Year in the Bible a Review of the Second Half of 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians and Work
Bible Commentary / Produced by TOW Projection
Introduction to 1 Corinthians
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No other alphabetic character in the New Testament gives us a more than practical pictureture of applying the Christian faith to the solar day-to-twenty-four hour period problems of life and work than 1 Corinthians. Topics such as career and calling, the lasting value of piece of work, overcoming individual limitations, leadership and service, the development of skills and abilities (or "gifts"), fair wages, environmental stewardship, and the apply of money and possessions are prominent in the letter. The unifying perspective on all these topics is love. Love is the purpose, means, motivation, souvenir, and glory behind all work done in Christ.
The City of Corinth (1 Corinthians)
The Apostle Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, which he founded on his second missionary journey (AD 48–51), is a treasure trove of practical theology for Christians facing everyday challenges. Information technology provides Paul'southward education to Christians grappling with real-life bug, including conflicts of loyalty, class differences, conflicts between personal freedom and the common good, and the difficulty of leading a various group of people to accomplish a shared mission.
In Paul's time, Corinth was the most of import city in Greece. Sitting astride the isthmus that joins the Peloponnesian Peninsula to mainland Greece, Corinth controlled both the Saronic Gulf to the east and the Gulf of Corinth to the n. Merchants wanted to avoid the difficult, dangerous body of water journey around the fingers of the Peloponnese, so a great deal of the goods flowing between Rome and the western empire and the rich ports of the eastern Mediterranean were hauled across this isthmus. Almost all of it passed through Corinth, making it 1 of the empire's cracking commercial centers. Strabo, an older gimmicky of Paul, noted that "Corinth is called 'wealthy' considering of its commerce, since it is situated on the Isthmus and is main of two harbors, of which the one leads direct to Asia, and the other to Italy; and it makes easy the exchange of merchandise from both countries that are so far distant from each other."[1]
The metropolis had something of a boomtown temper during the middle of the first century equally freed slaves, veterans, merchants, and tradesmen streamed into the city. Though what nosotros might at present phone call "upward mobility" was elusive in the ancient world, Corinth was ane place where it might be possible, with a few skillful breaks and a lot of difficult work, to establish oneself and enjoy a reasonably good life.[2] This contributed to the unique ethos of Corinth, which viewed itself every bit prosperous and cocky-sufficient, a city whose core value was "entrepreneurial pragmatism in the pursuit of success."[iii] Many cities in today'due south world aspire to this very ethos.
The Church in Corinth and Paul's Letters (1 Corinthians)
Paul arrived in Corinth in the winter of Advertisement 49/50[4] and lived there for a year and a half. While there he supported himself by working in tentmaking—or mayhap leather working [5] (Acts 18:two), the trade he had learned as a male child—in the workshop of Aquila and Priscilla (come across ane Cor. 4:12). He lays out his reasons for post-obit this grade in i Corinthians 9 (run into beneath), even though he could have taken advantage of full-time support as a missionary from the start, as indeed he subsequently does (Acts 18:four and 2 Cor. 11:ix).
In whatever case, his Sabbath-day preaching in the synagogue soon diameter fruit, and the church in Corinth was born. The church seems to have been made upward of not more than a hundred people when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. Some were Jews, while most were Gentiles. They met in the houses of 2 or 3 wealthier members, but nigh belonged to the large underclass that populated all urban centers.[vi]
Paul connected to be keenly interested in the evolution of the church even after he left Corinth. Paul had written the congregation at least i letter prior to ane Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:ix) in gild to address a trouble that had come up up later his departure. Members of the business firm of Chloe, who may accept had business interests to attend to in Ephesus, visited Paul there and reported that the church in Corinth was in danger of coming apart at the seams over various divisions of opinion (i Cor. 1:11). In entrepreneurial Corinthian style, competing groups were creating parties around their favorite apostles in order to gain status for themselves (capacity 1-4). Many were upward in arms due to serious differences over the sexual behavior and business ethics of some of their members (chapters 5-6). Then some other group of representatives from the church arrived with a alphabetic character in paw (1 Cor. 7:i, 16:17), querying Paul on a number of important issues, such as sex and matrimony (affiliate 7), the propriety of eating meat that had been previously offered to idols (chapters eight-10) and worship (capacity xi-14). Finally, Paul had also learned from one of these sources, or maybe Apollos (see 1 Cor. 16:12), that some in the Corinthian church building were denying the future resurrection of believers (affiliate fifteen).
These questions hardly grew out of academic discussions. The Corinthians wanted to know how as followers of Christ they should act in matters of daily life and work. Paul gives answers throughout 1 Corinthians, making it one of the virtually practical books of the New Attestation.
Strabo, Geographica viii.6.xx.
Donald Engels, Roman Corinth: An Alternative Model for the Classical Metropolis (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990), 49.
Anthony C. Thiselton, The Showtime Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (1000 Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), iv.
Gordon Fee, The Beginning Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 5.
Ronald F. Hock, The Social Context of Paul's Ministry: Tentmaking and Apostleship (Philadelphia: Fortress Printing, 1980), 21–22.
Wayne A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul, 2nd ed. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), 51–73.
