Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/81

Contributor - Richard Westra

Title - Review of I Corinthians: Problems in the Church

Topic - Conflicts

Do you think your church has problems? Sure you do. And you could name several without much trouble. You know the church has problems, because as you see it, the church is not what it should be. It is not that place of open sharing and mutual love which is described in the Bible. There is too much talk about personal differences and not enough acceptance of each other. People are not actively doing the work of the Lord, at least not those people on the fringe who get more excited about a bowling game than about a service of worship. That means there is something wrong. The biggest problem in the church is when it majors in the minors. Major concerns ought to be evangelizing and discipline. Yet we talk most about minors such as the clothes we wear, the weather, the order of service, the budget, the bake sale, etc.

So we turn to the New Testament to get our sights on course and our theological pencils sharpened. But alas, we see that the N.T. church had problems of its own and that it too was ,not so different from us. We soon !realize that our problems are not so unique nor so worldly that we have. to begin another denomination. Examine with me, the so-called first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

Problem One: The Church Didn't Like Its Minister

In the case of the Corinthians, they had several ministers over a few years, and like any congregation today where this happens, there was division. Some members were saying, "Paul said we should do it this way". Another group said, "According to the teachings of Apollos, there is a better way third group liked the way Peter described the church. And finally there was a fourth group called the spiritualists who said, "We follow no one but Christ". Doesn't that sound like the church, so easily persuaded to follow human divisions and personal differences?

Naturally, when Paul heard about these divisions, he was upset. So he wrote to the church to persuade them that there was no difference between his message and that of Apollos or Peter. He goes further by reminding them of their relationship to Christ: they were sancitified in Christ (1:2), called to be saints in the name of Jesus (1:2), made alive with God by the power of the gospel which is Christ crucified (1:17, 18, 23; 2:2; 3:15; 9:16), and given the revelation of truth as taught by the Spirit (1:4 - 7; 2:10 13; 4:6, 7). How could they make division when they were one in Christ? The problem with the church stemmed from the fact that she relies on the wisdom of men (1:18 - 31), the spirit of this world (2:12), a special emotional experience independent of one's relationship to others (5:6, 19 20; 9:19 - 23; 12:14 - 26), and a position of arrogance (4:19; 1:31; 5:2). Paul urged them to have none of this. They must accept their leaders as men who have been sent by God (3: 1 0), as servants of Christ (3:5), stewards of the gospel (4:1), and as fellow-workers for God (3:9). Those men came to plant and to water the freshly plowed field in Corinth, but it was God who gave the increase. Therefore, they were not to boast about their leaders or make judgements about their success of failure. Their only boast was to boast of the Lord. For faith does not rest on a good preacher or a creative teacher or even a disciple of the Lord but in the power of God (2:5). The church is called upon to be united in Christ, the power of the gospel.

Problem Two: Low Standard Of Morality

Nothing can destroy the fellowship of the church more quickly than a standard of morality which is on par with the world. The church cannot remain in union with Christ when the members give no thought to the way they live. Paul appeals to the church on the following grounds: old leaven of malice and evil cannot be mixed with a new lump of truth without destroying the whole lump (5:6 - 8); the church which is washed, made holy, made right with God, cannot tolerate that which is unlawful, immoral and false (6:11); the church must realize that it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is from God. It doesn't belong to itself, but to Christ (6:19 - 20; 7:23); the church cannot seek its own good, rather it must seek the good of the neighbour, doing everything to the glory of God (10:24, 31); each in the church must consider the other person first, otherwise he brings judgement upon himself (I 1:29).

One can quickly see that Paul's main concern was the unity of the church. Every member belongs to Christ, the very source of unity. Even such a mundane thing as eating and drinking was causing a split. It was happening because each was only concerned about himself. Moral direction must not be determined on the basis of one's desires or one's feelings, but rather on one's relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Every issue Paul raised had to do with keeping the church pure, holy, peaceful and united. He even goes so far as to appeal to them on the basis of his own example: "for though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more . . . . I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessing" (9:19, 23).

