2 Thessalonians 2: Rumor Control

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

In reading the book of 2 Thessalonians, you will find an uncanny similarity to the subjects of Paul's first letter: Jesus' second coming, spiritual growth, idleness among certain non-workers. Obviously, they failed to listen well the first time, so a a sterner, more formal approach replaces the warm tenderness of Paul's first letter.

The controversy in Thessalonica actually traces back to a portion of Paul's first letter that answered his readers' questions about the afterlife. Will people who have already died miss out on the resurrection from the dead? That is more than an idle question for the Thessalonians, who live with the constant danger of persecution and the risk of martyrdom.

In his first letter, Paul assured them that people still living when Jesus returns to the earth will rejoin those who have died before them. Since receiving that letter, however, the Thessalonians have gone several steps beyond Paul's advice.

The expectation of Jesus' return evidently prompted some to quit their jobs and do nothing but sit around in anticipation of that day. They are becoming, in Paul's words, "idle...busy-bodies" (3:11). So, Paul writes mainly to correct this imbalance. In chapter 2 he tells of certain obscure events that must precede the second coming of Jesus. He also strongly warns against idleness. Some verses may prove confusing; indeed, no one can be certain of Paul's meaning in exact detail because he is building on a teaching he earlier gave the Thessalonians in private.

Reflection

In preparing for Jesus' second coming, we should all take Paul's advice as he cautions us to be patient and steady. He urges us to simply trust the fact that Jesus will return and finally bring justice to earth. In the meantime, we need to live worthily for that day and to not tolerate idleness...but live our our lives as Christ would have us.

1 Thessalonians 3-4: Preparing for the End

And so we will be with the Lord forever. therefore encourage each other with these words.

One question seems to bother the Thessalonians: When will Jesus return to the earth as he promised? That question, still asked by Christians today, has troubled the church ever since Jesus' departure. The Thessalonians have some other, related questions as well. What about people who die before Jesus returns? Will they somehow miss out on life after death? Paul gives a direct and encouraging answer.

The Thessalonians have good reason to concern themselves with the future. Like some Christians in modern times, they live in constant danger of persecution by the authorities. On any night a knock on the door or the scrape of footsteps outside could mean imprisonment or death. Understandably, the young church looks forward to Jesus' second coming with longing and hope.

Paul assures its members that hope in the future is well-founded, whether or not they live to see Jesus' return. But he warns against an undue fixation on the future. Lead a quiet life and mind your own business, Paul advises.

Reflection

The Thessalonians are merely one of the first in a long line of Christians concerned with future events. Whole generations-including many today- have been caught up in a frenzy over the exact time and place of the second coming, only to watch their predictions misfire. I believe the entire business world/ computer network was suppose to mysteriously shut down on January 1, 2000. In his letter here, Paul shrugs off such speculation (5:1-2). He presents the right way and the wrong way to prepare for Jesus' return.

Colossians 1: Spanning the Gap

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things.

Don't be surprised if Colossians strikes you as vaguely familiar. More than half of its verses have close parallels in Ephesians. The cities of Colosse and Ephesus were neighbors in Paul's day, and one of the believers in Ephesus has taken the gospel message to Colosse. Paul, who has never visited Colosse, writes this letter to people who know him by reputation only. The letter opens on an optimistic note, with Paul thanking God for the Colossians' spiritual progress. Then he brings up a doctrinal flaw that has crept into their church.

Paul's letters tend to follow a pattern: a greeting, a prayer, some doctrine and a practical application of how Christians should live. Although Paul often launches out into deep water theologically, he always leads his readers back to practical issues: What difference does theology make in daily life?

One stately paragraph (verses 15-20) contains a compressed summary of the absolute supremacy of Christ. Then Paul brings it down to the practical: Christ's supreme power does not distance us from God, but brings us closer. Christ alone has the ability to span the vast gap between God and humanity.

Reflection

Because Jesus bridges the gap between God and us, we don't have to approach God indirectly, through a "ladder" of angels, saints, or other deities. Before Christ, a mystery was kept hidden for many centuries. But with Christ, everything broke out into the open. We can come to know God directly because of his son, Jesus.

Philippians 4: Paul’s Favorite Church

Not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only.

The Christian church hasn’t had a perfect record throughout history. If you take a random sampling of adjectives people us to describe the church, the list will likely include such labels as racist, judgmental, narrow, divided, and pompous.

