For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. - Mark 10:45
Paul opens the epistle of 1 Corinthians by confronting and addressing the quarreling and animosity that is present within their congregation. In the first 4 chapters of this book, he identifies several causes for the strife and prescribes solutions to remedy these issues. Theological misunderstandings, a reliance on worldly wisdom rather than the Holy Spirit, widespread spiritual immaturity, and boasting in human works have all contributed to the church’s division. This morning’s message picks up where we left off last week as we continue to focus on the discord rampant in Corinthian church.
I. YOU ARE THE TEMPLE (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
Later in this letter Paul applies these teachings to the lives of individual Christians (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). We will elaborate on this perspective much more when we reach that passage. But for now, in this context, he is addressing the Corinthians as a church body - as a group. We should interpret these verses accordingly.
In the preceding passage, Paul referred to their congregation collectively as God’s building. He explained that God used him to lay the church’s foundation, which was none other than Jesus Christ, and used others - specifically Apollos - to build upon it. He warned them to be careful as to how they built their church and implored them to use quality materials that would endure God’s testing. Of course, he was speaking metaphorically.
Now Paul goes a step further by stating that the church isn’t just any building. It’s not a store, a workshop, or a house. Paul declares that it is the temple of God. It is the place where God’s Spirit dwells. Since the days of the exodus, God’s manifest presence dwelt among His people Israel first in the tabernacle and then in the temple. But this all changed when the Jewish people rejected their Messiah and the old covenant was suspended. Under the new covenant, the local Christian church became and currently serves as the house of God. Whenever and wherever believers gather corporately, the Holy Spirit should dwell in their midst.
For this reason, Christians should be careful not to allow any individual or group of individuals damage or destroy the church. It is the temple of God. Those who do harm to it will be dealt with harshly by the LORD Himself. The church is a holy place - pure, set apart, and sanctified for God’s purposes. It should be regarded as such by those who gather there.
Sadly, many of us have lost our reverence for the church. We lack a holy regard for it. We practice things in the church that have no place there. We allow unrepentant sinners to behave openly and shamefully there. We rarely, if ever, practice church discipline. Many churches have become unwelcoming and hostile environments for the Holy Spirit. I dare to say that the Spirit of God has even vacated some churches completely, leaving them powerless and lifeless. We would be wise to remember that Jesus righteously cleansed the temple and, as necessary, perhaps we should do likewise…
II. LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)
In this passage, Paul revisits and summarizes some of the major themes he has mentioned in the preceding chapters. He tells those who trust in worldly wisdom that they are deceiving themselves, and says that they must accept the foolishness of God’s wisdom in order to become truly wise. He repeats his earlier point that this world’s wisdom is foolishness to God, citing a pair of verses from the Old Testament to reinforce his argument (Job 5:13, Psalm 94:11).
Again Paul commands them not to boast in men or the works of men - even those of godly men. Specifically, they should not perceive themselves as belonging to either Paul, Apollos, or Peter (originally stated in 1 Corinthians 1:12). In fact, the opposite is true - pastors belong to the church. The congregation has authority over the pastor, and his role is merely servant leadership. The pastor is not a president, king, dictator, or boss - he is an undershepherd who strives to edify the church and its members. Beyond their leaders, God has given all things to the church that they might serve and worship Him both now and forever. Finally, the church belongs to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
III. JUDGING AND BEING JUDGED (1 Corinthians 4:1-5)
Paul states that he, along with all other ministers, including Apollos and Peter, should be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards of God. A steward is responsible for managing the possessions of someone else. Jesus taught a parable comparing a just and unjust steward (Luke 12:42-48). In short, everything belongs to the LORD and church leaders are tasked with taking care of it. As such, they must be honest and trustworthy.
Though Paul conducts himself in this way and strives to maintain a godly reputation, he is not overly concerned with how the Corinthians or anyone else thinks of him. The truth is, people will find reasons to slander and condemn even the most righteous person if it fits their agenda. Whatsmore, Paul is careful not to degrade, belittle, or malign himself. The only judgment that really matters comes from the LORD, because only He knows the truth. We must not take the judgmental remarks of others too seriously, nor should we be overly hard on ourselves.
Paul instructs the Corinthians to withhold their judgment of others until the LORD comes. At that time, God will bring to light the hidden things and disclose the true intentions of all men. Following this revelation, God will render praise to whom it is due. Praise from men is futile and meaningless compared to the approval of God. The content of these verses, and others to follow, indicate that some of the people in the Corinthian church were making slanderous comments about Paul’s character.
CONCLUSION
In this sermon, we have touched on several different topics that may seem to be a bit disjointed. Nevertheless, let’s go over them quickly before we close.
First - the local church is the temple of God. When Christians gather there, the Holy Spirit should be manifestly present in their midst. To that end, the church and its members should conduct itself in a reverent and godly manner that encourages and fosters the corporate presence of the Holy Spirit. Our practices and preaching should be orderly and grounded in Biblical truth.
Second - the members of the church don't belong to the pastors, but rather the pastors belong to the members. Pastors and church leaders are servants and stewards of God who are called to shepherd a specific congregation. To go a step further, the entire church belongs to Jesus, who is the head of the body, and Jesus belongs to the Father.
Third - while it is imperative for pastors and leaders to conduct themselves with integrity and trustworthiness, honestly the opinions of other people don’t mean much. God knows a person’s heart - whether for good or bad - and His judgment is all that really matters. Don’t let others puff you up or tear you down, and don’t do this to yourself either.
Next week we will wrap up our discussion on division within the church as we finish chapter 4. Until then, may God richly bless you and yours. Amen.
