Paul and Community
Sat/25/Oct 2008
I’ve been attending my last weekend of class for my
New Testament Introduction class the last few days.
Aside from getting tired of sitting for hours at a
time, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. We’ve spent the
bulk of our time talking about Paul and his letters.
Looking at Paul’s entire body of work is something we
very seldom do in the church. We are usually too busy
trying to figure out bits and pieces of Paul’s
writings. But this class has helped me see that
sometimes we miss the forest for the trees when it
comes to Paul. One significant insight that I am
still trying to process is Paul’s seeming emphasis of
community. We are hard pressed to find any chapter
where Paul is not in some way dealing with how
Christians are to view and act toward one another.
His arguments usually center around a problem that
has arisen. He diagnoses the problem, reframes it for
his readers, and then offers the solution. His
solution seems to rely heavily upon striving for
Christ-like unity, sacrificial service, and grace
among the body of Christ.
Now, most any bible reader has noticed this pattern in Paul. But as of yesterday, I think many of us (especially myself) have misread Paul’s reasoning for emphasizing unity. I have always seen it as primarily a practical matter. We can’t spread the gospel if we aren’t united. We can’t transform the world and culture if we aren’t serving one another, as an example to the world. In this sense, christian community is a means to an end; the end being the propagation of the gospel. Today, I find myself thinking that Paul believed that christian community was THE end. In other words, we do not need to be united just so our churches will grow. Rather, we need to be united because that is the highest measure of success for the body of Christ. Unity that involves sacrificial service, racial, social, and economic integration, where all saints, regardless of background are served equally. The gospel is shared to the world most effectively by the church living out the principle of community. This is why Paul was so insistent to the Corinthians that they view themselves each as an indespensible part of the body of Christ (I Cor. 12). This is why he called the Ephesians to “bear with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2,3). This is why he warned Gentiles and Jews alike of their utter unworthiness of the grace of God in Romans. This is why he called the Colossians to “forgive each other, as the Lord has forgiven you.” And that they must “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3). To the Philippians he called for the church to “do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2).
I think this is an issue that has huge practical implications for the church today. We’ve been guilty of wanting unity for the sake of the ministry of the church. But I think Paul called for unity for the sake of Christ.
Now, most any bible reader has noticed this pattern in Paul. But as of yesterday, I think many of us (especially myself) have misread Paul’s reasoning for emphasizing unity. I have always seen it as primarily a practical matter. We can’t spread the gospel if we aren’t united. We can’t transform the world and culture if we aren’t serving one another, as an example to the world. In this sense, christian community is a means to an end; the end being the propagation of the gospel. Today, I find myself thinking that Paul believed that christian community was THE end. In other words, we do not need to be united just so our churches will grow. Rather, we need to be united because that is the highest measure of success for the body of Christ. Unity that involves sacrificial service, racial, social, and economic integration, where all saints, regardless of background are served equally. The gospel is shared to the world most effectively by the church living out the principle of community. This is why Paul was so insistent to the Corinthians that they view themselves each as an indespensible part of the body of Christ (I Cor. 12). This is why he called the Ephesians to “bear with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2,3). This is why he warned Gentiles and Jews alike of their utter unworthiness of the grace of God in Romans. This is why he called the Colossians to “forgive each other, as the Lord has forgiven you.” And that they must “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3). To the Philippians he called for the church to “do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2).
I think this is an issue that has huge practical implications for the church today. We’ve been guilty of wanting unity for the sake of the ministry of the church. But I think Paul called for unity for the sake of Christ.
