out of the Law of God that has been written upon our hearts by the Spirit through Christ. 

In the movie Casino Royale James Bond and Vesper are dressing in their finery for the big poker game in which 007 is about participate. Bond picks up the jacket that Vesper has laid out for him to wear and looks at her most puzzled. “But I have a dinner jacket.” She responds, “There are dinner jackets, and there are dinner jackets; this is the latter.”

12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness. 13 We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from gazing steadily until the end of the glory of what was being set aside, 14 but their minds were hardened. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ. 

“Since…we have such a hope, we act with great boldness.” What is this hope if it is not life in Spirit and glory of Christ that endures? The Corinthians can live their faith boldly because of the enduring glory of God that remains with them. 

The veil prevents the Israelites from not only witnessing the fading of glory, but it is also a constant reminder of Israel’s shame—a constant reminder of their failure. They couldn’t understand that the law had not come to save them but to bring the penalty of death. The veil reminded them of this death. Only through the presence of Christ and His work can the veil that separates us from the glory of God be lifted. Only with his presence can we live freely and without shame.
 

15 Yet still today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, 16 but whenever a person turns to...

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Thank you for listening to First Day.

1 In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on another painful visit. 2 For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me? 3 I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn’t have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident about all of you that my joy will also be yours. 4 For I wrote to you with many tears out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart—not to cause you pain, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you.

What self-awareness from Paul! Do we realize the impact that we have on others and how that affects the work of the gospel—both positive and negative? Paul didn’t want his emotions and hurt feelings hinder the movement of the Spirit. In chapter one he tells us that everything he does is to be for the sake of God’s calling—and that everything he does or doesn’t do carries spiritual significance. Paul knew that if he went back to the Corinthians in his emotional state at that time, the kingdom would have suffered. 

Paul tells the Corinthians that they are the ultimate source of his joy and encouragement, and if he grieves them how can he find relief. Regardless of any relational strain, Paul is “confident” that the Corinthians will share in his joy. Of note is the reason for this confidence that he supplies in verse four. “For I wrote to you with many tears our of an extremely troubled and anguished heart—not to cause you pain, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you.” What is Paul saying here?

It appears that the apostle is confident that the Corinthians will be filled with his joy because of his intent in writing them. Yes, he was harsh with them, but the correction was not to make him feel better or to put them in their place. He wasn’t keeping it real. In fact, it pained him to do so. How often do we correct people for their benefit? If we are being totally honest, aren’t our corrections more often than no tinged with a little “I told you so”? In this circumstance, Paul acted solely with the heart of Christ, so he knows that the Corinthians will one day share in his joy.

5 If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree—not to exaggerate—to all of you. 6 This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person. 7 As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 I wrote for this purpose: to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Verses 5-11 provide some clarity into what prompts Paul’s harsh letter. Who specifically does what to Paul is not stated. Paul states here that he didn’t take it personally— “…he has cause pain not so much to me but to some degree to all of you.” However, it must have had a somewhat of an impact since it made him hesitant to return to the Corinthians. Likewise, this was something that Paul demanded that they correct—which apparently, according to verse six they did. So, what happened? Here’s what I think. 

Paul had spent eighteen months living and working and ministering with and to the Corinthians. After he leaves and makes his way to Ephesus the apostle Apollos takes the reins in Corinth. At some point during his two-and-a-half years there, Paul pens his first letter to the Corinthians—Letter A, now lost, which the Corinthians misunderstood. Paul learns of this misunderstanding from Chole’s people and from ambassadors sent by the Corinthian church. Paul responds by sending a second letter—B—which we call 1 Corinthians. Things don’t get any better in Corinth, and when someone from the church comes to visit Paul and relay this—possibly Timothy—the apostle decides to pay the church a second visit, travelling there directly from Ephesus. And this is he short, painful visit that prompts Paul’s third letter—Letter C—that, too, has been lost. The attack Paul references here in chapter two precedes this lost letter. 

