1 Corinthians 7: When Everything Goes Wrong

"What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short...for this world in its present form is passing away."

"If anything can go wrong, it will." This tongue-in-cheek principle, known as Murphy's Law, is cited by economists, sports team owners and big-city mayors. Human nature somehow guarantees that nothing turns out quite the way it's supposed to. And the church at Corinth provides a darkly shining example of Murphy's Law.

To be sure, Corinthian Christians started out with the odds stacked against them. Imagine a church composed of converted idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, thieves, drunkards and swindlers. (6: 9-11). The church made up of people from such backgrounds soon encountered a thicket of problems. Paul faced a huge challenge: For one thing, he had to convince these people of the immorality of sexual activities that had been a part of everyday worship under their old religion.

First Corinthians is Paul's careful response to that rash of problems, some of which had been posed to him as questions in a letter (7:1). Many of his answers relate directly to Corinth's local situation. In that culture, as in Muslim countries today, whether or not to wear a veil was a major issue for women. (11:3-10). Eating meat sacrificed to pagan idols also disturbed some new Christians (10:18-33).

Reflection

Many problems discussed in this letter turn up in every culture: divisions in the church, lawsuits, immorality, the single life, the extent of Christian freedoms, differing views of worship and the place of tongue-speaking and other spiritual gifts. Not every breakdown in Corinth will recur in churches today, but Paul's principles apply to our own unpredictable experiences with Murphy's Law.

1 Corinthians 4: An Angry Letter from Home

I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children.

No other letter in the New Testament reveals such a wide range of Paul's emotions. At his own financial expense, he had invested 18 risk-filled months in Corinth. But afterward his rebellious "children" had launched personal attacks against him. Paul reacted like any parent first informed of his child's shocking behaviour. His moods in 1 Corinthians bounce from anger to shame, from sorrow to indignation. In short, this letter equates to an intimate, well-deserved scolding from a grieved parent.

Chapter 3, for example, begins with a stern lecture to "mere infants in Christ." This leads to biting sarcasm (4:8), which melts into the tender pleas of a spiritual father. Six times in chapter 6 Paul asks, "Do you not know...?" Finally, in chapter 7, he gets to the practical questions that have prompted his letter in the first place.

The apostle Paul was a superbly educated logician who could skillfully weave together history and philosophy. But he also brooded over his missionary churches like a parent. He asked the Corinthians pointedly, "Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?" (4:21). In this letter, we see a little of both.

Reflection

It can be a rather humbling experience whenever a parent, teacher, boss, or pastor tries to "straighten you out." I think human instinct drives us to automatically become defensive and utter words like..."what, I'm not doing anything wrong!" I loved Pastor Larson's three questions that he posed to us the other day when we are faced with a moral dilemma- especially in the gray areas: Does it serve God? Does it hurt others? Does it hurt myself?