Friday, June 29, 2012

Economics of Salvation

Asking someone for money can often make for an awkward situation.  Most of us probably wouldn't even try it unless we were already fairly confident that our request would be met favorably.  We certainly wouldn't ask someone who was already questioning our trustworthiness. 

But the apostle Paul would.  His relationship with the Corinthian church was already a troubled one but in 1 Corinthians 8 Paul adds to the complexity of that relationship by asking the Corinthians for money.  Of course, the money is not for Paul himself.  It is part of a larger offering; one that Paul is organizing among all of his gentile congregations for the saints in Jerusalem. And it is an offering for which the Corinthians have already started collecting.  Nevertheless, Paul knows that he must walk a fine rhetorical line if he is to simultaneously mend his relationship with the Corinthians while also urging them to give to this offering which is such a vital piece of his own ministry.  Paul uses a number of different tactics to encourage the Corinthians toward this end as he toes that line. 

His first strategy is to let the Corinthians know how graciously other churches have given toward this cause -even beyond their means, Paul says.  Surely, the Corinthians who "excel in everything" do not want to be left behind when it comes to giving.  But Paul also knows that his authority in this community is a little shaky at the moment.  So Paul says in v.8 that he is not commanding the Corinthians to give but is simply giving them an opportunity to prove their love for others.  He then reminds the Corinthians of the grace they themselves have experienced in Jesus Christ.  Paul even expresses this salvation in economic terminology saying "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich."  Paul is calling upon the Corinthians to share their wealth with those who are poor precisely because Christ shared his wealth with the impoverished Corinthians in order to make them rich. 

Obviously, Paul has no problem moving directly from spiritual reality to financial reality.  In fact, even making that distinction in the first place may say more about the holes in our understanding of the gospel than anything.  Particularly insightful is what Paul says in v.13-15:

"For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, 'Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.'"

"Fairness" or "equality" seem to be central to Paul's economic vision for the Church.  Of course, fairness can be understood in a number of different ways.  Often,  as Americans, we think of fairness in terms of what we have "worked for" or "earned".  Alongside those values we might also speak of "equal opportunity" so that equality exists when everyone who is willing to work hard has the same opportunity to earn a living.  Paul even seems to endorse those ideas to some degree when he says in 2 Thessalonians "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat."  But we must also weigh those words of Paul with these in 2 Corinthians where "fairness" seems to be more about need than work or anything else.  Paul's argument is quite simply that the Corinthians have more than they need and those in Jerusalem have less than they need and that alone should be enough reason for the Corinthians to give generously.  There is no rebuking the wealthy simply for being wealthy and there is also no blaming the poor for their poverty.  Instead, the primary question seems to be "Are everyone's needs being met?"

Paul reinforces this point by quoting Exodus 16:18.  God provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness when they had no other food.  God also instructed them to gather only what their families needed for that day; no more, no less.  The Israelites always had to trust that God would provide again the next day.  As long as they gathered only what they needed, no one was hungry.  But if anyone tried to gather extra then "it bred worms and stank."

It is no wonder that Paul thought of this story as he sought to persuade the Corinthians to contribute to this offering for it provides a poignant picture of the economics of salvation: a recognition that it is God who provides for us and not ourselves (no matter how hard we work), trusting that God will continue to provide, resisting the temptation to take more than we need, and everyone's need being met.  These beliefs and practices form the core of our economics as we participate in the economy of salvation. 

Monday, June 18, 2012

If you'll take a look at my resume...

I mentioned in my previous post that much of 2 Corinthians is Paul defending his own apostleship.  Much of this defense consists not of Paul defending his own actions but pointing to the transformative power of God's word exhibited through Paul's preaching among the Corinthians.  But in 2 Corinthians 6, Paul does speak about some of his own actions.  He says in v.4  "as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way...".  Is Paul finally going to give the Corinthians the proof of apostleship they've been looking for?  After denying them the letters of recommendation and official signs of authority they have so earnestly sought, is Paul now going to give in and commend himself after all?  Not exactly.  Paul says he and his co-laborers are commended by "great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger..." and the list just goes on like that. 

