God’s love for us

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH

1 Corinthians 9:15-18,_ Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. This was a congregation struggling with the things of the society around them. The strife was brought on by the constant struggle over who was most important, more gifted, and who had what rights. Last week we heard Paul, as he wrote about the care of the weak in the faith. Today’s Epistle is a continuation of that theme.

Remember, though, the new journey in life given to Paul has been given to us in Holy Baptism, too. It is a gift of love given by the true God. The Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The truth is, each one of us has been redeemed by Christ the crucified. Everyone of us, from our cha cha cha coordinator, to our teachers, administrators, our tax collectors, engineers, nurses, bench builders, farmers, our master seamstresses and missionaries. All of us, by His wounds, we are healed. God the Father sent the Son to redeem us. There was nothing in us moving the Son to come in weakness, becoming man, shedding His blood for sinners, suffering, dying and rising. The Holy Spirit was not bestowed upon us because of our great abilities.

Paul had been loved by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. It was by the love of God, it was no voluntary thing. Paul was compelled by love, the love of God, to proclaim the good news about Jesus. Now Paul gives one of his famous lists…”to the Jews, I became like a Jew.” This is not an outreach technique or evangelism strategy. Rather, this is Paul telling of the giving up of his rights to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in the ears of others.

Paul knew the futility of the Jewish law and traditions, but, out of the love for the Jews, he would not let his rights be a stumbling block that closed ears. Paul was so compelled by the love of Christ that he circumcised young Timothy to remove any disagreement, and kept Titus, a Gentile, from entering the temple.

Paul gives up his rights and he does so completely out of love for his neighbor; love that has first been shown to him. For Paul, it’s not a ma_er of voluntary service. Rather, as a slave of Christ, as one who had experienced the love of God in Christ firsthand, he was bound by love, relinquished rights so that he might minister to others.

We have been loved by God. Though we may have rights and authorities, still, in love, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. Sometimes that’s really, really diffi cult. Like Paul, by the love of God in Christ which we know by faith, we are compelled to love our neighbor, even if it means bypassing some of those rights and authorities held so dear.

As Paul writes, in Christ, the chief servant, we have been made servants of one another. Amen.

rschmittyjr@yahoo.com