Never Equally Returned: 2 Corinthians 9

In Summary:

Whenever we give something away, there is always a concern. What if I need this later? What happens if I run short? This concern may not be completely universal, but it is common enough to see it in action in Corinth. Paul spent 2 Corinthians 8 reminding them about how they should be participating in the offering for the saints in Jerusalem, and now tightens his focus on the motivation for their giving.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that their giving will not go unnoticed. Starting with 2 Corinthians 9:8 and following, he expresses that God is capable of supplying their needs. The Corinthians need not fear that they will not be able to do the work of God if they give in obedience now, because He will take care of their needs.

The Corinthians are also nudged about the idea that a few of the Macedonians are coming with the brethren to carry the offering—and they wouldn’t want the Macedonians to find them unwilling, would they?

A final general note from this chapter: Paul is clearly more concerned in the character of the givers, not the quantity of the gifts. If they are becoming generous and cheerful, then they are doing well. If, on the other hand, large amounts are being given grudgingly and sparsely (in comparison to ability), then they are failing. Keep in mind that a willing, generous dime reflects spiritual maturity better than a grumped million from someone who won’t notice it.

In Focus:

Taking a longer look at 2 Corinthians 9:10, though, there is something important to take note of. Paul uses the image of agriculture to speak of giving. He highlights that the God who provides seed for the sower will also supply the needs of the Corinthians. The concept is that, by giving, the Corinthians are planting a “seed” which God will then multiply into a “harvest.”

Now, if we are not careful, this will go in a very bad direction. What is that direction? The idea of a clear correspondence between the giving of money and the sowing of a harvest in material wealth. It is crucial to read the whole verse in the context of the whole unit (2 Corinthians 9:6-15), and in context of the book and the whole text of Scripture.

The harvest is of righteousness. Paul speaks throughout the passage of the ability to provide for their need for grace (v. 8), good works (v. 8), righteousness (v. 10), thanksgiving (v. 11), and the confession of the gospel (v. 13). While there are areas, such as in 2 Corinthians 9:13, that can (and should) be understood to reference God meeting the material needs of the Corinthians, nowhere does this support a reading that giving some leads to a definite material prosperity. It is instead given that they will be able to grow in generosity—which is not the same as material wealth.

In Practice:

The practical side of this is threefold:

First, the command on the believer is clear: our giving should be cheerful and constant. Just as a farmer does not sow only once in a lifetime, but at all times that the season is right for it, we should give in the appropriate season. When is that? At all times when there is a harvest to reap. What is that harvest? How about the one in Luke 10:2? Here we see that there is a harvest ready immediately—which means it’s time to keep planting.

Second, that the harvest is not automatically of the same category as the seed. Here we depart from the pure agriculture picture: one does not plant rice seed and harvest oak trees, but with God you just may see something like that. One plants, perhaps through financial giving, and then harvests righteousness in your own life, salvation in others, or grace in your growth. From this, we grow onward and are more generous—not only with the same seed but with new seed, drawn from the new harvest.

Third, that it is in God’s good time that we see that harvest. It will be in time to meet the needs He sees.

In Nerdiness:

2 Corinthians 9:7: God loves a “cheerful” giver. Now, with appropriate credit to Carson’s Exegetical Fallacies, we need to remember something here. “Cheerful” comes from the Greek word that eventually gives us the word “hilarious.” However, “hilarious” in modern English does not have the same meaning as “cheerful (hilarion)” in the Koine Greek. Therefore, the idea that has popped up from preachers and televangelists, that one should “laugh through their giving” or other nonsense, playing on hilarious, is just wrong. It has no basis in the text. “Cheerful” rather than “morose,” yes, but giving isn’t a knee-slapping manner. It’s one of the clearest ways that the Kingdom of Eternity crashes into the Kingdom of Now, because their economic systems are fundamentally different.

Now, it is easy to try and massage this passage into instructions for the routine, proportional giving that we as believers should be doing to support kingdom work through our local churches. But I don’t see it here—this is about special projects, about tasks beyond the local church. Tithing comes in other places—though we can learn about the character of the generous, the ungenerous, and the God who sees all.

Acceptable Giving: 2 Corinthians 8

In Summary:

One of the side works of Paul, in his missionary travels, was encouraging the churches to contribute to the needs of the poor, especially in Jerusalem. It is most likely that the primary concern was for those of the church who were in need—the typical social safety net in that era was family, and some families rejected the members who came to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 8 is primarily Paul’s encouragement to the church at Corinth to be generous and give greatly to the offering. He does so by highlighting how other churches had given and then pointing out how he would take good care of the gift, ensuring that it got where it was intended and was used how it was intended. 

The first point is made by bringing up the churches in Macedonia, bringing up that they had been very generous despite being poor. Some sources suggest that this was meant to play on the pride of Corinth, a “don’t let those people out do you” type of appeal. However, I wonder if we are reading modern sales tactics back on to Paul with this. Certainly, he makes the point that the Macedonians were not giving from an abundance of wealth, which would have removed an excuse by comparison. But we should be careful attempting to put our motivational principles into Paul’s context. Remember that Biblical Interpretation requires us to bring an understanding of the original context to the text. Our context goes into the application of the text.

Paul then informs the Corinthians that Titus and the “brother whose fame….has spread through the churches” (2 Corinthians 8:18) will be helping deliver the offering. The idea is that there will be proper care for the gift, that it will be used as intended, and that these named (and unnamed) men will be accountable for it. 

In Focus:

A good focal point comes right in the middle of the chapter: 2 Corinthians 8:12 makes the case that acceptable giving is based on what one has, not what one does not have.

From this, a reasonable extraction is that the Corinthians were delaying finishing the offering because they felt it was not good enough. Perhaps they had a higher goal, a larger amount they wanted to give, but the money just wasn’t there. It’s hard to make a certain statement from what little is here, but it would have been shameful in that culture to broadcast that you were making a big offering and then make a small one.

There’s something to be said for large amounts, but at many points in life, a little bit of real is better than a lot of intention.

In Practice:

Practically applied, of course, you can see where this is going. 

First, it’s true monetarily of your giving: just because your gift is smaller than someone else’s doesn’t mean it is useless. In fact, it takes every type of gift to make a project happen. A person in need of food can be fed by many hands with small gifts as well as by one large one.

Second, it’s also true of any other type of giving to a work of the ministry that comes before you. Do you have only a certain amount of time? Guess what? Giving from what you have is acceptable. Now, that, like with financial giving, comes with a caveat: a person who wastes hours should reconsider how they spend their time, just as one who wastes money should. If you are careless with your time and therefore cannot give to what God commands, are you any less sinful than one who wastes money on sinful pursuits?

And some acts of service require a minimum of time, but let’s stop making excuses based on the exceptions or partial situations. The real question for you and I, dear reader, is this:

Are we giving from what we have, be it time, energy, skill, wealth, commitment, or are we using the excuse that our gifts aren’t large enough, and so we do nothing?

Get going forward, and do that which God has given you to do!

In Nerdiness:

The whole unnamed brother thing bugs me. But it also makes this point: the man was so well-known that he needed no introduction, and now he’s anonymous. What does that make of the celebrity today?

Look at the overall thrust of Paul’s money handling guidelines. If followed, then the offering will be well looked after as well as guaranteed to be spent as intended. While the Macedonians helped support Paul as well (that’s what “gave themselves to me” means), he’s not asking Corinth to support him. Just to give to the mission, and he’ll take nothing. 

Repent: 2 Corinthians 7

In Summary:

Remember that Paul has written the Corinthians before this letter and that he has also been there. We are dealing with a slice of the history of their interactions. Added into that, we must consider that the Corinthians have both written and spoken to Paul, with other verbal messages sent via trustworthy messengers. 

In short, we must admit there will be times when Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians will be a bit obscure and many times when we are looking at the far end of a discussion. A header like the NASB uses here, “Paul Reveals His Heart,” can lead us to short-change this, thinking that the Corinthians did not understand Paul before they got this letter. Rather, let us take 2 Corinthians 7 as evidence of the generally human nature of Paul’s relationship with the churches he started. 