In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul singles out for chastisement the only person that he does in the entire letter—although it is quite obviously aimed at a church filled with errant Christians. If you recall from 1 Corinthians 5, this member of the church is a man who is having sex with his stepmother. Of course, this sinful act is a problem in-and-of-itself, but what makes matters worse is that the church is pleased with itself that this is happening—even to the point of bragging about it. Paul, through his authority as an apostle, though “absent in the body” but “present in the spirit”, pronounces judgement on this man and tells the church to “hand [him] over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” (1-5) I believe that they didn’t do this, and when Paul received word that the man was still present in the body, he makes his second, short, painful trip that prompts Letter C. It seems that the Corinthians didn’t respond to this visit as Paul had hoped.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:6, “that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough”, and that they should, “Clean out the old leaven so that [they] may be a new unleavened batch”. His presence, Paul warns them, hinders the church’s ability to be filled by Christ because it is the “old leaven…[of] malice and evil…[and not] the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (6-8) And this is precisely why this man “caused pain not so much to [Paul] but to some degree—not to exaggerate—to all of [the congregation].”(2 Cor 2:5) But somewhere between the their receipt of the harsh Letter C and Paul’s visit from Titus in Macedonia, the Corinthians had done a one-eighty and had punished the man. It seems, though, that they may have gone a little too far.

6 This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person. 7 As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 I wrote for this purpose: to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything.

So, they put him out of the church, and he repented, but now they don’t want to let him back in. Paul tells them to “forgive and comfort him,” so that he might not be overcome by grief. This action on their part will “reaffirm [their] love to him” and prove they are “obedient” to the law of Christ. Aren’t these the same reasons why Paul states he did not come to them again after the second, painful visit and the harsh letter? If they don’t forgive and comfort and welcome back the repentant, what damage might they be doing to that person’s relationship with Christ? 

Paul continues by explaining to the church the events leading to and the reasons for this new letter that he has written to them. 

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even ...

Many people consider 2 Corinthians to be Paul’s most personal and emotional letter(s). Now I say “letter(s)” because there is the possibility that 2 Corinthians represents two separate letters, commonly referred to as Letter D—chapters 1-9—and Letter E—chapters 10-13, due to the sudden development of a noticeably strained relationship between Paul and the Corinthians after the appearance of certain outsiders. This shift only make sense—scholars argue—if some time has passed between chapters nine and ten. I’ll let you be the judge when we get there. If this is the case, it means that at least four or, possibly, five letters have been exchanged between Paul and the Corinthians. So, maybe that’s a church we should be paying closer attention to. 

Paul’s first letter to Corinth, Letter A, is lost; perhaps it will be discovered someday. 1 Corinthians represents Letter B and was written from Ephesus, as was Letter C or E, the “harsh letter” (2 Cor 2:4). It was sent to them via Titus, quite possibly. Afterward, when Paul meets Titus in Macedonia the apostle is met with good news from his padawan: The Corinthians had amended their ways. In response, Paul pens 2 Corinthians and has it sent to them. In it, he justifies the change he made concerning an announced future visit to the church he made in 1 Corinthians 16: a visit that did not occur. Interestingly, some scholars theorize that Paul may have made a short, impromptu trip to the church while he was living in Ephesus, during which he was attacked by someone in the church and had received no aid from its others members—thus providing the reason for his “harsh letter.” And don’t worry, we’ll revisit this timeline when we get to chapter two. 

As usual, please forgive any typos. 

 
Chapter One  (CSB)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother: To the church of God at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul says hello. His greeting does remind us, however, that we are all one in the Lord. He and Timothy are greeting the Corinthian church not only on for themselves alone but on behalf of “all the saints who are throughout Achaia.” Maybe this is something that we need to remember here in America in the twenty-first century, that we are all one in the Lord. I admit that I am guilty of drawing distinctions from time-to-time, but this practice is likely contributing to the Church’s decline in our communities. 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

We see clearly here a pastoral emphasis in this letter. “God…the Father of mercies and…all comfort,” this is how Paul describes God’s character. Of course, there are other descriptions of the divine character—and these, too, cannot be ignored—but oft times I fear that we Western Christians living in our highly politicized and divisive society forget to “read the room”. We end up choosing the wrong face for the wrong emotion. Paul is trying to mend fences with the Corinthians and heal the hurt that has occurred between them. 

He reminds the church that God “comforts us in our affliction” for a specific purpose: “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction”. I have believed for some time that the primary reason why the Church is struggling so much in our world today, why there is apparently unmendable division in the Body of Christ today is not doctrinal disagreement—notice that I gave the caveat of “primary”—but is the lack of empathy and compassion. We have allowed our cultural differences to impact, shape, and direct the Church that we have received from Christ. 

The comfort that we have received from God, we have reserved it for ourselves and our friends rather than utilize it for the purpose that God has given it. Patrick’s rule of ministry number two, “There is infinite grace for one’s own sin and swift and sure condemnation for another’s.” We would rather prove a point or justify a decision or “be on the right side of history” than “to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction.”

