Day 55: What to Do, What Not to Do

In this section of the letter, Paul gives marriage advice to the Corinthians.  It's fair to say that it might be confusing advice.  Don't get married, unless you are having a hard time controlling yourself, in which case, get married.  If you are widowed, stay single.  If you are already married, don't get a divorce.  Single is best, except if being single is too hard for you.  If you are single, you can be single-mindedly devoted to the Lord.  (Theoretically.)  But you possibly might find yourself too tempted to sin if you are single.  In that case, get married.  But, marriage is hard.  I want to warn you about that.  (vs. 28).  I have not ever heard this verse quoted in a wedding sermon.  (Another note:  Paul uncharacteristically calls much of this chapter his opinion.  Perhaps he would be shocked to find out that it got into the Bible.)

There seems to be an abrupt shift again, while Paul gives advice regarding eating meat sacrificed to idols, one of the many controversies of the Corinthian church.  Again, there is a difference between theory and practice.  In theory, they are free to eat meat sacrificed to idols, because they realize that the idol is not real, and the meat is "just meat"; there is nothing especially holy or unholy about it.

BUT, Paul writes, if there are people for whom eating meat causes them to doubt, who wonder if they are sinning when they eat it, or it their consciences bother then, then we should be willing to abstain so that we don't shake their faith.  Again, what is important is how our actions affect our neighbor.

Finally, Paul addresses the issue of compensation for apostles.  He seems to be arguing that he has a right to make a living by the gospel (good for pastors to know!).  After all, the priests got to eat the food that was in the temple (to use one example).  Paul seems to feel that he and Barnabas have been singled out for special criticism in this regard.  Even so, Paul says that even though he could be compensated for his work, he is voluntarily choosing not to be paid, because he wants to do everything possible to be blameless in their eyes.

Well, maybe not exactly blameless, but he wants to work in a way that will make his witness there credible, that will make his witness take root.  So he says that he tries to be all things to all people, to those under the Law, he is under the Law, to those outside the Law he is outside the Lord.

All things to all people.  Who can really pull it off?  Paul is willing to do anything to make Christ real.   And he's intense.  Reading his letters makes me wonder what it would have been like to meet him....