It is true, though, that this chapter helps reveal Paul’s heart. That revelation is to us, though, as it is more of a reminder to the Corinthians. They had seen his conflicts and depression (v.5) and been up close and personal to his struggles. They knew his heart, but the absence of Paul and the presence of trouble had raised questions. He had been direct, perhaps even harsh, and that led to questions about his true feelings. As one pieces together the two letters to Corinth, it is apparent that there were significant problems in the church and those problems centered on specific people, and those were people who were in opposition to Paul.

For those times, a group of disciples would not be surprised to be abandoned by their teacher if they failed that teacher or sided with his enemies. The Corinthians were, perhaps, in need of reassurance that Paul would stand by them now that they had returned.

In Focus:

And this is the reassurance they receive in this chapter, as Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 7:9-10. He highlights that his goal was not merely to make them sorrowful, but to push them into repentance. Having accomplished that goal, he is not merely satisfied that the relationship between him and the church can be restored, he is enthusiastic and so are his companions (2 Corinthians 7:13). 

It was not his desire for pain and strained relationships, but for there to be repentance, redemption, and restoration. This could only happen, as shown in 2 Corinthians 7:12, when the offenders had been dealt with. Paul’s letters do not give in-depth information about the situations (except 1 Corinthians 5:1-5) involved. The focus is not about sin—the focus is on the restoration of a relationship with God first and among God’s people following after that.

In Practice:

First and foremost, our response to this is to examine our own hearts and lives for areas that we need to repent of. One cannot go about confronting the sins of others without first addressing our own. That does not mean we must be perfect before we confront—but we most certainly must be striving in a positive direction. 

Second, let us remember the goal of confronting anyone within the church about sin: repentance, redemption, and restoration. The idea is not that we engage others regarding sin in their lives for the purpose of dominance and control. There are few things more likely to destroy us than the desire to control others—and this is an area that can be particularly tempting.

Third, our focus should be on the hope of the Gospel and the potential for restoration. While some sins are egregious and need publicity for the sake of addressing them, we must be cautious not to allow the broadcasting of sin for the sake of schadenfreude or other unhealthy habits.

Note: in cases of child abuse or sexual abuse, publicity is often necessary to protect those who are innocent, promote victims coming forward, and to prevent new victims. We have often erred in this and suppressed problems thinking we were helping promote the Gospel. We weren’t. We were harming innocent people.

Fourth, we need to remember what Paul already demonstrates to the Corinthians: he is not going to abandon them like some teachers would abandon unfaithful disciples because they are not his disciples. They belong to Jesus, just like he does. We are all disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ—and as such, we are to engage with all He brings our way.

In Nerdiness:

1. The information about Titus tells us a bit about Paul’s letter carriers and message runners.

2. The CSB Study Bible (and others) take 7:8 as evidence of what is called “Paul’s Painful Letter,” which is now considered lost. Given some of the newer thoughts (see Richards Paul and First-Century Letter Writing, among others) about the idea that the Pauline epistles we have come not from church-kept copies but instead from Paul’s personally-kept copies, this letter may be lost because Paul felt it should not be saved. Consider that: he may have wanted it gone forever.

3. I took a stab at the NASB headings above, but realize something: those are not Scripture and they are open to discussion. Sometimes they help with reading and finding places, but remember that artificial divisions can hurt our comprehension. 

No Offense: 2 Corinthians 6

In Summary:

Paul continues his instructions to the Corinthian church in chapter 6 by reminding them of the need to respond to the grace of God. 2 Corinthians 6:1 makes it clear that the grace of God is intended to result in response, else Paul would not caution the church that they are at risk of receiving grace in vain.

The chapter carries on to discuss the challenges faced by Paul and his fellow ministers and how they have endured the hardships placed on them for the sake of the Gospel. That’s the area we’ll return to in a moment.

Then we have the infamous passage used by multitudes of preachers (including me once or twice) to tell people not marry non-Christians. While that is an extrapolation from 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, there is so much more that this passage is about and we tend to overlook it, for the sake of focusing on just one application. Again, it’s a valid application—but one would also be wise to apply it to strong business relationships and to political alliances.

In Focus:

I’d like us to put the magnifying glass, though, on 2 Corinthians 6:3. This verse heads up Paul’s summary of what he and his companions have gone through in terms of trials and difficulties.

The noteworthy concept here that Paul stresses is choosing not to give an offense to anyone, for the sake of the ministry he is called to. Yet if he is striving to be unoffensive, why the laundry list of things that have gone wrong? Paul raises generic problems, like afflictions and hardships, and then goes on to specific issues: riots, beatings, times of hunger…all of which sound bad.

That list, though, is connected to a list of things that sound like good experiences: purity, knowledge, patience, kindness…the list even goes on to include the Holy Spirit and the power of God! 

We should not go so far wrong here as to think Paul makes no distinction between the good things that happened to him and the bad things that happen to him. As is evident in his other writings, he would far prefer to have the power of God and the Holy Spirit than a beating and some imprisonment.

What we should recognize, though, is that Paul would rather take a beating than not have the power of God. He’ll take a sleepless night if it leads to the Holy Spirit, survive being the target of riots if he grows patience through them.

In Practice:

What will we endure for the sake of the ministry? 

First, will we be committed to giving no offense to anyone except for the Gospel? By this, will we allow them to run over us if it allows us to show them their need for Jesus? For example: will we argue with a man for not standing for a nation to the point that we cannot tell him of the Cross of Christ? Will we scrub the pork from our neighborhood block party to earn time with that family in hijabs?

Second, will we embrace our difficulties for the sake of our own benefit? How often do we structure our lives, our churches, our speaking so that we avoid imprisonment, riot, labor, and sleepless nights? Yet then we wonder why we lack knowledge, patience, purity, the power of God and the Holy Spirit! We have disdained that which God has ordained for our own sanctification. 

Let us pay attention to the one thing that matters: we are surrounded by people in need of the Savior. If He has done for us what we believe He has done for us, then why will we not break a sweat for others? 

In Nerdiness:

First, let’s take a gander at vv. 14-16. As mentioned above, these verses are typically used to discuss marriage with unbelievers, and it’s a valid application. But what are the other ways could this apply? After all, is Paul writing to a context where individuals actually chose their spouse? Not often. The more likely application (in context) of this passage to marriage would have been parents arranging marriages for their children. 

But isn’t it deeper? Remember that the actual meaning is unchanging and would have been understood by the original audience as well. This applies not only to marriage but any form of “partnership.” It’s business. It’s political. It’s what sides you choose in the next Roman Civil War. The meaning is about choosing God-honoring relationships in general, and the application carries through to today. It is about who you marry and who you work with and who you choose in the Civil War (Team Cap!) and who you vote for.

Second, look at Paul’s Old Testament quotation at the end. It’s a hodgepodge, indicating that Paul either really knew his Tanakh or perhaps had one handy. It is fascinating to see how he stitched passages together, though.

Intense Life in Tents: 2 Corinthians 5

In Summary: 

Paul continues 2 Corinthians as he shifts his metaphor from the treasures in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7) to the idea of dwelling in earthly tents (2 Corinthians 5:1). His aim is to build up the confidence of the Corinthians, that they would have the strength to keep on walking by faith. The flow of the chapter moves from how we, as individuals, hold a certainty of redemption because of the Spirit of God (v. 5) on to how we are to be involved in reconciling the world to God.

Paul does not separate here the work of Jesus in reconciliation (v. 18) and the responsive work of believers in showing others the reality of this reconciliation. Where we might be tempted to put a dichotomy, a conflict between the work of Jesus and the responsibility we hold, God has Paul put an "and," linking the two.

