1 Corinthians 4:18-21 To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain!

1 Corinthians 4:18-21  Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.  But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.  What do you prefer?  Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

In the above passage, Paul expresses frustration with the wayward Corinthians.  He sees them as lacking spiritually, talking about theological issues, fighting over leadership of their church rather than bringing a consistent message of holiness, servanthood, and love to the Corinthian people.  Their arguments over the leadership issue are breaking down the cohesive message of Christ and him alone.  Paul desires them to follow Christ only as he follows Christ only,  giving their lives completely for the purpose of the Good News rather than for their self-interests and self-engrandisement.  When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert and tells him to get away from him, He uses scripture to defeat the enemy: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.  (Matthew 4:10)  This is what Paul wants from the Corinthians, commitment to serving God.  He tells them they are arrogant, pontificating about their wonderful beliefs and ideas, while they lack power in the Spirit.  They are lifting up the cause of their factions rather than following God as servants to the people of Corinth.  In a sarcastic way, he has told them he wishes he could be like them: little kings determining what is right or wrong in the world.  Instead, Paul and the apostles are giving their lives daily for the sake of the gospel in the world's arena of sin and devastation.  Later in this letter, he tells the church that he dies daily for the gospel.  The apostles are bringing salvation to a world of sin and death.  He tells them in their little kingdoms, in their little factions, that the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power, a power that separates the  believer from the carnal, the talkers, the lukewarm.  In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds them that God has called his people to come away from the unclean things of the world and to dedicate themselves to him.  (See 2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

Today, we find Paul's admonitions apply to our lives as well.  Power to overcome and to live a life pleasing to God comes from following Christ in a holy manner.  We cannot be halfhearted in our service, but we must give ourselves wholly to God.  In Revelation when the Spirit speaks to the church in Laodicea, He says, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  (Revelation 3:15-16)  This self-satisfied church thinks they are rich and lack nothing, but the Spirit tells them they are pitiful and need to buy gold so they can procure white clothing to cover their shameful nakedness and salve for their blind eyes.  They had lost their perspective on spiritual realities just as the Corinthians had done.  (See Revelation 3:17-18)   In today's passage we see the Corinthians involved with religion, disputing over who has the right dogma, who belongs to what group, and who should be believed.  They were in turmoil because of the many words they were tossing around, words that hurt and destroyed the cohesiveness of the Corinthian church.  Their testimony in Corinth had been compromised because of this divisiveness.  Their arrogance about their held positions caused them to dismiss Paul's leadership as their spiritual father.  They were discounting his apostleship position in their church, not appreciating that Paul paid the price of persecution and threats of death to bring them the Good News.  Paul reminds them that he has the power of apostleship.  Since Paul established the Corinthian church, God is fully behind his efforts to correct the church, to bring discipline to them.  Consequently, Paul tells them, Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?  The choice is theirs: are they going to be recalcitrant or repentant?  If they are the latter, he will come to them with a gentle spirit.  If they are the former, he will use his authority of apostleship to bring correction. 

As we look around us, we can see the church in American has many of the characteristics of the Corinthian church.  We are divided into factions, holding dearly to our theological positions, worried about dogma, traditions, sacraments, and so on.  We have allowed "me" to get in the way of "we."  The Corinthians were worshipping in a chaotic manner.  The "me-first and me-only," spirit brought chaos and acrimony into their gatherings.  This selfish spirit also allowed sin to permeate their church.  As we will see later in the letter, the lack of spirituality and unity in the church resulted in such depravity that the sin of incest was openly practiced by a couple in their community.  The environment was so contaminated by sin that the church did not condemn the practice.  Holiness means a complete one-hundred percent commitment to Christ, a promise to serve others as a testimony to a dark and sinful world.  When the flesh gains preeminence in anyone's life, it will lead them to serving the self first.  When the unregenerate spirit of man is in control, it separates, divides, and destroys.  Communities, fellowships, marriages, and relationships all fall at the feet of the me-first generation.   Americans are inculcated by the idea that I am in control: "I only go around once, so I am going to get what is coming to me."  The prophet Isaiah said we are all like sheep who have gone astray and turned to our own way.  (Isaiah 53:6)  This is the genesis of sin: my way.  We chose ourselves over God.  We say, our way, not yours, God.  The Corinthian church displayed this attitude of self-will, self-indulgence, self-existence in their church and community.  Paul knew this attitude would lead to death, to the destruction of their church.  He was writing to them to put a stop to such an attitude.  He called it arrogant.  In arrogance, one might live like a king, dictating what he desires, or complaining about what he doesn't have; but Paul's life illustrates a life for Christ.  Paul told the church in Philippi that he would rejoice in chains if the gospel went forward.  He went on to say, I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  (Philippians 1:20-21)  This world was not his home.  He was not going to nest comfortably here without a care.  We, as with Paul, are not to make our homes here while we argue philosophies and points of doctrine; but we are called to be servants to a dying world, spreading the gospel, regardless of the cost.  Bless you today with the power of the Lord.