All Are Chosen (one Corinthians 1:1–iii)
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In the opening paragraph of i Corinthians, Paul lays out themes that he will address in more detail in the body of his alphabetic character. It is no coincidence that the concept of calling is front and center in the introduction. Paul states in the very first verse that he was "called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" (1:ane). A strong confidence that he was called straight by God pervades Paul'due south letters (run into e.chiliad. Gal. 1:one) and is primal to his mission (see Acts 9:xiv–xv). It lent him remarkable fortitude in the face of enormous challenges. Besides, the Corinthian believers are "called" forth with "all those who in every place phone call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (i Cor. ane:2). Nosotros volition soon see that the ground of our calling is not individual satisfaction but community development. Although Paul doesn't develop this point until later on in the letter (see seven:17-24), fifty-fifty at this juncture it is clear he thinks all believers are meant to pursue the calling designed for them past God.
Spiritual Resources Available (one Corinthians 1:iv–9)
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According to the conventions of ancient letter writing, a greeting was followed by a section in which the author praised the recipient.[7] In about of his letters, Paul modifies this literary form past offer thanksgiving rather than praise and past using a standard phrase much similar nosotros take hither: "I give cheers to my God always for you . . ." (see ane Cor. ane:iv, as well as Rom. 1:eight; Phil. 1:3; Col. ane:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; and 2 Thess. i:three). In this example, Paul expresses his thank you that the Corinthian believers accept experienced the grace of God in Christ. This is more than some vague piety. Rather, Paul has something quite specific in mind. The believers in Corinth have been "enriched in [Christ]" (1 Cor. i:v) so that they "are not defective in any spiritual souvenir as you lot await for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:7). Paul specifically names ii gifts, speech communication and noesis, that the Corinthian church enjoyed in affluence.
For our purposes, it is especially important to note that Paul is convinced that the believers in Corinth take received the spiritual resource they need to fulfill their calling. God has called them, and he has given them gifts that volition enable them to be "blameless on the mean solar day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:8). Although the day of perfection has not arrived yet, whether at work or anywhere else, Christians already have access to the gifts that will come to consummate fruition on that 24-hour interval.
It is hard to imagine that all Corinthian Christians felt equally if their work was a special occupation designed individually for them by God. Most of them were slaves or common laborers, as we will see. What Paul must hateful is that whether or not each person's occupation seems special, God gives the gifts needed to make everyone's work contribute to God's plan for the globe. No matter how insignificant our work seems, no matter how much nosotros long to have a unlike job, the work we practise now is of import to God.
Peter T. O'Brien, Introductory Thanksgivings in the Letters of Paul, in vol. 49 of Novum Testamentum (Leiden: Brill, 1977), 11.
The Demand for a Common Vision (1 Corinthians one:10–17)
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Paul states in thesis-like fashion what he is trying to accomplish by writing 1 Corinthians.[eight] "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in understanding and that there be no divisions amid y'all, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose" (i Cor. 1:10). The verb he uses in this concluding phrase is a metaphor that connotes mending of human relationships. Thus Paul is urging the Corinthians to overcome the factionalism that has damaged the unity of the church.
4 Steps to a More Ethical Organisation (Click to Read)
In business, equally in the church building, a mutual purpose and vision is essential for the organization's success. While making a profit is a proficient goal, it cannot be an cease in itself. William Seidman and Michael McCauley outline four steps for developing an ethical—and ultimately successful—organization.[2]
Modern Western culture highly values diversity, and so we are in danger of construing Paul'south injunctions negatively. He is non arguing for conformity of thought (as other passages make clear), just he understands quite clearly that a sense of common purpose and vision is essential. If in that location is continual strife and disagreement about bones values and convictions and no cohesion amidst its members, any organisation is doomed to failure. Although Paul is writing to a church, we know he likewise thought Christians should contribute to the workings of society at big. "Be subject to rulers and regime, to be obedient, to be prepare for every good work" (Titus 3:1; emphasis added). Therefore, nosotros should seek mutual purpose non only in church but also in the places we work. Our role equally Christians is to do adept piece of work in unity and harmony with both believers and nonbelievers. This does non hateful we accede to immorality or injustice. It does mean that nosotros develop skillful relationships, back up co-workers, and intendance to do our work excellently. If nosotros cannot in good conscience do our work wholeheartedly, nosotros need to find someplace else to work, rather than mumble or shirk.
Margaret M. Mitchell, Paul and the Rhetoric of Reconciliation (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Printing, 1993).
Status in Church and at Piece of work: Friends in Low Places (1 Corinthians one:18–31)
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Paul reminds the congregation in Corinth that about of them do not come from the ranks of the privileged classes. "Not many of you were wise past human being standards, non many were powerful, non many were of noble birth" (1 Cor. ane:26). But the effectiveness of the church did not depend on having people with all the connections, educations, or fortunes. God accomplishes his purposes with ordinary people. We accept already seen that the value of our work is based on God'southward gifts, not on our credentials. Merely Paul draws a further betoken. Because we are nobody special past nature, nosotros can never care for other people equally insignificant.
God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the potent; God chose what is depression and despised in the world, things that are non, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. (i Cor. 1:27–29; accent added)
Since Paul'southward 24-hour interval, many Christians have attained positions of ability, wealth, and status. His words remind us that we insult God if we let these things to make us big-headed, disrespectful, or calumniating toward people in lower-status positions. Many workplaces nevertheless accord special privileges to higher-ranking workers, bearing no relevance to the bodily piece of work at hand. Aside from pay differences, loftier-status workers may enjoy fancier offices, first-class travel, executive dining rooms, reserved parking, better benefits packages, company-paid club memberships, residences, drivers, personal services, and other perquisites. They may receive special deference—for example, being called "Mr." or "Ms." or "Professor"— when others in the organization are chosen by offset names simply. In some cases, special treatment may be advisable, based on the nature of the work performed and organizational responsibilities. Just in other cases, such privileges may create unwarranted gradations of human worth and dignity. Paul's point is that such distinctions have no identify among the people of God. If we relish—or suffer—such distinctions at work, we might inquire ourselves whether they contradict the equal dignity of persons in the presence of God and, if then, what we might practise to remedy them.