 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.

Is this not Paul’s way of expressing Jesus’s command to take up our crosses and follow Him? “For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” Here is an unpopular and avoided fact of faith, one that none of us want to hear: to have faith in Christ is to have suffering. In His daily interactions with others during His earthly ministry, does Jesus once condemn a sinner, or to be specific dies Jesus ever condemn a person who the religious of his day has labeled “sinner”? Does He excuse that person’s sin or redefine it to be no sin? Does His willing self-sacrifice free that sinner from the penalty sin? And does His resurrection offer to that person a life transformed by grace and love? To be faithful means to be willing to die for your enemies. I don’t think I can put more succinctly.

Paul tells the Corinthians that as he suffers for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he also receives comfort and salvation from Christ to share with them. The Corinthians, in turn, will receive comfort as they, too, suffer for the sake of the gospel. Paul mentions a recent, personal experience to illustrate this teaching.

8 We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again 11 while you join in helping us by your prayers. 

Although the Corinthians are not made privy to any specifics, that hasn’t stopped Christians from trying to discover them: In 1 Corinthians 15:32 Paul mentions that he had fought wild beasts, or in Acts 19:23-40 we learn of the apostle’s involvement in the riot at Ephesus. The truth is, if the details were important, I’m convinced that he would have provided them. As Paul chose to inform the Corinthians of sufferings, who can’t relate to being “completely overwhelmed” with affliction in those times in life when a righteous choice has led to our suffering? Wild animals and riots are details that could hinder empathy. 

In this moment, Paul says in verse nine, he was convinced of the certainty of death; he was powerless to avert it. Yet this was that he might not have anywhere ...

(NRSV, 1989)

In my estimation, 1 Corinthians 15 is one of the most doctrinally dense chapters in the New Testament outside of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Why the apostle writes what he does in here is easily in keeping with the rest of this letter, but the nature of its subject matter is not. In respect to the former, the Corinthians have strayed from what they were taught and had been demonstrated by Paul, and he was trying to get them back on track. When considering the latter, however, up to this chapter Paul has been focused more on practical or pastoral theology—the hows of the faith and where they have erred in their practice—but here in fifteen, Paul seems to be addressing error that has arisen in their belief. 

1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

The gospel—the Good News of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified and Risen—is the only instrument for salvation that is available to the Corinthians. It seems that there may have arisen some doubt within the congregation of the gospel’s uniqueness in this regard. The Corinthians had heard and accepted Paul’s message and had staked their lives on it: “on which you have taken your stand…” Paul was under the impression that this was a done deal; but the apostle’s response here seems to indicate that there is now some doubt: maybe springing from the Corinthians’ determination to keep up the practices of their former lives. 

Note that it is through the gospel that they “are being saved, if [they] hold to the message…unless [they] believed in vain.” This is not a doctrinal statement that some denominations and traditions like to hear. Salvation is a process here and not a single, exclusive act. The Corinthians must “hold to the message” to achieve complete salvation in the future. Thus, believing is not enough to assure salvation. Remember James’ words to a Church that had fallen to temptation: “Even demons believe…” So there is more to salvation than simple belief. 

As stated in the introduction, Paul’s letter has been focused on the need for the Corinthians to change the way that they live—or more specifically the need to engage each other and world in a new, Christlike, way. Salvation, then, is best understood to be a process that starts with belief and ends with a person’s total transformation. “Now I see dimly as in a mirror, then I will see face to face.” Belief—in reference to mental acceptance—is not enough to reach salvation. 

3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.

Here is the Good News: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [by which Paul means the Hebrew scriptures], that he was buried, that he was raised [to new life] …and that appeared [to others for proof].” These then shared the gospel with others who then shared the gospel. 

9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.

As Paul has stressed before to the Corinthians, the relationship with God has its cause in Him. Just as we can only understand God’s wisdom by the presence of the Spirit—remember, the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world—so, too, can we only become what we are supposed to be with God’s initiative. Paul doesn’t claim to be an apostle, he is an apostle by God’s action. Likewise, all the Corinthians can do is choose to respond in the way that Spirit desires them too, as demonstrated in the life of Christ. If they choose not to capitalize on what they have been given by God through Christ, they have received in vain. 

Salvation is a partnership—a collective action between God and the individual and God with the community and the individual with the community. To find proof of this, all one must do is recall the nine fruits of the Spirit: Three are between God and the individual; three are within the individual; and three are with others in community. Put another way, God does His parts, and we do ours—which we can only do by His presence and grace, ironically. Paul understands this. 