In the middle, though, are points not to be missed. First of all, we are reminded of the incoming judgment (v. 10)and how the fear of God which we know should drive us to persuade others to follow Christ. Second, though, is a verse that I've taken a touch out of context over the years. It's one that definitely should be understood the way it is usually preached, but 2 Corinthians 5:17 is about more than just the new life of the believer.

Put it alongside v. 16 and see what Paul is talking about in general. He mentions not seeing anyone according to a "worldly perspective." In a status-conscious Roman world, that's a radical departure from the norm. He's emphasizing that, in his ministry, he does not worry about who he shares the Gospel with. It only matters that he shares the Gospel.

After all, those of high societal value will be made new in Christ...and their "high" value will dissipate. Likewise, those of low societal value will be made new in Christ...and their "low" value will dissipate.

The judgment seat of Christ (v. 10, again) is higher enough than anyone that your status will not matter. Therefore, your status ought not matter to Christians, either.

In Focus: 

Woven through this chapter, from the tents through the new creation and into verse 20, is the idea that to be Christian, one's identity is found in something other than their earthly life. 2 Corinthians 5:20 speaks of being "ambassadors for Christ," and we need to wrap our heads around what this means. At the current point in history, we tend to think of an "ambassador" as a political appointee in a foreign country, someone who can help if you lose your passport or get arrested while you're on a mission trip.

But much of our perception is shaped by the modern world and modern communications. In Paul's day, an ambassador carried the full weight and responsibility of the king who sent him. They were sent to make peace with countries far away, to explore lands, to gather information. And it was not always a safe job--a good way to show that you think your country is better than another one was to execute the ambassadors sent by that country. This did not always end well, mind you, if the sending country turned out to be mightier and have a higher sense of honor.

Then you're in trouble because the king will have those who attacked his ambassadors before his judgment seat in due time. 

This is the image Paul is giving of the Kingdom of Christ. He will, in due time, have all mankind before His judgment. 

In Practice:

This gives us a couple of practices to make sure we grab hold of in our lives.

The first is this: as ambassadors, it is our joyous responsibility to spread the offer of peace, of reconciliation from the King of Kings to the kingdoms of this world. We are to go forth and proclaim that to all those we come in contact with. And we do so, fully knowing that some of the kingdoms of this world will have our heads instead of accepting the offer of grace. But we go anyway, and we trust the King to do what is necessary and right. It may be that, eventually, an ambassador will break through the noise and even that one will come to Jesus.

At which, we will rejoice, knowing that grace is greater than our desire for vengeance.

The second practice is perhaps a shade harder. As ambassadors, we ought to keep living in tents. Rather than take up the practices of this world and making a more permanent home, let us remember that we are temporary residents here. We are not supposed to lock in and stay put, but to be identifiable as foreign to this place. 

Living in tents is less comfortable than going ahead and grabbing a house, planting a garden, and so forth. But it also serves as a reminder that we do not belong to this place. We belong to Jesus. So live in your tent as you live intensely for Jesus.

After all, you're the ambassador of the Greatest King. What can this world offer anyway?

In Nerdiness:

1. 2 Corinthians 5:21 justifies the opening lyric in "Jesus, Messiah," about "He became sin who knew no sin...."
2. There is a solid contrast here between walking by faith and walking by sight. The meaning there is pretty clear--we sometimes go without knowing for certain what we are supposed to be doing. It was not uncommon for ambassadors--they had to know the desire and character of their king and then go forth to do his work. Even if they had no maps to start with.
3. Reconciliation (v. 18) is a two-way street. The joy is that God has come all the way, but we need to realize this is because of His strength, not out of weakness. We miss that point.

Weakly Stored Treasures: 2 Corinthians 4

In Summary:

What is it that keeps us going? What drives the Christian to keep at the work in front of them? After all, there are times it just does not go well. Of course, those of us peacefully reading this on our home computers probably haven’t had it go as bad as Paul did at various times.

Yet he speaks in 2 Corinthians 4:1 of not losing heart—because of the ministry he had been given. His opportunities to bring other people to Jesus kept him going in the work. Specifically, he cites the fruit of his work among the Corinthians and the methods he used there. His preaching and ministry was done clearly, without compromise. 

He then expresses just how challenging the ministry can be: struck down, afflicted, persecuted. But these are not final or fatal for the work. And it is the work of spreading the Gospel that Paul speaks of here, and that he commends to the Corinthians. This is the purpose of his ministry, and of what the Corinthians should be celebrating and focusing on: the treasure of the Gospel. 

That it is found in an earthen vessel, v. 7, does not negate the value of the treasure. Rather, it highlights the treasure over the container.

In Focus:

If we take 2 Corinthians 4:5 as our focus, let’s look at what Paul is saying. First of all, as the bringer of the Gospel to Corinth, Paul had a right to be considered highly by the Corinthians. The traditions of the time entitled him to claim superiority as their teacher and leader, but instead he speaks of himself as a bond-servant, or slave, of the people. The Gospel reverses our priorities, from ourselves on to others.

Second, we see Paul exalt Jesus over himself. He is not interested in the Corinthians praising him, but only in praising Christ. There is no room in Paul’s life for two masters, and he wants no room in the Corinthians’ life for 2 masters, either. Paul only reminds them of who he is, and what he should mean to them, for the purpose of pointing them more plainly to Jesus.

In Practice:

Today, I need this in practice: I am not the Lord of the Church. Jesus is. My responsibility and joy is to proclaim Him as the Master, and to remember that I am here to serve His Church, His work. Not my own.

On that vein, the church exists to serve one another for the same purpose. And the treasure we have of the Gospel should be focused on exalting Jesus before the lost. If you look at the rest of the chapter, there is much to be said about light shining in darkness and dealing with those who are blinded to the truth. 

And the purpose is for us to proclaim the truth, to light the way for them. The earthen vessels that store such a treasure as the Gospel, weak though these vessels are, should be used only for that high purpose.

In Nerdiness:

This chapter gives us music! The band Jars of Clay got their name here, and then the chorus of “Trading My Sorrows” comes from here as well.

Notice also how Paul contrasts verbs in vv. 8-9, where he uses softer terms for what has happened to him, and then the harsher terms for what could have happened. 

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Three Cs: 2 Corinthians 3

In Summary:

Paul continues his second letter to Corinth by reminding the church that he should need no recommendation to them. They already know him and their faith is the proof of his preaching—unlike others who need their credentials examined! It appears that the Corinthians had reached a shaky conclusion, that they now knew enough about walking with Jesus to sit in judgment over the one who introduced them to the Gospel!

Our chapter division puts 2 Corinthians 3:1-3 as the head of this chapter, but it could just as easily match up with 2 Corinthians 2. Go back and read chapter 2 and flow straight over onto the first paragraph of 3 (using the paragraphs in ESV)—just ignore the section headers for a minute. It makes pretty good sense there, doesn’t it?

Yet it also forms the turn into the contrast of the Law and the New Covenant. This contrast makes up the bulk of chapter 3, as Paul points out the work of the Holy Spirit and the supremacy of Christ. One should easily see from 2 Corinthians 3 that the power of the Spirit of God through Jesus far exceeds the Law of Moses.

In Focus:

Looking a second time at 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, we find Paul’s primary points for this portion of Scripture. First, that believers may have confidence before God. Second, believers are competent to serve one another and the world on behalf of God. Finally, that the covenant between God and humanity is now different and new, vibrant with life.

These three areas: confidence, competence, and covenant; differentiated the Christian message from many of the religions in Corinth. It was also different than the warping of the Gospel which was done by the Judaizers, those who went about teaching the church the falsehood that it was better (or worse, necessary) to be good followers of Jewish law if one was to be a Christian.

In Practice:

What, though, do these three areas look like and how do we have them as believers today?

First, confidence: specifically, this is confidence before God, or toward God through Jesus. In short, this is understanding that our salvation is a settled fact—and then grasping just what fact has been settled. Prior to the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, there was the challenge of knowing if you had done enough to satisfy God. We tend to overlook that Noah and Abraham, for example, are cited as recipients of grace even those days. Now, though, we have confidence, not because people are better (we aren’t) but because Jesus has finished the work of dying for our sins. Our confidence comes from Him, and we practice this by not walking hesitantly before God.