It Takes All Sorts (1 Corinthians 3:ane–9)
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Nosotros noted above that the principal problem in the Corinthian church was that of factionalism. Cliques were forming under the banner of Paul'due south name versus the proper noun of Apollos, another missionary to the Corinthian church. Paul will have none of this. He and Apollos are simply servants. Although they have unlike roles, neither of them is more than valuable than the other. The planter (Paul) and the irrigator (Apollos)—to utilise an agricultural metaphor—are every bit vital to the success of the harvest, and neither is responsible for the growth of the crop. That is entirely God'southward doing. The various workers take a common goal in listen (a bounteous harvest), just they accept different tasks in line with their abilities and calling. All are necessary and no one can do every necessary task.
Paul, in other words, is aware of the importance of diversification and specialization. In his famous 1958 essay, "I, Pencil," economist Leonard Read followed the course of the industry of a common pencil, making the bespeak that no single person knows how to make one. Information technology is actually the product of several sophisticated processes, only one of which a given individual can principal. Past the grace of God, different people are able to play different roles in the world's workplaces. But specialization at times leads to interpersonal or interdepartmental factionalism, poor lines of advice, and even personal vilification. If Christians believe what Paul says about the God-given nature of different roles, mayhap nosotros can take the lead in bridging dysfunctional divides in our organizations. If we are able simply to treat others with respect and value the work of people different from ourselves, we may be making significant contributions to our workplaces.
An important awarding of this is the value of investing in worker development, whether our ain or that of people around us. In Paul'southward letters, including one Corinthians, it sometimes seems that Paul never does annihilation himself (come across, for case, xiv-15) merely instructs others how to do it. This is not arrogance or laziness, merely mentoring. He would far rather invest in grooming constructive workers and leaders than in calling all the shots himself. Equally we mature in serving Christ in our places of work, mayhap nosotros will notice ourselves doing more to equip others and less to make ourselves look expert.
Exercise Good Work (one Corinthians 3:10–17)
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Paul introduces the metaphor of a building under construction in order to make a new bespeak—practice good work. This bespeak is and so important to understanding the value of work that information technology is worth including the passage in its entirety here.
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled principal builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the 1 that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—the work of each builder will get visible, for the Day will disclose it, considering it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will exam what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder volition receive a reward. If the work is burned upwardly, the builder will suffer loss; the architect will be saved, only but as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:10–xv)
This may be the most straight statement of the eternal value of earthly piece of work in all of Scripture. The work nosotros exercise on earth—to the extent we exercise it according to the ways of Christ—survives into eternity. Paul is speaking specifically of the piece of work done by the community of the church, which he likens to a temple. Paul compares himself to a "skilled master builder" who has laid the foundation, which is, of grade, Christ himself. Others build on top of this foundation, and each one is responsible for his own work. Paul likens good work to gold, silver, and precious stones, and shabby work to wood, hay, and straw. Though some have tried to assign specific meanings to each of these materials, information technology is more likely that the departure is simply that some materials take the ability to withstand testing by fire while others do non.
Paul is not making any judgment virtually any individual's salvation, for fifty-fifty if anyone's work fails the exam, "the builder will be saved." This passage is non about the relationship between a believer'due south "skilful works" and his heavenly reward, though it has frequently been read in that way. Instead, Paul is concerned with the church as a whole and how its leaders piece of work within the church. If they contribute to the unity of the church building, they volition be commended. If, however, their ministry building results in strife and factionalism, they are actually provoking God's wrath, because he passionately protects his living temple from those who would destroy information technology (vv. 16-17).
Although Paul is writing about the piece of work of building a Christian community, his words use to all kinds of piece of work. Every bit we have seen, Paul regards Christian work to include the work believers do under secular authority as well equally in the church. Whatever our work, information technology will be evaluated impartially past God. The concluding assize will be better than any performance review, since God judges with perfect justice—unlike homo bosses, yet just or unjust they may be—and he is able to factor in our intent, our limitations, our motives, our compassion, and his mercy. God has called all believers to piece of work in any circumstances they find themselves, and he has given us specific gifts to fulfill that calling. He expects us to employ them responsibly for his purposes, and he volition inspect our work. And to the caste that our work is done in excellence, by his gifts and grace, it volition become role of God's eternal kingdom. That should motivate us—even more than than our employer'south approval or our paycheck— to do equally expert a job as nosotros possibly can.
Christian Leadership as Service (1 Corinthians four:i–4)
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In this passage, Paul offers a definitive statement of what it means to exist a leader: "Retrieve of usa in this mode, every bit servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries" (1 Cor. 4:1). "Usa" refers to the apostolic pbers through whom the Corinthians had come up to organized religion and to whom the various factions in the church building claimed allegiance (ane Cor. 4:six). Paul uses two words in this verse to elaborate what he means. The first, hypēretēs ("servants"), denotes an attendant, a servant who waits on or assists someone. In this sense, leaders attend personally to the needs of the people they pb. Leaders are not exalted, but humbled, by accepting leadership. The job requires patience, personal engagement, and individual attention to the needs of followers. The 2nd is oikonomos ("stewards"), which describes a servant or slave who manages the diplomacy of a household or estate. The primary stardom in this position is trust. The steward is trusted to manage the diplomacy of the household for the benefit of the possessor. Also, the leader is trusted to manage the group for the benefit of all its members, rather than the leader's personal benefit. This quality is explicitly ascribed to Timothy (2 Cor. four:17), Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:seven), Paul (1 Tim. 1:12), Antipas (Rev. 2:xiii), and, above all, Christ (ii Tim. 2:13; Heb. ii:17). These are the kinds of people God relies on to conduct out his plan for his kingdom.
