I Corinthians 16:13-14: "To Sum it All Up"
Paul uses two short verses at the end of the epistle to summarize all he had spoken to them about in the previous 15 chapters. I Corinthians is primarily a book of exhortation and spiritual discipline by Paul. Paul had written the letter to encourage the Corinthians, but more often than encourage he had to bring the rod to discipline wrong thinking and wrong living. Most of his time was spent telling them what was wrong and what should not be done. Here, Paul reiterates all these things in the positive light. Paul knew this was a tough letter that would be a tough pill to swallow for the Corinthians in some areas, and he wanted to finish in a loving and caring way, yet to continue to drill into their heads what the Lord demanded of them.
Therefore, Paul begins, "Be on the alert". Here Paul is reminding them that they need to constantly be alert, sober, and awake. Through Paul's letter we can get the feeling that the Corinthian's were constantly living their lives however they wanted without much regard for the pitfalls that they were constantly falling into. MacArthur points out the multiple areas they were spiritually asleep to: "They allowed their previous pagan ideas and habits to come back into their lives and destroy their faithfulness to the Lord and their fellowship with each other. They substituted human wisdom for God's Word (1:18-2:16); they were factious (1:20-17; 3:9; etc.), immoral (5:1-13), litigious (6:1-8); they had confused and perverted ideas about marriage, divorce, and celibacy (7:1-40); they were self-indulgent (10:1-13) and indifferent to the welfare of others (10:23-33); they misunderstood and misused their spiritual gifts (12-14); and, above all, they were unloving, exemplifying all the things that love is not (13:1-6)". Paul's admonition to them was to be constantly thinking about the ways Satan will come to try to come in and fracture their fellowship. They must actively be pursuing their unity and the multiple things Paul had exhorted them against. When temptation, laziness, false teachers, and sin would come into their midst as it so often had, they must be actively awake, ready to fight it with the truth of the Word.
Next, Paul writes, "stand firm in the faith". It became evident through reading Paul's letter that the Corinthians had a hard time taking a stand against anything, and they had a hard time remaining firm in the gospel. It seemed when someone would come into their midst preaching another gospel, or spreading gossip, etc. They would quickly abandon all that Paul had previously taught them. They were not living by the Spirit, but rather by their own desires. Paul had previously spoken of the "gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand" (I Cor. 15:1). Paul had begged that they stand firm in the knowledge of Christ, and as he had told the Ephesians not to be "carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14). In the early part of his letter Paul had written about the Corinthians allowing human philosophy and wisdom to come into their thinking, and even allow some to regard the gospel as foolishness. Paul, here, is telling them, stand firm in what you know to be true. In Chapter 15, Paul gives a wonderful treatment of the validity and essential nature of the resurrection. Here, he is telling them, to stand firm in their belief and conviction of its truth.
Next, Paul exhorts his readers to, "act like men". This was Paul's call to maturity. It was obvious that Paul knew many of his readers were immature and childish because their actions evidenced it. Paul wrote in 14:20, "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking mature". Unfortunately for the Corinthians, the only thing Paul could see them being mature in, was the knowledge of the world and its sinfulness. In this he called them to be babes, or to stay far away from mingling with the world. However, in Godliness, he is calling them to be men, to be mature. He had also referenced in I Cor. 3:1-3, "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men". Paul's prayer was that by the end of the letter, they could see their own immaturity, and put aside the things of the flesh, and live "like men".
Very closely related to living like men, yet very different than how the world perceives it, Paul asks them to "be strong". Unlike the worldly philosophy that would call us to pull up our bootstraps and just get it done in our own strength. Paul is saying, "be strengthened by the Lord to carry out His good work". The Corinthians were foolishly thinking that they were strong, however, they were merely strong in their understanding of the worlds philosophies. Paul was asking them to forget all of that, and purse the righteousness of Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen them to love and good deeds. Paul warned the Corinthians that "let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall" (I Cor 10:12). MacArthur writes, "We grow in strength as we use our strength. As we 'walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,' we thereby become 'strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might' (Col. 1:10-11)".
Lastly, and most importantly, Paul writes, "Let all that you do be done in love". At the height of his letter Paul explained in 13:2, "If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing". Paul was saying that even if they had grasped and started to live out all that Paul had encouraged them to, but they did not do it with love, it would be worthless. We must understand that the God we serve IS love. His very nature is love, and if we don't live in love we are missing the very nature of the one we are supposed to be living for. The only reason we are even able to love is "because He first loved us" (I John 4:19). Paul wanted to leave them with the resounding thought, that if they truly loved others and above all else loved God everything else will fall into place. He knew that because the very definition of love is that it is "patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (I Cor. 13: 4-8). It can truly be said if we love the Lord our God and love our neighbors, than we are truly one of His.