The church of Jesus Christ has fallen far short of the ideals he entrusted to it- so far short that we may sometimes forget what the church is supposed to look like. Problems existed from the beginning: Paul’s letters to Galatia, Corinth, and Colosse flame with indignation against defects in the early church. Occasionally, however, a church came along that worked, against all odds. Philippi was one of those rare congregations.

From its birth, the church in Philippi had two strikes against it. Its first recorded converts were an Asiatic Jewish merchant, a Greek slave girl employed as a sideshow fortune-teller and a gruff Roman jailer (Acts 16). Yet more than a decade later, when Paul wrote the church, he could hardly find words warm enough to express his pride and affection.

Paul turned down money gifts from other churches, out of fear that his enemies might twist the facts and accuse him of being a crook. But he trusted the Philippians. At least four separate times they sacrificed to meet his needs. And they also sent Epaphroditus on an arduous journey to care for Paul in prison.

Paul wrote Philippians, in fact, mainly as a thank-you for all that his friends had done. Its bright, happy tone reflects the fondness he felt for his favorite church. Nevertheless, Paul couldn’t resist an opportunity to give some fatherly advice. In a fireside-chat tone, he warned of encroaching dangers: divisions, a strain of perfectionism and inroads by those who wished to turn Christians back to a legalistic faith. Always, though, he returned to his underlying theme of joy, an emotion that seemed to come easily when Paul remembered the Philippians.

Reflection
It’s interesting to note that Philippians uses the word joy or rejoice every few paragraphs, but the joy it describes is a bit different from what we normally associate with the word. Rejoice, says Paul, when someone selfishly tries to steal the limelight from you. And when you meet persecution for your faith…and even when you are facing death. Paul certainly had a different understanding of the word, and it’s our responsibility as followers of the faith to take up this challenge.

Philippians 2: What Keeps Paul Going?

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

Paul has suffered much in the ten years since founding the church at Philippi: beatings, imprisonment, shipwreck, hostility from jealous competitors. Surely he must have sometimes wondered, is it worth all this pain? Even as he writes this letter, he is under arrest, “in chains for Christ” (1:13). But whenever Paul’s thoughts turn to Philippi, the elderly apostle’s spirits lift.

If someone had bluntly asked him, “Paul, tell me, what keeps you going through hard times?” he likely would have answered with words straight out of this chapter. In Philippians 2, Paul reveals the source of his irrepressible drive. First, he gives the example of Jesus. In a stately hymn-like paragraph, he marvels that Jesus gave up all the glory of heaven to take on the form of man- and not just any man, but a servant, one who pours out his life for others. Paul takes on that pattern for himself.

Then, in a seeming paradox, Paul describes a kind of teamwork with God: While God is working within, we must “work out” our salvation with fear and trembling. A later spiritual giant named Saint Teresa of Avila would express the paradox this way: “I pray as if all depends on God; I work as if all depends on me.” Her formula aptly summarizes Paul’s spiritual style.

While Philippians gives an occasional glimpse of the apostle Paul’s fatigue, it also shows flashes of what keeps him from burnout. To him, the converts in Philippi shine “like stars in the universe.” Joy in his converts’ progress is what keeps Paul going.

Reflection
The cheerful sounds that we hear from Paul while he is sitting in a jail cell can be unexpected, to say the least. He proclaims to us in chapter 3 to “rejoice in the Lord”- all the while chained to a Roman guard. Is this guy for real? Paul probably wrote Philippians in Rome just about the time Nero began tossing Christians to ravenous lions and burning them as torches to illuminate his banquets. How could a rational man devote a letter to the topic of joy while his survival was in jeopardy? FAITH. God can take even the darkest moment in history and turn it into good. The cross, and Jesus’ triumph over death, prove that nothing is powerful enough to stamp out a reason for joy- joy in the Lord.

Ephesians 3: Success Story

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ.

The Ephesus of Paul’s day is renowned for its religion- but not the apostle’s kind of religion. Worship of the Roman goddess Diana centers in Ephesus, and its residents take great pride in the temple devoted to her. The building ranks among the seven wonders of the ancient world, and inside it hundreds of professional prostitute-priestesses assist the “worshipers.”