Modern workplaces oft set up upwardly systems to reward leaders for using their teams to accomplish the organization's objectives. This is probably a wise exercise, unless it encourages leaders to attain such rewards at the expense of the people they lead. Leaders are indeed responsible to accomplish—or ameliorate withal, exceed—the work their teams are assigned to exercise. But it is not legitimate to sacrifice the needs of the group in order to obtain the leader's personal rewards. Instead, leaders are called to attain the group's goals past coming together the needs of the group.
Working With Nonbelievers (1 Corinthians 5:nine–10)
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In affiliate 5, Paul introduces the question of working with nonbelievers, a question he will explore more fully in chapter ten and ultimately in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 (see "Working with Nonbelievers" in two Corinthians). At this point, he says simply that Christians are not called to withdraw from the world considering of fears about ethics. "I wrote to you in my alphabetic character non to associate with sexually immoral persons—not at all significant the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to become out of the globe" (i Cor. 5:9–10). By mentioning the greedy, robbers, and idolaters, he explicitly indicates he is including the piece of work globe in his instructions. Although we are to avoid immorality ourselves, and we are non to associate with immoral Christians, Paul expects united states to piece of work with nonbelievers, even those who exercise not notice God's ethical principles. Needless to say, this is a difficult proposition, although he defers getting into specifics until affiliate 10. The bespeak he makes here is simply that Christians are forbidden from trying to create some kind of Christian-only economic system and leaving the world to fend for itself. Instead, nosotros are called to take our place in the work of the world alongside the people of the world.
Bloom Where Y'all Are Planted (1 Corinthians vii:20–24)
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In the centre of a chapter that deals primarily with issues relating to spousal relationship and singleness, Paul makes an of import statement about calling and piece of work. Other things beingness equal, believers should remain in the life situation in which they found themselves when they were converted (i Corinthiansseven:20). The specific question that Paul is dealing with does not directly impinge upon most people in the Western earth, though it is disquisitional in many parts of the globe today. What should believers who are slaves do if they have the hazard to gain liberty?
Slavery in the ancient earth was a complex phenomenon that is past no means identical to its mod manifestations, whether in the pre-Civil State of war American South, or in debt bondage in contemporary Southern asia, or in sexual activity trafficking in almost every country on world. Certainly, it was equally heinous in many cases, but some slaves, particularly the household slaves Paul probably has in heed here, were meliorate off, at least economically, than many free people. Many educated people, including doctors and accountants, actually chose slavery for precisely that reason. Thus, for Paul, it was a genuinely open up question whether slavery or freedom would be the better lot in any given situation. Modernistic forms of slavery, on the other hand, always severely diminish the lives of those enslaved.
Paul's question and so is not whether slavery should be abolished, but whether slaves should seek to go gratis. It is difficult to make up one's mind the precise nature of Paul's education here because the Greek of 1 Corinthians 7:21 is ambiguous, so much so that it is open to two divergent interpretations. As the NRSV and a number of commentators understand up it, it should be rendered as follows: "Were y'all a slave when called? Do not exist concerned about it. Even if you tin gain your liberty, make use of your nowadays condition at present more than ever." Equally possible (and more than likely, in our stance), withal, is the sense given in the NIV, NASB, and KJV, which is, "Were you a slave when yous were called? Don't allow it problem you—although if yous tin gain your freedom, do so" (NIV). Whatever Paul's advice, his underlying belief is that, compared to the difference between being in Christ and not in Christ, the difference between existence a slave and a free person is relatively minor. "For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was costless when called is a slave of Christ" (7:22). Thus, if in that location are no compelling reasons to alter your status, it is probably best to remain in the situation in which you lot were chosen.
Paul's pedagogy here has important application for the workplace. While nosotros may experience that getting the correct task is the nearly important factor in serving God or experiencing the life he intends for united states of america, God is much more than concerned that we make the virtually of every job nosotros have over the course of our lives. In a given example, at that place may exist skillful reasons to alter jobs or even professions. Fine, get ahead and do so. Yet whatsoever mormarry legitimate job can fulfill God's calling, and then don't make finding your life's piece of work into your life'southward work. There is no bureaucracy of more godly and less godly professions. Certainly this cautions us against assertive that God calls the most serious Christians into church jobs.
For an in-depth discussion of this topic, see the commodityVocation Overview at www.theologyofwork.org.
Maintain the Proper Perspective (one Corinthians seven:29–31)
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Paul addresses the question of whether the promised render of the Lord implies that Christians should abandon ordinary daily life, including work.
I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed fourth dimension has grown curt; from now on . . . permit those who buy [be] as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Cor. seven:29–31)
Patently some believers neglected family duties and ceased working, in the same way you might neglect to sweep the flooring before moving to a new house. Paul had previously dealt with this situation in the church building in Thessalonica and given unambiguous instructions.
Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we control and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their piece of work quietly and to earn their own living. (2 Thess. 3:10–12)
Paul'southward logic will be easier to empathize if we recognize that one Cor. 7:29 does not point merely that "the time is short" in the sense that Jesus' 2nd coming is almost here. Paul uses a verb here that describes how an object is pushed together (synestalmenos), and then that it becomes shorter or smaller as a whole. "Time has been compressed" might be a meliorate translation, equally suggested by the NASB rendering, or "Time has been shortened." What Paul evidently ways is that since Christ has come, the cease of the vast expanse of time has at last get visible. "The time to come result of this world has become crystal clear," writes scholar David Eastward. Garland.[1] 1 Cor. 7:31 explains that "the present grade of this world is passing away." The "present form" has the sense of "the way things are" in our fallen world of damaged social and economic relationships. Paul wants his readers to understand that Christ's coming has already effected a alter in the very textile of life. The values and aspirations that are simply taken for granted in the present way of doing things are no longer operative for believers.
The proper response to the compression of fourth dimension is not to stop working simply to work differently. The sometime attitudes toward everyday life and its affairs must be replaced. This brings the states back to the paradoxical statements in ane Corinthians 7:29–31. We should buy, yet be every bit though we have no possessions. We should deal with the earth as though not dealing with the world as we know it. That is, we may make use of the things this world has to offer, but nosotros shouldn't accept the earth's values and principles when they get in the way of God's kingdom. The things we purchase, nosotros should employ for the skilful of others instead of property tightly to them. When nosotros bargain in the market, we should seek the skillful of the person from whom we purchase, non simply our own interests. In other words, Paul is calling believers to "a radically new understanding of their relationship to the world.[two]
Our quondam attitude is that nosotros work to make life more comfortable and satisfying for ourselves and those close to united states of america. We seek to gather things into our possession that we think will bring us condition, security, and advantage over others. Nosotros compartmentalize worship of our gods starting time, then attention to our union 2nd, then work third, and and then civic engagement fourth, if we take any time and free energy left. The new attitude is that we work to benefit ourselves, those close to us, and all those for whom Jesus worked and died. We seek to release the things in our possession for use where they will brand the world more as God desires it. We integrate our lives of worship, family, work, and society and seek to invest in—rather than shuffle effectually—physical, intellectual, cultural, moral, and spiritual capital letter. In this we emulate the forefather of the people of God, Abraham, to whom God said, "I volition anoint you, and make your proper noun not bad, so that you will be a blessing" (Gen. 12:two).
David E. Garland, 1 Corinthians, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 329.
Gordon Fee, The Offset Epistle to the Corinthians (Chiliad Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 336.
Everyone Gets Their Fair Share (1 Corinthians ix:7–10)
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In affiliate 9, Paul explains why he initially chose not to accept straight financial support from the Corinthian church fifty-fifty though he had a right to it. He begins by asserting the right of workers, including apostles, to receive wages for their piece of work. We serve the Lord in our work, and the Lord intends that we describe sustenance from it in return. Paul gives three examples from daily life that illustrate this point. Soldiers, vintners, and shepherds all derive economical benefit for their labors. Paul, nonetheless, rarely appeals to convention alone to make his instance, so he quotes Deuteronomy 25:iv ("You lot shall non muzzle an ox while information technology is treading out the grain") in support of his statement. If even animals deserve a share of the fruits of their labor, so surely whatsoever person who participates in bringing about some benefit should share in that benefit.
This text has clear implications for the workplace, especially for employers. Workers deserve a fair wage. In fact, the Bible threatens employers with dire consequences if they deny their employees just bounty (Lev. 19:thirteen; Deut. 24:14; James 5:7). Paul knows that a variety of factors affect the determination of a fair wage, and he does not endeavor to prescribe a figure or formula. Likewise, the complexities of supply and demand, regulation and unionization, wages and benefits, and power and flexibility in today's labor markets are beyond the scope of this chapter. But the principle is not. Those who employ human labor cannot fail the needs of those whose work they utilise.
All the same, Paul chooses not to make utilise of his right to receive wages for his piece of work as an apostle. Why? Because in his case, given the sensitivities in the church in Corinth, to do so might "put an obstruction in the style of the gospel of Christ." As it happens, God has made it possible for him to earn a living there by introducing him to young man tentmakers (or leatherworkers), Priscilla and Aquila, who alive in Corinth (Acts 18:1–3; Rom. sixteen:3). Paul doesn't expect that God will suit things so that all church building workers tin afford to work for free. Just in this instance, God did, and Paul accepts God'due south provision with thanks. The point is that only the worker has the right to offer to piece of work without fair remuneration. The employer has no right to demand information technology.
God's Glory is the Ultimate Goal (1 Corinthians 10)
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In the course of an extended statement start in chapter eight on an issue of disquisitional importance to believers in Corinth—the propriety of eating meat that had previously been offered to idols—Paul articulates a wide principle concerning the employ of the earth'southward resources. He says, quoting Psalm 24:1, "The earth and its fullness are the Lord'due south" (1 Cor. 10:26). That is, because everything comes from God, whatsoever food may be eaten irrespective of its previous use for pagan cultic purposes. (In a Roman urban center, much of the meat sold in the market would have been offered to idols in the form of its training.[1]) At that place are two aspects of this principle that use to work.
