In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul continues to urge the Corinthians to be reconciled to him. After a series of misunderstandings and difficult conversations, Paul tries to restore the bond of fellowship with these Christians who had become alienated from his affections. Paul has a long history with most of the Corinthian Christians. He was the founding pastor of their church, and he had discipled them in the way of Jesus. It had to trouble Paul to have issues come between him and them.
One can sense the feeling that Paul has for the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 7. In this chapter, he recounts his dark days in Macedonia, and he tells the Corinthians how a visit from Titus with a good report about them was a ray of sunshine on gloomy days. Paul was encouraged to hear that the Corinthians had responded to his rebukes and correction. He was glad they still had feelings of affection for him.
2 Corinthians 7 reminds us how much even the slightest bit of love and affection can mean to someone in a dark time. Here a good report from Titus about the love of the Corinthians encourages Paul. It doesn't take much to brighten dark times for someone who has the hope of Christ in their lives. Seeing what even small signs of affection can do, we should be quick to express our concern and well wishes for those going through tough times. Even a small but sincere thought means a great deal.
Every Letter, Every Pen Stroke (Matthew 5:18)
Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Boldness
Boldness- it is not a quality many Christians have these days. Few of us feel assured or confident when talking about Christ. In many ways, Christians have always suffered from a lack of boldness. Even the New Testament contains reminders for believers not to be ashamed of Jesus. In New Testament times, a lack of boldness might be associated with fear of persecution. It is hard to speak for Jesus when that could cost you your property, your family, or your life. In America, we don't yet have such persecution. Our lack of boldness has more to do with postmodernism and its attendant concern for virtues like pluralism and diversity. Who are we to speak so confidently about Christ when we are aware that there are so many intelligent people, even "good" people, who disagree with us? Boldness, especially in the service of religion, is a turn off in our society and so we avoid it.
The Corinthians were turned off by boldness, especially that which came from the Apostle Paul. Not all boldness annoyed the Corinthians. The epistles to the Corinthians made it clear that they could be bold (translate "arrogant" and "stubborn") on some points as well. What bothered the Corinthians about Paul's boldness is that it seemed inconsistent. By letter, when Paul was safely tucked away from the Corinthian reach, was quite outspoken and aggressive. In person, he was decidedly less impressive. The Corinthians didn't appreciate Paul's epistolary boldness when his in person demeanor seemed so different.
In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul defends his boldness. He says he can be bold because the message of Christ deserves boldness. It comes with an increasing, eternal glory that deserves to be spoken and proclaimed. AChristians we have a great hope. (And hope in the New Testament means certainty not wish). We have the hope that we will spend eternity sharing in God's glory because of Jesus' work. That allows us to speak boldly of our savior.
Of course, bold does not mean rude. It does not mean unloving or unkind. Boldness des not imply a lack of empathy or an intellectual arrogance in a day of postfoundational thinking. But it does mean that we can be unapologetic for our belief and that we need not question our right to humbly share the truth. Like Paul, we can say: "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."
The Corinthians were turned off by boldness, especially that which came from the Apostle Paul. Not all boldness annoyed the Corinthians. The epistles to the Corinthians made it clear that they could be bold (translate "arrogant" and "stubborn") on some points as well. What bothered the Corinthians about Paul's boldness is that it seemed inconsistent. By letter, when Paul was safely tucked away from the Corinthian reach, was quite outspoken and aggressive. In person, he was decidedly less impressive. The Corinthians didn't appreciate Paul's epistolary boldness when his in person demeanor seemed so different.
In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul defends his boldness. He says he can be bold because the message of Christ deserves boldness. It comes with an increasing, eternal glory that deserves to be spoken and proclaimed. AChristians we have a great hope. (And hope in the New Testament means certainty not wish). We have the hope that we will spend eternity sharing in God's glory because of Jesus' work. That allows us to speak boldly of our savior.
Of course, bold does not mean rude. It does not mean unloving or unkind. Boldness des not imply a lack of empathy or an intellectual arrogance in a day of postfoundational thinking. But it does mean that we can be unapologetic for our belief and that we need not question our right to humbly share the truth. Like Paul, we can say: "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A Triumphal Procession
Today's chapter is a reminder of the need for context as we read and interpret the Scripture. In 2 Corinthians 2:14, Paul writes: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him." Here we have what is probably one of the most misinterpreted verses in the New Testament, all because of a lack of historical context.