In this unlikely city, Paul discovers a tiny Christian community already in existence. They know something about John the Baptist, not much about Jesus, and they have never even heard of the Holy Spirit. For the next two years Paul preaches, a church takes root, and soon word spreads throughout the entire province of Asia.

Miraculous signs and wonders mark Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, so impressing local sorcerers and magicians that they spontaneously hold a public burning of their valuable scrolls. In the face of such zeal, the Ephesian merchants who profit from the sale of idols chase Paul out of town. (See Acts 19)

Like most of the early churches, Ephesus struggles with ethnic and religious differences. Believers with a Jewish background have huge obstacles to overcome in accepting former idol-worshipers into their church. This section of Ephesians addresses the unity issues head-on.
To Paul, the new community composed of both Jews and Gentiles is one of the great mysteries of the ages, a culmination of god’s original plan kept secret for many centuries but now made known. He can hardly contain his soaring language as he marvels at God’s plan being fulfilled at that moment. He urges his readers to think through what it means to represent Christ in the world. When people look at Christians, do they see the qualities of Christ on display?

Reflection
In Paul’s time, Jews and Gentiles were the two factions most given to quarreling and division. From your perspective, what groups divide Christians today? Legalism certainly has played a role in dissention. Too often, Christian denominations get caught up in the “politics” of the church and lose sight of the Word. Staying true to scripture and keeping Christ’s two “key” commandments…love your God and love your neighbor…should keep us all on track with our journey.

Ephesians 2: A Prison Letter

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Some of the world’s most famous literature originated in, of all places, a prison cell. John Bunyan wrote his Pilgrim’s Progress there. Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s vast output had its conception behind barbed wire, as did Dostoyevsky’s. Parts of the Bible were written in prison as well, including Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

Perhaps surprisingly, these books represent some of the brightest, most hopeful books of the Bible. There’s a good reason: Prison offers Paul the precious commodity of time. He is no longer journeying from town to town, stamping out fires set by his enemies. He can devote attention to lofty thoughts about the meaning of life.

The letter to the Ephesians gives a hint as to what the apostle Paul “sees” when he lets his mind wander beyond the monotony of his place of confinement. First, he visualizes the spiritual growth in the churches he has left behind. Most of his prison letters begin with a burst of thanksgiving for the vitality of the church he is addressing. Then, as he spells out in Ephesians, he seeks to open the eyes of their hearts (1:18) to even more exalted sights.

Ephesians is full of sensational good news. Unlike Paul’s other letters, Ephesians does not address any urgent problems. With a sigh of relief, the apostle turns to the grandest question of all: What is God’s overall purpose for this world? Paul answers the question this way: “to bring all things in heaven and on Earth together under one head, even Christ” (1:10) He raises the sights far above his own circumstances to bigger issues, cosmic issues.

Ironically, it takes a stint in prison to free Paul up for this happy endeavor. The book of Ephesians can hardly introduce a new thought without bursting into a song or a prayer. It is no wonder the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge would later call the book ‘the divinest composition of man.”

Reflection
Throughout his writings, Paul insisted on one fact of the gospel: Eternal life comes not by any ritual of rule-keeping (good works), but by the grace of God. Yet in this paragraph he notes that God intends for us to do “good works.” Conflicting message? Not really. Paul makes a clear distinction that good works do nothing to help us obtain God's favor, but they should follow naturally in our lives as we experience the love of Christ.

Galatians 3: Legalism

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

On his first missionary journey, Paul learns to his surprise that non-Jews seem more receptive than Jews to the news about Jesus. He begins a policy that he comes to follow throughout his ministry career. He goes first to the synagogue and preaches among the Jews; if they reject him, he turns to the Gentiles.

Before his conversion Paul was a loyal and strict Jew, proud to be a "legalist." If a person could reach God by obeying the law, then he, a strict Pharisee, would have done it. In a twist of history, he gains a new reputation as "the Apostle to the Gentiles." As he sees God working among non-Jews, Paul becomes their champion.

This letter to the churches in Galatia (located in modern-day Turkey) dates from the time of the early Jew-Gentile controversy. Paul is emotionally worked up. In fact, he is downright furious at misguided attempts to shackle the church with Jewish legalism. Paul has felt the gust of freedom that comes after liberation from a set of confining laws, and he is not about to let that freedom slip away.

