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November 2008
Rightly
Dividing the Word of Truth
(2
Timothy 2:15)
This
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to
be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
1 Corinthians Lesson 01
Some things are good but they’re not pleasant.
I chose this
opening statement as a lead-in because I’m certain more than a few people out
there read a portion of my Bible lesson last week but then stopped reading it
because they were “offended” by it. Others may have read the entire lesson but
then “labeled” it harsh or too direct, while some others simply disagreed
without taking the time to
“search the
Scriptures to see if these things were true.”
Readership is off again
this week, so this is how I know some people reacted unfavorably to my Bible session
last week. I say “again” because it
happens frequently. Ministers, pastors, and
priests experience something similar re:
church attendance. They’ll work diligently
on a sermon or message and deliver it effectively on Sunday, only to watch
people get up and walk out in the middle of it or they simply don’t come back
because they didn’t agree with something they “heard” or thought they heard. These folks then go from church to church
until they find someone who’ll “speak” what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:1-4)… and they’re out there. There are plenty of people behind the podium
who are more interested in attendance figures then they are in “preaching”
God’s Truths to the people – believe me.
Last week I said
the Truth needed to be heard whether people wanted to hear it or not and
likened this fact to an operation to remove a cancerous growth, which can be a lifesaving
procedure, and that’s good, but it's not pleasant
for the patient. 180 degrees out from
that example, some things are pleasant but not good. Play is pleasant and enjoyable when we
gather with friends for an afternoon of Frisbee or flag football and then follow
that up with fellowship and a picnic.
But continual play, while shunning our responsibilities, is not good.
Truth is a rare
commodity in this age. In a world overflowing with opinions, lies,
and deceit, the Truth is often overlooked or ignored outright. Relative truth has become a fixation in our
society and has become a friend of the religious and the spiritual as well.
Evidence and facts
are our friends when we are pursuing Truth but they are the enemies of
individuals who do not want to acknowledge them simply because they are not
interested in “change.” These folks
react negatively by arguing or getting angry simply because they disagree when
the “facts” are presented.
Arguing about Truth
doesn’t alter it or make it go away. Those
who refuse to acknowledge and respond to Truth eventually wind up making
decisions based on incomplete and inaccurate information. I'll use the nation of Israel as an example in Paul's day: And
all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children (Matthew
27:25)!
Our Apostle Paul
wants every Believer to know they are a new
creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), the Holy Spirit lives within us; therefore a
Believer’s life should be a changed life. It’s true we’re forgiven no matter how many
times we sin, but at the same time God’s Grace does not afford us the liberty to do whatever we want – to live
a lifestyle that conflicts with His expressed will. Every Believer should live a
progressively more sanctified life
as we gain more knowledge of our
Lord.
The Apostle John
had this to say: I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in truth
(3 John 1:4).
And
but if
we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all
sin (1 John 1:7).
The problem doesn't lie in the proclaiming of the Truth
but in those who do not choose to submit to it.
but in those who do not choose to submit to it.
********
Paul’s
Appeal to Unity
There
are few things in this world that are good and pleasant, actually
beneficial to us, and at the same time enjoyable experiences. In the course of studying the book of Romans,
our Apostle Paul has shown us that both of these qualities are found in unity in Jesus Christ, in brothers and
sisters dwelling together in one accord.
According
to New Testament teachings, unity in
Christ Jesus is not only “good” and “pleasant” to us Believers, but even more
important, it is good and pleasing to God. On the night Jesus Christ was betrayed into
the hands of lawless men, He prayed to His heavenly Father for the unity of those who would believe on Him
in the future: “I
do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me
through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also
may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me (John
17:20-21).
If
you knew this was your last night on earth, and you knelt and prayed a prayer
to your heavenly Father, what would ask for?
While you’re pondering that, reflect back on the Lord’s request to His
Father. His focus wasn’t “inward” it was
“outward.” The unity of all Believers had to be the most important longing in His
heart, otherwise He would not have prayed for it.
When
Paul wrote to the divided church in Corinth, a church beset by many ills and
carnal weaknesses, the very same yoke lay heavy on his heart for his first inclination
was to urge his brethren to
unite: Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions
among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the
same judgment (1 Corinthians 1:10).
One
of the signs of apostasy (falling away from the Truth) in the church is the
bickering and disunity among Believers.
Jesus said that the world would
know that we were His disciples if you have love for one another (John 13:35). In Colossians 3:14, Paul writes: love
is the perfect bond of unity. Ephesians 4:5 Paul explains that there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism (of
the Holy Spirit) and by this he means to say all Believers are unified in Christ Jesus. Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 1:12-13
that Jesus Christ is not divided.
Although Christ isn’t divided, His body of Believers certainly is. Divisions in the church can be a healthy and
necessary thing according to Paul’s teaching:
“For there must also be
factions (dissension) among you, so that
those who are approved may become evident among you” (1 Corinthians 11:19). But here again too much of a good thing isn’t
good.
It’s
o.k. to have differences of opinion on non-essential matters. In other words, let’s not get all worked up while
majoring on the minor issues such as: what
we can eat and what we should not eat, how to dress for church, should I kneel
when I pray or is it o.k. if I sit or stand, is it permissible to drink
alcohol, and does it really matter what day of the week I choose to worship
God? On such issues we can agree to
disagree, but when it comes to what God has clearly revealed to us in His Word,
especially regarding one’s salvation in this Dispensation of Grace, there is no
room for disagreement or discussion. We
accept all these teachings on faith and the very definition of faith is: taking God at His Word or God said it; I believe it.
That’s that!
