1:23
Paul now returns to the immediate point of contention. The reason he did not return to Corinth as originally planned was in order to spare the Corinthians. One of the letters and various events had caused great anguish for the Corinthians. The situation was getting worse in some ways, and Paul wanted to give them a chance to sort things out themselves, or to at least make some progress in the matter. If he had visited as per his original intention, then he would have had to take a very hard line with them, and he did not believe that would ultimately be the best course of action.
There are a number of practical points we can learn from this. One general one is that the New Testament, not even Paul’s letters, is not just about doctrine, but also about real practicalities of life in general, and church life in particular. Secondly, a degree of flexibility and pragmatism is needed on occasion. We can get worried about being pragmatic because so often when church leaders are “pragmatic” it means denying a basic Biblical doctrine. We need to have wisdom. Thirdly, we don’t always immediately jump in to “solve” a situation, sometimes it is better to wait. Again, wisdom is needed here.
1:24
Jesus told His disciples not to lord it over each other as the Gentiles do (Matt 20:25). Paul’s aim was not to prove that he was right and the Corinthians were wrong, nor to prove that he was the boss. Instead he wanted the Corinthians to know God more fully, to be full of the joy of the Lord. They needed to put their focus on faith in Christ, not the personality cult that the “super apostles” were promoting. And this problem has not gone away!
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