On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.

So, the purpose for Christ’s appearance to the apostles—the greatest and the least—is so that the Corinthians might believe and hopefully respond. Maybe they’ve got the first three fruits growing—love, joy, and peace—but the other six: patience, kindness, and generosity (with others) and faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (within themselves) so far in the letter appear to be lacking. In fact, maybe even the first three are hard to find. These first three fruits: love, joy, and peace, though, are Paul’s concern here in chapter fifteen. What these opening verses in chapter fifteen tell us is that the fruit that God demands is the product of our belief and our response, and that if we do not maintain a right belief in the gospel, there is no way for us to produce it. 

For some reason, it appears as though members of the Corinthian church are stepping away from the gospel that Paul had preached to them, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” and it is this gospel that provides the foundation of selfless love (agape), joy, and peace that is only found in Jesus Christ.

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.

In abandoning their belief in the physical resurrection, the Corinthians are turning their backs on the first fruits of the Spirit. Gone is freedom from the fear of death. Perhaps their tendency to hold on to elements of their old lives is surfacing here, too. Previously, the Corinthians would have had no desire to be physically resurrected. (Visit the series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians for a deeper dive into Greek beliefs about death and the afterlife.) It is obvious that they once embraced Paul’s gospel, but now are falling away from it. We see in verse thirteen that the resurrection is central to the joy and peace bought by Christ’s selfless act on the cross. Without it, everything that Paul preached is in vain. 

Thank you for listening to First Day. I am Patrick Cooley. Please like, subscribe, and share so the podcast can reach its goal of seventy new listeners per series. And speaking of series, we are coming up on the conclusion of this series on 1 Corinthians. So, let’s get going on chapter fourteen.

Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. For the person who speaks in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation. The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

Paul continues his discussion of charismata and his focus on agape. Teaching, preaching, healing, miracles, and prophecy all have been gifted by God for the purpose of building up the Church and the people of God, “for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.” Although he does not dismiss the most valued gift among the Corinthians—gift of tongues—out of hand Paul does diminish its importance because in the exercise of this gift a “person who speaks in tongues builds himself up” and not rest of the congregation. Paul tacks a caveat onto the end of this that if the tongue is interpreted then there is greater value of the members of the Body. 

Paul’s most treasured gift—and the one that he suggests all Corinthians should strive to possess—is the gift of prophecy. This charisma does not allow a person to look into the future like a fortune cookie or like Sister Roberta and her crystal ball; no, the gift of spiritual prophecy has been present since the very beginning of humankind’s relationship with God. Put simply, God’s prophets examine the world and the people around them and seek to bring them in harmony with God’s righteousness and life. They have been chosen by God to speak His word, thus “the one prophecies builds up the church.”

So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 Even lifeless instruments that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning. Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

In these verses we may well be catching a glimpse of why the Corinthians’ are so enamored with glossolalia. Often in Paul’s letters we are not told exactly what problem a congregation is facing. So, we must make an educated guess about the circumstance by examining the details of the instruction that Paul gives them. When considering the ongoing theme of this letter and Paul’s effort to convince the Corinthians to come together as one community instead of continually working to show-out, Paul’s words reveal that the Corinthians are babbling “divine” language that no one can understand. It's just noise that draws attention to the speaker and humiliates the listener. I can imagine it. “Well, you don’t understand because you aren’t as wise as I am. I guess I’m just holier than thou.” If we apply the same standard that Paul used when discussing Holy Communion, it is reasonable to argue that these Corinthians may not even be practicing this charisma. 

Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the outsider say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Paul has already explained why the Corinthians should seek the spiritual gifts that edify others over glossolalia. Here, the apostle points out that there are two limitations to their sought-after gift. Firstly, without interpretation the gift is “unfruitful” in edifying one’s Christian sisters’ and brothers’ understandings. Secondly, the charisma engages only the speaker’s spirit; it is internally focused.  

