It is finished. It took a bit longer than we thought, but our study in 1 Corinthians has come to a less than screeching stop. Now is a good time to look back and reflect on a few major themes that we take away from this rich, extensive, personal, and Christ saturated book.
The church at Corinth struggled with so many of the things that we do today: they lived in the midst of a perverse, pseudo-intellectual, modern (or post-modern), idolatrous, selfish, and aggressive city. How were they supposed to maintain a pure walk with Christ in the midst of such odds? How are we? There are several themes that Paul laid out to the church that were instructive to the Corinthians, and equally important for us today.
What needed to be the priorities in the gospel:
- Priority of Unity – The Corinthians found themselves dividing over the cult of personality (1:10-12), were suing each other (6:1-8), and were condescending toward their own (11:17-22). Unity would come from having the same mind and judgment (1:10) and doing all things for the glory of God (10:31-33). When we are divided, we are weak, scattered, unloving, and we give a terrible witness to the world concerning the goodness of Christ. Unity can only be established through humility, selflessness, and proper focus.
- Priority of Clarity – The church had a wisdom issue. They were being deceived, not only by the culture, but by their own thinking (3:18). Clear thinking leads to proper living. Clear thinking comes by thinking rightly about the cross (1:18-31), understanding the teaching of the Spirit of God by the mind of Christ (2:6-16), turning away from the wisdom of men (3:19-22). We need wisdom, but we have to understand that God’s wisdom will always make us look foolish to the wise people in the world. We must be willing to look foolish in the world’s eyes if we are to be truly wise.
- Priority of Purity – Sex, idolatry, greed, drunkenness, lawsuits…these were not only true of believers past, but these were tragically part of their present. The gospel washes us from these things (6:11), freeing us up to live holy lives. The problem is, we usually want things both ways. We want Christ & our sin. But the prescription is clear: FLEE. Flee from sexual sin (6:18); Flee from idolatry (10:14). Flee from sin and flee to Christ. Deal with the sin in your midst (5:9-13). An impure church is an impotent church, and sin will always saturate (5:7-8).
- Priority of Maturity – Stop acting like children. Simple. Clear. Concise. When there is pride, justifying of sin, division, boasting, and favoritism, it comes out of child-like behavior. The antidote was to put away jealousy and strife (3:3), to think like an adult (14:20), and think and live maturely, the way we are called to in the gospel.
What needed to be the focus in order to get there:
- A focus on Christ – There is a simple beauty in Paul’s counsel: focus on Christ! We need to focus on the power of the cross, the cosmic wisdom of Christ being crucified, His resurrection, and ultimate victory over sin, death, and the grave. Issues seem complex, but when we boil them down, they are all the same. When we focus on Christ, our faith rests on Him, not us. Our power comes from Him, not us. The glory goes to Him, not us (2:1-5). Christ is the object, author, and finisher of the gospel, and it is He that we remember and proclaim (11:23-26). I hope this will be our focus as long as we are here.
- A focus on Grace – Grace started this letter, and grace ended it (1:3-4; 16:23). Grace empowers us (15:10); Grace gives us rest from our strivings. Grace allows us to remember that we did not earn salvation; we did not wash ourselves or forgive ourselves, but these were all done by God in Christ. Grace frees us up to work hard, to proclaim the gospel in freedom, without charge (9:12). Grace is a gift that allows us to see others, even enemies, as objects of God’s love and those in need of the gospel of grace.
- A focus on Love - When love is missing, everything else will be as well (13:1-3). Love is eternal (13:8). Love should be pursued (14:1), and EVERYTHING we do should be done out of love (16:14). It is hard to comprehend how to do that, but by grace, it is possible. When we love the way Christ loved us, we will be humble, wise, pure, and mature. When we focus on Christ, we will see His love, walk by the grace He gives, and view all others through the lens of love.
Convicted? I sure have been. I hope and pray that we have all learned, considered, and put these things in action. Let us move forward together, focusing on Christ, empowered by grace, and living lives of love.
