By Bob Setzer
Today’s lesson contains one of the most famous passages in the Bible: the "love chapter," 1 Corinthians 13.
Most of the time we only hear a portion of this chapter read, typically at a wedding or a funeral. Unfortunately, 1 Corinthians 13 is rarely grounded in the larger biblical context that gives it even more power and meaning.
In 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, the chapters bracketing the "love chapter," Paul is addressing a church fight. The Corinthians are divided about who is the most "spiritual" among them. Paul’s answer is that being spiritual is not about having exotic spiritual experiences or deep spiritual knowledge. Being truly "spiritual" in the Christian sense of the word means learning to love like Jesus.
Read 1 Corinthians 13 as a portrait of Jesus and his brand of love. These stirring words are not an expression of sentimentality suitable for a Hallmark card. 1 Corinthians 13 is about the hard work of loving others as God has loved us, right in the midst of the family fights, church fights, and culture wars where we live.
Welcome!This Lenten season, the First Baptist Church of Christ will take the time to listen to the entire New Testament (days and passages are listed on the right column). Through our partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, every member of the church will be offered a free MP3 recording of the New Testament. By listening to this recording for less than half an hour each day, one can hear the entire New Testament in forty days.
At this blog, you’ll be able to read some of our members’ thoughts about what they are hearing. Our contributors reflect the great diversity of our congregation. They are male and female, older and younger, some with a seminary background and some without. As you read their questions, reflections, and observations, I invite you to join the conversation by posting a comment.
Friday, March 19, 2010
March 19: 1 Corinthians 10–15
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment