The One Body

Week Five - Day 4

Today's Reading

1 Corinthians 9:1--12:31

Paul must have really been stung by the criticism and questioning of his authority and motives by the Corinthian church, for he returns for a third time in his letter to the defense his credentials and actions.  The fact that he has preached and worked among them for free has some of them perplexed.  Perhaps they felt Paul wasn't a "professional" since didn't accept any pay for his services.  Paul, however, is proud that he is not compensated by them - proof that he is not in it for anything other than the hope of winning some souls for Christ.

The list of issues that Paul had received regarding the church in Corinth seems to have been extensive as he moves to address a variety of concerns.  There are questions regarding the worship of idols, eating foods which were sacrificed to pagan gods, the proper role and conduct of women in church, the lack of concern for the poor within the community, the understanding of the sacredness of the celebration of the Lord's supper, and the proper role of spiritual gifts.  Through Paul's letter we get the picture of a community that is engaging and trying to make sense of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what it means for the various aspects of their daily lives.  They are to be commended for their faith, but are still in need of instruction as to how to put it into practice in ways that are truly reflective of the good news.

It is interesting to note how Paul tends to swing back and forth between what sounds to be rather harsh criticism and words that are uplifting and full of grace.  The entire chapter (12) on spiritual gifts and the body of Christ should be required weekly reading for all Christians.  It contains the essence of how we should appreciate the divergence of gifts within the church, as well as how we should celebrate our mutual dependance with all who are brothers and sisters in Christ.