7 ways to think about my salvation

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

I absolutely love the enthusiasm Peter has for the depths of our salvation in Christ. Several things are noticeable in Peter's opening praise to God for the salvation we enjoy. It will be easiest just to list the observations from this short text.

1) We have been saved by a great mercy. God acted in mercy on us by sending His Son to die for our sins. God gave sinners what they did not deserve. God is merciful by nature, and the work of God in Christ is the pinnacle of the revealed mercies of God toward all the human race.

2) Salvation is a work of God. Peter uses the term "he has caused us to be born again". This is not a locked down determinism, but it clearly shows that the work of salvation is not ours, but God's. We are powerless to save ourselves. God is the cause of it... for His glory and purposes alone.

3) It is a new life. Peter picks up on Jesus' metaphor to Nicodemus to describe our salvation as being "born again". The Christian life is a new life, a reboot, a second chance spiritually given by God. We are regenerated in faith in Christ. This is significant. It is not just another piece of our lives that we can pick and choose. It is a total overhaul... a rebuild... a new life.

4) We gain a sure and living hope. It is not about wishing real hard that our future is secure. It is a living hope. I know here and now in the new life that I have been "reborn" to experience hope.

5) The resurrection of Christ is crucial to our experience. It is not just a fact of history. It is the kingpin to our salvation. Without the resurrection there would be no living hope. With it, we know that we too have victory over the death that is the wages of sin.

5) There is an eternal inheritance waiting for us in heaven. Again, without the resurrection there would be no inheritance. With the resurrection we know that heaven is a glorious future. We can rest secure in this fact. It comforts and strengthens us throughout life, and when we are at death's door, we pass through the valley of the shadow of death into a glorious future prepared for us in Christ.

6) God secures this salvation, this living hope, and this glorious inheritance. We are being guarded by God's power "through faith". I like this interesting way of putting it. God's power assures me, but my faith compels me. God keeps me as I believe and guard my heart. Both my faith and God's power keep the experience of security before me. God cannot be robbed, so I can be sure in my salvation. When my faith grows, I "feel" secure.

7) We should be living for an eschatological salvation. What I mean is that we will find our salvation finally fulfilled in ALL of God's plan. We of course will know it with security in our last days on this earth. But also, we know that the course of this planet has been determined by God. God has a plan for the end of all things (even this universe), and our salvation is key to what will happen when He recreates a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

7 ways to think about my salvation

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

I absolutely love the enthusiasm Peter has for the depths of our salvation in Christ. Several things are noticeable in Peter's opening praise to God for the salvation we enjoy. It will be easiest just to list the observations from this short text.

1) We have been saved by a great mercy. God acted in mercy on us by sending His Son to die for our sins. God gave sinners what they did not deserve. God is merciful by nature, and the work of God in Christ is the pinnacle of the revealed mercies of God toward all the human race.

2) Salvation is a work of God. Peter uses the term "he has caused us to be born again". This is not a locked down determinism, but it clearly shows that the work of salvation is not ours, but God's. We are powerless to save ourselves. God is the cause of it... for His glory and purposes alone.

3) It is a new life. Peter picks ups on Jesus' metaphor to Nicodemus to describe our salvation as being "born again". The Christian life is a new life, a reboot, a second chance spiritually given by God. We are regenerated in faith in Christ. This is significant. It is not just another piece of our lives that we can pick and choose. It is a total overhaul... a rebuild... a new life.

4) We gain a sure and living hope. It is not about wishing real hard that our future is secure. It is a living hope. I know here and now in the new life that I have been "reborn" to experience.

5) The resurrection of Christ is crucial to our experience. It is not just a fact of history. It is the kingpin to our salvation. Without the resurrection there would be no living hope. With it, we know that we too have victory over the death that is the wages of sin.

5) There is an eternal inheritance waiting for us in heaven. Again, without the resurrection there would be no inheritance. With the resurrection we know that heaven is a glorious future. We can rest secure in this fact. It comforts and strengthens us throughout life, and when we are at death's door, we pass through the valley of the shadow of death into a glorious future prepared for us in Christ.