Paul, maybe you misunderstood the question.  We are looking for signs of your authority, not more proof that you are a weak little man who is too easily mistreated and pushed around to live up to a title like "apostle".  We already have more evidence to that effect than we know what to do with.  Who fills out a resume this way?  Getting beaten, going hungry and sleepless, and enduring imprisonment and menial labor aren't exactly highly touted accomplishments. 

Of course, Paul knows exactly what he is doing.  He intends to redefine the Corinthians' conception of power and authority in Christ.  In fact, Paul has been doing this for several chapters already in this letter.  When speaking of his knowledge about God in Christ Jesus, he said "we have this treasures in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."  Paul then goes on to list the number of hardships he has faced for the next several verses much as he does in chapter 6.  And in 2:14, Paul says "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere."  The Greek of this verse is a bit ambiguous but it seems likely that Paul is referring to the Roman practice of victory parades.  After a successful military endeavor, a Roman commander would lead his captives through the city, making a shameful spectacle of them before the mocking crowds.   Full of irony and at the height of his rhetorical skill, Paul uses this image to combat the Corinthians expectations of authority and apostleship.  Although Paul is Christ's apostle and co-victor with Christ in his triumph, discipleship in this world is not a victory lap.  Rather, to be an apostle of the Messiah who won his victory by being crucified will more likely mean being subjected to public humiliation and mockery.  This is why Paul presents beatings, imprisonments, and other humiliations as his very odd set of apostolic credentials.  They show that he is indeed following the example of his publicly shamed and executed savior and by doing so he is preaching the way of that savior not only with his words but by his very own life and humble existence.

This interplay between the power of God's word and Paul's own weakness captures in a nutshell how Paul routinely describes his own ministry throughout his letters.  It is not just an accident of Paul's argument in 2 Corinthians.  It is essential to Paul's self-understanding as an apostle of Jesus Christ.  As evangelical Christians, we have often spoken tirelessly about the beauty, power, and authority of the Word of God.  But how much attention have we given to the other side of Paul's understanding of ministry?  Rather, than exhibiting the power of God's word through our own weakness, it seems we often try to demonstrate the power of God's word by being powerful ourselves.  But it was clear to Paul that human power only stood in the way of God's power being demonstrated.  It is in the weakness and vulnerability of Christ on the cross that God's power is manifest.  Likewise, it is in our own weakness and vulnerability that Christ's power will be evident among us.  The best credentials we can put forward for our apostolic witness are not are own signs of power and strength but Christ's power shining through our weakness. 

Monday, June 11, 2012

Is the Love of Christ Leading to New Creation?

For the most part, 2 Corinthians is one long defense of Paul's apostleship.  Paul's relationship with the church at Corinth was apparently a rocky one.  Between the writing of 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul made an unplanned visit to Corinth which turned out to be painful for him.  After this painful visit, Paul wrote another letter to the Corinthians.  Since this letter is now lost, it is impossible to determine its exact content but Paul says that he wrote it "out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears." In addition to this painful visit and letter, Paul also has to account for a promised trip to Corinth which he never made.  As we read the beginning of 2 Corinthians, we get the sense that the Corinthians are clamoring for an explanation of Paul's seemingly unreliable actions...and if Paul is unable to give such an explanation then he will likely lose all credibility with the Corinthians as their apostle and pastor. 

Paul answers the Corinthians' concern in a number of ways in the first 5 chapters of 2 Corinthians but there is one resounding theme throughout those chapters: the Corinthians are judging Paul's apostleship by the wrong standards.  The Corinthians question the trustworthiness of Paul's word because he changed his travel plans so many times but Paul's says in chapter 1 that his word is trustworthy not because his itinerary never changes but because the word he preached transformed the Corinthians themselves.  The Corinthians question Paul's authority because he didn't come with letters of recommendation (apparently other missionaries to Corinth did) but in chapter 3 Paul says that the Corinthians themselves are Paul's letter of recommendation.  This train of thought comes to a climax in chapter 5 where Paul says that the "love of Christ controls us," not an itinerary or official signs of authority.  The love of Christ is the one and only thing that determines Paul's actions.  And Paul says that the love of Christ can be summed up this way:

"and he died for all; therefore all have died; and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.  From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.  Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ - new creation!" 

