The Living Word of God

The Living Word of God

as delivered at LV on 5/7/00

The NT RDG for today is from the First Letter of Paul to the Church at Corinth; Chap 1, vs 1 through 3.

Listen for the word of God.  You will notice that I always say ‘for’ the word of God, rather than ‘to’.  The Prep ‘to’ implies that everything in the bible is the Word of God.  As a Modernist, I don’t think that it is, but that mind-set sometimes hinders me from seeing the word of God anywhere in it. 

Alan Richardson, an English theologian, says, “ . . . the living Word of God is to be encountered in the Bible, wrapped in the ‘swaddling-clothes’ of poor, inadequate and fluctuating human words . . .”

Theologians emphasize that ‘theology’ is perceived by the Feeling Brain, at least Alan Richardson sees it that way, and that if we let Rational Man intrude we just might miss out on the whole religious experience.  We don’t even know what it is, but today let us try to feel ‘the grace of God’. 

What I want to do, and what I invite you to do with me today is to read a few verses without having Rational Man looking over our shoulders.

Today, let us let Emotional Man guide us in our examination of these few verses.  Let us look for the feelings we get while reading the greeting and salutation to this letter from Paul.

Listen for the word of God:

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2.  To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here ends the reading from the Holy Scripture.

Paul

What feelings does the name ‘Paul’ conjure up?  Paul wrote more of the NT than anyone else.  He is the one who defined the faith, and who insisted that there be no deviations from it.  Paul was an intense man, a dedicated man, a devout man.  This was the man who became a ‘new person altogether’, and who promised us that we could also.  Paul is a giant in the Christian faith.  When Paul speaks, we listen.  Surely, we all must have some feelings about Paul.  Do we feel respect for him? This man went through a great deal of suffering in order to bring us these messages – are we grateful?  Do we think of Paul as a saint?

“ . . . called by the will of God . . . “

‘To be called’ in a religious sense is a great honor – we think of ourselves as being ‘called’ – and we remember that Moses was ‘called’, Isaiah was ‘called’, Mary was ‘called’.  Sometimes those called were reluctant to serve, but they did the best they could anyway.  We have feelings about our call – about our mission – about our limitations. 

‘called by the will of God’

‘the will of God’ is major theological concept.  What does it mean theologically? What does it mean to us personally?  What does in mean in this new millennium?  Surely, we have some feelings about it.

Called to do what?  ‘Called to be an apostle.’  ‘apostelo’ – ‘one being sent out – away from’ – like Paul, we are called to be apostles – to be sent away from.  We too are missionaries – we are not necessarily sent very far, perhaps only to the house next door, but we are missionaries in that we have a mission.  Apostles in the bible are always apostles of Jesus Christ – Paul stresses this – ‘an apostle of Jesus Christ’ – Paul’s whole reason for being is now clear.  “This is what my life is all about.” he says.  This is an example of Paul’s dedication!

“ . . . and our brother Sosthenes . . .”

Paul almost always had a brother with him.  We are not sure who Sosthenes is;  he is probably the one who delivered this letter.   The key word here is ‘brother’ – this is the way Paul felt about all men and women – this follows from the concept of ‘God our Father’.

“ . . . to the church of God . . .”

‘ekklesia’ – ‘the church’ – ‘the ones called out’.  The Church is central to my faith.  It is my family – my family tree – my heritage.  It gives me continuity with the past.  The ancient Hebrews bemoaned the fact that man sprouts in the morning and withers in the evening – that his life is as nothing.

The Christian Faith gives us immortality – we have escaped from ‘bondage to death’.  Thus our loved ones do not die – never to be seen again.  They are transported to that mystical kingdom called ‘Heaven’, where we will see them again.

 “. . . to those sanctified . . .”  “hagiasmenois”  The root is ‘hagios’ – ‘holy’.  ‘Holy’ means ‘set apart for God’.  Thus, ‘to the ones having been set apart for God”

A priest or a nun has clearly been set apart for God.  If we can accept this idea, then perhaps we can also see ourselves as a ‘priesthood of believers’.  A priest ‘ministers’ – he ‘tends to’ his flock.  Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”  Do we know what that means?

We are sanctified – set apart for God.  We are still in this physical world, but we have a mission here. 

‘in Christ Jesus’

I consider this to be a powerful expression because this is the state – and this is the place we want to be in.  To be ‘in Christ Jesus’ is to be a ‘new person altogether’.  This is OUR GOAL.  Not just any new person but one who basks in his new person – who realizes that he is a new and improved person.  I recall meeting a new convert who was just bubbling over with joy – I had never seen any one quite as happy as he was.  He was a missionary just through his ebullience.  He was a ‘new person’ and he knew it.