6) God secures this salvation, this living hope, and this glorious inheritance. We are being guarded by God's power "through faith". I like this interesting way of putting it. God's power assures me, but my faith compels me. God keeps me as I believe and guard my heart. Both my faith and God's power keep the experience of security before me. God cannot be robbed, so I can be sure in my salvation. When my faith grows, I "feel" secure.

7) We should be living for an eschatological salvation. What I mean is that we will find our salvation finally fulfilled in ALL of God's plan. We of course will know it with security in our last days on this earth. But also, we know that the course of this planet has been determined by God. God has a plan for the end of all things (even this universe), and our salvation is key to what will happen when He recreates a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

boot camp thinking

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Paul leaves the Corinthians in his first letter to them with a string of terse, very practical commands. He usually has more to say at the end of an epistle, but I think the nature of this book made a change in his normal style. He had spent so much time dealing with big specific issues with the Corinthians that these short remarks are meant to help them not lose focus on the specific things they needed to deal with and resolve. Nonetheless, these short commands are packed with meaning. They are like the orders barked out by a drill instructor. We ought to follow them instinctively, because lives depend on them.

There are five firm commands here. The first is to "be watchful". This is a commitment to guard hearts. It means to be careful to not let any attitude or action creep into life that is not in keeping with Christ. Vigilance in doctrine and in holiness is a virtue and practice of the highest order.

The second command is related to the first one: "stand firm in the faith". This is the doctrinal lifestyle that every believer lives. You have to know what you believe, commit in that truth, and stand strong in it. These are not days for a wishy-washy kind of mediocre faith. These are the days to stand firm. The world around will constantly test us, and we must stay committed to the truth.

The third command is a call to Christian manliness: "act like men". I have to think it is directed to the men in the church. We know enough about Paul to know that he worked with both men and women in ministry. And he was happy to do so. I won't take the time here to elaborate, but women such as Priscilla, Phoebe, and Lydia, played key roles of service, support, and training in his ministry. So this is not a "sexist" statement when he tells the Corinthians to "man up". He knows he needs the men of that church to utilize their talents and roles for the glory of God. Spiritual leadership by males is crucial for the gospel impact of the church to be what it must be. There is no other way around it. This is God's design in home, family, and the church.

The fourth command is related to all three preceding it. It is the command to "be strong". I think the last three commands help define what that means. Strong churches have great male leaders who will be watchful and committed to the doctrines and practices of authentic Christianity. And this will lead to the whole body (men, women, and children) being strong and fit spiritually.

The final command brings perspective: "Let all you do be done in love". This saves us from a testosterone soaked boxing match in the other commands! We watch, we stand firm, we act like men, we are strong... all in the love of Christ, which compels us to care deeply about each other and about all people everywhere for whom Jesus gave His life. Love is the distinct calling card of Christianity. And it motivates us even in issues where firmness, resolve, and strong action accompany love's work.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

the gospel: of first importance

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5

The gospel is the central core of thought for Christianity. It is the basic saving message found only in Christ that we preach and celebrate in all that we do. Paul's summary of it is straightforward. It is always good to be reminded on what we are all about.

Paul saw the death of Christ as a substitutionary atonement. Christ died for our sins. That is the core of the gospel. We are in need of a savior. Our sin separates us from God. It is that fact that imperils our souls. That is why Jesus came and that is why He gave His life. He died for our sins.

The earliest Christians also clearly saw the substitutionary atonement of Christ as an event taught throughout the scriptures. It was the fulfillment of a plan that God had revealed in His Word. Thus the phrase "in accordance with the Scriptures" is a vital piece of the gospel message. Jesus was not killed in a travesty of justice as a failed moral teacher. He willingly gave His life in submission to the Father's will so that we might be redeemed from sin.

The earliest Christians also put much credence in the historical reliability of this truth. Paul goes into detail to affirm that Jesus was buried in a real tomb and that He rose again the third day. This was witnessed by people that at the time of the writing of this letter was still assessable. Most of these witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus could be found. They could be talked to and interviewed. This was factual information and Paul covers it in detail, not in exaggeration! He admits that of the 500 who witnessed Christ in one appearance, some had now died. His point was that the definitive mark of the gospel, the resurrection, was verifiable.