The Corinthians keep looking for signs of Paul's authority and apostleship but Paul is saying to them "Look no further than yourselves!  I preached the death and resurrection of Christ to you and that message made you new creatures in Christ!  What more proof do you need?"  Paul's changed travel plans and letters of recommendation are small beans compared to the miraculous work of the Spirit that has already taken place among the Corinthians.  It is God's new creation already taking root among them which is the one true sign that Paul speaks for God as he has claimed. 

It is sooooooooo tempting for us to look for any other way to validate our ministry.  We find countless ways to measure and quantify; to provide letters of recommendation to prove to others that our ministry is the real thing.  But there is really only question that we should be asking:  Is the love of Christ leading to new creation among us?

Friday, June 1, 2012

The Mystery of the Message

Isaiah 6, often thought of as the commission of Isaiah as a prophet of God, begins with a vision of God.  It is a majestic vision of God's glory; the Lord sits on his throne and just the train of his robe is enough to fill the Temple.  Above God stand the seraphim who declare God's holiness. The thresholds shake.  The Temple fills with smoke. 

This majestic vision in turn leads Isaiah to confess his sin.  The overwhelming holiness of God reveals his own lack of holiness.  He says "Woe is me!  For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts!"

Isaiah's confession in turn leads to his cleansing.  One of the seraphim flies to Isaiah with a burning coal which is touched to his lips, cleansing them of impurity.  The seraphim declares "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." 

Next Isaiah's cleansing leads to mission.  After his cleansing, he hears the voice of the Lord saying "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"  Isaiah answers "Here am I!  Send me."

A vision of God leading to confession leading to cleansing leading to mission.  If the passage just ended there or at least went on to tell of Isaiah's highly successful career as a prophet then we could box this up as the next great church growth strategy that will solve all the church's problems and I could retire and live off the proceeds of my book sales.  Alas, the passage does not end there.  Instead, Isaiah is told what his message will be.

"Go, and say to this people:  Keep hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing but do not perceive.  Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." 

Isaiah is told to preach a message that no one can understand; a message for which God's plan is rejection rather than acceptance. 

And it is not only Isaiah who speaks of his message in this way.  Jesus quotes these very same words in the Gospel of Mark.  Right in the middle of telling the parable of the sower, a story about how only some will bear fruit while many will have the gospel snatched away, withered, or choked out of their lives, Jesus answers with the words of Isaiah when someone asks why he speaks in parables. 

Churches often place enormous emphasis on their methods of sowing and finding good soil.  Enormous amounts of time, money, and energy are spent trying to create and implement "effective" ministry plans which will reach those we think are most likely to respond to the gospel message.  But it seems the sower depicted in this passage is anything but "effective".  Wasteful and reckless seem to be more appropriate terms.  Jesus plainly says that the gospel is simply not something that will take root in everyone's life.  And yet that doesn't keep him from liberally casting the seed of the gospel wherever it might fall, three-fourths of it on soil where it has no chance to grow if the proportions of the parable are any indication.  Maybe this is because the sower knows that where the seed does take root it will produce a crop so extravagant that it will more than make up for the "wasted" seed. 

Perhaps the intersection of Isaiah's vision and its quotation in Mark is where we find our calling as the Church.  Like Isaiah, we have had a vision of God that has led to confession, cleansing, and mission.  However, the mission is never as simple as going out and finding good soil in which to sow more seed.  In fact, the parable of the sower suggests that if we view the mission that way then we are not bearing witness to the character of the sower who sows the seed liberally. The mission is bearing the fruit of the Spirit, a fruit which itself contains the seed of the good news.  It is living and proclaiming the message we have been given, not because we believe that we have the power to make this message take root but because it is our very nature by virtue of the seed God has sown in us.