Therefore, Paul begins, "Be on the alert". Here Paul is reminding them that they need to constantly be alert, sober, and awake. Through Paul's letter we can get the feeling that the Corinthian's were constantly living their lives however they wanted without much regard for the pitfalls that they were constantly falling into. MacArthur points out the multiple areas they were spiritually asleep to: "They allowed their previous pagan ideas and habits to come back into their lives and destroy their faithfulness to the Lord and their fellowship with each other. They substituted human wisdom for God's Word (1:18-2:16); they were factious (1:20-17; 3:9; etc.), immoral (5:1-13), litigious (6:1-8); they had confused and perverted ideas about marriage, divorce, and celibacy (7:1-40); they were self-indulgent (10:1-13) and indifferent to the welfare of others (10:23-33); they misunderstood and misused their spiritual gifts (12-14); and, above all, they were unloving, exemplifying all the things that love is not (13:1-6)". Paul's admonition to them was to be constantly thinking about the ways Satan will come to try to come in and fracture their fellowship. They must actively be pursuing their unity and the multiple things Paul had exhorted them against. When temptation, laziness, false teachers, and sin would come into their midst as it so often had, they must be actively awake, ready to fight it with the truth of the Word.
Next, Paul writes, "stand firm in the faith". It became evident through reading Paul's letter that the Corinthians had a hard time taking a stand against anything, and they had a hard time remaining firm in the gospel. It seemed when someone would come into their midst preaching another gospel, or spreading gossip, etc. They would quickly abandon all that Paul had previously taught them. They were not living by the Spirit, but rather by their own desires. Paul had previously spoken of the "gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand" (I Cor. 15:1). Paul had begged that they stand firm in the knowledge of Christ, and as he had told the Ephesians not to be "carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14). In the early part of his letter Paul had written about the Corinthians allowing human philosophy and wisdom to come into their thinking, and even allow some to regard the gospel as foolishness. Paul, here, is telling them, stand firm in what you know to be true. In Chapter 15, Paul gives a wonderful treatment of the validity and essential nature of the resurrection. Here, he is telling them, to stand firm in their belief and conviction of its truth.
Next, Paul exhorts his readers to, "act like men". This was Paul's call to maturity. It was obvious that Paul knew many of his readers were immature and childish because their actions evidenced it. Paul wrote in 14:20, "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking mature". Unfortunately for the Corinthians, the only thing Paul could see them being mature in, was the knowledge of the world and its sinfulness. In this he called them to be babes, or to stay far away from mingling with the world. However, in Godliness, he is calling them to be men, to be mature. He had also referenced in I Cor. 3:1-3, "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men". Paul's prayer was that by the end of the letter, they could see their own immaturity, and put aside the things of the flesh, and live "like men".
Very closely related to living like men, yet very different than how the world perceives it, Paul asks them to "be strong". Unlike the worldly philosophy that would call us to pull up our bootstraps and just get it done in our own strength. Paul is saying, "be strengthened by the Lord to carry out His good work". The Corinthians were foolishly thinking that they were strong, however, they were merely strong in their understanding of the worlds philosophies. Paul was asking them to forget all of that, and purse the righteousness of Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen them to love and good deeds. Paul warned the Corinthians that "let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall" (I Cor 10:12). MacArthur writes, "We grow in strength as we use our strength. As we 'walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,' we thereby become 'strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might' (Col. 1:10-11)".
Lastly, and most importantly, Paul writes, "Let all that you do be done in love". At the height of his letter Paul explained in 13:2, "If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing". Paul was saying that even if they had grasped and started to live out all that Paul had encouraged them to, but they did not do it with love, it would be worthless. We must understand that the God we serve IS love. His very nature is love, and if we don't live in love we are missing the very nature of the one we are supposed to be living for. The only reason we are even able to love is "because He first loved us" (I John 4:19). Paul wanted to leave them with the resounding thought, that if they truly loved others and above all else loved God everything else will fall into place. He knew that because the very definition of love is that it is "patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (I Cor. 13: 4-8). It can truly be said if we love the Lord our God and love our neighbors, than we are truly one of His.
posted by amesfam | 9:40 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home