In the first paragraph of chapter 3, Paul explodes with the full force of his passionate beliefs. He then proceeds to give a "Christian," rather than Jewish, interpretation of the Old Testament covenants with Abraham and Moses. Chapters 3-4 draw sharp contrasts; a prisoner and a free man, a sheltered child and an adult. Don't act like a slave or a child, Paul says. Act like a privileged son, an heir to a great fortune! Galatians shatters the idea that God's love is conditioned upon how many rules we obey. Legalism is like a cage: it can only condemn people and lock them behind bars. As Paul points out, no one has perfectly kept all of God's laws, and all who try to do so ultimately fail (3:10-11).

Reflection

For years, I've always struggled with the beliefs of our Jewish friends and their tendencies towards legalism. In fact, just recently at our home ABF, we have discussed this very issue. By looking closely at Paul's work- here specifically in Galatians, he uses a clever argument to put the entire Old Testament law in a new perspective. The law- as he says- was never intended to make possible a way to God. Rather, the law was given to "lead us to Christ" by convincing us of the impossibility of gaining God's acceptance on our own. In fact, Paul- to prove his point- mentions a 430 year gap between Abraham and Moses. God gave his promises to Abraham, who lived long before Moses ever received the law; therefore, Abraham couldn't possibly have depended on the law. God's promise reached final fulfillment in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11: Answering the Critics

Verse 1 of chapter 10 introduces a dramatic shift in tone. The first nine chapters mainly show Paul's relief at seeing encouraging signs in Corinth. But these last four chapters make clear that hostility was still raging. In fact, some have guessed that this section was taken from the painful letter Paul referred to earlier (2:4). Here at the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul boldly confronts his critics.

Who were his antagonists? A picture of them emerges if you compile all the accusations Paul answers throughout the letter. Basically, they were carping troublemakers. In their eyes, Paul could do nothing right.

Paul's enemies in Corinth had blasted him for not visiting them as promised; yet when he did visit they gossiped, "In person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing" (10:10). They had criticized him for not taking a salary and then insinuated that he was misusing funds (8:20; 11:7-9). To these "super-apostles" (11:5), Paul somehow appeared simultaneously unimpressive and yet crafty; overly strict and yet worldly. Some even hinted that he was out of his mind (5:13).

You can almost sense Paul declaring "I've had it!" and then rolling up his sleeves to refute the charges. He insists that the future of the Corinthian church, not just his own reputation, is at stake. What does he feel? Something like the burning jealousy of a father who watches his daughter being seduced away from her true love (11:2-3).

These four remarkable chapters show Paul's passionate nature. Frustrated by having to defend himself, he almost stammers in print. He is determined to convince the Corinthians that he is motivated by a desire to serve God, not by any schemes for profit or power. Along the way, he lists an amazing catalog of his physical sufferings and reveals intimate details of his spiritual life, including one incident still shrouded in mystery (12: 1-6).

Judge for yourself, Paul seems to say, to the Corinthians and to all of us. Look at my life and decide: Whose fool am I?

Reflection

Being wrongly accused of something might be one of the most hurtful things in life to endure. Just as Paul's enemies questioned his sincerity for the church and essentially launched a character assassination against him, we too may come to a point in life where we have to "explain" ourselves to avoid this type of alienation. It's how we handle it, though, that may be the more important aspect. Again, an awful lot can be learned by Paul, in terms of temperament, restraint, and faith in Christ.

2 Corinthians 9: Don't Forget the Poor

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Every day in millions of mailboxes across the United States, letters with special "non-profit" postage stamps appear, stuffed among catalogs, magazines and flyers from retail stores. Fund-raising through the mail is big business for Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant groups, as well as other charitable organizations.

The apostle Paul assuredly never engineered a million-piece charity appeal- the empire's postal service and the cost of papyrus made such an idea unthinkable. But 2 Corinthians does present a direct appeal for funds (chapters 8-9). Jewish Christians near Jerusalem were reportedly on the edge of starvation. Paul seized on the crisis as a perfect chance for Gentile Christians to reach out in compassion and demonstrate their spiritual unity with Jewish Christians.

In these two chapters, Paul outlines a philosophy of Christian giving, holding up Jesus Christ as a model. He explains the goal of such giving and the proper attitude of the gives. He even applies a little pressure by citing examples of Christians less well-heeled than the Corinthians (8:1-6; 9: 1-5).

