Paul’s Favorite Question - Part 2

In three of his letters Paul asked the same question a total of fifteen times. Do you not know? In the previous edition we looked at Romans 6:3, 16, and 7:1. In Romans 11:2 he wrote, “God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying…?” Contextually, Paul was addressing a prominent problem that existed in the first century church - the Jew/Gentile arrangement within the body of Christ. The issue started in Romans 9:1 and continues through the end of chapter 11. Without going into too much detail, the Jewish people were God’s elected and adopted people to bring about salvation through the Messiah. That all started with God’s choosing of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), Isaac (Gen. 18:10), and Jacob (Gen. 25:22-26). John the Baptizer had to address this subject during his ministry (Matt. 3:7-12). The “mystery” of the gospel is defined as the Gentiles being “fellow heirs, of the same body” (Eph. 3:1-7). The problem with the Jewish audience of Romans 11 was that they did not know the Scriptures on this matter. Romans 9-11 is filled with references from Genesis to Malachi, showing that all the prophets spoke of the acceptance of Gentiles by God because the Jewish people were “disobedient and contrary” (Rom. 10:21). They had forsaken God; He had not forsaken them. “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not” (Rom. 11:1)! Their problem? They were ungrateful, had rejected the Christ, and blamed God for their situation. Things like that can still happen today when people do not know the Scriptures!

The next time we find Paul’s favorite question is in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Corinth had forgotten something. Nearly every chapter of this first letter to them addressed some specific problem they were having. Division based on who baptized who, trusting in human wisdom, immaturity, failure to address fornication among the membership, Christians taking Christians to court, etc., etc. In chapter three, Paul addressed their immaturity that was manifesting itself through their loyalty to men rather than to Christ (1 Cor. 3:1-8). The temple of First Corinthians 3 is the church as a whole, not the individuals. Paul’s warning to the congregation was to not defile the church by their immaturity and divisiveness. That warning still stands today! It doesn’t matter who baptized you. It doesn’t matter who your favorite preacher is. Don’t defile the church with a sinful attachment to some human!

First Corinthians 5:6 reads, “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” Fornication was a prominent and unaddressed sin within the church. The sin was of such a nature that Paul exclaimed that the Gentiles would not even participate in such (1 Cor. 5:1)! While the church was actively avoiding the sin, Paul had already determined what needed to be done. “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:4-5). Church discipline. Withdraw fellowship. The New Testament specifies the “steps” to be taken when a believer has wandered off into sin. Typically, it begins as a one-on-one matter. Jesus confronted that subject (Matt. 5:21-26; 18:15-20; Lk. 17:3-4). In an ideal situation, a rift between brethren will go no further than the two individuals. However, the issue in the church at Corinth was different. Their was sin being committed that everyone knew about and that everyone was ignoring. Public sin demands public encounter. The congregation failing to address the sin was failing to realize that to tolerate sin is to encourage sinful behavior in others. They were told not even to eat with “anyone named a brother” who would not repent of sin. Why? That the sinner’s soul might be saved in judgment. When God’s people do not know the seriousness of sin and the eternal consequences of sin, an entire congregation is in danger! The seven churches of Asia teach us that same concept (Rev. 2-3). A church can lose its status as Christ’s body if it does not repent (Rev. 2:5). A little leaven leavens the whole lump.