Paul opens the epistle of 1 Corinthians by confronting and addressing the quarreling and animosity that is present within their congregation. In the first 4 chapters of this book, he identifies several causes for the strife and prescribes solutions to remedy these issues. Theological misunderstandings, a reliance on worldly wisdom rather than the Holy Spirit, widespread spiritual immaturity, and boasting in human works have all contributed to the church’s division. This morning’s message picks up where we left off last week as we continue to focus on the discord rampant in Corinthian church.
I. YOU ARE THE TEMPLE (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
Later in this letter Paul applies these teachings to the lives of individual Christians (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). We will elaborate on this perspective much more when we reach that passage. But for now, in this context, he is addressing the Corinthians as a church body - as a group. We should interpret these verses accordingly.
In the preceding passage, Paul referred to their congregation collectively as God’s building. He explained that God used him to lay the church’s foundation, which was none other than Jesus Christ, and used others - specifically Apollos - to build upon it. He warned them to be careful as to how they built their church and implored them to use quality materials that would endure God’s testing. Of course, he was speaking metaphorically.
Now Paul goes a step further by stating that the church isn’t just any building. It’s not a store, a workshop, or a house. Paul declares that it is the temple of God. It is the place where God’s Spirit dwells. Since the days of the exodus, God’s manifest presence dwelt among His people Israel first in the tabernacle and then in the temple. But this all changed when the Jewish people rejected their Messiah and the old covenant was suspended. Under the new covenant, the local Christian church became and currently serves as the house of God. Whenever and wherever believers gather corporately, the Holy Spirit should dwell in their midst.
For this reason, Christians should be careful not to allow any individual or group of individuals damage or destroy the church. It is the temple of God. Those who do harm to it will be dealt with harshly by the LORD Himself. The church is a holy place - pure, set apart, and sanctified for God’s purposes. It should be regarded as such by those who gather there.
Sadly, many of us have lost our reverence for the church. We lack a holy regard for it. We practice things in the church that have no place there. We allow unrepentant sinners to behave openly and shamefully there. We rarely, if ever, practice church discipline. Many churches have become unwelcoming and hostile environments for the Holy Spirit. I dare to say that the Spirit of God has even vacated some churches completely, leaving them powerless and lifeless. We would be wise to remember that Jesus righteously cleansed the temple and, as necessary, perhaps we should do likewise…
II. LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)
In this passage, Paul revisits and summarizes some of the major themes he has mentioned in the preceding chapters. He tells those who trust in worldly wisdom that they are deceiving themselves, and says that they must accept the foolishness of God’s wisdom in order to become truly wise. He repeats his earlier point that this world’s wisdom is foolishness to God, citing a pair of verses from the Old Testament to reinforce his argument (Job 5:13, Psalm 94:11).
Again Paul commands them not to boast in men or the works of men - even those of godly men. Specifically, they should not perceive themselves as belonging to either Paul, Apollos, or Peter (originally stated in 1 Corinthians 1:12). In fact, the opposite is true - pastors belong to the church. The congregation has authority over the pastor, and his role is merely servant leadership. The pastor is not a president, king, dictator, or boss - he is an undershepherd who strives to edify the church and its members. Beyond their leaders, God has given all things to the church that they might serve and worship Him both now and forever. Finally, the church belongs to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
III. JUDGING AND BEING JUDGED (1 Corinthians 4:1-5)
Paul states that he, along with all other ministers, including Apollos and Peter, should be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards of God. A steward is responsible for managing the possessions of someone else. Jesus taught a parable comparing a just and unjust steward (Luke 12:42-48). In short, everything belongs to the LORD and church leaders are tasked with taking care of it. As such, they must be honest and trustworthy.
Though Paul conducts himself in this way and strives to maintain a godly reputation, he is not overly concerned with how the Corinthians or anyone else thinks of him. The truth is, people will find reasons to slander and condemn even the most righteous person if it fits their agenda. Whatsmore, Paul is careful not to degrade, belittle, or malign himself. The only judgment that really matters comes from the LORD, because only He knows the truth. We must not take the judgmental remarks of others too seriously, nor should we be overly hard on ourselves.
Paul instructs the Corinthians to withhold their judgment of others until the LORD comes. At that time, God will bring to light the hidden things and disclose the true intentions of all men. Following this revelation, God will render praise to whom it is due. Praise from men is futile and meaningless compared to the approval of God. The content of these verses, and others to follow, indicate that some of the people in the Corinthian church were making slanderous comments about Paul’s character.
CONCLUSION
In this sermon, we have touched on several different topics that may seem to be a bit disjointed. Nevertheless, let’s go over them quickly before we close.
First - the local church is the temple of God. When Christians gather there, the Holy Spirit should be manifestly present in their midst. To that end, the church and its members should conduct itself in a reverent and godly manner that encourages and fosters the corporate presence of the Holy Spirit. Our practices and preaching should be orderly and grounded in Biblical truth.
Second - the members of the church don't belong to the pastors, but rather the pastors belong to the members. Pastors and church leaders are servants and stewards of God who are called to shepherd a specific congregation. To go a step further, the entire church belongs to Jesus, who is the head of the body, and Jesus belongs to the Father.
Third - while it is imperative for pastors and leaders to conduct themselves with integrity and trustworthiness, honestly the opinions of other people don’t mean much. God knows a person’s heart - whether for good or bad - and His judgment is all that really matters. Don’t let others puff you up or tear you down, and don’t do this to yourself either.
Next week we will wrap up our discussion on division within the church as we finish chapter 4. Until then, may God richly bless you and yours. Amen.