It is the TRUTH of the gospel that makes it compelling. The historical accuracy of the fact that Jesus lived and died are without any serious question. No historian today would commit intellectual suicide by saying Jesus never lived. Of course He did. And the facts around His crucifixion are reliable as well. They match historical data for the times in fine detail. The witnesses to His resurrection are so many, that the amount of time it would take to discredit each one has easily been part of history. Yet no one has been able to do it successfully. It is because this is the central reality each human being was born to hear, and that God desires we understand. It is of first importance.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

Public worship: the last word

But all things should be done decently and in order.
1 Corinthians 14:40

Paul was committed to excellence in the public worship of the church. The Corinthian church had a problem. Their worship gatherings had become total chaos. Everyone showed up with the expectation that they would participate in the service (1 Corinthians 14:26). That was good. The problem was that there was no reasonable means or mechanism to oversee this. Paul spends a great deal of time showing how each gift and each speaking opportunity ought to be directed (1 Corinthians 14:27-33) emphasizing that any confusion is a sign that God is not in the process. God brings peace, and the worship of Him does the same.

I have seen this principle violated before in worship gatherings. Without this rule in place, the worship is uncomfortable at best. I do not have the experience of being in a totally chaotic gathering of Christians. I have, however, seen one (or twenty) on Youtube. They provide fodder for potshots at Christianity to land substantial blows. Paul knew what he was saying when he instructed churches to let excellence and order drive their public worship.

One argument the "freestyle" worship gang makes is that the Holy Spirit is not in an "order of worship". I think they are totally wrong. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul when he wrote this passage. The heart of the Holy Spirit in public worship is for God to be clearly worshiped so that the gospel can be proclaimed and Jesus can be glorified. And that means reasonable order should mark Christian worship. The God who created the earth out of a formless void is glorified in the order. Shouldn't His worship testify to this? The answer is a simple and emphatic, "Yes!"



- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

Ain't nothin' without love!

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:3

Reality check time: Do I give with the right motives? Two ongoing events are driving that thought with me right now. One is very specific. My church is getting ready to emphasize stewardship and generous lifestyle commitments through participation in Financial Peace University. Programs and personalities aside, I am praying that it will help us all to reformat our priorities for the sake of the kingdom. But even if all of Mill Creek were to somehow give away all of the income represented, it would be worthless if it was not done out of love. It isn't about making a target amount with a check in the offering plate. It is about loving the things that God loves and sharing what I have in that great love.

A second broader event also has me reexamining my motivations. It has to do with the way many younger evangelicals have embraced social justice as a major outcome of their Christian faith. I am certainly all for it WHEN it is a natural outcome of preaching the gospel. And it should be. But that is not what I see happening. Instead, I see happy Christians in suburban ease volunteering to help social justice issues, often without any substantial sacrifice. They can climb in the beemer and drive home at night. There are some growing exceptions to that rule. And I am greatly impressed with those who are truly preaching the gospel while helping the homeless, revitalizing the urban core, or serving those dying of AIDS. I must admit that right now, for me, it is frankly quite easy to be in the first category. And finding a way to move in the second category is something I always must do. But Paul also reminds us that we can literally give our life for a social cause, and if love was not behind it, the sacrifice was a waste. Once again, service has to be about a really big kind of love!

Simply put: 1) It isn't giving without love, AND 2) It isn't serving without love. And the measure of love is the preaching of the gospel, living out its incarnational and sacrificial message, and truly caring for the people for whom Jesus died.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

one body / many parts / active service

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12

The main metaphor in the New Testament to describe the church is an organic one. Paul teaches it most clearly in this context. The church thrives like a human body. There are many parts to that body, but they cannot live or function alone. They contribute to the entire body's health and purpose.

