The Ending of a Letter
And so we come to the end of 1 Corinthians. Paul has addressed all the issues he can in this first letter and he now has some final words of instruction, encouragement and greetings. Over the last 15 chapters, we have walked with the Corinthian church through their need of correction and discipline. Their big problem? They thought too highly of themselves. They boasted in their own wisdom, wealth and status and they ignored ongoing sin of a church member who happened to have a bit of power. Paul proceeded to take them down a few notches. He speaks directly about their wisdom in chapter 1:21-25: For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom, because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. He speaks to their status and wealth issues in 11:17-22. Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. There must, indeed, be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore, when you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s Supper. For at the meal, each one eats his own supper ahead of others. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you look down on the church of God and embarrass those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you for this! His addresses the morality issues in chapter 5-6.
On top of this he corrects their understanding of the spiritual gifts (chapter 12-14) and theological issues in reference to the resurrection (chapter 15). This church had some issues! But are they any different than churches today? I would submit that they are not. We seem to have the same issues today. I think Solomon had it right when he says in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. There is still problems in our churches today with wisdom, status and wealth. We tend to defer to the powerful and ignore the weak. We rely on our own wisdom and glory in our status in the community. In 1:30-31 Paul reminds us, “But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.” And again in 5:6-7 “Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.” Now Paul ends his letter with some instructions:
Vs 1-12 Now about the collection for the saints: You should do the same as I instructed the Galatain churches. On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he prospers, so that no collections will need to be made when I come. When I arrive, I will send with letters those you recommend to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem. If it is suitable for me to go as well, they can travel with me. I will come to you after I pass through Macedonia—for I will be traveling through Macedonia— and perhaps I will remain with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way wherever I go. I don’t want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, because a wide door for effective ministry has opened for me yet many oppose me. If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear from you, because he is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. Therefore, no one should look down on him. Send him on his way in peace so he can come to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers. About our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to come to you with the brothers, but he was not at all willing to come now. However, he will come when he has an opportunity.
In verse one, Paul once again addresses a question from the Corinthian church. They wanted to know about a collection for the saints in Jerusalem. A little background. In Acts 11:27-30, we read about a famine throughout the Roman world. Apparently Jerusalem was the hardest hit, so the churches had been sending relief to them through Paul and others. Paul had specifically communicated the need to remember those in poverty in Galatians 2:10. The church today continues in it’s effort to alleviate suffering around the world and we have many opportunities in our own communities to contribute to those in need. As believers, this is one of our callings. Poverty and need come in all forms. It can happen because of famine, disease, or sudden economic collapse. The year 2020 will always be remembered as the year of Covid, and during this year, many people around the world and in our own communities struggled financially. Those already living in poverty struggled even more as the grocery stores emptied out because of hording and lack of quick supply chain turnover. People couldn’t pay rent or mortgages and many became ill, and it continues into 2021. We have been presented with an opportunity as people of God to reach out, to bless, and to give to those in need around this world. As the church, we need to find ways to do just that. How? Paul gives us an outline – At the first of each week, set aside something in keeping with your prosperity. Not a bad piece of advice. If we just set aside a little each week for those in need, we could help ease the burden. A few years ago a youth group in a church I was a part of did just that. Each week, each youth gave up one thing they usually spent money on and saved that for a ministry the church had with a housing project. In the first month those 30 or so youth raised over $700. Excited, they decided to give up two things each week for the next few months. Over the course of a 6 month period they raised over $7000 – just by giving up a couple Starbucks, a movie or something else each week.
In the next few verses Paul outlines his travel plans. He is currently in Ephesus and, although he wants to come to Corinth, he sees God working where he is at, so he decided to stay there. This is an important thing for us to see and understand. Sometimes, we have our plans – when to do something or go somewhere – but, we need to check first with God’s plan. Do we need to move from where we are right now? Is something going on here that we need to be involved in? Paul says something very telling here – because a wide door for effective ministry has opened for me yet many oppose me. Sometimes, we miss out on great opportunities because we see the hardships and look for a way out. Instead, we should look at the hardships as a sign that just maybe God is doing something, and when God is doing something, the enemy really doesn’t like it. If we persevere, we just might see a blessing we would miss by leaving too early.
Vs 13-24 Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong. Your every action must be done with love. Brothers, you know the household of Stephanas: They are the firstfruits of Achaia and have devoted themselves to serving the saints. I urge you also to submit to such people, and to everyone who works and labors with them. I am pleased to have Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus present, because these men have made up for your absence. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore recognize such people. The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home. All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. This greeting is in my own hand Paul. If anyone does not love the Lord, a curse be on him. Marana tha that is, Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.
Now for some final instructions. Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong, and your every action must be done with love. Each word in Greek here is powerful. First, be alert – grégoreó, which means to stay awake and watch. As the church, we need to wake up and watch – just like the watchmen at the gate described in Isaiah 62:6. Next, stand firm in the faith. The Greek word stékó means to stand firm and persevere. We must stand firm in our faith in today’s world, and persevere to walk with Christ in all we do. Sometimes that is going to mean going through those hardships, but, if we persevere, we will see light in the darkness. Third, act like a man. This seems a strange phrase to us today, but to the Corinthian church it made perfect sense. They understood it in it’s proper context. The word in Greek is andrizó, which means to be courageous or brave as a mature and responsible man is. It hearkens back to Paul’s encouragement to be mature believers in chapter 3. There is a need for us to be mature believers, courageous in taking our stand for Christ. Fourth is be strong – krataióō, which means to be strong in the strength of the Lord. We do not rely on our own strength or wisdom. We only rely and boast in the Lord and His wisdom and strength. It is then that we can be truly strong. And finally, every action must be done with agape. He is reminding them of chapter 13. If we walk in the love of God, then we will be able to really reach a lost world in need of the Savior – who is Christ Jesus.
The letter ends with greetings from others around the region along with a greeting in Paul’s own hand. Paul would dictate his letters, but he would usually add a greeting in his own handwriting (which was apparently not great according to Galatians 6:11) at the end. It is a specific greeting – If anyone does not love the Lord, a curse be on him. The word for love here is phileó. You might recognize this from the city Philadelphia – the city of brotherly love. This is a love that shows warm affection in intimate friendship and is characterized by tender, heartfelt consideration and kinship. If we can’t love the Lord in this way, then we are cursed by our lack of love. The Greek word for cursed is anathema. It is a strong word that means a complete separation from. We cannot say we love the Lord when our actions speak otherwise. This is why Paul really comes down on the Corinthian church for their behavior and lack of love for fellow believers. They will indeed know we are Christians by our love for each other – because if we truly love God, that love will spill out to everyone around us.
Finally Paul says Marana tha! It is an Aramaic term derived from two roots which literally means, “Our Lord has come”. It is a declaration the church should make each and every time we come together – Jesus has come and He will come again! If we keep our focus on Christ, we will indeed keep watch, stand firm, be courageous, be strong and love as only He can love.
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