Thus
our Apostle Paul wrote to the divided church (ecclesia) in Corinth, Greece and
1 Corinthians 1:10 takes on special significance in our age, when the Church, even
the true Church of born-again Believers, is caught up in the grip of disorganization
and division, offering to the world a
view that is anything but a united testimony
to the Grace and Glory of God the Father, I am reminded: God is
not a God of confusion but of
peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Corinthians
14:33).
Please
open your Bible at 1 Corinthians 1.
1 Corinthians 1
1: Paul, called
as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2: To the church of
God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling,
with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours;
In
verse one Paul identifies himself as the author of this letter and adds that
he’s been called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the (expressed) will of God. Why he mentions Sosthenes our brother, at the beginning of this letter no one knows
for certain. He may have been a leader
in this church with some authority.
Paul
isn’t “boasting” with his opening statement and he’s not asserting his
authority over this church in Corinth.
We know this because of what he said, “…an apostle…by the will of God.” I want you to see how this opening
remark from Paul “fits” into the dispute he addresses in verses 11 thru 13, but
also remember what we learned from the introductory lessons. The vast majority of Believers in this church
group had issues with Paul’s apostleship.
Because of these facts Paul wanted to establish from the get-go that God
is first, last, and always in importance, or as I like to say, He is the Main thing! One of the disputes within the Corinthian
Church concerned whom to follow. Paul
says God chose me to serve Him. Thus,
his service is to God first and foremost; it’s not about “pleasing” himself or men.
*By
the way - one doesn’t “volunteer” to become an apostle of Jesus Christ; an
individual is selected by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself or appointed by one of
the apostles to replace an apostle who has died (Acts 1:12-26, 9).
In
verse two we note that these Corinthian Believers were a church of God, i.e. one of his called-out assemblies
(Ecclesia in the Greek language), having been
sanctified in Christ Jesus. This is
an old English word for “saintified,” for a saint is one who has been “set apart” as sacred; dedicated to God (Hagiazo – pronounced Hag-ee-ad’-zo in
the Greek language) – see Ephesians 1:6.
But
were these church members holy in the true sense of the word? Were they saints? No, they were not. They couldn’t divorce themselves from the
sinful culture they grew up in and in which they continued to embrace. They sinned continually and yet Paul calls
them saints. There is a very clear difference between your
position before God the Father and your practice, between your standing and
your present state. In the eyes of God Believers
are as righteous as Jesus Christ; however, we don’t act like it.
They
are called to be holy, called to be saints. How can they be sanctified yet not holy?
How
is that consistent with the idea that sanctification is the “work of a
lifetime?”
1
Corinthians 6:11 says: Such were some of you; but you were washed,
but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Our
standing is defined as holiness; our
behavior is defined as unholiness, if
you will. In other words, these
Corinthians Believers had not made their “life” match their “position.” They hadn’t lived up to who they were in
Christ Jesus.
Many
years ago Zenith Electronics had an ad jingle that went “the quality goes in before the name goes on.” With God and Believers it’s just the
opposite: “the name goes on before the quality goes in.” We are declared sanctified by the name of
Jesus Christ. It takes us a lifetime to
become like God’s Son (Ephesians 5:1-5; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23;
Hebrews 3:1, 10:10-14).
Moving
to the second-half of this verse, please note with the following words Paul
emphasizes the close relationship (unity) of the Corinthian Church with other
Believers everywhere and not just with one another, with all who in every place call on the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and
ours; reminding them that the Body of Christ is one complete family of Believers.
This
family of Believers included Sosthenes (pronounced
– Sos-the-nez); the Jewish gentleman who became the chief ruler of the
synagogue at Corinth after Crispus was converted. He led the Jews in ridiculing Paul and his
teachings about Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected attempting to destroy him. He and some of the other Jews took Paul
before the Roman proconsul, but Gallio dismissed the charges against Paul and
released him. The “worked-up” mob was
intent on beating on somebody, so
after Paul was set free they attacked Sosthenes
in front of the judgment seat (Acts 18:12-17).
Sosthenes like Paul is living
proof that a person’s heart and life can change
from being an ignorant antagonist to an evangelist after hearing the
Gospel, acknowledging their sins, and believing. We know from Acts 18:8 the former Jewish synagogue
leader, Crispus, had been converted
by Paul. Perhaps he played a role in Sosthenes’ change of attitude but we
know for certain only the Holy Spirit can open
a person’s heart to respond to the things of God (Acts
16:14).
Let’s
look at verse 3.
1 Corinthians 1
3: Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This
is called an “opening benediction.” The
word benediction comes from the Latin bene
meaning “good” and dicere meaning
“say.” In Scripture, a benediction
referred to “good words” from God the Father or His representatives to His
people as a blessing.
You’ll
find a benediction in every one of Paul’s letters signed by his name.
Grace – Paul has changed
the normal Greek letter opening term “greetings,” (Charein), to a uniquely Christian one which sounds similar, (Charis).
Peace – It’s possible as Grace reflected a typical Greek
greeting the word Peace reflected
the typical Hebrew greeting, shalom. The
term shalom is both a Hebrew greeting and farewell. It implies not only the absence of problems,
but the presence of goodness and well-being.
Paul may have borrowed this greeting from Numbers 6:25-26 where both Grace and Peace appear. Theologically
speaking, Grace always precedes Peace, but both are found ONLY in a
faith relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ both corporately and
individually.
True
Grace and Peace only come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Peace is
the absence of “spiritual” stress or anxiety:
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27; Philippians 4:4-7)
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are linked
together grammatically as One, i.e. one preposition, but two objects. This is how the N.T. authors emphasize Jesus
Christ’s deity (1 Thessalonians 1:1, 3:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:2, 1:12,
2:16).
(To
be continued)
[Published Weekly on Friday]
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Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
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