ARTICLE – 10 July 2016
After the many years of service and devotion to the churches he planted, the Apostle Paul, before his last and third trip to Corinth, wrote and expressed his disappoint- ment over the way they treated him. There is a sad sense of feeling being let-down by the Corinthian Christians in whom he had poured his life. Not that he needed their praise and adoration but he felt they saw him as less than the so called super-apostles who paraded themselves in their midst. He had hope for unwavering affirmation for his Apostleship in founding the Corinthian church and for his tireless leadership. Instead of being commended, he felt disdained. This is a very human side of Paul we seldom see in his letters to the churches. We have a glimpse of him as a parent who gives his all for the good of his child. However, the child remains and behaves like a child when he should have grown up to be responsible, filial and honourable. But no parent gives up on their children. Likewise, Paul remains endeared to his spiritual children in Corinth.
This is a good lesson for Christian children to respect and honour their parents regardless of their status and position in society. Do children compare their parents to their friends’ parents? Some parents are successful executives and some parents are simple service staff. Would the children of the service staff parents grow up to look down on their lowly occupations? When a society is success driven, their citizen fall prey to wealth, status and power as having greater worth than piety, respect and faithfulness. The Corinthian Christians were quick to criticise Paul (their Apostle) but they did not give financial support to Paul and his co-worker, Titus. Negligence in this area is evident of impiety and a lack of genuine love. The Corinthians have become self-centred, self-serving and un- caring.
Paul was concerned with their lack of love for one another. Indeed, he was afraid that when he visits them, he may not find them as he wanted them to be. It was their tendency to sin and repeating in the same sins. Present day Christians are no different from the Corinthian Christians. If we transport Paul into our churches today, he will see the same ungodly behaviour – quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disunity, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. Paul had to constantly reprove them for their sinful tendency and he personally felt humiliation and lamented their waywardness. To the extent that he felt accountable to God for their immorality, that even God would humble him before them. This is the magnitude of Paul’s concern and love for the Corinthian Christians. He never gives up in his love for them To his last breath, he will admonish, rebuke and reprimand anyone still in the throes of sin. Love conquers all!
