Love Leads to Unity

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:1-9, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
Although I, personally, had a great time in high school, it seems that most people I know had a really negative experience in high school. Based on conversations with most of my adult friends, it seems that the high school years were quite painful. Many folks have memories of feeling quite awkward, as if they just didn't fit in. Many felt judged by where and with whom they “belonged.” It seems that most folks would not want to go back and relive those days of growing up and trying to find their place. 

I imagine the Corinthian church to which Paul writes resembles a typical high school. Paul started this strong and gifted church on his second missionary journey. Its congregants were largely Gentiles who needed guidance in moving from their former religious lifestyle to the higher standards of the Christian life they are now called to live. They have received the Holy Spirit but are not mature in the faith yet; they are, in fact, acting decidedly immature. Paul describes them as “infants in Christ.” They are not yet “spiritual people” who are ready for solid food. Paul himself serves as a “wet nurse,” feeding them with milk. 

Evidence of their being infants in Christ is the quarreling and jealousy among members of the community. Cliques form within this church as people align themselves with different ministers—Paul and Apollos being mentioned specifically. Each group thinks itself better than the others; jealousy and bickering run rampant. Instead of seeking unity and spiritual maturity, they choose to fill the church with division and competition, behavior better suited to human inclinations and the world of the flesh. Paul writes to remind the Corinthians that all believers are servants of God, and the common purpose is to love God and live God’s way. All unite in Christ for the glory of God. 

Just as with the Corinthian believers, faith in Christ now requires that we live by the highest standard—loving God, first and foremost, and allowing that love to shape all our actions and relationships . Paul reminds the Corinthians—and us—that choosing to love God includes loving others and seeking unity. 


PRAYER:
Holy Spirit, make us one in Christ and one with each other. We need your help to grow in grace and love. We cannot do this ourselves. So, we look to you for strength and inspiration, asking that you might make us more like Jesus so that we might follow in his way of love. Amen.