This brief passage on giving shows Paul's holistic concerns. While still recuperating from personal trauma, he had agreed to head up a major fund-raising drive on behalf of the needy in Jerusalem. Later, working on that very project, he paused to write the profoundly theological book of Romans. (Romans 15:25-26)/ His scholarship didn't dampen a zeal for practical Christian love; his concern for souls didn't crowd out concern for their hungry bodies.

Reflection

Generosity definitely has side effects. I think one of the lessons that Paul is trying to teach us here is the fact that giving actually enriches and benefits the giver. A gift can serve as an act of worship to God and can inspire other people's faith and thanksgiving.

2 Corinthians 4: Jars of Clay

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Although Paul has an unshakable belief in an afterlife (see 1 Corinthians 15), he does not prepare for the next life by sitting around all day waiting for it to arrive. Paul works as hard as anyone has ever worked, but with a new purpose: "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it" (5:9). He seeks to do God's will on Earth just as it is done in heaven.

Paul's hope for the future, however, keeps him motivated when the crush of life tempts him to lose heart. He is writing this letter just as an intense struggle with the Corinthian church is coming to a head, and as a result, this letter reveals the apostle in one of his lowest, most vulnerable moments. He has, barely, survived hardships "far beyond [his] ability to endure" (1:8)

In his typical style, Paul uses a word picture to express his inner thoughts: "treasure in jars of clay." In his day, jars of clay are nearly as common- and as disposable- as cardboard boxes are today. You would not expect to store valuables in a container that, in essence, consists of baked dirt. Yet, Paul also recognizes that God has chosen to entrust the "treasure" of the gospel to ordinary people such as himself, people who in some ways resemble breakable jars of clay. At this point, beset by difficulties, Paul feels about as durable as one of these jars.

Reflection

Amazingly, God continues to choose mere humans as his personal representatives. Paul is determined to draw attention to the treasure inside him, not to himself. As he writes, "what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Everything we own in life can crumble like a clay jar, but the one treasure that we all have- God's grace- is rock solid.

2 Corinthians 2: A Mysterious Visit

For we are to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

Those who try to piece together Paul's life story from fragments in the two Corinthian letters and the book of Acts usually come away puzzled. Paul, addressing friends who knew that history intimately, saw no need to review every stage of their relationship. Yet for us, reading centuries later, some chronology would help explain his allusions and his emotional state. Many scholars believe that two events occurred to which Paul refers only in passing: the "painful visit" and the letter written "out of great distress."

In the first two chapters Paul explains a change of plans whereby he has decided not to visit Corinth because he doesn't want to make "another painful visit." What visit was he referring to? During his first visit to Corinth, spanning 18 months, the church took shape (Acts 18:11). Paul probably would not have described that time as a "painful visit," for his initial relationship with them was basically positive. Evidently he made a second visit to Corinth, not recorded in Acts, that included a painful confrontation. Paul planned a third visit to Corinth, but postponed it because he didn't want to stir up the conflict. Later, he wondered about rescheduling that third visit. (12:14; 13:1)

Second Corinthians also mentions a letter written out of great distress and with many tears (2:4; 7:8). This letter, coming after Paul's unsettling second visit, contained such strong wording that he feared the Corinthians' response. He fleetingly regretted having written the letter. Had it ruptured their relationship? While he preached in the seaport town of Troas, Paul anxiously awaited some report of their reaction, through Titus.

One can imagine Paul rushing to the dock as ships from Macedonia came to unload, fervently scanning the vessels for some sign of Titus. Finally, unable to find peace of mind, he left his ministry in Troas to seek out Titus in Macedonia.

News from Titus at last calmed Paul. The Corinthians had indeed repented (7:7-9) and now wanted to restore ties with him. Feeling encouraged, Paul contemplated a third visit as he wrote 2 Corinthians. He used the letter to rebuild his relationship with them and to spell out his reasons for coming.

Reflection

I think most of us at one time or another have experienced a tear in a relationship like the one described here in Paul's letter. We can find ourselves wondering aloud whether or not we have been too hard on someone while at the same time acknowledging our own lingering pain. The key is how we find healing in the damaged relationship. And like everything in life, Christ can lead us to a reconciliation.

1 Corinthians 15: the Last Enemy

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

Much of 1 Corinthians centers on issues of personal behavior involving rambunctious church members. After tackling each of those problems, Paul turns his attention to a question of doctrine, one that looms before him as the most important issue of all. People are challenging the Christian belief in an afterlife. Death, they say, is the end.