Second, competence: this builds on confidence. God has called us and equipped us by the power of His Spirit and provided us His Word. Therefore, we have the competence to share with others the grace of God. We may fall short and slip up in our approaches, but we need not hold back and wait for someone who is “better” at Jesus to do the work. 

Third, covenant: the agreement that God has made with humanity. Part of the contrast Paul is highlighting is that Jesus is superior to Moses, and the covenant is different. Whereas Moses had a Law written on stone, Paul proclaims Jesus who writes on the hearts of people and makes us alive to follow Him. The action which follows this is simple: remember and act like people God has saved now, not people God is making into Jews or Hebrews. This takes various forms, but I see it often with people who want to track with the feasts and festivals of the old covenant and behave as if this covenant drives the Christian faith.

It does not. The actionable covenant between God and humanity is the New Covenant of Jesus, not the covenant given through Moses. The confidence and competence we have under the new covenant allow Christians to walk boldly in obedience to Jesus, not in the footsteps of the former faith.

In Nerdiness:

The “veil” referenced by Paul is a real one, from Exodus 34. The contrast between then and now is this: we can all approach God—while the old covenant even caused the representative of God to be separated.

And don’t let 2 Corinthians 3:6 lead to the chaos of anything goes life—that’s not the idea. The idea is that new covenant believers walk in life, and living people do not do the deeds of death. It’s natural, rather than having a law that tries to keep the dead from acting like the dead.

Triumphant: 2 Corinthians 2

In Summary:

Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he continues explaining why he has not yet made the trip back to Corinth. His primary explanation is that he did not want to come again under sorrowful conditions. It’s a sound reason: nobody likes sorrow and grumpiness when they visit people. (One could insert various passive-aggressive jabs about modern visits here, but let’s not.)

He then goes on to address the issue of restoring someone who has faced church discipline. While Paul does not explicitly state it, some have suggested that this should be applied to the specific case of 1 Corinthians 5. I am inclined to think that, instead, the Corinthians had overreacted to Paul’s instructions and gone after various people they thought had offended or bothered Paul, without contemplating the reality that the harm was to the body, not just to one member of it.

The response that Paul commands is this: the offender should be encouraged in their repentance and restored to the fellowship. And, for what it’s worth, any church discipline concept that does not have the view of restoration and embrace at the end in mind, isn’t worth doing. The purpose is not simply to isolate the sinner—it is to see restoration and renewal.

The rest of the chapter touches on where Paul has been, including the brief mention of Troas. It seems logical that this is a reference to Paul’s vision in Acts 16, and we see some additional details. He was in Troas and waiting for Titus, but could not wait any longer and went on to Macedonia out of obedience to the Spirit. Keep in mind, the chapter is partially addressing how and why some travel plans have to change. Here, Paul is pointing out that sometimes the ministry of the Word and the opportunity of open doors for the Gospel mean that one shifts plans. He was planning on traveling with Titus but had to go on without him—and possibly, go a different direction.

The Corinthians are being reminded that Paul’s first purpose is spreading the Gospel, wherever he has the open door for the work.

In Focus:

Focus in on 2 Corinthians 2:14 for a moment. Paul speaks of God leading us in triumph in Christ, and the image that would have come to mind is the Roman Era version of the “ticker-tape parade.” Victorious generals were celebrated with a “triumph,” a procession showing examples of their victory. Included in those examples would be the treasures captured from the enemy, captured enemy personnel (some headed to slavery, some to death), and liberated allies and citizens. This last group participates as part of the celebration, how they have been delivered from a terrible fate by the general being celebrated. It also, at times, included those from among the enemy who had surrendered in the early stages—those who recognized that standing against Rome was foolish.

If that is the image Paul wants to evoke, then the church at Corinth would be reminded that they are part of the liberated captives in the triumph. Their purpose is to celebrate their deliverer and show to others the benefits of having such a great general. 

In Practice:

Now, on to the heart of the matter: we, like the Corinthians, find ourselves in Christ’s triumph. We are either among those delivered or will, at some point, find ourselves among those condemned. That is the first application: surrender to the Great Lord of Lords, and be in His triumph.

Second, it is good for us to remember that it is His triumph, not ours or anyone else’s. We are to keep our eyes fixed on our Deliverer and realize that He rides alone. Others may have been involved, as the legionaries and centurions of Rome were for the triumphs of the day, but they are not celebrated at the triumph. It is for the general to reward them, later—

And so it is with the worship of the church and the worship of Christians. We celebrate the One who has saved us and trust Him to reward His faithful servants later. (Note: we still say thank you—but we do not transfer allegiance!) 

Third, it is important for us to recognize our two responsibilities: the first is, as said, to focus on the One who has delivered us. The second is to reflect to the watching crowds that He is worth following! The delivered ones would have spared no expense, no effort to draw the crowds to the worship of their deliverer…

What do we do about our Savior and Deliverer? Do we make sure that our worship of Him causes us to blend into the background and Him to stand out?

In Nerdiness:

1. The references to aroma would have connected not only to the triumph but also evoke the fragrant offerings of the Old Testament. But there was definitely aroma involved in the triumphs…after all, you cram that many people together before the invention of the shower, and I guarantee you’ll want all the incense you can stand.

2. It’s within the realm of possibility that Paul does not want to evoke the Roman triumph, but I think we need to be careful chasing more esoteric concepts. Paul didn’t write to people with tons of spare time to research what he was talking about. He wrote to people who lived in a specific place and time, and just like it’s a safe assumption that a letter to the Arkansans that referenced “football” meant “American football, where you carry a non-round object in your hand) and not “soccer,” though many other places use “football” for that sport where you kick (with your foot) a round ball. (Who knows why they don’t call it soccer?)

Likewise, the predominant culture would have informed Paul’s choice of imagery. Be careful in Biblical interpretation that you don’t try to outsmart the original audience. We all want to be smart, but oftentimes, the basic idea is obvious.

Yes Means Yes: 2 Corinthians 1

In Summary:

Paul writes again to the church in Corinth. He, along with Timothy, wants to address his ongoing concerns with the situation on the ground there, and so sends a second letter. You can imagine that he will not be as gentle about some issues as before, especially if he is dealing with the same ones again.

The first chapter moves quickly from the typical greeting and introduction into the meat of the matter. Paul is not working to establish communications here, as in Romans, or to remind of the time he had already spent, as in 1 Corinthians. 

His introduction here focuses on why he has not been to Corinth yet. Circumstances and situations have prevented Paul from visiting Corinth as he planned in 1 Corinthians 16, but he does not want them to consider him as unreliable because of that.

In Focus:

Let us take Paul’s response to the Corinthian charge of vacillating, saying both “yes” and “no.” He highlights, initially, his reasons for not getting there yet but then turns the conversation to something more important.

His turn, in 2 Corinthians 1:19-20, highlights that the answer in the Gospel is never “yes and no,” but always “yes.” The promises of God are a “yes,” that His grace will come through and meet the needs of His people. 

This is the message that was preached by Paul and Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy: the Gospel is a “YES,” that you can be forgiven by the grace of God, that reconciliation between God and humanity is possible.

In Practice:

Practically, then, let us first look to what John Chrysostom said in the fourth century, and keep everything that we say of what we believe as something that we will not “unsay.” Our faith should be solid, not having a wondering mind.

That means we should assert as definite only those things about which we may be absolutely certain. This is why, for example, one should preach clearly every week that Christ is Risen INDEED! and that He will return someday, for certain. Picking a date, though, is far from being of value to the family of faith. It does little but destroy one’s credibility in other matters.

Likewise, as we apply the Gospel to life, we must consider which areas we may absolute on. As the extension of this, I would argue that every parent is charged by God to see to the education of their children. That does not mean, though, that I would certainly demand every Christian homeschool their child (or use private Christian schools). One thing I think is certain, the other is a consideration.