‘called holy ones’ – RSV – ‘called to be saints’. -  “Am I getting through to you?” Paul asks.  ‘Are you getting the message?’  You are set apart for God – for God’s service – for the mission of the church, which is Christ’s mission.’

‘together with all those who in every place’ – This letter is thus addressed to you personally, no matter where you are, or when you live.

“. . . who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .”

It is an ancient concept that the name of a person has at least some (if not all) of the power of that person.

It doesn’t mean a thing to Rational Man, but Feeling Man can relate to the idea.  Some, if not most of us, pray ‘in the name of Jesus’.   We do that because it is biblically sound, and because this is the way our people have prayed in past generations.

‘The Name’ therefore, deserves great respect.  For example, neither the ancient nor the modern Hebrews pronounce the name of YHWH – they may say instead, ‘The Name’, or in a bible reading they will say ‘adonai’ – ‘the Lord’.  They do not even say or write the word ‘God’, but substitute ‘G hyphen d’.  My CD-ROM of the OT, after I call up a selection, always comes on with a caution – “Your selection may contain the name ‘G hyphen d’.  Treat it with the respect it deserves.”

So also, in Ex 29:7, we have the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (carelessly); for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”  (KJV)  This is all part of the commandment to respect God.  Not like you respect your father, or the mayor, or the president, but with awe and reverence.

The Ancient Hebrews used the term ‘to fear God’, an expression we do not use today, but which does convey the idea that God deserves a great deal of respect.

I think the idea is related to Micah’s admonition ‘to walk humbly with your God’. (Micah 6:8)  This is hard to do.  It is not in the human’s nature to walk humbly with anybody.  That Big Ego wants us to walk proudly wherever we go.

Theologians think that Job is one of the greatest books in the bible because in it, Job finally understands what it means ‘to walk humbly with God’.  Not many people in the bible ever learn this.

The goal in seeking this kind of humility is to see our place in the grand scheme.  This does not mean to see ourselves as insignificant.  This means to see ourselves as members of the family of God – holy ones – set apart for God – called to be God’s trusted servants – called to be the body of Christ, both now and forever.

“. . . from God our Father . . .”  The concept of ‘God our Father’ is strictly NT.  The term does not appear in the OT.  The concept is, therefore, a radical departure from OT understanding -  a new concept of God – a new  concept of ourselves.  Not only is God our Father, suddenly we are a unit, as well as being individuals – it is almost like being God’s chosen people.  This is a part of the ‘charis’ – the great gift that we have been given.

Ann Morrow Lindbergh said that she could see a tremendous improvement in human awareness during her lifetime.  Slowly the human was becoming aware of his fellow human – of his quest for happiness – of his humanity.  Most people, not just Christians, now grasp the concept of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.  Think about it – God, the Father of us all.

“. . . and our brother Sosthenes.” 

The Brotherhood of Humanity.

 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Both ‘grace’ and ‘peace’ are blessings, available from God.  ‘Charis’ is translated ‘grace’ and we know that it is ‘amazing’, but that doesn’t tell us much.  The Kingdom Version translates it ‘undeserved kindness’.  We know that it is something of value, perhaps a ‘pearl of great value’ – something which we should, and will treasure after we know its value.

Perhaps the initial gift – the ability to perceive that we have been blessed – is the first and greatest gift.

 ‘ Grace to you and peace ‘. 

Let us consider the gift of peace.  We know inner turmoil, as well as the world of physical violence.  And we know that ‘eirene’ is the absence of both internal and external turmoil.  We know what it feels like, and we know that it is a great blessing.

Paul considered ‘peace’ one of the greatest blessings he could have ever received.  The reason for this was that before his conversion he was wretched from inner turmoil.  Only after he became 'in Christ Jesus’ did he begin to understand the ‘the peace of God which is beyond understanding’.

In summary: Most of us hasten through greetings and salutations – perhaps too hastily.  Today we have considered the greeting and salutation from Paul to the church at Corinth and to all of us.  We have seen that it contains a wealth of spiritual nourishment that we might easily have overlooked.  We have learned to look beyond the mere words.  I hope and pray that we have learned to let the poor, inadequate, fallible words speak to us – to enable us to hear the Word of God that is in the Holy Scriptures. 

May God add his blessings to these thoughts.