This is why for a Christian, involvement with other Christians in a local church is absolutely crucial to spiritual survival. It is not that we isolate or insulate ourselves. But it is where the Body grows, matures, thrives and lives. We miss out on much when we do not serve as God designed. That means that the Body of Christ is this active and dynamic experience. The body is on the move. It is doing things. And the church is the Body of Christ, not just when it is huddled together, but more importantly when it is serving the community around it together with the love of Jesus. That is something that is entirely amazing.

The whole point of 1 Corinthians 12 is to emphasize the vital role each person has in this scenario. Every person is uniquely gifted by God to serve Him and love others. And Christians are to lead the way in this kind of community care. The gospel blazes its way forward into lives of people whom God wants to transform through the work of the Body of Christ. So will we really step out and dare to serve God together?


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

pattern for Christian maturity

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1

This is the standard for discipleship. The pattern that Paul used in helping people understand what they needed to do as followers of Jesus was his own growth in Christ. They were to imitate him, as he imitated Christ. This is a high calling. It is what is supposed to build the church into the spiritual, personal, and moral example that it is supposed to be in the world. And it takes place one life at a time. It is imitation of Christ.

I am as guilty as the rest of the evangelical culture of being a sucker for the latest program. And there is a vast publishing empire in American evangelicalism that seeks to exploit this tendency. I don't always think it is a good thing. I am generally abhorrent of Christian trends for this very reason: They lack the personal mentoring element mentioned by Paul. They are built on hype (40 days of this or that), or on celebrity (evangelicals practically invented celebrity culture in the 18th and 19th centuries in America... and it is accepted today), or on curriculum (buy this book or DVD or study guide on everything from stewardship to parenting... even sex. Yes... I have seen a Christian cookbook). And I just can't see Paul running around in the middle of this kind of circus... not with the statement of this verse in mind.

The beauty of Christianity is its powerful simplicity. It is life changing, but in a personal, quiet, relational way. We come to faith by the message delivered by a person. We grow in faith by obeying the truth of God's Word, usually under the impact and influence of another person. That is God's plan. And when the mentor and the disciple both set their eyes on Christ, the outcome is powerful, beautiful, Christian faith. And it impacts the culture and the world one life at a time. This is the kind of simple truth around which I want to passionately build my life.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

biblically ambidextrous

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.
1 Corinthians 10:6

There is a reason for the excruciating spiritual detail in the Old Testament. It is meant to serve as an instructive example to us. It is meant to show us the results of sinful choices. God reveals not only what people did, but how it affected their relationship with Him. This information is useful to help us navigate around the sinful choices they made... so that we might avoid them and the awful consequences of sin.

Many times the Old Testament is this vastly unexplored territory for many believers. In most churches, it gets little pulpit time. Preaching Old Testament narrative can be hard. But Paul certainly felt the freedom to speak to even Gentiles from its truths. One can argue that he had nothing else from which to preach. But he knew that the story of God with His people Israel was helpful for the present instruction of Christ's church. Even in the failings of Israel, there were clear warnings and principles for dealing with the results of sin among members of Christ's body.

I know that in biblical counseling, there are many times where the perfect metaphor or message on a particular issue comes from the Old Testament. All the vivid details are usually right there in black and white. Because human nature is the same everywhere, the application fits! God knew what He was doing when He chose to reveal Himself in the lives of people and have that revelation recorded for all to understand in the pages of scripture. The Old Testament is an irreplaceable treasure because it is the Word of God.

I have a goal in my teaching and training ministry. I want to be biblically ambidextrous. I want to be free to study and relate to both the Old and the New Testaments. There are strong doctrines, practical applications, and life-changing truths to be understand and lived out in ALL of scripture. And the New Testament promises growth in holiness to those who will heed the instruction of the Old Testament. That's reason enough to know my way around both testaments.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

running for the prize

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27

For some obvious reason, I hear Vangelis playing the theme music to "Chariots of Fire" when I read this passage. It's an eighties thing. Slow motion beach runs aside, the metaphor that Paul presses upon us and himself in this passage is well worth considering. It shows us the kind of sincere dedication that is needed to serve Christ. It is as radical as training for a marathon.