Throughout history, many people have taken such a position. In Jesus' day, a Jewish sect called Sadducees denied the resurrection from the dead. Doubters persist today, such as Buddhists, Marxists, and most atheists. Some New Age advocates present death as a natural part of the cycle of life. "Why resist it or consider it bad?" they ask.

The Corinthian church soon learns not to voice that opinion around the apostle Paul. To him, life after death is no fairy tale, but rather the fulcrum of his entire faith. If there is not afterlife, he thunders, the Christian message is a lie. If there is no afterlife, he has no reason to continue as a minister, Christ's death is merely wasted blood, and Christians are the most pitiable of all people.

The Bible presents a gradually developing emphasis on the afterlife. Old Testament Jews had only the vaguest conception of life after death. As Paul points out, Jesus' resurrection from the dead changed all that, giving the world decisive proof that God has the power and the will to overcome death. Chapter 15 weaves together the threads of Christian belief about death. With no hesitation, Paul brands death "the enemy," the last enemy to be destroyed.

Reflection

This chapter often gets read at funerals, with good reason. As people gather around a casket, they sense, as if by instinct, the unnaturalness and sadness of death. To such people, to all of us, this passage offers words of hope. It shows how death is finally conquered and becomes not an end, but a beginning.

1 Corinthians 13: The Highest Spiritual Gift of All

If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

During one of the most stressful times of his career, Paul makes his first visit to the Greek city of Corinth (Acts 17-18). Lynch mobs chased him out of Thessalonica and Berea. The next stop, Athens, brought on a different kind of confrontation, with intellectual scoffers. Paul arrives at Corinth in a fragile emotional state.

Soon opposition springs up in Corinth too. Jewish leaders become abusive and haul Paul into court. It seems the harassed apostle will have no rest from his enemies. But in the midst of this crisis, God visits Paul with a special message of comfort: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city” (Act 18:9-10).

These last words must have startled Paul, for Corinth is known mainly for its lewdness and drunken brawling. The Corinthians revere the goddess of love, and their “worship” practices resemble orgies. Corinth seems the last place on Earth to expect a church to take root. Yet, exactly that happens. A Jewish couple opens their home to Paul, and for the next 18 months he stays there to nurture an eager band of converts.

In his letters to the church in Corinth, Paul must deal with the many controversies that arise in such a diverse congregation. His intimate concern for them produces some of his most memorable writing. This chapter, “the love chapter,” endures as one of his most famous. The vision of love Paul describes contrasts sharply with that familiar to most Corinthians.

Reflection
I love the translation found in the Message…

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end

1 Corinthians 12: Lessons from the Human Body

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

Can you get along in life without eyes? Of course, but you must make adjustments. You must rely more on other senses and depend on friends, or perhaps a seeing-eye dog, for extra help. Regardless of what adjustments you make, however, your body will remain incomplete without eyes. You will miss out on color and design and all the visual delights this world offers.
An eyeless body can cope, but a bodiless eye is unimaginable. The most beautiful eyes in the world, when detached from a body, are lifeless and worthless. Eyes need a body that will bring them blood and receive their nerve impulses.

In chapter 12, Paul gives a clever anatomy lesson, with a purpose. By comparing members of the church of Christ to parts of a human body, he neatly explains two complementary truths the Corinthians have failed to comprehend. Any part of a body, he says- such as an eye or a foot- makes a valuable contribution to the whole body. Whenever a single member is missing, the entire body suffers. And, he continues, no member can survive if isolated from the rest. Alone, an eye is useless. All parts must cooperate to form a single, unified body.

Paul relied on body images to explain both the diversity and unity of god’s followers. The body analogy fit so well that he referred to it two dozen times in his various letters. It became his favorite way of portraying the church.

A church as diverse as Corinth knew about the differences among various members, so Paul’s letter to them stressed the unity party of the analogy. How can diverse people work together in a spiritual body? He answered that question with the famous lyrical description of love in chapter 13. After that eloquent statement, he went on to discuss the Corinthians’ various spiritual gifts.

Reflection

Chapters 12-14 address issues that troubled the Corinthian church and that still disturb our church today. I think the solution, in our time as well as Paul’s, is for each person to respect other members of the body and to take direction from Jesus Christ, the head.