Paul holds that his words are solid, as the Gospel is solid. We should be the same way.

In Nerdiness:

One area of debate in Pauline studies (Pauline studies=the study of the life and writings of Paul, or attributed to Paul, with the goal of determining what that history looks like and what theology it brings to the fore) is whether or not 1 and 2 Corinthians were originally perhaps more letters. Did Paul write to Corinth more than twice? Are there missing letters? Did his original 3 (or 4, or 5…) letters get composited into the 2 books of the Bible?

No matter how you slice that, Paul’s authorship is, to me, inescapable. His use of an amanuensis notwithstanding, it’s his letter.

That’s not really something in the scope of this blog post, but it’s a worthy investigation. Lean hard into a couple of good commentaries to wrestle with this. I’d grab the Baker Exegetical series on 1 & 2 Corinthians, the Pillar Series, Ben Witherington’s Socio-Rhetorical (for an additional viewpoint), and probably the New American Commentary. Some good commentaries are ones like the Preach the Word or the Teach the Text series, but these are more practically minded. If you’re teaching, start with those and work into the others.

Apostle Incoming: 1 Corinthians 16

In Summary:

1 Corinthians wraps up with the standard closing portions of a letter: the greetings sent to known colleagues and the information about the writer’s future plans. In this, Paul is fairly ordinary in his approach. He also follows the typical pattern of providing a brief closing statement. In this case, look at 1 Corinthians 16:21-24 as definitely written by Paul rather than by a scribe.

The rest of 1 Corinthians 16 is a combination of update and instruction. Paul is overseeing a collection for the “saints,” typically understood as believers in Jerusalem. One basic reason for the assumption about Jerusalem is that v. 3 reflects that he plans to send letters to Jerusalem with the collected gifts. That would make the destination obvious.

Alongside this, we also see some instructions about the taking of the collection and the way the church is urged to respond to Apollos and Timothy, who are both apparently traveling to proclaim the Gospel. Paul gives his travel plans, as well, including his desire to go through Macedonia and his plan to stay in Ephesus for a while. 

Another point that should be considered in summarizing this chapter is found in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14. Here we have a clear point in Scripture where two verses must be taken together in their application. 13 speaks of being alert, standing firm, being strong, “acting like men,” all of which are calls to action. Calls to action like these, though, must be tempered in the right manner—v. 14 give it. All that is done must be done in love, not in celebration of the doer but in pursuit of the best of the beloved.

In Focus:

Let us take a moment, though, and focus on one of the overarching messages of this chapter: Paul is coming to Corinth. He mentions his impending visit throughout the book, and then in this chapter alone, he brings his trip up in six verses. It is clear that his goal is to come to see them.

Why is he coming? The whole of 1 Corinthians has spoken of Paul’s concern for the Corinthians and the church in Corinth. He wants to come and check out everything, to try and correct the problems that are there.

In Practice:

With that in mind, I want to tell you a story about my time at UPS. (When I first started blogging, I still worked there so left them anonymous…obvious, but anonymous.) Our hub was due for a visit from one of the top executives from corporate—I believe it was the guy we expected would be the next CEO once the job was vacant. 

We prepared for his visit for several weeks. First of all, new coats of paint were applied in all sorts of places. Second, we stopped hiring folks for a couple of weeks. Third, we actually encouraged a few people to plan on taking that day off and arranged for other folks to cover their shifts. Oh, and all of us front-line supervisor types made sure our uniform shirts were nice and clean.

Why? Because we wanted everything to look good when the big boss came around, that’s why. It wouldn’t do for the CFO to see that some days, our shirts were dirty from box dust or see that people who haven’t worked very long at a job don’t do it very well. And it certainly wouldn’t have done for some out-of-the-way piping in a rarely-traveled area to not be bright yellow instead of dingy yellow. The appearances had to be right.

Never mind that his visit looked nothing like the everyday operations. We put on the show…and went right back to old habits after he was gone. (As a contrast, I also worked for a Chick-fil-A when the Cathy family meandered through the region and stopped by every Chick-fil-A. We did nothing different. Nothing. Well, we blocked off a couple of parking spaces for them.)

Paul has mentioned his visit to the Corinthians with the hope that they will not respond like we did at UPS—the goal is not for a one day spruce up and then a lapse into old habits. 

The goal for them, as it is with us, was to encourage them to live out the transformed life of the Gospel. Yes, he wanted the trash taken out and the broken things repaired: take a read back through 1 Corinthians and you’ll see what trash there was, what things were broken.

Our lives should follow suit: as the Spirit of God works in us, it is not intended that we slap on some fresh paint and give our sins a day off, only to bring them back later. We need to fix the broken things, carry out the trash, and then get on with doing what we should have been doing in the first place!

Let us live our lives in light of the reality that Paul is not coming anytime soon, church: Jesus is.

That’s a big deal.

In Nerdiness:

First, look at 1 Corinthians 16:15. Then look at 1 Corinthians 1:16. Notice a similarity? The household of Stephanas. Leads me to wonder if Paul updated 1:16 as he got to the end when Stephanas was on his mind.

We all want to take the Bible literally until 1 Corinthians 16:20. Then we want to wash it through the cultural grid, find the principle, and apply it within our own context. 

1 Corinthians 16:22 ends with “Marantha,” which means “O Lord, Come!” 

Really Resurrected: 1 Corinthians 15

In Summary:

I’m ecstatic to put the Spiritual Gifts chapters behind us and move into other matters. 1 Corinthians 15 has absolutely nothing controversial in it to deal with—well, there’s the verse about “baptizing for the dead,” and the misapplication of the euphemism of “sleep” for death which leads to the incorrect concept of “soul sleep” in death rather than the immediacy of judgment—oh, and there’s the references to how the end of all time breaks down with resurrections. No, nothing controversial.

Just some aspects that you’ll really need to grab a good Bible commentary on 1 Corinthians and do some research about it for yourself. I’d recommend the Teach the Text volume by Preben Vang and…well, actually, most of my 1 Corinthians resources are digital. At the very least, get a good Study Bible like the CSB Study Bible from Holman or the ESV Study Bible from Crossway. 

The bulk of the chapter, though, does walk through some very basic ideas. The side items are the idea of Paul among the apostles (v. 8-9), that Jesus will return before every believer dies (v. 51, also the theme verse for all church nurseries), and the listing of resurrection appearances of Jesus. The main dish? The centrality of the fact of Jesus’ Resurrection.

In Focus:

Rather than focus on one verse, since that idea is the focus of the chapter, we’ll take that as the focus of the blog post. First, Paul sets up the resurrection as the key to the Gospel which he preached in Corinth. He points out that Jesus died and was buried, and then draws out the description of the resurrection by naming witnesses. This includes surviving witnesses (v. 6), some of whom must have been known to the church.

Second, Paul then connects the resurrection’s reality to the hope of the church. If the resurrection isn’t real, then nothing else the church has come to believe has any value—it is all vain. And vain, used in the Bible, typically refers to empty and meaningless, pointless and wasteful, rather than just “self-absorbed" as we tend to use it.

Third, Paul roots the resurrection into reality with the witnesses he recounts. The clear purpose is to establish that Jesus was not raised like many of the mythic heroes of Greece and Rome, where they were “raised” and then placed in the stars or moved off to a far away land. Jesus was raised and then seen by the people who had known Him in the first place.

In Practice:

What does that mean for us?

First of all, the resurrection is not merely a doctrine to be held or debated. It is a fact to either be accepted or rejected. There is no “spiritual meaning” to be substituted or symbolism that overrides the facts of the matter. Jesus is really risen, or there is nothing else in Christianity of value. Nothing.

So make up your mind where you are on that. 