Showtime, we may extend Paul's logic to conclude that believers may use all that the earth produces, including food, vesture, manufactured appurtenances, and energy. Even so, Paul sets a precipitous limit to this utilise. If our use harms another person, then we should refrain. If the context of a dinner party at which meat offered to idols is the issue, and so another person's censor may exist the reason we need to refrain from eating information technology. If the context is worker safe, resource scarcity, or environmental degradation, and so the well-being of today's workers, the access to resource by today'southward poor, and the living conditions of tomorrow'due south population may be the reasons nosotros refrain from consuming certain items. Since God is the possessor of the globe and its fullness, the use we make of the earth must be in line with his purposes.
Second, we are expected to appoint in commerce with nonbelievers, as nosotros have already seen from 1 Corinthians five:9–10. If Christians were buying meat but from Christian butchers, or even from Jews, then of course in that location would have been no reason to worry whether it had been offered to idols. But Paul asserts that believers are to engage in commerce with society at large. (The concerns in affiliate 8 besides assume that Christians will engage in social relationships with nonbelievers, although that is non our topic here.) Christians are not called to withdraw from society merely to engage society, including society's places of work. Equally noted earlier, Paul discusses the limits to this engagement in two Corinthians 6:14–18 (encounter "Working with Nonbelievers" in 2 Corinthians).
"Therefore, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you lot do, practise everything for the celebrity of God," says Paul (ane Cor. x:31). This verse by no ways legitimates every conceivable activity. It should non exist construed to mean that absolutely anything could be done in a way that brings glory to God. Paul's point is that we have to discern whether our actions—including work—are consistent with God's purposes in the world. The criterion is not whether we associate with nonbelievers, whether nosotros utilise materials that could exist used for ill past others, whether we deal with people who are not friends with God, but whether the work we do contributes to God's purposes. If and so, then whatever we do volition indeed be washed for the glory of God.
The upshot is that all vocations that add 18-carat value to God's created world in a way that benefits humanity are truthful callings that bring God glory. The farmer and grocery clerk, the manufacturer and the emissions regulator, the parent and the teacher, the voter and the governor can relish the satisfaction of serving in God's program for his creation.
Hans Conzelman, 1 Corinthians, trans. James W. Leitch (Philadelphia: Fortress Printing, 1975), 176, incl. nn. 11–13.
Spiritual Gifts in Community (ane Corinthians 12:1–14:twoscore)
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The utilize of what have come to be called "spiritual gifts" (12:1) seems to have caused much contention in the church of Corinth. It seems that the gift of tongues (i.e., Spirit-led ecstatic utterances) in particular was existence used to accentuate status differences in the church, with those who practiced this gift claiming to exist more spiritual than those who didn't (run into 12:1–3, 13:1, 14:ane–25).[12] In countering, Paul articulates a wide understanding of the gifts of God'southward Spirit that has major applications to work.
The kickoff thing to discover is that the term "spiritual gifts" is too narrow to depict what Paul is talking about. They are "spiritual" in the broad sense of originating from God'southward Spirit, not in the narrow sense of being disembodied or paranormal. And "gift" is just one of a number of terms Paul uses for the phenomenon he has in mind. In affiliate 12 solitary, he calls the various gifts "services" (12:5), "activities" (12:6), manifestations" (12:7), "deeds," "forms," and "kinds" (12:28). The exclusive employ of the term "spiritual souvenir" to refer to what Paul also calls "manifestation of God'southward spirit for the mutual skillful" or "kind of service" tends to skew our thinking.[xiii] It suggests that God's Spirit supersedes or ignores the "natural" skills and abilities God has given u.s.. It implies that the recipient of the "souvenir" is its intended beneficiary. Information technology makes usa think that worship, rather than service, is the principal purpose of the Spirit'south working. All of these are fake assumptions, according to 1 Corinthians. The Holy Spirit does non dispense with our bodily abilities, merely honors and employs them (12:14–26). The community or arrangement, not merely the private, benefits (12:7). The purpose is to build upwards the community (14:3–five) and serve outsiders (xiv:23–25), not just to improve the quality of worship. "Giftings" might exist a improve term to utilise, since it carries these important connotations better.
"How Important Is it to Know Your Gifts?" - Kimberly Renner
Second, Paul seems to be providing a number of examples rather than an exhaustive list. Paul also lists gifts of God in Romans 12:half dozen–viii, Ephesians four:11, and i Peter 4:10–eleven, and the differences amidst the lists suggest they are illustrative rather than exhaustive. Amidst them there is no standard list or fifty-fifty a standard fashion of referring to the various means the gifts are given. Contrary to much pop literature on the subject, then, it is impossible to compile a definitive listing of the spiritual gifts. They exhibit a hit variety. Some are what we would call super natural (speaking in unknown languages), while others seem to be natural abilities (leadership) or even personality traits (mercy). As we have seen, Paul tells us to "exercise everything for the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31), and hither he lists a few of the amazing things God volition give us the power to practice.
Paul has the church in mind here (14:4, 12), and some Christians suppose this passage to mean that the Spirit gives gifts just for use inside the church. However, Paul gives no reason to suppose that these gifts are limited to the confines of the church. God'south kingdom encompasses the whole world, not just the institutions of the church. Believers tin and should exercise their giftings in every setting, including the workplace. Many of the giftings named hither—such as leadership, service, and discernment—will exist of immediate do good in the workplace. Others will no dubiousness be given to u.s.a. every bit needed to serve God's purposes in whate'er piece of work nosotros exercise. We should by all ways develop the giftings we have been given and use them for the common proficient in every sphere of life.
