Paul continues on the topic of favoritism and non-biblical attributes given to the teachers in the church. Being that Paul saw the dissension among these ideas he thought it wise to address it, which it was. Why see a problem and not address it? That makes no sense. The problem does not just go away if it is ignored. Problems need to be addressed and be done so respectfully. This is what we see here. Paul sees a problem in the church and brings it to light, not just from worldly teaching and what seems rational, but also what is spirit led. In 1 Corinthians 4:7, Paul points out that the church members also have gifts from God that help them in their lives, but as they should not be bragging about them, then they should not be comparing one teacher/leader to another as it pertains to the church.
1 Corinthians 4:14, I have heard people say that Paul was getting arrogant and shaming people in his letter to the Corinthians. I do not see it that way and neither did Paul. It was not a letter laced with insults and tirades. It was a letter that was written to correct what was breaking. If a parent tells a child to stop a behavior or they will get in trouble, the child can feel shamed but that does not mean that was the parent's intent. If you boss wants to correct a way that you take meeting notes, stock shelves or speak with customers, the intent is to correct, not to shame. We have to see the whole picture not just how we feel. Just because we feel something it doesn't mean that was the intent.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
No comments:
Post a Comment