Second, though this may surprise some of you, there are those who think that the resurrection of Christ is actually optional. It’s not—so if you have a book that claims to talk of “good spirituality” but downplays the historicity of the Risen Christ, there’s a place for it: the trash. It is vain and empty—anything of value will be available elsewhere.

Third, keep the focus on the most important thing: Christ is Risen! Therefore, death is done for. Sin is atoned for, completely, and Jesus is no longer on the Cross but alive! That’s hopeful. Christianity is a religion of faith, hope, and love—and if we want to grow in our capacity for love, we need to cling to the hope of life in Christ!

In Nerdiness:

A few key nerd points:

1. 1 Corinthians 15:22 makes spiritualizing Adam (and, therein, Genesis 1-3) a bit difficult. If Adam doesn’t bring death in all, then the first half of this parallel statement is false—which means the second half is, too.

2. V. 32 references fighting “wild beasts” at Ephesus. Holman Commentary makes this symbolic, as do most others. It is feasible as a reality, not as a punishment but possibly a life situation if Paul was having to dwell in the wilder parts of the area.

3. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 would generate several great sermons. Bad company corrupts, stop sinning, be sober-minded. There’s plenty of action to be held there.

Orderly Gatherings: 1 Corinthians 14

In Summary:

After feeling the love in 1 Corinthians 13, we’re right back into tongues and prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14. Keep in mind that Paul is not obsessed with this topic—rather he is having to respond to the Corinthian questions and their obsession with the topic. This is why there is more in 1 Corinthians about tongues and spiritual gifts than there is in the rest of the New Testament combined.

This chapter specifically compares tongues and prophecy as spiritual gifts and discusses the value of the two. In doing so, Paul highlights the value of prophecy while acknowledging the use of tongues. One of the major problems we have today, though, is that the definitions of “prophecy” and “tongues” are debated by many churches and New Testament scholars. 

For example, the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (mine is the Logos version, so I don’t know what volume), runs through a variety of uses for the Greek word that gets translated as “prophesy” and the real summary is that it is words spoken by one who is a prophet. Seriously. Then it leaves the reader to determine the theology of who is (and isn’t) a “prophet.”

We also see this in theological works today. Grudem’s Systematic Theology places “prophecy” for the New Testament era as similar to Old Testament prophecy, but not exactly alike (and not as perfect). Michael Horton’s The Christian Faith identifies “prophecy” as more akin to preaching, Spirit illumined but not inspired (contrasted with Scripture, which is inspired). He does not come out and say so, but I would suspect he would accept a different translation than “prophecy” because of this. The term comes from simply transliterating the Greek (and Latin) into an English word rather than trying to find the right term. (Same thing happened to “baptize,” from the Greek word meaning “to immerse.”)

So, then, we have two different challenges here. The first is to sort through what “prophecy” and “tongues” are, Scripturally speaking. The second is what to do with them. 

In Focus:

Let’s focus on what to do with prophecy and tongues. 

Paul instructs the church that “all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” (1 Corinthians 14:40). This is a key concept: church worship is not meant to be sheer chaos. The reason for this can be seen as the chapter unfolds. The gathered times of the church are meant to be three things:

1.) Glorifying to God;

2.) Edifying to the body of Christ, the church;

3.) Explicable to outsiders who come into the church.

Therefore, Paul reminds the Corinthians to ensure their gatherings fall within this parameter.

In Practice:

What does that mean for us?

Well, our worship services, the times we are gathered as a church should fall within the same pattern given to the Corinthians. Not necessarily the exact order and structure, but the concept. Every gathering of the church should aim to be:

1.) Glorifying to God: it should be clear that the focus of the time is the Lord Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Triune God. If a gathering of “worship” leaves one wondering who that service was about, then the primary purpose has been missed.

2.) Edifying to the body of Christ: we should build up one another, not tear one another down. Every gathering should equip, strengthen, and challenge the church to do the things which the church ought to do. Otherwise, why are we together? 

3.) Explicable to outsiders who come into the church: not fully accepted by outsiders, but explicable. We should be able to explain what is happening, why it is happening, and who the focus is on. In short, we should be able to point others back to points 1 and 2! 

If everything is chaos, if the service is full of people trying to be seen and known for what they do, then the point of gathering together is missed. The Corinthians seemed to have trouble with this, and I know that at times, it seems we have trouble too. Let us strive to keep the focus in the right direction!

In Nerdiness:

I am not going into 1 Corinthians 14:34 about women being silent except to say: study the context, understand the point. 

The idea that God is not a God of confusion but of peace does not mean that church is always peaceful—this is no call to go along just to get along. Rather, that the gathering of people requires some planning and thought, so put it in and work through it. At times, the Holy Spirit may just interrupt your plan. That’s okay, but you will not be worse off for having prayed and prepared anyway.

Wuv. True Wuv: 1 Corinthians 13

In Summary:

We’ve made it to the “Love Chapter” of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 13 contains an extended description of what love should look like. First off for the summary, though, make sure you take note of the context of the chapter as a whole. It’s in the middle of Paul’s discussion of unity in the body of Christ, even as the body works out the spiritual gifts that have been given. 1 Corinthians 11 dealt also with worship services, as 1 Corinthians 14 will also deal with. The entire book of 1 Corinthians addresses division in the body and fighting off the infection of sin and division.

So keep that context in mind for the famous chapter on love. While we read it at weddings, it would also most likely fit into the top ten most commonly ripped from context passages of Scripture. It’s behind “Judge not” and “I can do all things through Christ,” but it would give “I know the plans I have for you (plural)…” and “Train up a child…” a run for third. Now, on to the chapter as a whole: 

First, you see the importance of love. It’s more important than any one gift. Why? Because all of us can, and must, love. That’s why. You are responsible for not loving—you are not responsible for not speaking in tongues or not being a martyr.

Second, you see the characteristics of love. Love rejoices in truth, in righteousness, but not in evil or arrogance. Love is kind and forbearing, and it endures many trials thrown at it. This should not be taken that love puts up with abuse, either from within or without, but rather that when the world comes apart, one does not stop loving. Remember, this chapter comes after Paul has stressed the importance of truth—which love “rejoices in” (v. 6). There should be no taking this chapter to indicate love is more important than truth. Love is more important than being right about who the greatest country singer of all time is—those are trifling matters. 

But love does not exist if the Truth (John 14:6) is removed.

Finally, the chapter ends with a reminder which people may do fails, but their character, their love, remains. Paul illustrates by speaking of childhood, how he (and we) was initially childish, but then he grew up. Growing up moved him from selfishness toward love—and that should be true of all of us.

In Focus:

Then, we will take the last verse in focus. It features what is called (by several New Testament scholars, I don’t remember where it originated but I heard it from Dr. Duvall years ago) the “Pauline Triad,” referring to “faith, hope, and love.” Paul uses these three together somewhere around seven or eight times (depends on the search syntax in Logos). Like most good preachers, I think he had some favorite sayings and ideas he returned to, and here we find a good idea that’s worth repeating.

In focusing on this, we should look at what these three are. Faith and hope are linked in their connection to the future—both see and act on the assumption that the world is not as it will be. Love looks at the world and sees that it is not as it should be now, and acts on that. 

In Practice:

What does that mean, practically?

Faith and hope act based on seeing the future which God has called us to. We grow in Christlike-ness. We act in obedience, trusting that God will answer that. We do not lose heart because Jesus is coming again and will judge the living and the dead. All of these are driven by hope and faith, a view of a God-saturated future and conviction that it will happen.

Love, meanwhile, looks at the world right now and sees that it is wrong. Things are not as they should be, and something should be done about it. Love builds bridges between people, strengthens relationships among the distant, and relieves the suffering of those in need. And then, love does even greater: in love, we draw others to a right relationship with God. We do not stop, for love never fails until people are reconciled to God through Jesus. We are not satisfied to feed the hungry, though we see the need to do so. 

This is what love does: it is the willful choice to treat someone as God would treat them. Love is self-sacrificial, love is caring, and love prioritizes the long-term benefit of others. 

