I’d like to look
take a closer look at Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that we heard in our
second reading today.
Paul called
to be an apostle of Christ.
Paul, formerly,
Saul, of Tarsus, which today is southern Turkey came from a wealthy family and
was a Roman citizen. He was educated in Jerusalem by a renowned Jewish teacher
by the name of Gamaliel and was a well-respected member of his community. Acts 26:5 tells us he was also a Pharisee.
Paul was infamous
for hunting out and imprisoning and even killing followers of The Way, the
early Christians. He was an avid follower of Jewish Law and was set on
destroying anyone or any movement that didn’t follow it too. Acts 7:58 provides clear evidence of this,
when he actively encourages the stoning of Stephen.
In short, he was a
devoted believer in God and he saw Jesus and his followers as upstarts and
trouble makers, leading people away from the righteous path of God, and they
needed to be stopped.
So why did Jesus
choose him. Would you choose one of your biggest enemies to promote you and
your story? Can you imagine someone
really hated you, didn’t believe in you, actively working against you, running
your campaign of spreading the ‘good news about you’ or bringing in new
business? Wouldn’t work would it, they would probably do the opposite, try to
destroy you or reap havoc!
But actually, in the
case of Paul, he was so infamous with his hate for Jesus and his followers,
that his sudden conversion and subsequent fervent following of Christ would
quickly spread throughout the nation, giving the message that, This Jesus, This
Way … … there must be something more in it.
He chose Paul
because he worked so hard for God and put all his efforts into his beliefs and
no one compared to him. Paul was able to
communicate with Kings and could speak with confidence.
As Peter was the
rock of the early church, Paul would be the shepherd of the gentiles.
Paul was perfect for
the job!
Paul had the skills,
the knowledge and the enthusiasm to lead the Gentiles, the non-Jewish, to
Christ.
His thirst for God
and The Law were exactly the qualifications Jesus needed to spread the news to
all the world, that Jesus was the living God … … resurrected. His conversion complete, Paul now knew his
destiny.
So why did Paul
visit and write to Corinth and why did he write to them twice. Where they
special?
Yes Corinth was
special because it was five times larger than Athens and was one of the richest
ports and largest cities in ancient Greece.
It was ideally located, and was a well-known commercial centre, adjacent
to two thriving seaports. It also had
its downsides. It was a place where
prostitutes were openly used alongwith other sinful activities, but the advantages outweighed the
disadvantages for Paul.
The city was young,
open to change and not stuck in tradition. It was inhabited by various individuals
with no particular religious followings.
A perfect and most
influential place for Paul to preach the gospel of Christ and to plant a new
Church.
We read that Paul
always thanks God for the Church at Corinth because of the grace given to them
in Christ Jesus.
As I mentioned
earlier, Corinth was a place filled with sexual immorality and was full of sin.
Things were going
wrong, the Church was becoming divided with differences of opinion, about who
was following who. Serious problems had arisen … … …
Yet Paul always
thanks God because of the grace given to them in Christ Jesus!
Don’t know about
you, but there doesn’t seem to be a great deal to be celebrating here or much
to be thanking God for.
Chaos and even some
disbelief was occurring within Paul’s newly formed church in Corinth. Divisions and arguments were becoming so
common place, that the residents of Chloe’s
household felt they needed to write and ask Paul for help.
When the news
reaches Paul about these divisions within the Church, he doesn’t rebuke the
Corinthians, quite the opposite, he reminds them that God loves them, God is
faithful and the church can place all their faithfulness in God, which in turn
will secure the future of their church and make them strong.
God has blessed and
enriched the Corinthians in every way through the grace of Jesus. They lack no spiritual gift and they are to
eagerly wait for the return of Jesus.
God will keep them strong to the end because they are called into
fellowship with his Son.
This sounds like
praise rather than a good telling off doesn’t it ...
So ... there
are divisions within the church, arguments and not much unity and Paul thanks
God!!!
Remember what Karen
Kendall said last week, when the Church is divided and full of arguments, those
outside the Church don’t see Jesus, they just see Church, making Christianity very unattractive.
I remember one night
at the vicarage, having a very heated debate with Bruce a few years ago, where
I was so fired up I don’t think he got a word in ‘edge ways’. He patiently waited for me to take a breath,
then seized his chance and asked me;
‘Sarah, where is
Jesus in all this’ it stopped me in my tracks for a moment, before replying I don’t know … and I continued for
another 20 minutes and once again he waited patiently for a gap to speak and he
repeated the same question;
‘Sarah, where is
Jesus in all this’? to which I replied;
‘What’s he got to do with it’ … … … …
I remember driving
home that night, thinking, he didn’t
listen to a word I said. He was listening, but he was focussed on bringing my thoughts back to Jesus.
I had fallen away
from Jesus, I was focussed on my own interests and had lost my way, just as the Corinthians
had.
The question; Where
is Jesus in all this; has served me well and will continue to serve and remind
me that my life is about Jesus, about His
will, not mine.
Paul urges the
Corinthians to put aside their differences and to be united and in one mind
with Christ.
He reminded them
they are blessed with God’s Grace;
But what is Grace
and did the Corinthians understand it – I doubt it.
Grace is divine favour from God, that we cannot earn
nor do we deserve, but is available to each and every one of us. (Read twice).
Grace cannot be
earned through good deeds, but by Faith and obedience to the Gospel.
Salvation is given
to us only by grace. It is impossible for us to obtain a perfect righteousness
by our own faith or our own good works. This is why God gives us salvation by
grace - its a gift.
Grace and works are
exact opposites. Rewards come with the practice of works, but mercy comes
through receiving grace. In the Bible, salvation is always and exclusively by
grace.
When you really
understand this, you have truly grasped the meaning of Faith, giving you access
to Grace, the two cannot be separated.
But we CAN ‘fall
from Grace’ if we let our faith diminish, just like the Corinthians did. Paul is reminding them of this.
To fall away from
Grace is to be severed from Jesus.
Remember, it is
through our true belief and personal relationship in Jesus, through our faith,
that we will unlock the secret of Grace, which will lead us to eternal life.
It sounds like the
end is nigh when we here it; ‘oh he’s fallen from Grace’ … … The truth is, we
fall from Grace on a regular basis, which is why we need to confess our sins
and use our Faith to rekindle our relationship with Jesus, to enjoy God’s
Grace.
So Paul is thanking
God for continuing to believe in the Corinthians by his Grace … … (God still
has Faith in them) and Paul urges them to return to their Faith because God has
called them into fellowship with his son.
Even Paul, who, was
not just a sinner, but an opposer of Jesus, was saved by the wonderful gift of
Grace.
So God believes in
us all, but do we all really believe in him?
Have you gained access to Grace by your Faith, or have you fallen away?
Are we busy doing
good deeds hoping to gain favour with those around us and not really focussing
on Jesus?
Next time you fall
out with someone, in the choir, over the flower arrangements, making the coffee
or disagreeing with the Vicar, or whose turn is it to do something;
Ask yourself; Where
is Jesus in all this?
AMEN
Questions
for discussion:
1.
Do
you understand the true meaning of Grace?
2.
How
can you make sure that you are receiving God’s Grace?
3.
Do
you believe Christians can ‘fall from Grace’, even though they are still
attending Church?
4.
What
message do you think we give out when we fall out and quarrel within the Church
family?
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