3:3,4
So how does Paul know that they are still worldly? Because there is jealousy and quarreling among them. Now this does not mean we never disagree on anything, or there are never debates. Debates took place within the early church, Acts 15 being the most important example. Paul frequently argued with people, especially in his letters. But they were acting just like the world. They were envious of one another, jockeying for position. In particular, they were claiming allegiance to various church leaders, Peter, Paul and Apollos. We are not called to follow men, but to follow Jesus.
The Greek word used for “worldly” (NIV) or “of the flesh” (ESV), means characterised by the flesh, by our human or worldly nature. Instead, we should be characterised by the Spirit, we should become ever more Christlike.
3:5
It is interesting that Paul says “what is Apollos, what is ...”, rather than “who is ...” The focus is on what they are. People matter, they are important. Leaders matter and are important, but what are they? They are servants of Christ, and servants with a purpose. That purpose is that we come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the gospel, and that is the purpose of us all. It is not that we come to follow a particular leader. The Lord assigns various tasks to various people, He achieves various things through various people, but our focus must always be upon the Lord, not on the leader.
No comments:
Post a Comment