So let’s go love.

In Nerdiness:

Nerd stuff?

1. The Greek word for “hope” is “elpis.” Mounce’s Basics of Biblical Greek suggested that one could remember this vocabulary word by knowing that “Elvis fans have ‘elpis’ that Elvis is alive.” And thus it has stuck. I’ve struggled with agape and philadelphia and kerusso… (love, brotherly love, preaching) but never with elpis. (Words transliterated rather than trying a Greek font.)

2. If you use 1 Corinthians 13:1 to claim that there is a spiritual gift of speaking in “angelic languages” (or the “tongues of angels”), then consistency requires that you take 1 Corinthians 13:2 to claim there is a spiritual gift of knowing all mysteries, all knowledge, and actually, physically, removing mountains. If v. 1 is completely literal, then v. 2 is as well. If, however, v. 2 speaks of exaggerated giftedness that is out of reach, then consistency suggests that v. 1 speaks of the same idea.

3. There is a significant difference in “not keeping a record of wrongs” from v. 5 and allowing continued abuse. Do not go back to an abuser based on “not keeping a record of wrongs.” That wrenches that line out of God’s expressed concerned for justice and righteousness which permeates the whole Bible.

4. Paul is still looking forward at the return of Jesus when he hits “the perfect comes…” in verse 10. Then, we will know God as fully as God already knows us.

Varieties of Gifts: 1 Corinthians 12

In Summary:

Spiritual gifts. Oh boy. Here we go, down the rabbit hole into strange behaviors that people blame God for—which are not spiritual gifts at all but just people acting strange. 

So, let us look at 1 Corinthians 12 and try to actually understand what Paul is talking about here, because otherwise we’re going to get deep in the weeds and have a very difficult time getting back. One portion of the context to keep in mind is that both letters to the Corinthians are clearly written to a church with a much higher level of dysfunction than is healthy. Ephesus had troubles and so did Rome, Thessalonica had its difficulties and Colossae its heresy, but Corinth seems to have had the most wrong at the same time. (Except maybe the churches of Galatia, but “better off than the foolish, bewitched Galatians” isn’t exactly high praise.)

Given that background, the summary of 1 Corinthians needs to be read as corrective prescription rather than a positive how-to manual. Each gift that is mentioned is brought up in a list, highlighting that it is one of many rather than exalting any particular gift.

The primary illustration of the chapter is the comparison of the church as a whole to a body—and the holders of spiritual gifts are likened to body parts. That’s an important thing to take note of: the gifts are not compared to parts of the body. The people who have spiritual gifts are part of the body.

You are part of the body of Christ. Not your spiritual gift—and you are not your giftedness.

In Focus:

To understand the rest of the chapter, cast a hard glance at the first 6 verses. 1 Corinthians 12:1-6 unlocks the concepts that follow. Here’s how:

1. Paul is concerned that the church not be ignorant of how God works in their lives—he contrasts this with how they behaved as pagans. An understanding of how God works will help keep the Corinthians from being led astray.

2. It is apparent that the oddities of behavior from paganism were bleeding over into the church, where there was not even clarity that the Spirit of God would never curse Jesus and that the Holy Spirit will always support that Jesus is Lord!! Whatever manifestation of alleged “spiritual gifts” the Corinthians were having, apparently some were cursing the Lord and claiming to be spiritual for it.

That’s nonsense.

3. The emphasis is placed on the unity of the church behind one Lord, Jesus Christ. The differences are in people, not in the Lord Himself. And whatever is different about us, we are to be unified in following Christ.

In Practice:

Practically?

1. Ignorance is not a virtue. Especially ignorance that does not discern between truth and falsehood. Learn the difference between Christianity and false religion.

2. Copying the behavior of the pagan world into the church is not a shortcut to anywhere worth going.

3. Whatever you think makes you special in the Kingdom of God, remember that it’s His Kingdom. Any gifts, talents, abilities that you have are from Him in the first place, so perhaps a word is in order about who has the right to tell you what to do with “your” gifts. The use of anything that is allegedly spiritual in a manner that disrupts the right unity of the church (note, right unity—unity based on the truth of Scripture, not false unity based on lies) is counter to the work of the one Lord of the church. If someone comes away from encountering your gift and your use of it and does not respond with “Jesus is Lord!” then you’re doing it wrong. End of story.

We have varieties of gifts in the church, true—but there is one Lord, and so one purpose for all of the gifts: the glory of God.

In Nerdiness:

We can’t get away from spiritual gifts without a couple of nerd terms. These are “cessationism” and “continuationism.” “Cessationism,” which is sometimes called “sufficientism,” views spiritual gifts in the Scripture as falling into differing categories and that some of those categories have ceased, or stopped. These gifts were used by God to affirm the truth of the words of the Apostles (big A Apostles, eyewitnesses to the Gospel…) Now that the complete, sufficient Scriptures are available, these gifts are unnecessary and therefore not given. 

“Continuationism” views all of the gifts as continuing through to today. This view holds that every spiritual gift seen in the New Testament should be seen in the church today just as it was then.

There are believers who take the text of Scripture seriously who fall on both sides of this discussion, and I have friends on both sides. The primary difficulty, to my view, is the purpose of some of the gifts—if their only purpose was to provide support to the “Word of the Lord” then they by necessity must have ceased—no one speaks today with that authority. The authority of an unmistakable “Word from God” is reserved to the inerrant Scripture, the Word of God.

And I find that the text of Scripture is complete and done—John speaks well in summary in Revelation 22 about adding to or taking away. However, if there were other purposes for those gifts, then those purposes may not be complete, and therefore the gifts would remain. It comes back to discerning God’s purposes.

The other thing that must be spoken of is “tongues.” This is a case of translators letting us down—if you look at the one place in Scripture where “tongues” are described in practice, Acts 2, then you see that “tongues” are other earthly languages. Therefore, “tongues” should be read as “languages” and understood as the supernatural gifting of the ability to speak in another language. 

Imitators of Christ: 1 Corinthians 11

In Summary:

1 Corinthians 11 contains some interesting and challenging passages. We get, for example, the culturally relevant (at the time) instructions about head-coverings and hair length. Most likely, one could write several pages trying to address that issue and how it works out in modern times. I would suggest that it also works out differently in differing cultures, but we will not thread that needle here and now. Grab a good, modern commentary on 1 Corinthians (I like the Teach the Text volume from Preben Vang) and consult a few experts.

The other primary theme of this chapter addresses the Lord’s Supper. Or, Communion, for those of you whose tradition uses that title. Paul addresses the habit of the Corinthian church when they got together for worship. At the time, it appears that the church had a significant problem with their worship gatherings. The church would gather, but then behave as if they were just there for themselves. Some of what we understand about the early church era’s worship services come from this chapter, as it is apparent that the church met for a meal and then observed the Lord’s Supper.

A major point that Paul addresses is this: the church’s failure to be truly together as they observed Communion led to God’s judgment on the church. How we behave as the body of Christ is important to Jesus—and He does not take lightly a group which reflects on His sacrifice by intense selfishness.

In Focus:
For a focal point, take the first verse of the chapter. Paul challenges the Corinthians to “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Now, first of all, we need to see that this sentence would close out 1 Corinthians 10 just as easily as it opens 1 Corinthians 11. That’s the beauty of a well-written imperative: it crosses boundary lines and links sections.

Throughout this chapter, it is evident that Paul’s concern is that the Corinthians put their effort into being like Jesus. This is true of the head covering issues—whatever the cultural issues affixed, the primary point is about identifying more with Jesus than with the world around them. The worship issues are about being focused on Jesus and not themselves. The Lord’s Supper is a marker of the cost of sin and imitating Christ will require being more like Him in that matter: counting the cost of the sin of others.

And the church is to imitate Paul just as he is imitating Jesus, rather than imitating anyone else.

In Practice:
What does this look like for us, then?

