Central Truth

Being a fool for Christ’s sake is honorable.

Reflections

Whew! Paul had a real load with those Corinthians! He stayed, lived and worked there for eighteen months in an atmosphere much akin to certain areas of any of our large cities. There were prostitutes, gamblers, and drug dealers who were often the topic of dirty jokes from the Romans. But to most peoples’ surprise, the church Paul founded there became one of the largest in the first century.

A few years after this church was founded, rumors came to Paul of how the city was slipping spiritually; it prompted him to write the letter known as 1 Corinthians. Paul must have felt like a parent who loved his children so much but had disappointment with them that gnawed at his very soul. 

In the verses we read today, he scolds them, pointing out with sharp sarcasm that “You are already filled, you have become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we might also reign with you." (1 Corinthians 4:8) "We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.” (1 Corinthians 4:10)
 
The template of this scenario can be placed upon most societies. Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we all have similarities to those brothers and sisters of long ago. Human behavior is usually very predictable.
 
Thankfully, our modern day society has the survival tool needed to endure the rough roads of our times - not technology, but rather the Word of God. Like the Corinthians, we need guidance in our misunderstandings. In Celebrate Recovery, one of the steps is a reminder to continue to take personal inventory, and when wrong, promptly admit it. This is a great help in dealing with my own hurts, habits, and hang-ups. It allows me to stay on track in dealing with the ups and downs of daily living. What a gift this is to enable one to be a better servant of Christ!

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the Corinthians were so prideful and arrogant?
2. If you were Paul or one of the other disciples in this passage, how might you have handled the challenges of the Corinthians?
3. If you were a Corinthian, how would you have reacted to Paul’s ranting, reasoning and sarcasm regarding what was going on in your relatively young church?