Many times, I have heard this verse used to speak of the victorious Christian and a victorious Christian life. That interpretation make sense. When you think of a triumphal parade, what do you think of? I think of the Yankees or Giants traveling down the Canyon of Heroes after another victory in their sport. I see ticker tape in the air and hear the roar of an adoring crowd. To us, being led in triumphal procession is about conquest and victory and celebration and joy. In our twenty first century context, this verse tells us that Christ makes us victors and that he fills us with material blessings and with triumph over our hurts and hardships. To us, 2 Corinthians 2:14 is the type of verse that we put on nicely decorated plaques and hang on our walls because it tells us that we as Christians have it made. We are victors in all our troubles in Christ.
That is how we in the twenty-first century think of triumphal processions. It is not how Paul thought of them. Our view of triumphal processions does not reflect the point that Paul is making. I guess the Romans were like us in many ways. They liked parades. And so when a general won a battle over a particularly hated or powerful enemy, the Romans would throw a parade. The General responsible for the victory would wear special clothes and ride in a special chariot, and he would march with his victorious troops into the city to be cheered by the populace. Still sounds like the Yankees or Giants in the Canyon of Heroes, right? Well, not quite. Earlier this year, when the Giants had their triumphant march through Manhattan, they didn't have the Patriots, the team they defeated, in tow. The Patriots weren't forced to march down Broadway in chains as a sign of their having been vanquished. In the first century, Romans did make their enemies march in the parade. They would be chained and shackled and forced to march through the city as a humiliation for their defeat. Then, at the end of the parade, the enemies might be sold as slaves. More likely, they would be killed, often in gruesome and savage ways. In the triumphal parade, the enemies weren't celebrating victory. They were being marched in shame and ignominy to a violent death.
Note carefully how Paul describes himself in verse 14. He is being led in triumphal procession. He is not marching in triumphal procession or participating in triumphal procession. He is being led in it, like a defeated warrior marching in shame to his death. Paul's point is certainly not that he is ashamed of the Gospel or of his service for God. We know from Paul's other letters that, that would be reading the metaphor too broadly. Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel or of Jesus in any way. As a missionary, however, Paul faced many hardships. He suffered beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, etc. In the world's terms, Paul was broken, beaten, and defeated. But Paul knew that through his weakness the power of Christ was shown.
2 Corinthians 2:14 does not teach us that our Christian life is a grand stroll in the park. Quite the opposite. It teaches us that our Christian life will be hard. For Paul, it was hard enough that he would have to face the prospect of a violent death for his testimony for Jesus. But even in Paul's weakness- especially in Paul's weakness- the power of Christ shone through. As Christians, every moment will not be victory. But in our weakness, Christ is most powerfully revealed.
Many times, I have heard this verse used to speak of the victorious Christian and a victorious Christian life. That interpretation make sense. When you think of a triumphal parade, what do you think of? I think of the Yankees or Giants traveling down the Canyon of Heroes after another victory in their sport. I see ticker tape in the air and hear the roar of an adoring crowd. To us, being led in triumphal procession is about conquest and victory and celebration and joy. In our twenty first century context, this verse tells us that Christ makes us victors and that he fills us with material blessings and with triumph over our hurts and hardships. To us, 2 Corinthians 2:14 is the type of verse that we put on nicely decorated plaques and hang on our walls because it tells us that we as Christians have it made. We are victors in all our troubles in Christ.
That is how we in the twenty-first century think of triumphal processions. It is not how Paul thought of them. Our view of triumphal processions does not reflect the point that Paul is making. I guess the Romans were like us in many ways. They liked parades. And so when a general won a battle over a particularly hated or powerful enemy, the Romans would throw a parade. The General responsible for the victory would wear special clothes and ride in a special chariot, and he would march with his victorious troops into the city to be cheered by the populace. Still sounds like the Yankees or Giants in the Canyon of Heroes, right? Well, not quite. Earlier this year, when the Giants had their triumphant march through Manhattan, they didn't have the Patriots, the team they defeated, in tow. The Patriots weren't forced to march down Broadway in chains as a sign of their having been vanquished. In the first century, Romans did make their enemies march in the parade. They would be chained and shackled and forced to march through the city as a humiliation for their defeat. Then, at the end of the parade, the enemies might be sold as slaves. More likely, they would be killed, often in gruesome and savage ways. In the triumphal parade, the enemies weren't celebrating victory. They were being marched in shame and ignominy to a violent death.
