Bethany Bullet - January 28, 2014

Sunday’s Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-19

On the heels of the Baptism of Our Lord, and a week that witnessed no fewer than 7 baptisms on our Bethany campus, we hear St. Paul say, “I’m glad I didn’t baptize any of you except…” to the recipients of his first letter to the Corinthians.

How is it that this evangelist of evangelists, this apostle to the Gentiles, this author of Romans 6 and the great treatise on baptism could be led to say that he was glad he didn’t do much baptizing in Corinth?  Because you see, the actions of the Corinthian Christians were inconsistent with the affirmation of the life of the baptized child of God. 

Baptism is incorporation into the body of Christ.  Yet, the Corinthian’s were continually dividing that which God had united. Paul’s admonition declares to us that indeed, in the body, superiority gives way to unity and ownership is superseded by fellowship.  In other words, in the body we do not live as if “We are one as long as I’m number one”; nor do we act as if “There can only be harmony when all agree with me.”

Now that doesn’t mean truth is up for grabs or that there are no settled matters.  As members of the body we submit to the head (that is Christ) and His Word.  Where He has spoken, we stand.  Yet, where He has allowed freedom we dare not make laws. 

-Pastor Kevin Kritzer