1 Coríntios 1
Wayne Barber · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Coríntios 1
Barber illustrates katartizo this way "Have you ever worked on a jigsaw puzzle? I’m talking about the ones with thousands of pieces in it. One of the things you do is put all the ones of darker color over here, and the ones of lighter color over here, and the ones with blue and the ones with yellow. You try to separate the pieces before you start the puzzle. You put them in these different little piles and even though they look divided what you’re going to do is you’re going to start pulling from each one of these piles. Even though it is all divided before you start it ends up being united when you finish. Each one of those pieces, though different, can be fitted together.The apostle Paul is saying to the church of Corinth, “I’m not asking you to be clones of each other. I know that you’re different.” He addresses the different gifts of the body in chapter 12: “I know that you’re different but come on, man, make peace with one another. Come out of your little groups over here. Come back together and fit the way God wants you to fit. Be made complete. Be mended. Be healed.” That’s what he’s saying to them. The same thing anybody would say to a group of people he loves, that he knows have been ripped apart and torn apart because people won’t live verses 1-9. They won’t live under the lordship of Jesus Christ. They become a cancer in the body and would rather divide than unite....This is the same word that’s used in Hebrews 11:3. This is a key verse to understanding this word katartizo. What does it mean? It says in Hebrews 11:3, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God.” That word “prepared” in the New American Standard is this word. And the word for “worlds” is ages, the ages of time. What he’s saying is that the ages of time have been fitted together by the very word of God. What is it that fits man together? It’s that very same word, folks, that fits us together. When we get up under the word and the will of God, it fits us back together like we ought to be and all of a sudden the division stops and they’re healed. All of a sudden people come back to unity. That’s what he’s praying for. And the Word is what draws them back. You come back up under the authority of the lordship of Christ, under the authority of His Word, and God fits us into His Word. That’s what he’s saying here. Be fitted back together. You’re divided. You’re broken up. You’re ripped asunder. Mind (3563)(nous) refers to a basic meaning direct one's inner sense to an object. Nous refers to human intellectual perception and moral judgment. It is the God given faculty of perceiving and understanding and is the channel through which truth reaches the heart. Nous describes everything in the realm of the intellect, including one's will, emotions, ability to think, reason and decide. Uses of nous in the Corinthians letters -1 Co. 1:10; 1 Co. 2:16; 1 Co. 14:14; 1 Co. 14:15; 1 Co. 14:19 Wayne Barber asks "what is it that fits us? Look at 1 Corinthians 2:16 (PAUL'S NEXT USE OF THE WORD nous) We have something that if we submit to, will immediately produce unity. It’s something that when you get up under it, it gets in you and you are fitted into the Word. That’s what happens. He says, “For who has known the mind (nous) of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind (nous) of Christ.” We have the Word of God ourselves. We have the Holy Spirit of God Who gives us the wisdom from the Word. And so, when you’re fitted back together (katartizo), it takes the Word to do that, just like the Word fitted the ages together in Heb 11:3. The Word fits us back together. Lightfoot says "“nous denotes the frame or state of mind, gnōmē the judgment, opinion or sentiment, which is the outcome of nous.” Judgment (opinion)(1106)(gnome) basically refers to the mind as the instrument of knowing and so that which is purposed or intended as here in 1 Cor 1:10. Gnome - 8v - Acts 20:3; 1 Co. 1:10; 1 Co. 7:25; 1 Co. 7:40; 2 Co. 8:10; Philemon 1:14; Rev. 17:13; Rev. 17:17 Related Resource: What is the importance of Christian unity? | GotQuestions.org What is unity in Christ? | GotQuestions.org See Comments on Ephesians 4:1-17 where Paul deals with Christian Unity Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse - 1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no division among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (KJV) The Watchtower Society uses this verse to impose upon its followers a degree of lockstep conformity that is incredible to outsiders. And, rather than chafe under it, Witnesses actually boast of their total obedience to the Society as evidence that they are the only true Christians, because they alone “all speak in agreement” and are “united in the same mind and in the same line of thought” (1 Cor. 1:10, NWT) (ED: NWT = NEW WORLD TRANSLATION - Is the New World Translation a valid version of the Bible? | GotQuestions.org). They are specifically instructed not to accept or read “the religious literature of people they meet” (The Watchtower, 5/1/84, p. 31), not to listen to “criticism of Jehovah’s organization” (The Watchtower, 5/15/84, p. 17), and not to speak words “expressing criticism of the way the appointed elders are handling matters” (The Watchtower, 1/15/84, p. 16). The Witnesses are even told to “Avoid independent thinking … questioning the counsel that is provided by God’s visible organization,” and to “Fight against independent thinking” (The Watchtower, 1/15/83, pp. 22, 27). But did the apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, mean that they should not only end their schismatic divisions but should also submit themselves to some human leader in total, unquestioning obedience—like mindless robots? Hardly! Paul’s further writings to the Romans reveal that there was plenty of room for individual freedom in the early church: People range from those who believe they may eat any sort of meat to those whose faith is so weak they dare not eat anything except vegetables. Meat-eaters must not condemn the scrupulous. On the other hand, the scrupulous must not condemn those who feel free to eat anything they choose, since God as welcomed them.… If one man keeps certain days as holier than others, and another considers all days to be equally holy, each must be left free to hold his own opinion (Rom. 14:2–5, JB). As Christians, we should certainly be united on the basics of our faith, all of us joining together in following Christ as Lord and looking to him as our Savior, but there is also room for diversity. We might even disagree on matters that would necessitate meeting separately from those of another opinion. For example, it would be difficult for meat-eaters and vegetarians to share a banquet together, and those who do not observe a particular “holy day” would normally not attend a service that others held to celebrate it. But such disagreements should not be allowed to break the bond of love that unites us as brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if our brother feels differently on such matters, we should “welcome him all the same without starting an argument” (Rom. 14:1, JB). Point out to the Jehovah’s Witness that it is not lockstep conformity, but love, that is “a perfect bond of union” (Col. 3:14, NWT). In reasoning on the matter with a Witness, you might freely admit that Christians regret the divisions that plague the church. Some of these are due to traditions that developed over the centuries in different localities due to geographical separation and language barriers. Others are the result of sincere differences of opinion among men who equally respect the Bible and accept the Lordship of Christ, but who have reached different conclusions in areas where Scripture speaks ambiguously or not at all. The solution, however, does not lie in one organization’s leaders standing up and announcing to the world: “Everyone must agree with us! Then we will all be of ‘one mind’ as true Christians.” That approach has been tried many times, and it leads only to deeper divisions. In fact, there are numerous exclusivist religious groups that claim to be “the only true Christians,” the Watchtower Society being only one among many. Finding those who agree with you, and then disfellowshiping the rest of the world, is not the way to true Christian unity. The Jehovah’s Witness should also be asked to look at one area in which the Watchtower Society specifically violates scriptural admonition. This is the matter of holidays, or holy days. As we noted above, Romans 14:5–6 makes allowance for individual Christians to observe special days that other Christians may choose not to observe. Yet the JW who dares to celebrate Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving Day (or even Mother’s Day!) is immediately put on trial by a judicial committee and disfellowshiped—totally cut off from friends and family. For further discussion of Jehovah’s Witness’ conformity to instructions from the Watchtower organization, see Matthew 24:45 and Revelation 3:14 ILLUSTRATION - It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they attacked the city. Phipps’ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral, so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the “saints.” LESSON - Paul is not SHOOTING THE SAINTS! He begins by COMMENDING the saints and then Biblically addressing real problems, not prejudices. Rivals or Allies? 