Particular issues which he addressed were: 1) incest - when this is in the body of Christ it is like a wound that only gets worse if it is not treated with medication. Eventually it poisons every member of the body. One must get rid of the source of evil (5:5). 2) Greed, idolatry, drunkenness and stealing, all of these must be driven out of the church because they are all self-centered (5:13). 3) Prostitution - even though it had been given a religious blessing ( or cultural blessing), it had no place among Christians. It defiles the body. 4) Lawsuits - a member of the church ought never to take a fellow Christian to court. It must be settled in the church (6:5). 5) Marriage - this is a holy matter and must be entered into with a willingness to sacrifice and a desire for a life-long relationship. Even when it appears that the marriage is lost, the partner must always be ready to reconcile (7:11). 6) Place of employment - each should remain at his place of employment when he becomes a Christian, unless there is an opportunity to do otherwise. He should not make a change just because he is a Christian (7:21). Eating food together around a common table should always bring Christians closer together, not divide them. This is especially the case when Christians participate in the Lord's Supper (8:9; 10:21; 11:29). 8) Church order contentions within the church worship can be resolved by calling upon traditional forms (9:4; 11:2; 14:33) so that the church of God is not despised or humiliated.

In all of this Paul writes that Christians are not free to do what they want, even though Christ has set them free. In every respect, the Christian life is bound by unity in Christ. The concern is always for another and for the building up of the body of Christ. Christians are subject one to the other. Morality is no private affair, rather each must seek the good of the neighbour (10:23).

Problem Three: Charismatic Movement

Make no mistake about it, the charismatic movement began in Corinth. The Corinthians were excited about what God had done to them by pouring out the spiritual gifts on the various members. But the ones which attracted the most attention were the ones desired by all the members. Even in worship they tried to build up the self rather than the body of Christ. Speaking in tongues had outstripped all others in terms of desirablility, causing confusion and disorder. Paul asks the church, "If the whole church assembles and all speak in tongues and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?" (14:23). God did not design the church in such a way that every one competes for attention. The church is like the human body, each member carrying out a special task (12:14 26). Some of those tasks are listed in Chapter 12. His point is that everyone does not do the same work nor desire the same gift.

Paul's reasoning goes like this: 1) There is one Spirit, one Lord, and one God who inspires every gift in each believer (I 2:4 - 8). The body of Christ is one, since the same God blesses all (12:12, 13). 2) Every member nas a special gift. 3) Some gifts are more important than others, the least being the one everyone desired, namely speaking in tongues (first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, etc') (12:28). 4) A church which emphasizes the 'higher' gifts, such as prophecy, will speak to the unbeliever (14:24). 5) Using all the gifts will build up the church. If everyone desires the one gift, the church will break up (14:12). 6) Most important of all, the supreme manifestation of the Spirit is found in a church which loves; without love, all the other gifts amount to nothing. With that Paul launches into the magnificent hymn of love (I 3). All the spiritual gifts will come to an end: prophecy will pass away, tongues will cease, and knowledge will be complete when the end comes. Love, however, will never end. A church must be known for its love, because without it, the people are only noisy gongs and clanging cymbals.

Problem Four: Theological Error

Paul concludes where he began by reminding the church about the gospel he preached when he was with them, the gospel which enables the people to stand against evil and to be saved from the wrath to come. He reminds them of this gospel because some are saying that there is no resurrection to come. in their belief was contrary to what he preached and taught. He cannot understand how they have erred since he was so sure that they had received the gospel of Christ's death and resurrection. He wonders to himself, "Was it all in vain?" (15:2).

Apparently the Corinthians believed that Christ was raised from the dead, but that when they died, they would decay in the ground while the soul went to heaven to be with God. This was the philosophy of the day and the source of hope for the Greeks. Paul's response to that is, "If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised and if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (15:17). God will destroy death by raising the body of those who die in Christ as surely as he has raised Christ from the dead.

"But some one will ask, 'How are the dead raised? With what kind or body do they come?" Paul goes on to describe this body as a spiritual body, a body from heaven, the image of the heavenly man, a transformed person who is imperishable, immortal. It will have a glory all its own, just as wheat has a glory all of it's own after the kernel that gave life to it, dies in the ground. The hope which the Christian has is that he will not remain in the dust, but will be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (15:52). "For as by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection of the dead" (21). Praise be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (57)

Conclusion

For a church as divided in its way of life and in its theology as Corinth, Paul can only pray that they may have the love of Christ. "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed" (16:22). it is this love which he proclaimed in the gospel, a love that is patient, kind, never jealous or boastful, not arrogant or rude, never insisting on its own way, not irritable or resentful, never rejoicing in the wrong but rejoicing in the right (I 3:4 - 6). Only this will save the church from breaking up and from following the path of error.

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