I’ve been having a lot of fun studying Paul in general and, right now, his first letter to the Church at Corinth. Every time that I open the text or read the commentaries something new pops out. The world in which Paul wrote is so very different from ours. Besides the language there are the customs and culture that we simply cannot fully understand from our vantage point some 2,000 years away.
Yet, people are people regardless of where, or when, we find them. In an old television program the announcer told us that the stories we were about to hear were true. The names, however, were changed to protect the innocent. We were then able to relate to the characters because, like the announcer said, “They were real”!
The Bible can sometimes be kind of like that. The people and their stories were real. Only in this case, it’s the Time that’s changed. We can still relate to those folks. They were just like us in more ways than, perhaps, we’d like to admit.
So, when I read something like 1 Cor. 5:10-11 I can see a reflection of myself in those words. These two verses contain a similar catalog of vices. I understand that these kinds of lists existed in many forms at that time. They were useful rhetorically to paint images that would be easily remembered by people in an oral tradition. They also gave people like Paul a base-line template from which to draw common vices that readers/hearers could easily understand and relate to. They were part of a “common lexicon” of terms.
The people in the Church would have absolutely grasped what Paul was trying to tell them regarding those who are “immoral” or “grasping” or “swindlers.” And, they would have realized that if they were supposed to stay away from such people, they would need to remove themselves from society.
But, Paul wasn’t talking about people who practiced any of those listed vices in general. His pen was not aimed at anyone who was not a part of the Church. He agreed that it would be impossible to live and work in society if we had to avoid indiscriminate mixing with these people.
Apparently, the folks in the Church chose to mis-read Paul. They looked at his instructions from what may have been a previous letter and said, “What a Maroon! He thinks that we should build walls around us and live like hermits not mixing with anyone who simply lives life like a normal person.”
Yeah, I’m taking some liberties here. But, it is not to far from the mark when we consider how the so-called “Wise” people of the Church were looking for any reason to denigrate Paul. They worked hard to discredit him because he wasn’t their Ideal as a wise person.
Paul, in these verses, clarified his position.
He told them that he was talking about any so-called Sister or Brother IN. THE. CHURCH.
Now, there are a couple things here that pop out. These are things that the Church today would be wise to grasp.
First, Paul is NOT talking about our obligation to be Prophetic voices in our culture. We are called, yeah, I wrote “called,” to speak Truth to Power. I’ve written this before and I’ll write it again in the future. The systems that are baked into culture are not immune to the rebuke of the Lord Jesus as it is spoken through His followers. Racism, classism, homophobia, xenophobia, capitalism, socialism, and on and on and on all need to be addressed thoughtfully and, in the case of the Church, prayerfully. (**Prayerfully does not mean that action doesn’t need to take place. Prayerfully may help us discern WHAT action to take.)
Marching, protesting, boycotting, writing and speaking are all good and viable ways to speak to Power and, yes, judge it.
Second, Paul seemed to say that whatever my non-believing neighbor does that I would consider ‘sin’ is simply not my concern. If my neighbor is unfaithful to his wife, it’s not my job to go knock on his door and confront him. Of course, if the topic comes up in a natural discussion with him I may mention my opinion. But, I have no business judging him for it.
That’s God’s job and way above my pay grade.
However, if someone in the Church who is considered a Sister or Brother is involved in some illicit behavior or attitude, the Church does have a responsibility to deal with it. I have tried to emphasize Paul’s concern for the Church. He is ultimately concerned with Unity and with Building Up. Everything else is subordinate to those two things. And, in Paul’s mind what was happening at Corinth was damaging the Church, not building it up.
That’s part of my purpose, too. I truly desire that the Church become the best representation of Yahweh as is possible. Yeah, I get testy sometimes. I call out hypocrisy and error when I find it. I also encourage and root for those who are getting it right.
Unfortunately, there seems to be more error than not these days. Especially, when it comes to the Church’s responsibility to speak prophetically to culture AND in keeping its own house in order.
So, here I am with my little platform typing away day by day not knowing if anyone is actually paying attention. But, like I mentioned above, this is part of my ‘calling.’
I appreciate those who humor me by reading my ramblings.
Thanks!