1 Corinthians 1:10 The city of Texarkana sits squarely on the state border between Texas and Arkansas. The city of 70,000 inhabitants has two mayors, two city councils, and two police and fire departments. The cross-town sporting rivalry between high schools draws an uncommonly high attendance, reflecting the deep allegiance each has to their own state’s school. More significant challenges arise as well, such as disputes over the shared water system, governed by two sets of state laws. Yet the town is known for its unity despite the line that divides it. Residents gather annually for a dinner held on State Line Avenue to share a meal in celebration of their oneness as a community. The believers in Corinth may not have drawn a line down their main thoroughfare, but they were divided. They’d been quarreling as a result of their allegiances to those who taught them about Jesus: Paul, Apollos, or Cephas (Peter). Paul called them all to oneness “in mind and thought” (1 Corinthians 1:10), reminding them it was Christ who was crucified for them, not their spiritual leaders. Over what nonessential spiritual issues are you likely to allow division? How can you foster unity instead? God, help me to remain focused on You and Your sacrifice for Your people. May I not be distracted by the less important issues but call others to oneness as a community of faith. Finding Harmony —1 Corinthians 1:10 During the Christmas season, my wife and I attended a presentation of Handel’s Messiah. In addition to being touched with the fine production of this stirring music, we were also moved by something else. After the first section, the primary conductor stepped down and handed the baton to another man who had directed this annual production for many years. We noticed no change. For both conductors, the quality of the music remained high. It made me think. What if some musicians had said, “We like the first guy better. Let’s not do our best for this one.” It would have ruined the majestic music. Instead, the musicians worked equally hard for both. It should be that way in the church. We should give our best effort for the work of the Lord no matter who is our leader, provided of course that he is following God. But in many congregations there’s a tendency to follow one leader over another, dividing their allegiance while damaging the effectiveness of the church. Like a mighty army moves the church of God; Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod; We are not divided, all one body we— One in hope and doctrine, one in charity. —Baring-Gould Keeping in tune with Christ keeps harmony in the Church. United Goal—1 Corinthians 1:10 The spotted owl has been disappearing in the US. Originally it was believed that old growth logging was its greatest threat. But research shows that one of the owl’s relatives may be the problem. For the past 15 years, the barred owl has been rapidly migrating westward. Barred owls, which used to live exclusively east of the Mississippi, compete for the same food as spotted owls but are more aggressive and adaptable. Paul said the one essential that should unify the church is preaching the good news. That should be our united goal as well. Lord, bless our congregation, We humbly ask of Thee, That we may walk together In perfect unity. —Fennema A united church is a strong church. 1 Corinthians 1:11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. Amplified - For it has been made clear to me, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions and wrangling and factions among you.
1 Coríntios 1
Barber quips - Then the spiritual ones walk in and say, "Hey, we’re of Christ." To me they’re the scariest ones in this whole bunch" "We’re of Christ and nobody else around here is."....If you want to know what a baby in Christ is, a little immature whining little church member over in the nursery, he’s about to tell you. First of all, it’s people who say, "Well, I’m of Apollos, I’m of Cephas, I’m of Christ" or whatever. They’re men followers, etc. 1Cor 3:1 says, "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men." Now why couldn’t he? He spent a year and a half with them. They trained Apollos and sent him over there. And he said, "I couldn’t speak to you as spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ." Guzik makes an interesting observation that "The Corinthians’ boasting about their “party leaders” was really boasting about themselves. It wasn’t so much that they thought (their "leader") was great, but that they were great for following him." Though division is ungodly, it is not wrong to make distinctions between churches and ministers. God has made different churches and different ministries with different callings and characters, because the job of preaching the gospel is too big for any one group.. “I bless God that there are so many denominations. If there were not men who differed a little in their creeds, we should never get as much gospel as we do … God has sent different men to defend different kinds of truth; but Christ defended and preached all … Christ’s testimony was perfect.” (Spurgeon) (1 Corinthians 1 Commentary)