There is some debate over Paul’s use of to pneumati—“the spirit”. Is he speaking of the Holy Spirit or the human spirit? Which one it is depends on if the translator has chosed to capitalize the S in spirit or not; in Greek script there is not variation script size: everything is written in lower case letters or in upper case ones. Here, I think Paul is referring to his human spirit, since he contrasts “the spirit” with the mind—interpreted here as “understanding”. Notice the contrast in these statements:

“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful…if you praise with the spirit, how will the outsider say, ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying…yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”  

It appears that when Paul uses “the spirit” he is speaking about his spirit. This is the intangible, unrelatable part of human existence that only you yourself and God know—his emotions and feelings, perhaps. It’s raising your hand in praise during the song or the sermon. It’s what Mary did that night when the shepherds came and told her about the angels: She cherished it in her heart. Paul compares this to his mind.

He would rather speak five words from his own understanding to others and ten thousand words in a tongue. To put this another way, he would rather speak a few words of his head for others’ understanding than to speak countless words from his heart. 

Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. 21 It is written in the law,

I will speak to this people
by people of other tongues
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to me,

says the Lord. Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in tongues and people who are outsiders or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

How we modern Christians sho...

(NRSV, 1989)

Thank you for tuning into First Day; I am your host Patrick Cooley, currently the pastor of Northport Methodist Church. Please like, subscribe, and share. 

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul gives the Corinthians something to consider: that each person has an equally important and necessary part to play in completing the mission of the Church and that although the Holy Spirit has equipped each person with a different gift, this one Spirit is the source of all charismata—spiritual gifts. It seems as if members of the church are using the perceived quality of their gifts to distinguish themselves one from the other. Of the eight charismata identified by the apostle, speaking in tongues is the gift most desired by the Corinthians, although Paul states that it is best to be considered a steppingstone to the next, “better”, gifts—gifts that begin to cost their user more and more. 

Of course, every Christian and even most non-Christians are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13. It is the most used scripture in religious and marginally religious wedding ceremonies. Who knows, it may be THE only scripture used in non-religious weddings, too.

If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Okay. This is something that I won’t be going too deeply into in this episode but may dedicate an episode to it in the future. As you are aware, English is a unique language—a scientific language with mixed up grammar and vocabulary coming from many sources, Latin, German, French, and Greek—I’m sure along with a few others. This hodgepodge of an origin makes English the world’s most spoken language—though not its most natively spoken one. English’s origin has an interesting side effect: It has a different word for everything—except for some things—including what is arguably the most important thing in life: love. We love our spouses, milkshakes, doing yardwork, quiet evenings, and loud football stadiums. This is not so with Greek. 

There are eight different words used in Greek to distinguish between different types of love: eros—passionate love; pragma—enduring love; ludus—playful love; agape—selfless love; philia—friendship; philautia—self-love; storge—familial love; and mania—obsessive love. I’m sure you can guess to which of these eight words for love Paul is referring. 

“If I don’t have selfless love (agape) it doesn’t matter if I can speak every language on earth or in heaven, nor if have any other charismata—prophecy, teaching, wisdom, or otherwise,” Paul says. If we are not selfless, we are nothing. Paul continues:

Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love seeks everything that certain members of the Corinthain church do not. In fact, love seeks everything that many of us still don’t. How can a person be selfless without the qualities that Paul identifies here? Patience, kindness, humility, meekness, satisfied, forgiving, serving, patient, and gracious, these are the makings of agape. 

“Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.” To possess selfless love, obviously, mean that you don’t live for yourself—you don’t live unrighteously—but for God—to live righteously. And those who loves long only for the truth—the truth about God, about Christ, about others, and about themselves. 

“It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Paul has already written to the Galatians, “For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love,” (5:5,6) and to the Thessalonians, “We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Th1:3) and, “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation.” (1 Th 5:8) 

Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. 

To have selfless love—to have agape—is to have faith. Paul has already told the Corinthians that faith is a charismata—a gift—and one that they all share; therefore it isn’t a stretch to see that Paul declares here that agape is a gift of the Spirit, too. But unlike the other gifts, it will not come to an end: Selfless and its products never fade. Of all the gifts, however, the Corinthians seek the least, while Paul urges them to seek the greatest. 

I may get some hate mail because of what I am about to say, but I’m going to say it anyway. Here in the South, in the fall, the day you DO NOT PLAN to offer ministry is Saturday—for there is a love that is greater than agape. It never ceases to amaze me when Christians devote so much time to things over which we have no authority, yet neglect the very things that we do. I guess that goes for non-Christians as well. Let’s expend our resources on the things that don’t matter—things that won’t last—until we have nothing left for the things that do.  

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.

