By Robin Wiley
We are currently studying the book of 1 Corinthians in Youth Sunday School. It’s a great study series by RightNow Media’s Jenni Allen who examines Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. The church is a mess and has a problem with selfishness. To prepare the kiddos, our very first discussion was on just defining the word ‘selfishness’ and what that looked like to each person.
I asked the students – to give me an example of when and how they were selfish. No one responded – just blank stares. Not one offered up a story on how they focused only on themselves – funny, how that was hard for them to come up with an example (wink, wink). But not so with the sibs.
On that Sunday, there happened to be three sets of siblings for Sunday School – and when I asked for examples of selfishness within their own family systems – all the siblings were more than happy to bring up specific (and sometimes embarrassing) issues they had witnessed on the other and the conversation escalated into higher arguing voices, which eventually had to be reined in. The true nature of each person was revealed that they all had some sort of selfish behavior which caused disunity with their brother or sister. Let’s just say I heard “I am Mom’s favorite!” coming from more than one kiddo during that exchange. We all can be selfish, (me included!) sometimes.
The same can be seen in the church in Corinth. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in a response to the church’s questions raised from this community during an internal culture war. Corinth was a hub of knowledge and enlightenment and a patron to many gods. The Corinthian church was unusually diverse with many tensions formed from their differences. They had many distinguishable problems that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians but the main one was selfishness. They were so focused on themselves that they were causing division in the church. Selfishness has the potential to rip apart God’s people.
Greeting
1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul reminds the believers in the first nine verses of this chapter on what they have in common: God’s grace, sanctification, faithfulness, etc. – all in the name of Christ Jesus. Paul emphasizes the name of Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus – eight times in these verses to highlight the point that no church is about Paul or other teachers. It’s about Jesus and His gospel. Paul points to the power of the cross of Jesus, who humbled himself before God. He emptied himself in the most selfless act of humility by taking on the sin of the world.
Both, the Christians then and us now, need to set aside our selfishness to focus on what it means to be follow Jesus. We are to love, support, and encourage one another as we are living out our lives to “know Him and make Him known.” We are not always going to get along with our family or the people we work with or even with others in our church, but we ALL have Jesus in common.
We can choose selfishness and boast in ourselves, or we can choose the selfless way, the way that often looks foolish to the world, and boast in God.
What’s one thing you could do this week to be selfless toward another person?
Let’s pray:
Father God – thank you for Jesus and the wonderful example He is on being a selfless person. Empty me of anything that holds me back from being more like Him. Fill me with all the fruit of the Spirit today to be a blessing unto others. In Christ’s name alone – Amen.