Paul chose an apt metaphor for the Corinthians. Every two years the city hosted the second most popular athletic event in the Graeco-Roman world, the Isthmian Games. A series of athletic contests was held, and just like the Olympian games, the contestants competed for a laurel wreath that signified their victorious achievements. There was disciplined training for the competition. There was magnificent display of athletic prowess. Their was reward for those who won the race.

Paul urges believers to run with the prize firmly in mind. We are to have one all-consuming passion in life, to serve God with disciplined minds and bodies so that the gospel can advance into the lives of others. That is the context of this metaphor. Paul has defended his ministry again to the Corinthians by making it clear that he lived before them a full dedication to serving Christ just for the sake of the gospel. The reason he did this was that he was running for the prize. There was no other passion that deserved such devotion. So... run to win. Box to land a blow. Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. And God will reward those who do so for His glory.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

brotherly love as a motivation for the choices I make

Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
1 Corinthians 8:12

Paul is saying that is better for me to restrain myself in certain areas than to find that I have wounded a Christian brother by my choice of action. How utterly un-American! This kind of sacrificial thinking flies in the face of a culture that tells us that pursuing the good life and individual freedoms is the path to happiness. Paul's point is that within the church, we have to make some decisions as to how we live our lives based on the impact it will have on our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is love for the Body of Christ as a life motivator.

The instance in illustration in this context was unique to the First Century Christian culture. Every large city had its pagan temples, and in the worship of the pagan gods, animals were "sacrificed". The resulting meat from such sacrifices made its way to the market square where it was often sold at a discount. So bargain hunters could pick up a decent meal and a low price. And the issue became for the church to sort through the ramifications of this practice. Paul makes it clear that there was nothing inherently wrong with eating such meat. But he also makes it clear that for those who have been saved from the depths of pagan worship, such meat might bring back the unpleasantries and pains of the more spiritually impacting moments of idolatry. For them, eating such meat wounded their conscience and seemed a form of betrayal to God. And for them, out of love and concern, any other believer ought to limit by love their freedom so that the Body of Christ might be built up.

Some examples of this in the modern day setting might include things like the consumption of alcohol, freedom to attend movies, attendance at sports events, or even dancing. None of these are evil in and of themselves (in moderation), but they have potential to bring up unpleasantries, even past addictions in some people. For that reason, when or if we find that out, we would want to limit the freedom to protect the family. I have seen this woefully abused however. I know of some believers who have flaunted a beer in front of a former alcoholic and then told me that person just needed to "mature". It is really the other way around! It is one thing to unknowingly offend, and then ask forgiveness. It is another thing altogether to knowingly offend and not be willing to humbly redirect freedom for the sake of friendship and family.

A major consideration in the choices we make and lifestyles we live ought to be this thought: "What reputation does this build in the Body of Christ?" The answer to that question may change according to the people that I am with at the moment. That is not hypocrisy. It is love limiting itself out of respect for what God has done in someone else's love. It forces us to appreciate other believers, and not just live for what we personally want to do!

And the final matter for Paul was this: it was not just a matter between me and another person. If I wound the conscience of my brother in Christ, I have sinned against Christ. That is the seriousness of any casual disregard of this principle. I am afraid that I don't always see this that way, so I need this stern and clear reminder. It helps me to appreciate and understand the importance of maintaining great relationships with my fellow believers.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

don't be who you ain't

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.
1 Corinthians 7:17

This little nugget of wisdom comes in a section of the New Testament that does not get as much attention as it should. In the context (1 Corinthians 7:17-24), Paul is telling the Corinthians to learn to look at their individual lives and determine prayerfully God's calling for them. His point was that they did not need to be someone God had not made them to be. Remember, they had a tendency towards idolizing Christian leaders, which probably led them to want to be like their favorite celebrity.

