I Corinthians 6- Who Do We Think We Are?

My teenage years took place way back in the nineteen hundred and seventies. The music of the day was a big part of my life and I hardly did anything without a big transistor radio plugged in nearby. This was still the height of tinny AM radio, as FM mainly had classical programming. Most nights, I went to sleep listening to far-away stations that would skip off the ionosphere when the sun went down. These stations would drift in and out as atmospheric conditions changed and it would make me mad if they drifted out during a particularly good song. One of my favorite groups of the day was a British band called Deep Purple, one of the first rock bands to incorporate an organ, and famous for their anthem "Smoke on the Water". In 1972 they recorded their seventh album (a most excellent number) called "Who Do We Think We Are". The title had no question mark and seemed to be more of a statement- a bit brash, a bit in-your-face.

In I Corinthians chapter 6, we've been reading about the 3rd problem in this church- lawsuits among Christians for the most trivial things. Paul uses some pretty harsh language to get in the face of the people involved in this- vs 5 states "I say this to shame you." By the very fact of the lawsuits, they were "completely defeated already". Then Paul does something very interesting. He reminds the Corinthian brothers and sisters who they are.

Paul lists off some pretty serious offenses in verses 9 and 10. The first few deal with sins of a sexual nature, a topic that Paul discusses in chapter 5, and will move back to in the latter part of chapter 6. Then he names things that could be associated with the problem at hand- the lawsuits and the associated cheating and wrongdoing. He names thieves, the greedy, and swindlers. After the list of the 10 sins, Paul says this:

"And such were some of you."

Who do we think we are.

We need to always remember our life before Christ. It's so easy to forget. Paul never forgets his life before Christ. He never hides it or minimizes it. In fact, as he matures in his Christian life, we see a progression in the terms he uses for his previous life. In I Cor 15:9 Paul says about himself "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God." In Eph 3:8, a few years later, he says "I am less than the least of all God's people". In I Tim 1:15, towards the end of Paul's life, he says this "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst."

See the progression?

- Least of the apostles.
- Least of all God's people.
- Worst of all sinners.

As we grow in Christ, our maturity will lead us into seeing things more clearly, more in perspective; we'll see with the eyes of God how horrible sin really is. We'll see how corrupt we really were in our disobedience and rejection of God. Read the first three verses of Ephesians chapter 2- "we were by nature objects of wrath."

Who do we think we are.

But then Paul brings them into the present. Stop living in the past. Stop behaving like you did in the past. Leave that life behind you and start acting like you really are.

"But you were washed." Speaks of the new life we have in Christ. We are clean, free of the filth of sin.

"But you were sanctified." Speaks of new behaviour as we live for Christ. We are set apart for the Master's use. We are stewards- the Master of the house has gone away and given us responsibilities until He returns. He's coming back and will evaluate how we've done in His absence.

"But you were justified." Speaks of the new position we have before God. Now that our sins are gone, we are brought into the family of God. We have a rightful place there, based on the sacrifice of Jesus and His righteousness.

These are extremely powerful, liberating, and enabling verses.

We are sinners, saved by grace. We are children of God.

That's who we think we are.

Eric

PS: Now for a little quiz. No googling allowed!

1) Smoke on the Water is a true story about what?
2) What is the name of the most famous song on Who Do We Think We Are?
3) What is the name of Deep Purple's organist?