0515 UNITY AND DIVERSITY

UNITY AND DIVERSITY

So many things are in the opening chapter of 1 Corinthians. But let’s talk about a theme that will arise once again later in the book: It is the matter of unity and how a church is supposed to look.

 

You may recall that Paul and the others first visited Corinth during his second missionary journey, when he had the call to come to Macedonia. There were Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke, and he first met Aquila and Priscilla there, where he stayed and worked with them. Apollos also came there from Ephesus as an evangelist who knew about Jesus and was learning about the Holy Spirit.

 

It was in Corinth that Jewish opposition became so heated that Paul shook out his clothes and told the Jews their blood was on their own head, but that he was going to the Gentiles. He was a year and a half in Corinth. And he writes to the church there while he is in his second-generation of having trained leaders there. When he writes his first letter to Corinth, Paul is living in Ephesus. Some of the same themes for this book are found in Ephesus. Paul was planning at this point to visit the believers in Corinth a second time.

 

Let’s get into the book, shall we? 

 

“Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 

 

If you recall, the church in Corinth was established with riots and revolutions all around. The believers there were strong in those miraculous gifts of the Spirit we sometimes refer to as “sign gifts.” We are going to see the topic of speaking “in tongues” come up a couple of times, and the unique aspect of tongues in Corinth seems to be that it was not an understandable language, as had happened at Pentecost, but is more of a private prayer language. The phenomenon is sometimes referred to as Neo-Corinthian tongues.

 

So as Paul begins his prayers in other letters, so here he starts with thanks to God for the people. He thanks God that they are not lacking in any spiritual gift. However, all of that diversity is tested by a lack of unity.

 

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:7, 10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

Diversity with love is the will of God, and serves as a model of heaven on earth. But diversity without love leads to mistrust and judgmental attitudes. Spiritual pedigrees, based on who first led you to Jesus. Spiritual gifts, comparing and adding a hierarchy to differing gifts. Cultural practice, arising from a cosmopolitan city, leading to assumptions about spiritual maturity. Keep all these themes in mind, because they will come up later in the book.

 

“Perfectly united in mind and thought.” Impossible? Yes. God’s will? Of course. And the Holy Spirit will guide toward that end, always.

 

May he bring us all to be perfectly united in mind and spirit. Amen.