“You’re acting like a baby!”
If someone were to direct that statement to us, we’d know that it’s not a compliment. I mean, most people like babies – they’re cute and sweet and vulnerable and we instinctively want to protect them. There is, however, a threshold where humans are expected to move beyond the helpless, selfish and demanding behavior of an infant. Humans without mental or physical obstacles are meant to mature.
That same expectation is present in our spiritual lives as well. In the passage we’ll be reading in our study of 1 Corinthians, we’ll examine the idea of spiritual maturity this Sunday. We’ll be reading 1 Cor chapter 3.
Paul returns to his original example of division in Corinth, highlighting the factions they have split into over different church leaders. Division is his chief identification of spiritual immaturity and worldliness. Do you find that interesting? When we consider what a worldly church, or a compromised church might have as characteristics, what things normally come to mind? Where does division fit in your thinking? Does this challenge you to reconsider the priority of unity in the church?
Paul stacks several metaphors together in order to explain his concern about unity in the church – a garden, a building and the temple. What does “garden” imagery bring to mind when it comes to the Bible? What is Paul’s point about those who tend the garden? How does the the modern American church fare when it comes to making celebrities out of church leaders? In what ways can we keep from falling into that pitfall, based on Paul’s words?
What is the foundation of the “church building” (metaphor, remember). How important is a foundation to any structure that is built? What does that tell us about where the focus of the church should be?
The temple imagery sort of wraps his thesis up. What was the temple a representation of in Israel (hint, we talked about it extensively in our teaching on Genesis)? How does it tie in with the “garden” imagery? It’s very important to remember that whenever Paul says “you” in this passage, we should be reading it as “ya’ll” – it’s corporate language; a group of people, not an individual. According to v17, why is it important to maintain the unified integrity of the “temple-church community”?
What do you suppose Paul is getting at when he says “everything belongs to you” in v22? Since the unity of the church is the theme, I tend to read it as a reminder that we don’t need to strive and fight our way to the top of any social structure….when we belong to the Church (at large), we’ve arrived at the best place we can be in God’s scheme of things. Does that mean the church is without problems? Not as long as WE’RE part of it – but it’s where God intends us to be in order to bring out what’s best in us. That alone provides us a life-long purpose and goal, both individually and corporately.
I think this will be an enlightening and still challenging study. Hope you can join us!
Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.