The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-11-25

to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him cru
Gifted. Corinthians 2:2.
From Athens the center of
culture, Paul went forty miles
westward to Corinth. the center
of commerce and capital of the
proconsular province of Achaia,
where he spent eighteen months
in a fruitful ministry.
1t was some time later that
partisan teachers rent the church
into four factions. A Pauline
party, overzealous for the found
er of the church: an Appollonian
party, bewitched by the oratory
of Apollos; Petrine party,
which. claiming Peter as author
ity. was bent on mixing up jew
ish ideas with Christianity; and
Christ party, which. in antag-
onozing other elements, became
itself a faction. The natural
outcome of these dissensions was
a loose discipline, abundant ir-
Irregularities. and rapid decline
from original purity. So Paul
wrote them a needed epistle.
THE PLEA FOR FELLOWSHIP
q Cor. y
The contentious in the church
at Corinth evoked from Paul
plea for fellowship.
(D The ground of the plea for |
fellowship was personal. He APP
pealed to them having had the |,
same Christian experience and
being united in the same cause.
He appealed as the apostle who
had founded the church and was
therefore entitled to hearing.
But he besought rather than
commanded, for religion is not
forced but voluntary. Chief of
all. he appealed to them in the
name of the Lord Jesus.
(2) The features of the plea
involved more than conversational
courtesy and intellectual toler-''
ance. He besought them to speak
the. same thing, not arguing
themselves apart, but together in
proper spirit and in unifying dis
cussion. He wished that they
could be Joined together in their
minds like a great structure with
each part fitted into it's place.
He would not have them sacri-
flee independence of view, but
reach through love the same
judgment. e.. -
81 The cause for the plea was
found in the report of existing
contentious which reached the
Apostle from the household of
Chloe who evidently was a de-
vout Christian woman living at
Corinth. .... -,
(4) The lament in the Apostles
plea took knowledge of the par
ties that had arisen among the
Corinthians who divided among
themselves, claiming the leader
ship respectively of Paul, ApolloS,
Peter and Christ. Such a line of
cleavage must have been tainted
with more or less bitterness.
(5) The climax of the plea was
reached in the apostolic assertion
that Christ was undivided and the
church should be undivided under
him. Paul was not crucified
Saviour and so could not be. men,
toned in the same breath with
Jesus. No Christian had been
baptized into the name of Paul
and sof Christ must be put first.
As matter OF, fact, Paul had
personally baptized at Corinth
none but Crispus the ruler of the
synagogue, Gaius, and the house
hold of Stephanas, the first CON
vert under his ministry there. On
his account there was no cause
for division. ".... . ...
co. The burden of the plea
was the prime necessity of |
preaching the gospel. Even bap-
tism which as an act of obedience
could be performed by other
qualified administrators, was
secondary with Paul in his min
istry at Corinth. No outward rite |
which if performed by him there |
might be unduly magnified and
no oratorial display must be al
lowed to eclipse or obscure the
dIOliilS CIOSo VI SHiiSC dS Iuc
heart of the gospel.
GU The goal of the plea was
the power of God through the
Word of the cross which the per-
ishing. pagan world called fool |
iShnesss but which the believer |
finds. to be divine power operated
by love.
THE PLEA FOR FAITH |
q Cor. y a....
The preaching of Paul, at CO.
rinth had been solely a plea for
faith. in the crucified Christ as
the one and only hope for men.
(D The act of his preaching
was not modelled after the ora
tory of men like Demosthenes or
the philosophy of men like Plato |
but consisted in the simple proc
lamation of the testimony of
God. "a
(2) The content of his preach
ing was not the poetry and phi
losophy and art of the Greeks or
the law and commerce and world
wide rule of the Romans but the
atoning death of Jesus Christ our
Lord and Saviour.
60 The manner of his preach
ing was not, in his opinion, i'm
pressive. He did his work in
at Charlotte.
FRIDAY, St Andrew'S day sarv-