What does God require of the Church? What are the
responsibilities—the duties—of Christian disciples
living in community?
As a second semester freshman in college twentytwo years ago, I had the opportunity to take a course
on the life and letters of the Apostle Paul. The course
was taught by E.P. Sanders, the professor who
would become my academic advisor in the religion
department. And it was one of those educational
experiences that moved from the informative to the
transformative, the beginning of a long journey with
Paul’s Letters, a journey that has been core to my call
to ministry.
Professor Sanders, who died last November, was
a legendary New Testament scholar and a brilliant
teacher. Raised a Southern Baptist in Texas, he referred
to himself as a “secularized Protestant.” Our study of
Paul was undertaken through the lens of historical
critical study and academic rigor, not faith formation.
And yet, here’s what happened. We were nearing the
end of First Corinthians, and in a departure from his
usual pedagogy, Professor Sanders began to read out
loud from the thirteenth chapter. And, as he did, the
words caught in his throat. He became noticeably,
uncomfortably emotional. He paused before
continuing. After finishing the chapter, he closed
his Bible, looked up, and addressed the classroom
of students before him, saying, “If Paul had written
nothing else, his importance would be well-deserved.”
Class dismissed. It was a moment I will never forget.
What was it that struck him that day reading this
passage of scripture?
If you are at all familiar with the thirteenth chapter of
First Corinthians, chances are that’s because of its
common use as a reading at weddings. The poetic
refrain, the beauty of the words, the emphasis on love,
make it an obvious choice for such an occasion. But
these verses have a context of their own. Paul was
not a wedding poet. He was an apostle. He did not
write for isolated couples but for whole communities.
And so, in memory of Professor Sanders, I hope you’ll
permit me a few moments of exegetical extravagance
this morning. Or perhaps better put, pure geekery.
First Corinthians is a letter addressed to a
congregation filled with people Paul already knew.
This is important. It’s a church that Paul founded, a
congregation he loved. It’s also a church struggling
to remember its identity. Though the specific topics
raised in the letter are not those we might name as
pressing, the core concern remains as timely as ever.
It is this: the church has become bitterly divided.
Paul, as any pastor would, urges unity. But the unity
to which Paul calls the Corinthians is not a watereddown sameness that drains the substance from their
convictions. It is a unity born of the conviction that
the Church of Jesus Christ is one Church, that division
disfigures Christ’s body, prevents us from pursuing
our purpose.
In the tenth chapter of the letter, Paul addresses
the question about eating food from animals that
have been sacrificed to idol gods. Now, this would
have been an especially important matter in a city
like Corinth. You see, many of those who had joined
the Church, the Christian movement, had formerly
worshiped and offered sacrifices to a wide variety
of diverse gods. Some who had made this dramatic
theological shift from idol worship to the worship of
God did not stop attending the festivals and feasts
where meat sacrificed to idols was eaten. After all,
what difference did it make? The idols are not really
gods, and, by the way, the meat was delicious. It
would have been a rare delicacy in the ancient world.
To eat meat offered to idols or not. That was the question.
Paul responds in an interesting way. He agrees with
the premise of those who thought eating the meat
was no big deal. He even quotes them. “All things
are lawful.” But that is far too low a bar for life in
Christian community. And so, Paul continues, “All
things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial…
not all things build up.” And then, this zinger. I wish he
hadn’t written it, but he did. “Do not seek your own
advantage, but that of the other.” Ahhh…so it’s not
about the existence of idols or what’s on the menu. It’s
about how we care for each other. If, by eating meat
offered in idol sacrifice, you run the risk of leading
others astray, you should refrain. Not because of the
law, but because of love.
In chapter eleven, Paul returns to that core issue
of division, and this time over worship. Did you
know that congregations can become divided over
worship? Well, it seems that the Corinthians have
designed a kind of carefully arranged tiered approach
to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Here’s how it
worked: The wealthy and the prominent arrive early,
where they enjoy their exclusive fellowship and the
best meal without telling the others the start time.
And then, when the rest of the community shows
up, the good food is all gone. The early arrivers, well
they are well-fed and, yes, a little tipsy. Paul is furious.
