Do No Harm

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

DO NO HARM

1 Cor 11:17-22

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21 for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

NIV

This is somewhat a difficult directive to grab a hold of. Of course, this is pointed directly at the Church in Corinth and what was happening when they gathered for the purpose of public worship. We understand the use of the word church did not nor does it mean today, a building place to gather in, but rather the people are the church. It is also clear there was a division among them and it also is clear that in some gatherings of the people of God, they are also some divisions. It would seem that some of the division among them was in either their wealth or position in society or both. The only parallel we can think of that would resemble what Paul is warning them about is what we would call, a linger longer, or a carry-in, or potluck dinner at church. There have been churches that we have been in where being at the end of the line means having less to eat than those at the beginning of the line, for they heap their plates with no concern of those behind them. This is not the norm, but we have seen it happen. This must have been what Paul was talking about for they were not taking communion in the same sense that we do today. Many times we will all take the elements of communion and wait for the pastor to remind us of the Lord’s words regarding his body and blood and we partake together, at the same time. This is the right and full meaning of communion, being in communion with Christ and with each other. Within this time, we are to spend reflection on our worthiness to partake. That is, if we have any unconfessed sin, it is time to make things right. Paul will get to that next when he tells them and us that we should examine ourselves, so as not to eat and drink in an unworthy manner. But here it is more about the divisions that are within the body of Christ. It is about the wealthy showing their wealth, eating and drinking the best of foods in plenty and having much, humiliating those who have little. We certainly live in a capitalist society and it is fine that some make far more money than others, which is the way of life. Those who were able to make much, have much and those who were not able have less. In the body of Christ, there should be neither pride nor jealously regarding the social and financial differences that exist. However, when those with wealth flaunt it without caring for those in need, something is desperately wrong. That is what Paul is upset about with this Corinthian church. Hopefully, we do not have that kind of discord in the church today. Hopefully, we have not allowed anything to come between us in the body of Christ, that there is a common and mutual love and respect among all of us. Hopefully that our gathering together does not do us any harm, but is for the purpose of building each other up, bringing unity in our faith, and unity in our worship of our Lord. Hopefully, we do no harm.  

Equality

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

               EQUALITY

1 Cor 11:11-16

11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice — nor do the churches of God.

NIV

We are still talking about hair and how it has a meaning as to our place in the grand scheme of things. Yet throughout the ages there were times when men had long hair. We do not know if women ever cut their hair until more recent times and in fact, we have even seen woman cut their hair so short it appears to be as short as a man’s, or even shorter, almost like a shaved head. It would seem we pay little to no attention to this portion of the scripture, considering it to be meant only for those Corinthians and holds no truth for us today. As for this other issue of a woman not being independent of man, nor man being independent of woman, we need to consider how this plays out in the church today. How does this fit into the chain of command, so to speak, as the scripture is absolute in the fact that the man is responsible for his family and thus is accountable and due to this accountability has to have the ultimate authority? However, the fact still remains that all men come from the womb of women and so without the woman, there would not be the man. However, the fact also remains that the woman could not conceive any child without the man. This is by the design of God, that we are interdependent upon each other. Therefore in the sight of God, both male and female are his creation and equal although they each have an individual and different role as designed by God. The word of God also teaches us, men, to love their wives and that wives are to respect their husbands. However, there is also scripture that instructs older women to teach younger women to love their husbands and that husbands should respect their wives and be considerate of them as the weaker partner and heirs with us in the precious gift of life. In other words, in Christ, and thus in the church, and in marriage, there should be this quality of love and respect, therefore as Paul puts it, we are not independent of each other,  but equally dependent on God.

Chain of Command

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

THE CHANGE OF COMMAND

1 Cor 11:3-10

3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head — it is just as though her head were shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. 7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

NIV

There is more to this instruction regarding the man and the woman and hair and authority or headship, but we need to stop here for a moment and consider this portion alone. There were some cultural issues here that we in the post-modern church pay no attention to at all. This idea about a woman covering their hair simply does not fly in our culture and faith. However, in other cultures and faiths, even in our country, women must not only cover their hair but their whole head, including their face. But the issue goes deeper than hair, for throughout the ages, and even today, men have worn long hair and today many women have short hair. Again, we might say that this idea of who was created for who may seem to have gone by the way of many other issues that we pay little attention to. Although if we jump ahead to the rest of what Paul says regarding this issue of who is for who and how that all came to be, we might see more equality shown, or at least a more co-dependence concept, but let us wait on that in order to get a handle on this first principle. God established the order of things for his creation. First, we recognize that God created man and breathed life into his nostrils. As God looked at all his creation, each species having a male and female and having given all authority to man over this creation, he found that man did not have the counterpart, or mate, that suitable helper, the female. So he caused his first man, to fall into a deep sleep and took a rib from him to make the woman, thus as Paul puts it, man did not come from woman, but woman from man. So we see this organization of God. God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of man, and man is the head of the woman. Once again, it would seem this principle has gone by the wayside in our current culture of equal rights. But we cannot be equal with Christ for He is still the head of the church. If we were to say that we have equality with God, we would be so full of wrong thinking, yet it would seem in the world, that is just how they think. There is this concept that we can destroy this world and that we can save it by our doing. Only God controls the world for He created it and He will destroy it at some time of His choosing. We in the church do not think like that, for we know God is the head of Christ and that Christ is our head. He is the one we submit to in all things, or at least we are supposed to. However when it comes to this man and woman issue with the man being the head of woman, we have fallen far short of the mark in seeing this as the truth of God. The thinking of the world has infiltrated the church and it has influenced how women see themselves with respect to men, and this includes in the marriage scene. Men have been given fair warning as to not to think they have any authority at all over women, and that we are all equal in the eyes of God. This is true, as we will see in the next statement of Paul, regarding a co-dependence of both not being independent of the other. Yet the chain of command has not been forsaken or broken, as far as responsibilities. Christ is responsible for the church, therefore, has authority over it. God has man responsible for his family and therefore has given him authority over it. Let’s see how this chain of command ends as we continue.

