Daily Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 1:10

 

1 Corinthians 1:10 (ESV)

Divisions in the Church

¹⁰ I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

Thoughts to Ponder from 2 Corinthians 13:5

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; yes yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5a)

      To say that the church in Corinth had issues would be an understatement. They were empowering sinful behavior and boasting in their acceptance in it. There were false teachers in their midst who were teaching anything but the Gospel. There were power structures in the church that were more concerned about how the church benefitted them than they were about taking care of the truly needy in their midst. There were also saints, but the reality of the matter was, there were deep issues that were tearing the fellowship apart.

That is why the admonition that proceeds from Paul in this few words become so critical. Paul saw the issues and he addressed them in typical Pauline fashion – directly. In his address, he pulls something crucial to the front. Though the words are not stated in this manner, what Paul says is this: Are you sure you are really who you say you are? And he follows this up with a second point that is even stronger: examine yourselves. 

I think Paul brings a valid point to the conversation. We live in a culture that is a moral/ethical free for all. We can paint any other picture we’d like, but that doesn’t negate the fact that morality is based, for many, on feeling. In other words, “I feel like this is the right thing to do.” Well, not everything that “feels” like the right thing, is the right thing. Not everything that feels like the right thing is the God thing. The reason I state this is because in all honesty, this is the same mentality that is in mainstream denominationalism in the United States. An example of this can be found in a statement by a very prominent pastor in the U.S. Andy Stanley recently made the statement that “Church unity is more important than being theologically correct.” Unity at all costs, at the sacrifice of what is true and correct. 

The problem with this – this mentality is not much different than that of the people in Corinth. And to be very direct – it is damning people to hell. As Christians, we need to realize that there are fundamental truths that cannot be denied or changed simply because they make us uncomfortable. We need to realize that our faith is based on loving God with all we are and not elevating ourselves above others. It is a life that does not and indeed, cannot embrace sin. That is why Paul admonishes us to examine our faith. As Christians, we should be doing this every single day. We need to put our life up to the plumb line of God’s standards and honestly assess if we are walking upright. Why? For our eternal destination is contingent on it. A Christian cannot be a Christian if they embrace and applaud a life, an action, an activity, that is completely contrary to what God has clearly states is wrong. We cannot bend Truth to make ourselves happy. 

But Paul pushes the point further when he writes: “Examine yourselves, yes yourselves.” We could miss the nuance here if we are not careful. Might I suggest that what Paul is getting at is this: we are great at measuring everyone else’s faith. We do a great job of it. It is much easier point our fingers at others without checking the pulse of our faith first. This is not to say that we accept and embrace everything. Neither I nor Paul are advocating and devil-may-care attitude because none of us have it all together. True, we don’t, but we cannot turn a blind eye to blatant sin either. However, before we confront another’s sin, we need to remember this: we better make certain it is well with our soul. We need each other. We need to examine our faith because as Paul says, we need to examine our faith to see IF we are in the faith. 

Have you examined your faith lately? Have you asked God to search you and know you? This is so vital because eternal destination is dependent on it. I would rather examine my faith here and now than hear the words, “Depart from me, for I never knew you.”

From C.S. Lewis

I find I must borrow yet another parable from George MacDonald. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were ‘gods’ and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.

From Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis