The church in Corinth, to whom Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, is a church in turmoil. Paul first visited Corinth near the end of his second missionary journey, spending around eighteen months with them.
But after he left, the church in Corinth began to struggle. They argued about petty things like who they should listen to and learn from. They argued about whose gifts were greater and who was more important or more necessary within the church. Individual members engaged in immoral behavior, and their behavior infected the church. They even questioned the central tenants of faith that Paul had taught them, things like the place of the resurrection and the role of the Holy Spirit.
Put simply, the church in Corinth was in trouble.
Knowing everything I know about Corinth, if I were Paul, my letter would have been rather short, four words in fact, “Get your act together.”
But that’s not what Paul writes.
Instead, he writes, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.”
Three times Paul reminds the church that they are God’s church; it is their primary identity. And then, everything else he writes is to explain to them what it means to be God’s church. In summary, their lives should look different because of their identity.
It’s near the end of the letter that Paul addresses one of the important divisions in the church. “What was the most important gift?” the people wondered. Prophecy? Spiritual discernment? Tongues?
It’s as if Paul tells them they’re asking the wrong question. He writes, “All [the gifts] are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.”
And so, it’s not about what gift is most important, or whose gift is most important. Using the metaphor of a body, Paul reminds them that they need every part of the body. No single part is more important than another. They’re one.
It explains why, at the end of the chapter, Paul writes, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it?”
Can we imagine a church like that? It’s the Church I hope for and the Church I’m choosing to believe is possible.
Grace and peace,
Kimmy
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