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?

Romans 14: Weak and the Strong

“As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.”

Paul closes his letter to the Romans by emphatically stating in chapter 13 that believers should fulfill the law by expressing love for others. Expressing love to others and living righteously are especially important since we are approaching Christ’s return. Believers should accept one another in love even when they disagree over issues of conscience, even as they follow their own consciences.

In 14, Paul warns his readers that they should be careful not to allow their behavior to disturb other believers who hold different convictions. For example, they should be especially careful not to encourage other believers to do something they do not believe is right. It is wrong, Paul claims, to eat, drink, or do anything that disturbs one’s conscience.

Jewish and Gentile believers, the weak and the strong, should live in unity and try to build up on another. They should learn to glorify God with one heart and one voice. Jesus Himself came into the world as a servant to the Jews, fulfilling the promises to the Jews, and yet including Gentiles in God’s plan so that they might glorify God like the OT foretold.

Reflection:

With Rome being the center of the world in every way- law, culture, learning, etc… a letter to these folks- needless to say- had to be impressive. Paul brilliantly set down the whole scope of Christian doctrine, which, at that time, was still being passed along orally from town to town. Paul wanted to convince the Roman readers that Christ held the answers to all of life’s important questions., leading to the famous battle cry of the Reformation- “by faith alone.”

Romans 12: Hating Evil, Clinging to Good

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

Too often, people view theology as stuff for hermits or marooned shipwreck victims. When there's nothing else to do, then is the time to ask abstract questions about God. Such a notion would have exasperated the apostle Paul.

To him, theology always leads to action. He characteristically concludes the most concise theological book in the Bible with a down-to-earth discussion of everyday problems: politics, revenge, pride and the ups and downs of interpersonal relationships.

Pauls' life offers a good example of how to make theology practical. No intellectual recluse, he applies his theology to life, practicing what he preaches. In fact, he is writing the lofty book of Romans while traveling to raise funds for victims of a famine. Here in Romans 12, Paul describes what love in action should look like. "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices," he urges his readers. The Romans of his day, both Jews and Gentiles, associated the word sacrifice with the lambs and other animals they bring to the temple for priests to kill on an altar.

Reflection

But Paul makes clear that God wants living human beings, bot dead animals, as sacrifices. A person committed to God's will is the kind of offering most pleasing to God. Yet, as Paul warns us...let us be careful not to think of us more highly than we should; it's so easy to get "showy" with our sacrifices and forget about the humility that Christ tried to instill in us during his time on earth.

Romans: 10: A Crushing Blow to Paul

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.

Does anything bring more pain to a new Christian than family rejection? A teenager converts to Christianity. Her parents overreact, assuming their daughter has fallen for some weird cult. They slap away all her attempts to present the appealing facts of the gospel. What is good news for her is seen as bad news by the family.

Some new Christians can melt down the walls of suspicion and hostility. But others are treated like diseased persons by other family members and forced to live in a state of emotional quarantine. Anyone who has lived through such an experience can understand the agonizing dilemma Paul faced. Members of his own race, the Jews, were rejecting the gospel he had committed his life to.

Rejection by the Jews was a crushing blow to Paul, and he interrupted his letter to the Romans to consider the dilemma. These three chapters (9-11) contain some of his strongest words ever, including an offer to forfeit his own relationship with Christ for the sake of his race (9:3).

The issues discussed here apply to non-Jews as well, for they raise basic questions about God. Had he given up on the Jewish people, ignoring the promises he had made to them in Old Testament times? If so, couldn’t he also break promises made to us today?

For Paul, a Jew who called himself an apostle to the Gentiles, no other issue was so important to resolve. He couldn’t rest until he had linked the brilliant theology set forth in Romans to God’s past, present and future activity among the Jews.

Reflection:

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I don’t think that I’ll ever fully comprehend the dynamics of the Judeo-Christian theologies. In chapters 9 and 10, Paul painfully admits that, on the whole, the Jews did not believe in Christ. Despite all the advantages of Old Testament history, they stumbled over the ‘stumbling stone’ (9:32). Later in chapter 11, Paul goes back over that history and asks whether it was futile. Will the Jews come to believe in Christ some day? Did their tragic experience produce any advantage for the rest of the world? Chapter 11 concludes with Paul proclaiming God’s mysterious ways of working on Earth.