Note carefully how Paul describes himself in verse 14. He is being led in triumphal procession. He is not marching in triumphal procession or participating in triumphal procession. He is being led in it, like a defeated warrior marching in shame to his death. Paul's point is certainly not that he is ashamed of the Gospel or of his service for God. We know from Paul's other letters that, that would be reading the metaphor too broadly. Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel or of Jesus in any way. As a missionary, however, Paul faced many hardships. He suffered beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, etc. In the world's terms, Paul was broken, beaten, and defeated. But Paul knew that through his weakness the power of Christ was shown.
2 Corinthians 2:14 does not teach us that our Christian life is a grand stroll in the park. Quite the opposite. It teaches us that our Christian life will be hard. For Paul, it was hard enough that he would have to face the prospect of a violent death for his testimony for Jesus. But even in Paul's weakness- especially in Paul's weakness- the power of Christ shone through. As Christians, every moment will not be victory. But in our weakness, Christ is most powerfully revealed.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Important Reminders
1 Corinthians 5 gives us some important reminders that we in the twenty-first century church need:
1. Sexual immorality in all of its forms is an affront to God. While we have grace in Jesus, that grace is not an invitation to license. It appears that because of grace the Corinthians were celebrating what even their pagan neighbors would have recognized as abhorrent. Paul commands the Corinthians to live up to who they have become in Christ.
2. We cannot distance ourselves from the world. We should have relationships with non-Christians for the sake of winning them to Christ. Paul says that it is the sinful in the church that we should avoid not the sinful in the world. I think the implication here is that there is a missionary motive. We should not be so withdrawn from the world that we can't have conversations about Jesus.
3. The church needs to discipline those who sin without repentance. The point of this discipline is to win people back to God, not to humiliate or embarrass. The church cannot tolerate what God deems as wrong when it is carried out with a stubborn, unrepentant heart.
1. Sexual immorality in all of its forms is an affront to God. While we have grace in Jesus, that grace is not an invitation to license. It appears that because of grace the Corinthians were celebrating what even their pagan neighbors would have recognized as abhorrent. Paul commands the Corinthians to live up to who they have become in Christ.
2. We cannot distance ourselves from the world. We should have relationships with non-Christians for the sake of winning them to Christ. Paul says that it is the sinful in the church that we should avoid not the sinful in the world. I think the implication here is that there is a missionary motive. We should not be so withdrawn from the world that we can't have conversations about Jesus.
3. The church needs to discipline those who sin without repentance. The point of this discipline is to win people back to God, not to humiliate or embarrass. The church cannot tolerate what God deems as wrong when it is carried out with a stubborn, unrepentant heart.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul quotes a saying that he apparently had shared with the Corinthians during his time of ministry there: "Do not go beyond what is written." I think that remains an excellent saying for us as Christians to remember. There is a universal tendency in Christianity to want to go beyond what is in Scripture. Somehow, we like to add rules to the ones that God has given us. So God says don't be drunk; we say no Christian can be spiritual if he or she drinks. God says give as you feel led; we say you have to give ten percent. God says don't let anyone judge you by a religious holiday observance; we say you better show up at church on Christmas and Easter if you want to be known as godly. We are always adding our own rules and regulations to those God has given us. At first, this seems an odd thing to do. Most of us would say that we don't like rules. Today, there is a whole political movement that is at least in part based on a hatred of over regulation. Why do we go beyond what is written when we hate rules so much? Perhaps we add to God's rules for the very same reason the Corinthians did. Remember what we have said about the people in the Corinthian church: they were in competition with one another to see who was the most spiritual. Rules help us define who is spiritual. Having a checklist for godliness lets us more easily define who is doing well. The more rules there are on the checklist, the easier it is to differentiate between the less godly, the average godly, and the superior godly. Plus, having our own rules makes us seem more righteous than we really are. We typically can meet our own standards of righteousness far more easily than we can meet God's. Our rules and regulations frequently have to do with appearances. We can fake those. God's rules often have to do with the heart and mind and personality, areas where we have far less control over ourselves.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Hip to be Square? (1 Corinthians 1-3)
I have heard many other pastors say that they would like their church to be a "New Testament church." I'm not always sure what pastors mean when they say that, but I am pretty sure that they do not mean that want to be the church at Corinth. Corinth is after all a New Testament church. But it is also a church that clearly had a lot of problems. The word dysfunctional may have been invented just to describe this church. The scary thing is that most modern churches are probably more like Corinth than any other New Testament church. The problems of 2,000 years ago live on today.
