1 - 9 Salutation
Paul greets the Corinthians and prays thanks for the "grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus" . . . "just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened in you - so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for teh revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ."
10 - 17 Divisions in the Church
Paul's concerned that the community has been breaking down. Chloe's people reported that there were quarrels. It seems that some follow Paul, some Apollos (mentioned in Acts) and some Cephas (Peter?). Who baptized who seems to be an issue. Paul doesn't like this; he says that Christ did not send him "to baptize but to prclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power." The power of Christ's message is its simplicity. (Those who claim to know some secret or special truth shouldn't be trusted).
18 - 31 Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
Paul eschews "wisdom" and says the "the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" He goes on to say that "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak in the world to shame the strong, etc." (reminds me of the Beatitudes) He chose this so that one can "boast in the presence of God."
"He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, 'Let one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" (30 - 31) It's okay to boast if God gets the glory.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
It's still probably a class issue, unfortunately. Jesus said that how hard it was for the rich to get into heaven.
It's humbling to remember that you and I are very rich compared to most of the population of earth. The difficulty in keeping on the path can be seen in how many "distractions" there are to our faith (i.e. malls, "Must See TV," and You Tube).
Post a Comment