[Photo by Aldric Rivat on Unsplash.]
In the last Day Share we spoke about the foundation of the church at Corinth. Paul made sure that the church had a sure foundation - Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. He is the only foundation for a Christian church. In today's study, we are looking at what Paul says about the efforts of men to build on this foundation. Notice that Paul is not saying that we can leave everything to God and that there is no role for human effort in the church. Like Jesus, Paul used imagery to get his point over. He uses metaphors which would make considerable sense to his readers because his word pictures are taken from the history of Corinth itself. Firstly, he talks about the material used in the construction of this church. Again, remember that this is a metaphor. He is not literally speaking of building with wood, hay and stubble or conversely of using more lasting materials such as gold, silver and precious stones. As we saw in an earlier Day Share [Corinth - Sin City 15/08/2021] in the city of Corinth there was a huge difference in the houses of the rich and the hovels of the poor citizens (or maybe slaves). The rich used materials which were not only extravagant and ostentatious but were also long lasting. On the other hand, at the foot of the social pyramid were the downcast slaves or poor citizens whose houses were constructed of cheap material which would not survive. In its recent history, Corinth had suffered from a huge fire which had devastated the city. The houses of the poor did not survive - because they were made of material which could survive the conflagration which the city experienced.
All of this is a word picture or metaphor. I am adding a quotation from an old commentary to give us a better insight into this situation at Corinth.
When Corinth rose from its ruins, it was no uncommon sight to see a miserable hovel reared against the marble wall of a temple or the splendid portico of some deserted palace rendered habitable by a patchwork of mud and straw. … huge slabs of carefully chiselled stone lay stable as the rock on which they rested , but now the glory of such foundations was dishonoured by squalid superstructures. [The First Epistle to the Corinthians: Marcus Dods - The Expositor's Bible 1988-9 pages 87-88]
I think that there is a verse which provides a clue to the interpretation of these verses.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. [1 Corinthians 3: 11 NIV]
Paul had established the Church on a solid foundation - Jesus the Messiah. He warns of the need for care and attention when we are building into any church. We cannot use just any material. For example, it seems to me to be wrong to use political ideas as a suitable material to build up a Christian church. Even though you might have strong political convictions, this is, in my opinion, not a suitable material for church building. Another example, may be philosophy is also a material which will not survive the test of time. Scientific theories would be another material which would be suspect and unsuitable. Gossip and slander is definitely not a suitable building material. We could add more and more 'unsuitable building materials' for the Christian church. One example might be to emphasise morality and good works without explaining the need for new birth. I would also suggest that dead religion presented as a tradition and keeping a set of rules and regulations will be poor building material. It may be that it is not so much about the content of our service but more about the motives behind our activities. It is possible to engage in all the right activities for all the wrong reasons. We may be serving the Lord to impress other people or to make a name for ourselves. This would come into the category of using unsuitable material in building the church.
The clue as to what needs to be built lies in verse 11 quoted above. We need to continue with the same material which was used in the foundations. If we want to build for God, we need to stick to the Word of God and consistently proclaim the message of the cross. The Son of God is the only material which will build up a church. In my lifetime, I have seen politics influencing the thinking of Christian elders and I have observed interpretation of Scripture based on human reasoning and human wisdom. We need to keep to the word of God. The founding verse of Day Share is -
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to the Lord. [Colossians 3:16 NIV] Notice that singing plays an important role in all of this. Some Christians have tried to suggest that too much emphasis on singing is not helpful. In this verse, Paul places as much importance on singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs as on the Bible teaching. We need both and both complement each other.
There is a lesson for us today. What materials am I building into the church? Remember that the church is the people not the building. Am I helping my fellow Christians to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Am I giving encouragement to other Christians or am I too concerned with my own comfort and reputation that I am building up an edifice that will come crashing down and bring dishonour to the name of the Lord?
What will happen if we waste our whole life building the wrong materials into the church? In other words, if I have not contributed to the spiritual growth of the church, how will that affect my future? Will my salvation be put at risk?
These questions will be looked at in the next Day Share and hopefully answered honestly.
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