The biggest problem at Corinth was disunity. Read through Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, and you will see that the Corinthians liked to squabble about many things. The church at Corinth was a church divided. Most of this disunity was the result of competition. The Corinthians competed with one another to see who could be the best and most spiritual Christian. In the opening three chapters of the book, Paul attempts to correct the Corinthians' approach to their faith. The opening chapters make clear that the Corinthians had been captivated by those who had an appearance of earthly wisdom. First-century Greeks, like the Corinthians, were a philosophical bunch (their cultural heroes would have been people like Socrates, Plato, etc.). They undoubtedly valued people with big ideas and strong rhetoric. Paul had none of these characteristics. Apollos who ministered at the church after Paul had many of them. But Apollos labored in the service of Christ. The Corinthians may have missed that fact. In admiring Apollos, some in the church focused more on the style than the message. It seems that many of the Corinthians had begun to serve logic and rhetoric more than Jesus. They were more interested in demonstrating their cultural cache than in sticking to the Gospel. They thought that Christianity would be advanced through being hip and contemporary rather than through the Gospel and its rightful subject Jesus.
Paul urges the Corinthians to get back to the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. He reminds them of an important fact in 2:3-5: "I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power" (NIV, 1984). We need that lesson that Paul provided the Corinthians today. I think there is a tendency in the American church to try to make Christianity hip and cool so that we might win people to our religion. There is certainly nothing wrong with presenting the true Gospel in culturally relevant ways (that is what Apollos did). But when we alter the message or we depend more on the style than the Spirit for winning converts, then we have drifted into the Corinthian error. We have to be careful that Jesus and not style or cool are always the center of what we do.
The biggest problem at Corinth was disunity. Read through Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, and you will see that the Corinthians liked to squabble about many things. The church at Corinth was a church divided. Most of this disunity was the result of competition. The Corinthians competed with one another to see who could be the best and most spiritual Christian. In the opening three chapters of the book, Paul attempts to correct the Corinthians' approach to their faith. The opening chapters make clear that the Corinthians had been captivated by those who had an appearance of earthly wisdom. First-century Greeks, like the Corinthians, were a philosophical bunch (their cultural heroes would have been people like Socrates, Plato, etc.). They undoubtedly valued people with big ideas and strong rhetoric. Paul had none of these characteristics. Apollos who ministered at the church after Paul had many of them. But Apollos labored in the service of Christ. The Corinthians may have missed that fact. In admiring Apollos, some in the church focused more on the style than the message. It seems that many of the Corinthians had begun to serve logic and rhetoric more than Jesus. They were more interested in demonstrating their cultural cache than in sticking to the Gospel. They thought that Christianity would be advanced through being hip and contemporary rather than through the Gospel and its rightful subject Jesus.
Paul urges the Corinthians to get back to the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. He reminds them of an important fact in 2:3-5: "I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power" (NIV, 1984). We need that lesson that Paul provided the Corinthians today. I think there is a tendency in the American church to try to make Christianity hip and cool so that we might win people to our religion. There is certainly nothing wrong with presenting the true Gospel in culturally relevant ways (that is what Apollos did). But when we alter the message or we depend more on the style than the Spirit for winning converts, then we have drifted into the Corinthian error. We have to be careful that Jesus and not style or cool are always the center of what we do.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Living in a World of Gray
In the time that I have been a Christian, there have been a lot of "gray areas" that have been debated in the church. Should Christians go to movies? Should Christians attend a baseball game on Sunday? Should Christians listen to "rock music?" Should Christians drink? Not all of these questions are as hotly debated as they used to be. But they are all illustrations of questions that Christians have had some very nasty arguments over. These questions are not explicitly addressed in Scripture, or if they are addressed, Christians don't agree on what the Scripture says. And so Christians have judged each other's behaviors in these areas. Christians who listen to certain types of music or drink alcohol have been labeled "worldly." Those who choose not to do these things are accused of being "legalistic." The church becomes divided over Bambi or a beer.
How should Christians handle these disagreements? That is what Paul addresses in Romans 14 and on in to Romans 15. Paul's biggest point here is that Christians should handle these disputes without judging. I am not the master of my brother or sister in Christ. Only the Lord has the right to judge, especially on those issues that the Scripture is not explicit about. If I abstain, I should not think less of my brother if he has a beer. If I have a beer, I shouldn't think that my sister is too conservative because she doesn't join me. While Paul does call those who enjoy their freedom strong and labels those more inclined to stick to extra- biblical rules weak, I don't think that we should see those labels as pejorative. Paul wants us to avoid gauging spirituality and righteousness on issues where the Scriptures remain silent or vague.