In fact, the most important question is not who, where, what, or how we exercise the giftings of God's Spirit. The most important question is why nosotros utilise the gifts. And the answer is, "For love." Gifts, talents, and abilities—coming as they do from God—are sources of excellence in our piece of work. But as he begins to discuss the importance of love, Paul says, "I volition show you a still more excellent way" (12:31), "for the greatest of these is love" (13:13). If I exercise every wondrous gifting of God'southward Spirit "but do not have dearest," says Paul, "I am nothing" (13:2). Affiliate 13 is ofttimes read at weddings, merely information technology is really a perfect manifesto for the workplace.
Dear is patient; beloved is kind; beloved is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Information technology does not insist on its own manner; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (13:4–7)
If Christians would exhibit these kinds of beloved in our places of work, how much more than productive and enriching would work exist for everyone? How much glory would it bring our Lord? How much closer would we come to God'southward fulfillment of our prayer, "Thy kingdom come up on globe"?
Run into Dale B. Martin, The Corinthian Body (New Haven: Yale University Printing, 1995), 87–92.
For a scholarly discussion of the problems involving the term "spiritual gifts," see Kenneth Berding, "Confusing Give-and-take and Concept in 'Spiritual Gifts': Take Nosotros Forgotten James Barr's Exhortations?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Gild 43 (2000): 37–51.
Our Piece of work Is Not in Vain (i Corinthians 15:58)
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In chapter 15, Paul conducts a lengthy discussion of the resurrection, and he applies his conclusions directly to work. "[Excel] in the work in the Lord considering y'all know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Cor. 15:58). How does a correct understanding of the resurrection— that believers will exist raised actual—footing the conclusion that our labor for the Lord is of lasting significance ("not in vain")?
First of all, we must recognize that if life in the fallen world around united states were all at that place were to life, our labor would be in vain (1 Cor. 15:xiv–19). Paul'south use of the word vain brings to heed Ecclesiastes' extended meditation on the vanity of work under the atmospheric condition of the Autumn. (Encounter Ecclesiastes and Work at www.theologyofwork.org.) Even if at that place is life across the fallen state of the present earth, our work would be in vain if the new world were completely disconnected from the present one. At most, it would launch us (and maybe others) into the new world. But nosotros have already seen that work done according to God's means survives into eternity (1 Cor. 3:ten–15). In the second half of chapter 15, Paul develops this affair farther by stressing a cardinal continuity between pre- and mail-resurrection bodily existence, in spite of vast differences in their corresponding substances. "This perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:53). Our soul does not change out of the old body into a new torso—as if donning a new suit of clothes—simply our present body "puts on immortality." The old continues into the new, though radically transformed. It is precisely this continuity that lends meaning to our nowadays existence and guarantees that our labor for God is of lasting value.[14]
N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, vol. 3 of Christian Origins and the Question of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Printing 2003), 359–sixty.
Christians Share Resources With Those in Hardship (1 Corinthians 16:1–3)
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Ane ongoing project that Paul pursued throughout his missionary journeys was that of collecting money for congregations in Judea suffering economic hardship.[1] He mentions this collection not only here but also in Galatians 2:10, and he explains the theological rationale for it more thoroughly in Romans 15:25–31 and ii Corinthians 8–ix. For our purposes, it is important to notation that, according to Paul, part of what a believer earns should exist given for the benefit of those who cannot provide adequately for themselves. For Paul, ane of the essential functions of the church is to take care of its worldwide members' needs. The Old Testament prescribed both fixed tithes and free-will offerings,[two] which together supported the operations of the temple, the maintenance of the state, and the relief of the poor. Just this system had ceased with the demise of the Jewish kingdoms. Paul's collection for the poor in Judea substantially assumes for the church the relief aspect in one case provided by the Old Testament tithes and offerings.
The New Testament nowhere affirms sure fixed percentages, just Paul encourages generosity (see 2 Cor. viii–ix), which would hardly hateful less than Former Testament levels. Over the side by side several centuries, every bit the church grew, its function as a social service provider became an essential element of society, outlasting fifty-fifty the Roman Empire.[iii] Whatever the amount given, believers are expected to make up one's mind it alee of time equally a part of their budget and bring their offerings regularly to the weekly gatherings of the congregation. In other words, it takes a sustained lifestyle change to reach this level of generosity. Nosotros are non talking about pocket change.
These principles demand renewed consideration in our time. Governments have displaced the church as the prime providers of social welfare, but are in that location some forms of service that God equips Christians to do uniquely well? Could Christians' work, investment, and other economic activity be a means of serving those facing economical hardship? In Paul'southward day, there was limited scope for Christians to start businesses, appoint in trade, or provide training and education, only today those could be means of creating jobs or providing for economically disadvantaged people. Is the purpose of giving only to bind the church more closely together around the world (certainly one of Paul'southward objectives), or also to care for our neighbors? Could it be that today God calls believers to give money and to bear business concern, government, didactics, and every other grade of work every bit a ways of taking care of people in hardship? (These questions are explored in depth in "Provision and Wealth" at www.theologyofwork.org.)
For an overview, see Scot McKnight, "Collection for the Saints" in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne et al. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 143–47.
Come across E. P. Sanders, Judaism: Exercise and Conventionalities, 63 BCE-66 CE (London: SCM Press, 1992).
Jeannine E. Olson, Calvin and Social Welfare (Selinsgrove, PA: Susquehanna University Press, 1989), 18.