First, our heroes are defined for us. It is those who imitate Christ who we ought to imitate. Rather than pursuing a life just like this rockstar or that scientist, our life should be patterned on those who follow Jesus.

Second, this extends to how we interact with our culture—down to the nitpicking details of hairstyles and fashion trends. Now, I do not think this boils down into a simple to wear/not-to-wear list, but I think we have to think about whether what we do in relationship with our public appearance is imitating Jesus or not. Again, this takes some effort, otherwise the answer would be long hair, robes, sandals. That’s not the idea.

Third, this stretches our own interaction with others. How many of us are comfortable with our walk with Jesus enough to say “follow me?” Ultimately, it must reconnect to “as I follow Christ,” but really, are you confident that people will follow Jesus if they follow you? That’s a challenge for any of us to live up to.

In Nerdiness:
Okay, let’s take a quick pass at the hair thing: to deal with this, the best answers are going to be found in Corinth in the first century. That’s where you need to look.

Next, the Lord’s Supper: examining oneself does not mean guaranteeing you are without sin. It should be understood as examine your heart and purposes in taking the bread and the cup. Are you unified with the body? Are you humbling accepting God’s grace?

Then you are taking the bread and cup in a worthy manner. Otherwise, who ever could? None of us.

Only His Glory: 1 Corinthians 10

In Summary:

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians continues with a look at the history of Israel. There’s an important side fact here: one does not comprehend the New Testament fully without knowing the Old Testament. Seriously—you don’t have to memorize the list of kings, but you should know the flow of the narrative. Paul draws an important lesson from the history of Israel and, unfortunately, it appears that we may need a refresher course.

The events Paul narrates are primarily from Exodus, though some of them are recounted in Numbers as well. It is the story of a people rescued from slavery who then, in all practical ways, turn their back on the God who delivered them.

Paul is warning the Corinthians that they are walking down the same path that Israel took. That they, though they have been joined to the same rock and draw from the same well, are drifting away from the Lord. The hammer comes down hard in 1 Corinthians 10:21-22: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” Mixing up the two, serving two masters, is to be avoided.

In Focus:

The structure of this chapter puts the argument throughout the chapter with the payoff at the end. 1 Corinthians 10:31-32 are the seal for the end of the argument, the call-to-action upon the evidence presented. What is that call?

That rather than pleasing self, either in the rebellious Israelite or the Greco-Roman idolatrous fashion, everything the believer does should be for the glory of God. Everything. 

How you eat? What you eat? 

For the glory of God.

Rather than doing it all for our own glory or for the glory of anything else, it should come back to glorifying God. The God who sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die in our place.

In Practice:

Everything we do is to be for the glory of God. That’s great and would look good on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker (both of which, by the way, are about as bad a source for communicating theology as Twitter is). But what do we actually do about it?

To answer that, work back through the chapter and contrast what had happened with what should have happened. The people of Israel should have worshipped God with the liberty they had been given. Instead, they chased their own pleasures and debauchery. We should, then, focus on worshipping God instead of chasing the stuff of earth. But it should be done “to the Glory of God,” not for the glory or approval of men. 

I’ll give you a direct example: 1 Corinthians 10:8 refers to the people falling into immorality. How do we as Christians teach sexual ethics? Usually as a combination of self-help and fear, actually. Don’t do this because you’ll hurt you or you’ll hurt others. If we apply 1 Corinthians 10:31-32 to the issue of sexual ethics, the relevant question narrows to this question: is what I am doing with myself within the glory of God? Proverbs and Song of Solomon speak of the grandeur of love and romance within a Genesis 2 type of framework, between husband and wife. God can be glorified through romance—living in that is a choice we make. One motivator, the glory of God, provides a far better idea than making a thousand do and don’t lists.

So, do whatever you do—and eschew what must not be done—for the glory of God. Let others see that your one passion is that God is glorified in what you do.

In Nerdiness:

Beyond this, there are some great things in this chapter in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 that speak to the Lord’s Supper. That’s the reference in “cup of blessing” and “bread” in this context. Paul speaks of the idea of the many being one body, for they partake of one bread. Two things:

1. Most churches don’t do this. We partake of a multitude of individually made pieces of bread for the sake of convenience. We might be missing the point.

2. Paul is not at Corinth when he writes this. But he still uses first-person plural phrasing. Why? Because the church is more than one local body, it is all the redeemed of all the age (as BFM2K puts it.) One point of celebrating the Lord’s Supper is the communion with all the saints.

The End Matters: 1 Corinthians 9

In Summary:

1 Corinthians 9 opens with Paul’s defense of his income. Seriously: apparently there had been some argument that he did not deserve to be supported by the churches in his work, and much of that seems to have been coming from Corinth. He goes on to ask why other apostles were permitted to draw a salary, but the expectation was that he and Barnabas should provide for themselves. It’s a fair question, and Paul draws from both normal life and the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 25:4) to highlight that it is appropriate for those who lead the church in spiritual matters to draw their living from doing so.

Though I expect Paul would take a dim view of those who live above the ordinary soldier, shepherd, or vinedresser (9:7).

He goes on, though, to point out how he has not claimed his rights as an apostle for the sake of spreading the Gospel. He did not want the Corinthians, or anyone else, burdened by supporting them. He wanted the Gospel to be preached without charge, though he had every right to expect the Corinthians to begin covering his expenses as they continued to listen to him. (See the book of Philippians to answer whether or not Paul ever took financial/material support from a church. TL:DR: he did.)

He goes from there to point out that it was his goal to reach this end: that nothing in Paul’s life would be a barrier to anyone hearing and receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If they were Jews, he would be observant to the Law, if they were weak, and so forth. Why? That some may come to a knowledge of Christ and follow Jesus.

In Focus:

This focus brings us to the end of the chapter. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 gives us Paul’s motivation. He believed that it was important to run hard after Jesus because that was the reason he was there. He uses the illustration of the games (likely drawn from the fact that Corinth often hosted athletic competitions), where the runners focus on their purpose—but there would still be only one winner. He intended to do all he could.

After all, when we return to 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 we see (as Chrysostom points out) that it is not simply knowing Jesus that proved one was an apostle. It was the fruitful ministry resulting in the next generations of Christians. Judas, after all, was an apostle—but knowing Jesus did not benefit him well at all.

In Practice:

As we draw some practicals:

First, to the issue of paying ministers: many is the time that 1 Corinthians 9 is used to justify that a minister should be unpaid because Paul was unpaid. That misses the point of this passage entirely. Paul’s point is that he was due the pay but he willfully chose to forego it. For a practical extension: let’s suppose that I become a millionaire blogger—or even someone with a livable income from legitimate Internet work—at that point, while I could claim it was my “right” to be paid to preach, it would be prudent for me to forego the income. That would enable more ministry at the church. Until then, though, I serve as a soldier but not at my own expense. (As such, though, it is for me to be content what I get rather than pursue/demand luxurious life.)

Second, to the more important parts: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who Paul preached about, is straightforward: there is one way, one truth, one name under heaven whereby we can be saved. If one dies apart from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, without trusting in His death in place of your own, without trusting in the reality of His resurrection, then one will die and face the wrath of God for eternity. 

That’s a lot to wrestle with. There is no cause for anything else to be a stumbling block to belief—if it can be avoided. If you know, for example, that your opportunity is to share Jesus with someone who must kosher or halal, then don’t spend half your time on the grandeur of bacon. (Save that for Bible studies on grace later!) 

Everything we do as Christians should center on these two realities: Jesus is Lord of all and some people need to know Him. That should affect how we handle everything. Not our rights, though those do matter in other ways, not our desires, but our Lord and Savior. 

In Nerdiness:

Nerd point 1: 9:1 suggests that being an actual eyewitness to Jesus is connected to being an apostle. What does that mean for those who claim to be apostles now? 

Nerd point 2: 9:5 can be taken as evidence Paul was married. It is definitely evidence that many of the apostles, include James and Jude (brothers of Christ) and Peter (Cephas) were.