This leads to an important point that Paul makes in this chapter. Not everyone's faith will look exactly the same. On some issues, we should be in total conformity. All of us should abstain from sexual immorality. We should speak the truth. We should be humble and loving. But in other areas, what is right for me may not be right for you. And what is wrong for me may not be wrong for you. If I am not sure that it is okay for me to drink beer, then I should not drink beer. Paul says not to do anything that you are unsure about because acting out of doubt is a sin. But if you are perfectly comfortable with drinking beer, then have a beer (just not to the point of drunkenness because that the Bible does say is wrong!) For some Christians beer may be a sin. For other Christians, beer may be okay. While there are certain things that are always right or are always wrong for every Christian, there are some things that may be right for one Christian but not for another.
Because this is true, Paul tells us that we have to be careful about how we live and how we exercise our freedoms. We need to be careful not to convince people something is right for them just because we can do it. We must use our freedom in such a way that we don't cause others to stumble into something that is wrong for them. Let me give an example. Several years ago, when I was pastor at my former church, I attended a soccer game on a Sunday night. We normally had services on Sunday nights, but this Sunday we did not because of a holiday weekend. I had an extra ticket, so I invited one of the men from our church to attend with me. As we were sitting at the game, he said to me: "You know, I really don't think it's okay to attend a soccer game on a Sunday. That's supposed to be our Sabbath. But since you're the pastor, I came. I figured if it is alright for you, it must be alright for me. But I feel really guilty about being here!" Oops. I had made a big mistake. I had allowed my freedom to lead someone else to violate their conscience. It never dawned on me that someone might have reservations about a sporting event on a Sunday, but this man did. My exercise of freedom had led him to stumble.
That is why Paul's words in verse 22 are the best advice on this matter: "So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God" (verse 22). In the gray areas, we should be very circumspect. We should enjoy our freedoms in as inauspicious away as possible so that we might not harm other Christians or break the fellowship of the church.
How should Christians handle these disagreements? That is what Paul addresses in Romans 14 and on in to Romans 15. Paul's biggest point here is that Christians should handle these disputes without judging. I am not the master of my brother or sister in Christ. Only the Lord has the right to judge, especially on those issues that the Scripture is not explicit about. If I abstain, I should not think less of my brother if he has a beer. If I have a beer, I shouldn't think that my sister is too conservative because she doesn't join me. While Paul does call those who enjoy their freedom strong and labels those more inclined to stick to extra- biblical rules weak, I don't think that we should see those labels as pejorative. Paul wants us to avoid gauging spirituality and righteousness on issues where the Scriptures remain silent or vague.
This leads to an important point that Paul makes in this chapter. Not everyone's faith will look exactly the same. On some issues, we should be in total conformity. All of us should abstain from sexual immorality. We should speak the truth. We should be humble and loving. But in other areas, what is right for me may not be right for you. And what is wrong for me may not be wrong for you. If I am not sure that it is okay for me to drink beer, then I should not drink beer. Paul says not to do anything that you are unsure about because acting out of doubt is a sin. But if you are perfectly comfortable with drinking beer, then have a beer (just not to the point of drunkenness because that the Bible does say is wrong!) For some Christians beer may be a sin. For other Christians, beer may be okay. While there are certain things that are always right or are always wrong for every Christian, there are some things that may be right for one Christian but not for another.
Because this is true, Paul tells us that we have to be careful about how we live and how we exercise our freedoms. We need to be careful not to convince people something is right for them just because we can do it. We must use our freedom in such a way that we don't cause others to stumble into something that is wrong for them. Let me give an example. Several years ago, when I was pastor at my former church, I attended a soccer game on a Sunday night. We normally had services on Sunday nights, but this Sunday we did not because of a holiday weekend. I had an extra ticket, so I invited one of the men from our church to attend with me. As we were sitting at the game, he said to me: "You know, I really don't think it's okay to attend a soccer game on a Sunday. That's supposed to be our Sabbath. But since you're the pastor, I came. I figured if it is alright for you, it must be alright for me. But I feel really guilty about being here!" Oops. I had made a big mistake. I had allowed my freedom to lead someone else to violate their conscience. It never dawned on me that someone might have reservations about a sporting event on a Sunday, but this man did. My exercise of freedom had led him to stumble.
That is why Paul's words in verse 22 are the best advice on this matter: "So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God" (verse 22). In the gray areas, we should be very circumspect. We should enjoy our freedoms in as inauspicious away as possible so that we might not harm other Christians or break the fellowship of the church.
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