Paul takes on the issues of married/single, slave/freeman, and Jew/Gentile and makes it clear that there is no clear advantage in any of these distinctions in terms of the church. We must not create a system that highlights one over the other. And how true that is, still today. And sadly, many church growth specialists ignore this. We have churches now targeting generations, targeting marital status, targeting economic status, targeting urban or suburban status, etc, etc, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

The body of Christ is a beautiful experience in its diversity. To take that away is ugly, and not God's design. To force believers to see some other status other than what God made them as their goal in Christian living is to destroy what God is making the church. The goal of discipleship is not leadership (that is just one spiritual gift... and a minority gift at that). The goal of discipleship is not upfront showiness. The goal of discipleship is to see people become committed followers of Jesus regardless of race, sex, marital status, economic class, vocation, or education. We are never to make someone long to be someone else. A good rule of discipleship is this: "Don't be who you ain't!"


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

what my body was meant to do

The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
1 Corinthians 6:13b

We live in an age of unbridled sensuality. At no time is this more apparent than on Super Bowl Sunday. The sports world can talk about the noble meeting of two hard working teams for a world championship, but for most everybody else, it is a reason to party. And for advertisers it is a chance to entice. In the first quarter of football play, the commercials played during breaks were the most expensive airtime of the year. Advertisers paid big bucks to get that message across, and five times in the first quarter I found myself given a message that focused on sexual imagery... sometimes for laughs, but always to entice. It is because the world really believes that the purpose of the body is to give in to every sensual lust.

I understand that any city that hosts the Superbowl also unwittingly hosts the largest movement of sex trafficking of the year. What is particularly appalling is the underage prostitution associated with the Superbowl ticket holders and partiers. Young women were forced into sexual slavery. Men and women filled their lusts in wanton immorality, not even thinking of any personal or spiritual cost... until the party was over. No consequence is ever considered in the heat of the moment. I shudder to think of the cumulative human tragedy from every first Sunday of February.

Christians must stand for the truth. Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made. Sex as designed by our Creator is a great gift. The abuse of that design is a human tragedy as appalling as any holocaust. I see it all the time. It shows itself in a home where trust has been obliterated by one partner's sexual sin. I meet with people who are ruined by the results of thinking that sexual pursuits were the highest good in life, only to confess utter misery and loneliness as their constant companion. It is because God has not been honored. And the church ought to be the place where by God's grace, restoration can take place, and marital fidelity and sexuality can be celebrated for the powerful and beautiful creation that God made it to be.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

zero tolerance

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler-not even to eat with such a one.
1 Corinthians 5:11

The second major problem in the Corinthian church was moral laxity. They tolerated gross immorality in their midst. A case of open incest was becoming something celebrated within the church. When these facts reached the ears of Paul, it moved him to teach this church how to confront this sin. He made it very clear that the church cannot expect those outside the church to live morally (1 Corinthians 5:10). But the church must use its authority as the Body of Christ to teach, reprove, and hold accountable those who chose to live in sexual sin and yet claim to be followers of Jesus.

Paul lumps it into the a list of deep personally impacting sins such as greed, idolatry, hatefulness, substance abuse, and financial swindling. None of these sins were to be tolerated. They were to be dealt with from within the Body of Christ. Once a person was confronted and if they refused to repent, the church was to take action (just as Jesus commanded in Matthew 18) and to no longer treat the deliberate sinner as part of the fellowship of the family. The goal was still restoration. But the church is ineffective as a gospel witness if transformed lives are not the constituency of its congregation. To allow sin full sway is to turn your back on Christ and render the gospel insignificant.

It is always time for Christians to adopt a zero tolerance for immorality and life-dominating sins. This is not for those who don't know Christ. It is for those within the Body of Christ. We should not be afraid to teach and confront this reality. We have no message if we tolerate sin. It is that simple.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

beyond what is written

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
1 Corinthians 4:6

These are the closing arguments Paul gives to the Corinthians on the subject of divisive celebrity culture in the church. He admonishes them not to ever let commitment to any personality lead them astray from an understanding of the holy scriptures. What is written is what guides and instructs them. God may use people to teach and proclaim His Word, but we must never confuse His message with His messenger.

Paul's point is that good teachers do not draw attention to themselves. He and Apollos were not into gathering followers for themselves. In fact, in the next section (1 Corinthians 4:8-13) Paul gets a little sarcastic in explaining that when apostleship functions as it should, the apostles are not first in line, but rather last in line. His experience was that there was nothing glamorous in His service and ministry. The Corinthians had created the false fame with their insistence upon celebritizing the ministry.

