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?

I Corinthians 6- Lawsuits

Hey There,

Sorry I missed a week. It seems like I've been overwhelmed with the circumstances of life these days and my energy has been totally sapped, particularly in the evenings. When I started this, I had every intention of updating it a couple of times a week, but that doesn't seem to be happening just yet. I'm amazed at the people that can provide updates to their blogs every day!

We had some interesting conversations during our class this past week, and the energy level was quite high, with the discussion continuing right up until the service. That's really good. I'm encouraged by how alive the Word is and how relevant. Although we don't have the specific problem in PCBC to the degree that Paul discusses, I wonder if we are missing out on an important principle of church responsibility.

As I've studied this section of scripture (I Cor 6:1-8) and thought about it over the last week or so, I've been challenged by the expectation that Paul has for the Corinthian Church. It's one thing to bring matters of faith and doctrine before the church for judgement. But his expectation is that "trivial cases" be brought before the church. I really wonder exactly what he meant by that. What type of things were to be brought before the church for contemplation, discussions, and ultimately, for judgement? Let's explore this...

The context of the passage provides a hint. Notice in verses 3 and 4 Paul says "Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life. Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters..."

Do you see the hint? Paul is talking first about the future millennial state, when the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus will be established on the earth for all to see. He talks about the believer's responsibilities in "judging" during this time. The Greek word for "judge" is "krino" and can mean to rule or govern. So as Jesus taught in Matt 19 and Rev 2, believers will have a hand in ruling the world, both the spiritual and the material. Paul makes the argument that if we can handle THAT immense responsibility, we ought to be able to handle things now. What things?

"The things of this life."

That's the hint that Paul gives. If we have disputes (or discussions to determine a decision) about things of this life, we need to appoint judges within the church to deal with them.

It's clear that the Corinthians had two problems. First, they were bringing their disputes before the world for judgement- they had things all turned around. In chapter 5, they had a tendency to judge the world and in chapter 6, they had a tendency to let the world judge them! Second, they had a moral problem with cheating and defrauding their Christian brothers and sisters.

But does that obscure the implication that's under the surface? That we are to bring "the things of this life" to the church so they can help us figure out what to do?

We have two choices when it comes to "things of this life". We can figure them out ourselves or we can go to the world for advice and council to have them make decisions for us.

But there is a third choice. A radical one.

We can bring them to the church.

Let's face it. Many times you and I don't have the resources to make a good decision or judgement. Sometimes our vision is clouded by emotion- we're too close to the problem. We do the best we can, but often feel overwhelmed with what we have to face in this life. Pride comes into play and we figure we can make our decision on our own. Or we don't want to appear weak. Or we don't want to share our issues. Good old pride drives us to continue to be inward.

Most often, if we feel particularly in over our heads, we go to a pro-fessional to get advice and to help us make decisions. Many times, they can offer excellent advice in their areas of expertise. But many that we go to are not Christians. They don't have our worldview. They don't understand what motivates us and what is important to us. Our way of looking at this life is radically different from theirs, the World's view. So we go to them and the advice is "you need to put more money in your 401k and save for retirement so you're comfortable and maybe you want to cut back on your charitable contributions." Hmm.

Has it ever entered your mind (or my mind) to go to the church for help with things of this life? Practical things. Can you imagine asking three or four people in the church to meet with you to talk about that new job you've been offered? Picture the situation...

"I've been offered a new position at work. It's a promotion with a higher salary. With it comes more responsibilities, such as more hours, some travel and a bunch of extra stress. I feel competent to be able to do it, and feel like maybe God has put it before me, since I sure wasn't asking for it. I feel like I can be a positive influence for Jesus if I took this position. But I'm not sure if I really should take it. Can you help me?"

Pick another topic. College. Or a girlfriend. Or buying a house.

The things of this life.

Wouldn't it be really cool and amazing and rad and awesome if somehow we felt like we were all in this together? That we could rely on each other and count on each other for making decisions, judgements about the things of this life?

"All the believers were together and they had everything in common." Acts 2:44
"All the believers were one in heart and mind." Acts 4:32

The early church sold all their goods and lived together in community. While we might not do that today, we can certainly act on a similar principle. Think how that would feel. Think about the support we would have. Think about the reduction in stress and piece of mind we might have.

Maybe I wouldn't be so overwhelmed with the circumstances of this life, as I have been lately.

Eric

I Corinthians 5- Discipline

Today in class, we had a most difficult chapter- not difficult because we don't understand what Paul says, but difficult because we shrink from actually doing what is described. And Paul is most upset with the church in Corinth for NOT acting.