What you are eating is not the Lord’s Supper. Why
not? Because Christ’s table is for all. Paul directs the
Corinthians, “When you come together to eat, wait
for one another.” If everyone is not welcome, you’ve
missed the point.
In chapter twelve Paul beautifully describes the
variety of spiritual gifts that exist in the Corinthian
community, each one given and activated by God.
But Paul is aware that the church has given in to the
temptation of ranking the gifts of the Spirit, creating a
hierarchy of membership. In response, Paul employs
his favorite image for the Church: “You are the body
of Christ, and individually members of it.” As with the
human body, Paul writes, each part of our fellowship
has a unique and indispensable role to play, a
distinctive contribution to make. We need each other
to be the community God intends us to be, just as our
body needs all of its parts to function properly. But
then Paul takes this one step further, moving from
symbiotic coexistence to radical inclusion. Paul writes,
“The members of the body that seem to be weaker
are indispensable.” Paul writes, “God has so arranged
the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior
member.”
Friends, consider this: that life in Christian community
is not about equality—everybody getting the same
thing. It is about compassion—those who need more
should receive more. It’s about going out of your way
to lift another up. It’s about making sacrifices to care
for each other. Again, Paul has a pithy conclusion,
writing, “If one member suffers, if any among you is
suffering, all suffer together.” Listen. Life in Christian
community cannot be primarily about what is best for
me. God requires more of us than that.
And so, chapter twelve ends with a promise. “I will
show you a still more excellent way.” These are the
words that introduce the passage that brought my
brilliant professor to the brink of tears.
Yes, the topic is love, but I’m convinced that, for Paul,
love is always grounded in responsibility, sacrifice.
Though the English translation unfortunately obscures
this reality, in verses four through eight, love is the
subject of sixteen consecutive verbs. When we
set this passage in its context, we are able to hear
something deeper than the syrupy sentimentality
that has plagued this greatest hit from Paul. The love
described here takes work. It’s hard. It stretches us
beyond our comfort zone and self-interest. Yes, to
a divided community of Christian believers, Paul
commends the kind of love that is prepared to yield
for the good of another, a love that does not insist
on its own way, a love that practices patience and
forgiveness, a love that never ends because it never
stops pushing us toward that still more excellent way.
When all is said and done, we will be measured not
by our accomplishments, titles achieved, positions
held, or even our spiritual gifts. We will be measured
by how well we have loved. Yes, when all is said and
done, a church will not be measured by the size of its
budget or the beauty of its building, the orthodoxy
of its theology, or the purity of its people. We will
be measured by how much of God’s love we have
poured back into the world. And so, it is more than
a shame—it is a heresy—when congregations and
denominations divide into factions that use scripture
as a weapon in those battles.
It’s all about love. A love that looks to the needs of
others before our own. A love that challenges our
preconceived notions. A love that values the image of
God in each other more than any obsession over who
is right and who is wrong. If Paul were writing today, I
am convinced that while the topics may be different,
the message would be the same. Love, love, love is
what God requires of the Church.
When hate is loud, love must not be silent. When
messages described as “Christian” only further the
divisions among us, foster the resentment between us,
or enable our judgement of one another, we cannot sit
idly by or slip into vapid sentimentality. We must be clear
that the love Paul commands looks first to the wellbeing
of those on the outside. Clothed with greater honor. We
must be clear, when there are voices spewing exclusion
and hatred, that the voice of love says no. The grace of
God extends to all, or it is not God’s grace. The table of
the Lord belongs to all, or it is not the Lord’s table. And
so must our message of welcome as a church. If our
theology, if your theology, allows you to condemn any
other while congratulating yourself, it is not Gospel.
Will you allow the love of God to break open the
closed places in your heart? Will you embrace the
responsibility of Christian love? Will you practice
patience, seek reconciliation, extend compassion,
walk with humility, pursue a still more excellent way?
Friends, this is the ultimate measure of our faith. It is
the core of our common call.
And so, please don’t waste your life on anything less.
You will regret it when your days come to an end.
It’s all about love. Love God. Love one another.
It’s all about love. In words and in actions.
It’s all about love. Love one another. Not some, but all.
It’s all about love. Love one another. That’s what God
requires of us.
Paul was right. Without love, we are nothing. Amen