February 20, 2005

MANY ARE WEAK AND SICKLY

1 Corinthians 11:29-32

 

   The Corinthians failed to "discern the Lord's body." This resulted in many becoming "weak and sickly...and many sleep" (that is dead 1 Cor. 11:29-30). That this was the hand of God in chastening in their lives is evident from the verses following. Certainly God dealt with Israel similarly throughout most of the Old Testament. Even in the book of Acts we see both Ananias and Sapphirah, his wife, lying to Peter and falling dead at his feet by the hand of God (Acts 5:5-10).

   The Corinthian church had ignored the man who "had his father's wife." Paul instructed them to "put away from among yourselves that wicked person" and he delivered him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. It seems he promptly repented of this sin and Paul exhorted that he be restored to church fellowship as recorded in 2 Corinthians 2:3-11. Not all cases of discipline ended so well.

   In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul drew from Israel's history of all the blessings they enjoyed under God's caring hand. Yet they failed badly in ways from which Paul drew examples to warn this church, "that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted... Neither be idolaters as were some of them... Neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed, and fell in one day twenty-three thousand. Neither let us tempt the Lord, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples...written for our admonition... Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (11:6-12). These warnings are stern indeed!

   In the final seven letters of Paul such discipline is not meted out. He exhorted the Ephesians, "no whoremonger, nor unclean person... has any inheritance in the kingdom of God ..."(5:5). The Philippians were warned that many believers walked as "enemies of the cross ...whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, who glory in their shame..." (3:18-19), yet they were not faced with similar punishments during this life. They would not partake of reward or the "prize of the high calling" for which Paul pressed. Such is grace!

 

Ivan L. Burgener