diff --git a/PHBC/Sermonettes/1Cor/1_10-4/1_10-14.md b/PHBC/Sermonettes/1Cor/1_10-4/1_10-14.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ff9cb85 --- /dev/null +++ b/PHBC/Sermonettes/1Cor/1_10-4/1_10-14.md @@ -0,0 +1,153 @@ +# One Foundation + +Paul begins this section of 1 Corinthians with a simple appeal to the +Corinthians to be united. +Paul begins this section with a bafflingly simple appeal. + + "be united in the same mind and in the same judgment." + +You don't resolve disagreements with such appeals. +It's usually naive to to think that you can. + +## Do Not Divide Over Teachers + +But as we read on, we see the reason why. +To put it bluntly, these are basically just really dumb disagreements. +The Corinthians are dividing over different *faithful* teachers. +They are associating so strongly with certain teachers they sinfully exclude +those who follow other teachers. +Their faith is defined by the likes of Paul or Peter or Apollos, to the +exclusion of all others. + +I want to start with a point of clarification. +Paul is opposing division here, but there are other places where he insists on +it. +There is good division and bad division. +As a general rule, we divide over teaching and sinful behavior, but do not +divide over teachers who teach the same thing. + +Now, there are times when we are introduced to new teachers and we just don't +know what they are about. +I have family members who I would love to have spend more time listening to the +likes of John Piper. +I know the teaching of John Piper and trust him. +They listen to other people who I am not familiar with, and I have to +investigate. +Do these teachers faithfully proclaim the Gospel? +Do they faithfully teach God's Word? + +If the answer to that is yes, then we have unity and should act accordingly. + +## Christ Is Not Divided + +Look at verse 13 - in response to the teacher oriented factions of the +Corinthians, Paul asks, "Is Christ divided?" +If someone is claimed by Christ and commissioned by Christ, if they teach +Christ faithfully, then to set him against another that teaches Christ +faithfully is to divide Christ. + +And of course, the people saying that they follow Paul or Peter or Apollos are +missing the point. +But, notice that among Paul's list of factions in verse 12, there is a faction +that says it follows Christ, and yet Paul still rebukes them. +We might be inclined to sidestep such disagreements in this way. +But if we receive Christ and do not receive those who are His, then we set Him +against His own. +By saying I follow Christ and I do not follow Paul, we set Christ against Paul. +We set the Head against the Body. + +Saying that you learned from a particular teacher as opposed to another is +fine. +We all have teachers who have influenced us more than others, but if we +faithfully follow faithful teachers, we are united in the truth of the gospel. + +Like most members of this church, I would not say that I follow Josh Hayward. +He just hasn't had much influence in my life and I've spent very little time +listening to him. +With that said, he seems to be a faithful teacher and we would not have any beef +with the members of Kinney Avenue Baptist Church over the fact that they follow +him. +We should and generally do recognize Josh Hayward, and happily greet those who +sit under his teaching, because he teaches and they receive Christ. +We should happily commend him and Kinney to our visitors. +Where we lack unity in under-shepherds, we are united in the Great Shepherd. + +## Christ Defines the Church + +In verse 13, Paul asks, "Was Paul crucified for you?" + +By the time of this writing, many martyrs had already been minted for the sake +of the spread of the Gospel. +Opposition to God's Word spilled the blood of many prophets before Christ came. +In that sense, we could say that many faithful believers have died for us, but +Christ stands alone in having a death that appeases the wrath of God. + +Accordingly, Paul then asks, "were you baptized in the name of Paul?" +Which is to ask, did you profess faith in Paul in baptism? +Is it by the name of Paul that you entered the church? + +No. +We have one baptism, which is in Christ, regardless of whether we were baptized +here or 2000 years ago by an apostle. +It is by professing the name of Christ that we enter the church. + +And notice verse 14. +Paul is grateful that he baptized only a few of them, thinking that they might +cling to him as the grounding of their baptism. +Our faith is in no way defined by our baptizer. +Our baptism and the faith expressed in it are grounded in Christ. + +Christ is more than merely the pedagogical ancestor of all other faithful +teachers. +A fully trained teacher cannot ever become a substitute for Christ Himself. + +Christ did not come proclaiming a system that can exist apart from Him. +We do not put our faith in a system named Christianity. +We put our faith in the person of Christ. + +Christ did tell us how we should live, but we do not derive our life from these +things. +Christ taught more than mere principles by which we should live. +We do not have life because we live as Christ taught us to live, we have life +because of how Christ lived. +We have life because of who Christ is and what He has done. + +And then because of that life that we have, we live as He taught us to live. + +Many philosophers and mathematicians have systems of thought and formulas named +after them. +Platonism can exist apart from Plato. +The Pythagorean Theorem can exist apart from Pythagoras. +Marxism could be conceived of apart from Marx. +But there is no Christianity without Christ. +And if we truly have Christ, we have Christianity. + +No teacher has brought anything of worth to the table that he has not received. + +Christianity is not incomplete without any particular teacher, other than +Christ Himself, who is the teaching. + +### Comment on Samuel's Mission + +As I reflect on how we are thinking that we must release Samuel to go and do +something that he is almost uniquely gifted to do for the nation of Romania, +part of me wants to say, "He is going to spread the 9Marks way." +"Go forth make disciples of the Park Hills way of all nations." +But other resources exist to convey the ecclesiological teachings of 9Marks. + +There is nothing truly unique to Samuel or to the 9Marks ecosystem that Romania +needs. +In truth, God could have called anyone from any multitude of schools of thought +to this task. +What is required is the faithful proclaim of God's Word. + +### Ending + +As I close here, I want to note that wrote what I am about to say in the last +hours of August. +I had no idea when writing this how prescient this sentiment would be for us +now. + +God can take away our teachers or assign us to other teachers at any time. +But whoever He assigns to us and to those we love, we should receive warmly as +gifts from God so long as they remain faithful to the gospel of our Christ.