Paul tells the Corinthians that it is time for them to grow up, to “put aside childish things” like status and worldly ambition. Because there will come a time when what should matter will be displayed before their very eyes. After putting away these things, the adult Corinthian will have only three concern left: faith, hope, and selfless love—the last being the greatest according to the apostle. When we love selflessly, we place all our hopes in God; when we love selflessly, we place ourselves solely in His capable hands.

(NRSV, 1989)

Thank you for listening to First Day. Please like, subscribe, and share. My goal is to reach seventy new listeners each series by the end of 2024, and you can help make that happen. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. 

Paul ends chapter eleven criticizing those in the Corinthian church who are participating in Holy Communion with selfish and self-centered motives. Communion is meant to build up the Body of Christ so that the Body might go out and be God’s righteousness in the world; it is intended to make us one in the Lord. This is not what was happening in Corinth; they seem to have forgotten who they have become in Christ Jesus and have lost their way. Of course, this misunderstanding of the meaning and purpose of the Lord’s Table is merely indicative of Corinth’s overarching problem of self-centeredness and pride. They even are using the spiritual gifts with which God has provided them to jockey for position. 

Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Paul leaves the Corinthians no room to brag. Any positive assertion—any spiritual gift—is from the Spirit of God. They have come their faith in God through Christ Jesus and the presence of the Spirit. This is good-old prevenient grace: We can choose God only because God has made it possible for us to do so. It is unlikely that anyone in the Corinthian church as stating that “Jesus is cursed,” although no one can say for certain, one way or the other. Here, Paul is making the point that it is because of the presence of the Spirit that the Corinthians church even exists. The Spirit will make no one curse Jesus, and only the Spirit can allow one to bless Jesus. Paul couches this discussion on the differing gifts in that same Spirit.

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. 11 One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.

The Corinthians have used their wisdom, their baptism, their daily practices, and even the Lord’s Supper to separate and distinguish themselves one from the other. All in an attempt say, “I am better than you.” So, holier-than-thouism has been alive and active for a long time. So far, Paul has been able to stress oneness in Corinthian church: one baptism, one Lord, one table, one faith. But with differing spiritual gifts being present in the church—in fact being necessary in it—Paul may have his work cut out for him. Paul tells the Corinthians that although they possess different gifts, the foundation of all of them is in ONE Spirit. Like the ability to say that “Jesus is Lord,” none have a right to claim any special status, though they really want to. “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good…distributing to each person as he wills.” Additionally, these differing gifts are active only because the Spirit remains active in Corinthians and that is only “for the common good.” 

Like Holy Communion which doesn’t even exist if it is not being used to build community, if a believer is attempting to use his or her gift for any other purpose than for the common good, the “spiritual” part will be missing, since the Spirit “is active…distributing to each person as he wills.” This is a serious problem in the Church today in my estimation. We often assume that the Spirit is with us, that God is on our side, regardless of our motivations and purposes. Only God gives us the ability to say yes, and only God can empower us to do what He wills. And if we aren’t seeking the same thing that God is, why would be reasonable for us to assume that He is going to send His Spirit, His power to us? 

When we list these gifts of the Spirit, these charismata, it is clearly evident how they could be used to elevate the status and standing of individuals within the church: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment between spirits, speaking different languages, and interpreting different languages. These gifts, it appears, have been present at one time or another in the Corinthian church—and have likely been misunderstood at best and abused at worst—particularly, it seems, the gift of tongues, or glossolalia. Interestingly, Paul lists faith as a gift of the Spirit, so it is something that every Corinthian has. So, like all the other gifts, faith is given by God for a purpose, and we should expect that if our faith is useless it, too, can be taken away. (Just something to think about.)

I will not go into detail about each, specific charismata here and now, because this is not Paul’s point for mentioning them. His point he makes evidently clear: All gifts that are given by God come with strings attached—and none of those strings are for any individual believer to lord his or her gift over others. This is made quite clear in verses twelve and thirteen.

For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. Indeed, the body is not one part but many.

Charismata have been given to the Corinthian church to bring it together to work toward a single goal. And they are given for reasons only God knows to whomever God desires, “Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free”. 

If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body.

Paul dishes out some pastoral theology here that we should probably heed. Why do we Christians insist on judging ourselves through comparison to other Christians? This applies equally to our own feelings of inadequacy and to our own feelings of superiority. 

If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!

Since all Christians are different, their charismata will also differ. And the Body of Christ requires all to function as they have been gifted for the sake of the mission of the God’s kingdom. I picture Mike Witkowski, but even there he is more than just an eye. Yes, the congregation’s members must be different and their functions distinguishable, but not one of them is b...