Truth or Tradition

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

TRUTH OR TRADITION

1 Cor 11:1-2

11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.

NIV

First, we need to get a handle on this word that is translated here as teachings. In Greek, this word can be seen in several ways. First, it has been used to infer the Jewish law, or at least the traditions of the law. It can be seen only as a tradition, but the actual meaning is a giving over which is done by word of mouth or in writing. So it could be a teaching, a tradition, or part of the Jewish law. Within the context, we would have to think Paul refers to that which he taught them when he lived among them, which part of is in this letter, but we also have to think that he taught far more than what we actually have a record of, that was all by word of mouth. We, on the other hand, only have what was given over by what is in writing. However, in some sense, we have heard a lot of traditional teachings by the word of mouth, which is not written within the scriptures, or at least it is an opinion of what is thought to be scriptural. Nevertheless, the point is still the same in the sense that we should make every effort to live in such a manner as to hold to the truth in the word of God. We would think the only thing Paul passed on to them was the truth of the gospel and did not expect them to adhere to Judaism, even though some of the church in Corinth was made up of Jews that accepted Jesus as the Messiah and were, in a sense, converted to Christianity, although the church was not called that until later in Antioch. Still, we need to adhere to what the truth in the scripture has for us. This requires rather a large degree of study and contemplation or meditation. It would seem this would be a lifelong endeavor, as it seems impossible to grasp all the truth in just one reading of the Bible, or simply sitting in a pew every Sunday morning and hearing a sermon on some aspect of the truth, at least that is, if the preacher is bringing forth truth. Are we not all responsible for ourselves to search out the truth from the scriptures? We all have been given the Holy Spirit, who among His purposes is to lead us into all truth. Surely the Corinthian church had been given the Spirit, and they would have been able to discern the truth that Paul passed on to them. We too have that discernment and can see the truth as we both read and hear it and it would also seem as we pass it on. If we are to follow the example of Paul and of Christ, they both passed on teachings, they both taught the truth. Jesus taught everything about the kingdom of God, and about the Father and our relationship to him. We can know God because we know Jesus and Jesus is the word, for the Word became flesh and dealt among us. So we follow Jesus, and in some sense Paul, as he has recorded what he learned from Jesus, and his words are considered as from the Lord. Therefore, what we pass on should only be from the word of God and not about traditions. So then there is this question, truth or tradition.

Having an Impact

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

HAVING AN IMPACT

1 Corinthians 10:25-33

25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."   27 If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake— 29 the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

NIV

Let’s finish this discussion regarding this eating food that is sacrificed to idols and all the little nuggets that have been along the way, although there are still some in these last comments. The point is not about the food that we eat or not eat. It is not about the drinking of wine or not drinking of wine, for if our host serves us food that we normally consider as not good for us or wine that we do not think is right to drink, then we should eat or drink whatever is put in front of us, unless the host says that he got this food from a store that specifically sells food for sacrifices to idols. This, of course, would not happen in our time and space on this earth. Nevertheless, if we thank God for whatever we eat or drink what difference is it what it is? Whatever we do eat or drink we should do it all for the glory of God. However, if by what we do, even though we have the freedom to do it, eating or drinking whatever it is, but we offend a weaker brother or sister because of their conscience or their beliefs then we should abstain in their presence, thus not causing them to either engage in food or drink that they believe they should not, or they could feel uncomfortable in our presence, and they could even become judgmental, or critical of us, which would be sin for them, but also for us. We would not want them to stumble, so we try to please them, however, on the other hand, we would not be about pleasing men, but pleasing God. However, it would be pleasing to God if we did not cause our brother to stumble. Yet, it is also our brothers’ responsibility to please God rather than man, so they should not judge us, or make us feel uncomfortable for eating or drinking whatever we want. As long as we thank God for what we eat or drink, there is no reason anyone should denounce us, as Paul puts it. So it falls on all of us to live as fellow believers which means living in a manner that pleases God yet considering the impact our lives have on others and how that may influence their being in a relationship with God. Therefore our lives will always have an impact.

