When Correcting Bad Behavior, Start With Grace
A sermon by Pr. David Johnson
At the end of his legendary baseball career, Babe
Ruth’s body was showing the consequences of his
self-indulgent lifestyle. During one of his final contests, he bungled several fly balls in the outfield and
struck out weakly with every plate appearance. Fans
who once cheered him were now quick with catcalls,
mocking this man who had hit twice as many home
runs as anyone else in baseball.
But as the jeering got louder, a little boy leaped
over the railing and onto the playing field. With tears
in his eyes, he ran to the Babe and threw his arms
around his legs. Ruth reached down, picked up the
boy and hugged him tight. Then setting him down and
patting him on the head, they walked hand in hand
toward the dugout, while the jeers turned to cheers.
There was hardly a dry eye in the whole place.
The crowd was correct in their assessment. The
Babe had let much of his athletic prowess go to seed.
Yet a little boy had remembered him for who he was,
and had covered over his errors with love.
The apostle Paul must have felt much the same
way as he traveled about the Roman Empire, establishing churches. Each church was a cross-section of
the local community. Each body was unique and filled
with its own challenges. One church needed support;
another spanking. One body needed a pat on the back
while another needed a kick in the pants.
Then there were the strong-willed children. I think
every family should have at least one. They remind
parents what they were like when they were kids. It’s
the strong-willed kids that keep parents on their knees
and dependant on the Lord for strength and wisdom.
Corinth was Paul’s strong-willed child. The city of
Corinth was one of the most important in the empire
during Paul’s day. It grew as a commercial hub, and
eventually became the capitol of the province of
Achaia. Corinth was strategically located on the thin
isthmus bordering both the Aegean and the Adriatic
seas. This allowed Corinth the luxury of double seaports and the commercial importance and success that
came with them. In Paul’s day, the population would
have numbered around 700,000, with some 450,000
being slaves or servants of one sort or another.
But along with its status as a commercial center
came a religious homogenization and a level of corruption that was notorious throughout the empire. As
Dr. Henrietta Mears describes:
“Its wealth was fabulous. Men spent their days in
tournaments and speeches. Luxury, dissipation and public
immorality were rampant among this great industrial and
seafaring population. Corinth attracted great crowds of
foreigners from the East and West. Their gods were gods of
pleasure and lust. There was, besides, much culture and
art. The city abounded in studios of language and schools
of philosophy.”
Corinth was also the home of the awesome temple
of Aphrodite at the top of a 1,800 foot peninsula.
Worshippers of this “goddess of love” were encouraged to make frequent use of the hundreds of temple
prostitutes. Corinth became so infamous for its immorality that Korinthiazomai (“to act like a Corinthian”)
became a synonym for debauchery and prostitution.
The church of Corinth would have been planted
during Paul’s 2nd missionary journey after traveling
from Macedonia and then Athens. It was here that he
made tents with Aquila and Priscilla, debated the
truths of Christianity with the Jews in the synagogue,
even at one point converting the leader of the synagogue (Crispus).
However, it was during Paul’s 3rd missionary
journey that reports came concerning certain behaviors, issues, and divisions that had arisen in the Corinthian body. A team was sent to investigate and they
returned with a report and a letter asking for Paul’s
intervention. 1st Corinthians is Paul’s response to
these concerns.
1 Cor 1:2 … to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their {Lord} and
ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is not only a superb evangelist; he is also a
master communicator. Though he has some burdensome issues to address with these spiritual children, he
begins with a brief statement acknowledging the
strength of their foundation, and the unity they share
in Christ. Paul loves to begin his letters to congregations with a statement of his gratitude for their spiritual well-being. Based on this common ground, the conversation they are about to have can move ahead constructively, since Paul is appealing to “Family;” those
called, saved, and transformed by Christ.
1 Cor 1:4 I thank my God always concerning you for the
grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that
in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech
and all knowledge,…
The passives in these verses show that Paul is
grateful to God for what He has accomplished, and
not for anything the Corinthians have done. This fact
is very important for an understanding of the body of
the letter, which has much to criticize in regard to the
Corinthians. Paul shares his gratitude to God, “for the
grace of God…given you in Christ Jesus.” Anything
good present in the lives of the Corinthians, exists entirely by the grace of God in Christ.
1 Cor 1:6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you,
950 Confirm: to make firm, establish, confirm, make sure.
The verb is again passive: “was confirmed,” made
solid and strong in your hearts, the passive pointing to
God as the agent and thus strengthening the effect of
the previous passives. To confirm Christ’s testimony
in you means to plant it solidly in your hearts by faith.
Verses 4-6 use three distinct verbs; given, enrich,
and confirm. “Giving is the broadest of the three
verbs; making rich is more specific; confirming narrows the idea down still more and refers it to the very
hearts of the Corinthians.” (Lenski)
And the result of all this “giving, enriching, and
confirming” is the impartation of all spiritual gifts and
hope in anticipation of Jesus return.
1 Cor 1:7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting
eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Remember the corrective nature of this letter to
the Church in Corinth. In a very short time, Paul is
going to be addressing some very touchy and divisive
issues that had built up in the congregation. It is critical that he reminds them that any problems they face,
and any changes that are needed, are possible because
of God’s provision and empowerment. In fact, they
already possess all they need and every gift necessary
for life until the return of Christ. But Paul doesn’t end
with that affirmation:
1 Cor 1:8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in
the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul explains that this confirmation of faith is both
a singular event and an ongoing process; one which
will continue until the return of Jesus. Just as there is a
saving nature to the grace of God, so also is there a
keeping nature to this same grace. God confirms (establishes) us as His children through faith in Christ.
Likewise, He confirms (makes sure, makes firm) us in
Christ as we grow in that same relationship of faith.
It is this process of sanctification (being made holy) which should be our focus until we are united with
Christ in glory. Our rough edges are not to be rationalized. Our sinful flesh shouldn’t be excused away. Paul
explains to the believers in Corinth and to us, that God
has begun a process of transformation which he expects to reach its conclusion. God has invested His
very Son, and given every spiritual gift to see the job
completed. And God expects us to have the dedication
and the integrity to allow His Spirit to complete that
process in us until Jesus’ return with glory.
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into
fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul closes his greeting as he began, reminding
the Corinthians that the entire walk of faith begins and
ends with the faithfulness of God, in Christ. We see
this same thought elsewhere in Paul’s writings:
Phil 1:6 {For I am} confident of this very thing, that He who
began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of
Christ Jesus.
Col 2:6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the
Lord, {so} walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted {and
now} being built up in Him and established in your faith,
just as you were instructed, {and} overflowing with gratitude.
So when you are tempted (like the Corinthians) to
get puffed up, relying more on yourself, or your own
personal abilities, remember 1 Corinthians. Remember the subtle seductions that come with success. And
remember that this has all happened before, and will
continue to happen again. We must never get away
from, or above, the grace of God.
Jer 17:5 Thus says the LORD, "Cursed is the man who trusts
in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose
heart turns away from the LORD. 6 "For he will be like
a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity
comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A
land of salt without inhabitant. 7 "Blessed is the man
who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. 8
"For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the
heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be
anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.