True Gift

Today we continue our reading from First Corinthians. As you may remember from last week most scholars now suggest that Paul wrote more than two letters to the Corinthians. Some claim there are possibly seven letters combined to make the two. All that makes sense if you remember that there were no printing presses or mass distribution of books. Everything had to be hand-written and paper (papyrus) was not readily available. We also note that the first Christians expected Jesus to return in their lifetime. When it became evident that he would not, they began to collect Paul’s letters and began to share them with other Christians. By that time some of the original documents might well have been a bit tattered. This fact only complicates our desire to figure out what really was going on in the Corinthian church. Another problem is that we only have Paul’s side of the conversation. We do not have the complaints from the Corinthians. We can only guess at what Chloe’s people told Paul. Although we can state what was generally going on in the church by Paul’s answer to it.

It seems that the Corinthians were arguing over who was the best Christian in the church. Possibly some were trying to assert their authority by claiming who told them about Jesus or who baptized them. I doubt that much of the argument was over theological stuff. Especially when Paul indicates that they were not wise people when he met them and his reference to the wisdom of the cross. The message Paul is trying to get across to the Corinthians is that they need to work together to show the saving power of Jesus. By fighting among themselves they were only acting like the rest of the world. They were to act with the Love of God. A love so great that God gave Jesus to die for them. A love so powerful that it changes the world.

That is our call as well. While we may not be arguing over who was baptized by whom or who is the best Christian in our church, we often allow the world to persuade us that it has a better answer. All you have to do is turn on the Television to hear the world enticing you to its “better way.” There it constantly tells you that you need to wear certain clothes, have a body that looks a certain way, drive a specific car, and have a financial planner. If you do not have those you are not a real person. If not the Television it is social media or peer pressure from others that keeps calling you. While we do need things of the world, we should remember that they do not make us who we are. Jesus does that. By his life, death, and resurrection Jesus has made us children of God. 

That is Paul’s point to the Corinthians. They did not need to fight over worldly things like power and position in society. They did not have to worry about their future. Jesus had taken care of that and freed them to share God’s love. A much needed message to us who live in an evermore selfish world. Instead of insisting on our own rights we are called to remember those who are less fortunate than ourselves – the widow, orphan, and foreigner in our land as the Bible tells us. You have been given many gifts. More than you deserve. Use them to show the love of God so that, when people see you, they see how Jesus has changed your life.