Examples

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

EXAMPLES

1 Cor 10:23-24

23 "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

NIV

We are still in this long dissertation regarding this food that is sacrificed to idols and whether they should be eating it or not, depending on their conscience or the conscience of others, in a manner of speaking. We have already considered that there are these little nuggets along the way, we now have another one that could apply to all sorts of aspects of life, not just this eating of food or drink. Here is where we could run into a little bit of a snag regarding what is permissible. It would seem that everything is permissible, which would mean if we take it to the fullest extent in the context, we should be able to eat and drink whatever we want without offending God. The problem is we could offend a weaker brother or sister in Christ, who is restricted by either their conscience or some rules or traditions handed down from the earlier church members who lived in more puritanical times. The list of don’ts usually outweighed the list of do’s. However, the point is the same. There are many things we can do, but are they beneficial or constructive? This could apply to many areas of life and not just food and drink, although we could say that we have the freedom to eat lots and lots of chocolate but is it beneficial to our health is the question. We could say that we have the freedom to eat as much as we want, but is it beneficial to our health? We could say that we have the freedom to say whatever we want whenever we want to, but is it constructive? That would mean it is permissible to gossip about others, but that would not be beneficial or constructive. We could say that it is permissible to be jealous or envious or unforgiving, or any other feelings, but they would certainly not be beneficial or constructive. We have to see there are many scriptures that give us the guidelines for holy living and in that sense, many things are not even permissible, such as being jealous or envious or unforgiving, or hoarding wealth, or greed, or sexual immorality, or lust of any kind. When we think of any sin or attitude or behavior that would be in the sin category, we have to come to the conclusion they all are motivated by seeking our own good, our own will, our own pleasures or wants. It does not matter what the sin is, it is always about wanting what we want when we want it, whether that be a material thing, or an attitude or behavior. So then if we are to be imitators of Christ, who put all mankind above his self, when he asked the Father if there was any other way other than the cross, but nevertheless, he told the Father that it was His will that would be done. Jesus is our example as to how we should look to the needs of others over ours and that is not about things, but about life, the way we live so as to not cause someone to stumble. If we are expressing our anger about someone, and willfully expressing our unforgiveness about something someone did, then we might be causing a weaker brother to think that is alright to hold a grudge, as one example of how our lives could reflect that everything is permissible, but many things are not beneficial or constructive. We could go on and on with a list of all sorts of ways in which we could be either a good or bad example to others, but that is the point, being an example of what is just and right.

Which Cup

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

WHICH CUP

1 Cor 10:18-22

18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

NIV

These words remind us of the words of our Lord,

Matt 6:24

24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

NIV

How can we live in both worlds at the same time, yet in some respect that is what we are doing? Our citizenship is in the kingdom of God, yet we reside in the kingdom of the prince of the air, Satan. Our bodies are here in this world, but we, our true self, the spirit that resides in this temporary tent, our bodies, live in the kingdom of God. We cannot be partners with the world and be partners with Christ. How does this work? What does it look like to partner with Christ and the world at the same time? Is it possible we do not really comprehend how much we seem to participate in the affairs of the world? We do actually live in it, but then we are not supposed to be of the world. We do need to work to make money to buy the needed things of life. We need someplace to live and food to eat, clothes on our backs, and in this society, most of us need a car to get to work. Then we need all the stuff whatever stuff that is. We also need all the activities of life, whatever those are. But, if we get so focused on all that money-making and storing up for that someday, like that rich farmer did who had to build all brand new barns, then we might be in danger of having our focus on the kingdom of this world rather than on the kingdom of God. That is not to say we are, but we could if we get way too invested in this world, then try to live in both, have one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom of God, ride the fence, so to speak, or as Paul puts it, drink from both cups. Are there other ways that we can drink from both cups other than the trying to serve two masters in regard to money and God, or is the money thing just an example of all that is wrapped up in being part of this world, living for self in some way? We certainly pray about our needs, as we are told to.  Are prayers usually about some kind of physical need or want or some comfort, or peace of mind, or something to do with our life here in this world. Our focus is usually on our situation, our life, or the life of someone we know, and their needs. But it is mostly about this life in the here and now. But then Jesus said we should pray and even his example that we use includes words about giving us our daily bread, however, that is the only physical thing, as the rest is about life in the kingdom of God, Hollowing His name, asking we live as if we are in the kingdom, that is, His will be done here as it is in Heaven. Asking Him to deliverer us from evil, the kingdom of the world, and asking Him to forgive us as we forgive others. The main focus of this prayer of Jesus is about the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of this world. So then, we need to see that we cannot be partakers of both kingdoms, we cannot have citizenship in both. There can be no double-dipping, one in the cup of God, one in the cup of demons. Yes, we have to live here because this is where God created for us to live, this earth was created for us to live in, but to walk with God, not with man. So the question remains, who are we walking with? From which cup do we drink?