Here are a couple of additional thoughts that I'd like to share.

Paul instructs the church to expel the man who won't repent by handing him over to Satan so that the sinful nature might be destroyed. We talked at length on what this means and I shared several verses with you. Here's another similar situation from Rev 2- the church in Thyatira:

20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. (NIV)

See how similar it is to Corinth?

1. The sin had to do with sexual immorality, same as Corinth.
2. Here, its a person of authority, a teacher.
3. God is patient, giving her time to repent. It seems that in Corinth, ample time had gone by such that everyone had heard about it and the church was proud instead of grieving. Ample time to repent.
4. God gets to the point where He's had enough. "Okay" He says, "if that's the life you want to lead, go right ahead. But you'll pay for your choice."
5. The result is intense suffering, for Jezebel and for those that join her. She may have lost children as part of this judgement. In Corinth, the result is exactly the same- the destruction of the flesh, the sinful nature, to the point of death. This can be avoided if repentance occurs.

Another portion of relevant scripture is in Hebrews chapter 12.

4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as children? It says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child."
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate children at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 Our parents disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (NIV)

This section teaches us to expect God's hand of discipline to be upon us because He loves. God's discipline is for our good. God's discipline is painful. It could very well affect our health. Similar to what Paul says in I Cor 11- "that is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep...when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world."

When a person is disciplined by the local church, its confirming the decision the person has already made. The person is expressing the following:

• I will not change my behavior.
• In fact, I choose that behavior .
• I will not be subject to the scriptures, or to the local church.
• I reject the truth of God.
• I embrace the world and its standards.

Just like the prodigal son, this person goes and embraces all the world has to offer...until, he comes to himself, living with the pigs.

The local church provides an umbrella of protection from the dangers of the world. There is the person of Christ to shepherd us and to feed us. There's the ministry of the Holy Spirit that joins us to the other believers, the divine link that bonds us together. There's the ministry of other believers- those that teach and preach the word- to build us up in our most holy faith. There's the fellowship of other believers that encourages us and gives us opportunities to serve. There's the power of prayer, an unseen by palpable force that unites us, comforts us, and protects us. When a believer is caught up in sin and refuses to repent, he cuts himself off from all these blessings. He chooses the pleasures of sin for a season in exchange for all of the benefits that the local church body can offer. That's why we should grieve and cry out to God when someone chooses this path- its a path of hurt and pain and despair directly away from all the provisions that God provides in His church, the body of Christ.

Finally, I'd like to touch on Galatians chapter 6.

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If any of you think you are something when you are nothing, you deceive yourselves...
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. People reap what they sow. 8 Those who sow to please their sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; those who sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (NIV)

This amazing passages teaches us the responsibility we have to come around someone caught up in sin and lift them up to restoration. It's easier for us to look down our nose at someone struggling with sin and literally cross the road. What attitudes we can have as Christians! "Thank God" prays the religious leader, "that I'm not like this person here..." That's the judgemental attitude that God condemns- judgement that makes us think we are somehow better. It gets so bad that no one is able or willing to share personal struggles because of the condemnation of others. I often wonder why prayer requests are so infrequent for personal struggles- "can you pray for ME, I'm struggling with abc..." Can you think of an example when someone asked for prayer for themselves? Why is it so rare? Pride. That's why.

If any of you think you are something when you are nothing, you deceive yourselves.

Next, Paul makes certain to let us know that our sin has consequences. If we feed the flesh and sow to please our sinful nature, we reap destruction. Could this be physical punishment, as it seems to be in the other passages (I Cor 5, I Cor 11, Heb 12, Rev 2)? God is not to be trifled with. We know Him and we understand His ways. We are NOT deceived and we KNOW that God cannot be mocked and sin will have consequences. For the believer, we can rest assured that "our spirit will be saved on the Day of the Lord". The writer of Hebrews says in chapter 10: "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire the will consume the enemies of God."

That's why its such an important aspect of our ministry and responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Christ to shoulder their burdens and to help them in their struggle with sin. This is not easy work, but it's a tremendous need and especially rewarding. I'll close with these very interesting verses at the end of Jude.

22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (NIV)

These verses have to do with sin and how we react to it. Have you ever shown mercy to a doubter? Have you ever shown mercy to someone totally corrupted by sin? Has their corruption scared you? Or, have you ever snatched someone from the fire?

Let me know your thoughts.

Eric