4:1 - ESV (The holiest bible of them all) - "stewards of the mysteries of God." That is a really intriguing phrase. A steward is a caretaker or a keeper, someone that protects something. We are supposed to be protectors of the mysteries of God. To me, this means that we should not walk around pretending like we have got it all figured out...we should not try to explain the miraculous away...we should not fear telling someone, "I don't know," when it comes to a question about God. It is clear from the last few chapters that there are things about God we will never understand. We can know God, but we cannot understand every aspect of who He is and what He does. My wife knows me very well, but she will never be able to fully understand everything that makes me tick...and we are both human. Imagine the arrogance it takes for a human to assume that he/she has God "all figured out." That should never be the goal of our faith. We should strive to know more and more of God, and then revel in the fact that we will never understand His mysteries (I for one, don't want to follow a god that I can figure out - that would be a very small god). The mysteries of God are a beautiful treasure that keep us ever chasing after Him.
4:7 - What could I ever possibly have to boast about? Everything I have ever been able to do or accomplish was given to me as a gift from God. Every good thing I have ever thought of or created, was a gift from God. Everything I am...everything I have...I received from God. What right do I have to boast about myself? None.
4:8ff - I hope you cleaned up after all the sarcasm Paul just poured all over you! Man, he is feeling feisty! The Corinthian church thinks they have got it all figured out. They have this Christian thing down...they are living the good life...etc, etc. But Paul wants them to understand that the ease they are experiencing while living out their faith is proof that they aren't really living it out. If Christianity is easy and it makes your life better from a worldly standpoint...you aren't really living it. Paul is like, "Wow, that's funny, you guys are all arrogant and living it up...I want in on that kingdom, because when me and the other apostles live out our faith...it seems like we get tortured and killed and driven out of town and laughed at and rejected. Gee, I wonder which one of us is really following the path of Christ?" Which group do you more resemble - the Corinthians or the apostles?
4:20 - Talk is cheap. Stop talking about how screwed up the world is and what Christians need to do to change it...and do it! The kingdom of God is not about talk - it is about action (Cue Elvis, "A little less conversation and a lot more action...")!
3 comments:
Msg - We are guides into God's most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge.
I disagree – we are not protectors of the mysteries of God. God can protect His own mysteries. We have heard it before – God reveals Himself to who He wants to – it is for His glory – not ours. We should NOT act like we have it all figured out. And that’s ok – God has infinite mysteries – why do you think He wants to spend forever with us?
Vs 10 Msg - We're the Messiah's misfits. – Part sarcasm (took me a long time to realize that Paul was being a smarty pants here) – part truth.
Paul is writing this way on purpose – it has double meaning. He is saying this to the Corinthians and to anyone else who follows Christ. By worldly standards, following Christ makes you a misfit. 2 truths – one sentence.
how cool is that...
peace,
j
I understand what you are saying, but if you take the attitude of "God can take care of His own mysteries" as far as it can go...then you don't have to do anything. "God can save who He wants - why evangelize." "God can feed the hungry - why give what I have to help others." Of course God can do anything, but I believe He has called us to protect the mystery. In the movie, "Expelled," there are a bunch of guys who decided to disregard mystery and try to explain everything literally...and they are scientific atheists - they chose in their own lives to destroy the mystery of God. I think we do need to fight to make sure that we personally don't allow ourselves to fall into explaining everything mysterious away. But the point is - we both understand that we will never fully know God and that is awesome!
I think of a dog racing illustration. You know, when the dogs race, there's always this bunny on a rail that goes faster than the dogs, and the dogs are chasing it to see who will win the race. The worst thing that could ever happen is that one of the dogs ACTUALLY catches the bunny! It would end the race, the dogs would sit around wondering what to do, and nothing would get accomplished. God remaining mysterious is what keeps us chasing. We will chase, run, and pursue to know God more and more, and not ever being able to completely do it is what ultimately will make us achieve more.
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