The best way to keep from personality driven ministry is to focus on the Word of God. Ministry leaders who make much of the Bible and practice the teachings of scriptures themselves with humility can ward off much of the celebrity cult. I said "much of the celebrity cult", because it is human nature to praise man. And it is tempting to believe your own press. I know. I have been tempted to do so from time to time. At the end of any sermon, my heart wants everyone to pat me on the back. That is my human pride. But the reality is that if I do my job in service to the Lord, at the end of any service, people should be going to Jesus. To want or look for anything else is to go beyond what is written.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

organically grown ministry

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
1 Corinthians 3:7-9

The Corinthian church wanted to make the Christian life all about celebrity teaching. For them it had become personality driven. But Paul teaches them that they have missed the idea of Christian growth completely. First he calls them big babies (in so many words... see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3), then he reminds them that their divisive celebrity factions were not from God (1 Cor. 3:4). What they missed was the organic metaphor for Christian growth.

Paul gives them a strong agricultural picture to look at. The idea is that a variety of Christian workers had been involved in the ministry of the gospel to the people of Corinth. God had used some of them to plant the seed, some of them to water it, but God was the one who was doing the real work. That metaphor is quite relevant. Just like a farmer can only do so much work, and then must leave his fields to the elements outside his control and totally at God's control, so the church and the spread of the gospel is a work that we participate in, but only in a very limited way. God must be in it, or the crop will not come in.

Organic ministry grows through people doing what God has gifted them to do. They should not become personalities. Paul's phrase is "workers". It is straightforward. It is God's work and He brings us in to use our gifts and abilities. It is not about my personality taking center stage. It is about God's work growing and letting His glory be the goal of all the workers. It is then that we have a harvest worth celebrating.

As a Christian, I ought to consider the organic nature of Christian discipleship when viewing my own Christian growth. God is guiding the process and using His Word, His Holy Spirit, and the ministry of His workers to grow and mature me. I should not get any other picture than this organic one in my mind. It will trip me up as I serve in His field (which is why any pastor who is into self-promotion is nauseating). It will stunt my growth if I miss this picture as well, because I might get pulled away from the essentials of growth in God's field. Instead, I should watch for what God is bringing my way... whether it waters my roots, or pulls up my weeds, and give thanks to Him for this daily way in which He is causing me to grow in Christ!



- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13

how we pair with the gospel

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:3-5

Paul makes it clear that his experience with the Corinthian church was one in which the power of God was demonstrated and not the power of human persuasiveness. It was not about human leadership. It was about God's Spirit using Paul in his weakness. It wasn't that Paul was not being used by God to lead this church to Christ. He was. It was just that the manner of God's work was not the way human beings would do it. The gospel does not pair with unredeemed human strategic thinking.

One of the reasons I find ministry uniquely challenging is this very dimension. Everything we do has to be done by God's equipping and power. And often the people God uses mightily are the people we would least suspect. For instance, I really enjoy listening to John Piper teach the Word. Yet, he is quick to illustrate from his own struggles and weaknesses. But strangely, that has given him a platform of usability be God. That is what I think Paul was experiencing and describing to the Corinthian church.

Why would Paul reiterate this history with them? It was because of their tendency toward celebrity Christianity (see chapter one and yesterday's post). They were the ones putting stock in the gifts of human beings. They were the ones valuing human wisdom and strategies with no thought to divine power and providence. They magnified the messenger above the message (a powerful tendency even today) and the result was gross immaturity in the Body of Christ.

There is a role for human gifts and abilities. They should pair up with spiritual gifts (a theme developed later by Paul) to bring the gospel to the forefront. But when the focus is the people God uses, rather than the power of the gospel to transform lives, we miss it. And the gospel gets diminished by this kind of thing. We should have as our goal to pair with the gospel our humility and weakness. It is in so doing that the glory and power of God can come forward through the Holy Spirit's use of fearful, powerless, broken, yet believing people.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13