Summary & Decision to 1 Corinthians
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Outset Corinthians has much to contribute to a biblical understanding of work. Above all, it establishes a healthy sense of calling to every legitimate kind of work. In his opening words, Paul stresses that God has called both him and the Corinthian believers to follow Christ. God provides every believer with spiritual resources and physical giftings for the service of others. Our effectiveness does not depend on our own merits, merely on God'southward power. Depending on his power, we can and must seek to practice skillful work. God leads usa to a common vision and purpose in our piece of work, which requires a various array of people working in a wide variety of jobs. Leaders are needed to bring this diversity and variety into effective focus.
Leaders in God'due south kingdom are servants of those they lead, responsible for accomplishing their groups' tasks while at the aforementioned time meeting their needs. Any our position, information technology is more than important to work each solar day co-ordinate to God'due south purposes than to spend all our fourth dimension and energy looking for the perfect task. Because we know Christ will return to fulfill God's restoration of the earth to his original intent, nosotros take the confidence to work diligently toward Christ'southward coming kingdom. When we work co-ordinate to our abilities, God rewards our piece of work with a fair share of the fruits of our labor. Christians are chosen to standards of off-white wages and fair work.
Our ultimate goal is God'southward kingdom and his glory. This gives u.s.a. freedom to use the resource of the globe, but we must steward them for the benefit of all people, including future generations. In fact, we should non fifty-fifty think in terms of balancing the needs of 1 individual versus another, but in terms of building upwardly communities of mutual support and service. Dearest is the mainspring of God's kingdom, and when we work out of love for the people for whom Christ worked and died, our work is non in vain. It has eternal significance and survives along with us into the new world of God's kingdom fulfilled. In the concurrently, nosotros accept actress care to use the resources at our disposal to treat those in need.
Key Verses and Themes in 1 Corinthians
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Verses | Themes |
| 1 Cor. 1:one-2 Paul, chosen to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. | Every laic has a unique calling. |
| 1 Cor. ane:4-vii I requite thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every mode you take been enriched in him, in voice communication and knowledge of every kind — just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened amidst y'all — so that yous are non lacking in whatsoever spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. | God gives believers the spiritual resources they demand to fulfill their calling. |
| 1 Cor. one:10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, past the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you lot be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. | Unity of vision is essential to obtain the goal. |
| 1 Cor. 1:17 For Christ did not send me to cognominate but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, then that the cross of Christ might not exist emptied of its power. | Nosotros should focus on the things we have been chosen to practise. |
| 1 Cor. i:26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: non many of yous were wise past human being standards, not many were powerful, non many were of noble birth. | Chosen and gifted people come up from all sorts of backgrounds. |
| ane Cor. 2:1-five When I came to you lot, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to yous in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know goose egg among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fearfulness and in much trembling. My spoken communication and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, merely with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on man wisdom but on the power of God. | Epitome is past no ways everything; content matters. |
| i Cor. 3:iv-9 For when i says, "I belong to Paul," and some other, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human? What and so is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters accept a common purpose, and each volition receive wages co-ordinate to the labor of each. For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's edifice. | Anybody has an important part to play in attaining the goal, and no 1 can take all the credit for doing and then. |
| ane Cor. 3:10-fifteen According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled chief builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must cull with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — the work of each builder will get visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will exam what sort of work each has washed. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the architect will endure loss; the builder will exist saved, but merely equally through fire. | Everyone is responsible before God for his or her own work. |
| i Cor. 4:1-two Call up of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. | Faithfulness is a quality of supreme importance. |
| one Cor. 7:20-24 Let each of you lot remain in the status in which you were called. Were yous a slave when called? Do non be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than than ever. For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ. Yous were bought with a cost; practise non become slaves of homo masters. In whatever status yous were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God. | Mostly speaking, believers practice not need to change jobs to please God. |
| 1 Cor. seven:29-31 I hateful, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown curt; from at present on, permit even those who have wives exist equally though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were non mourning, and those who rejoice equally though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who bargain with the globe as though they had no dealings with it. For the nowadays form of this world is passing abroad. | Believers may use the things the globe has to offer, but non hang their hearts on them. |
| 1 Cor. nine:seven-10 Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does non eat whatever of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk? Exercise I say this on human dominance? Does non the constabulary besides say the same? For information technology is written in the police of Moses, "You shall non muzzle an ox while information technology is treading out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the ingather. | Everyone who participates in the creation of wealth deserves a off-white share of that wealth. |
| one Cor. 10:26, 31 For "the earth and its fullness are the Lord's"… So, whether you lot swallow or drink, or whatever you do, practise everything for the glory of God. | All legitimate work should have God's glory as its goal. |
| ane Cor. 12:four-11 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and in that location are varieties of services, but the aforementioned Lord; and in that location are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To ane is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of noesis according to the same Spirit, to another organized religion by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing past the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to some other the estimation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. | Every believer is gifted by God in concrete ways to be of service to others |
| 1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my love, be steadfast, immovable, ever excelling in the piece of work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is non in vain. | Because of the hope of resurrection, our piece of work in this life has lasting value. |
| 1 Cor. 16:1-3 Now apropos the collection for the saints: yous should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. On the start day of every week, each of yous is to put aside and salve whatever actress y'all earn, so that collections demand non exist taken when I come. And when I arrive, I volition send any whom you approve with letters to take your souvenir to Jerusalem. | Believers should use their resources to take care of brothers and sisters in economic hardship. |
Source: https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/1-corinthians
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