Thursday, March 12, 2015

Lenten Reflection - March 12, 2015

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Corinthians 2:2


This passage is part of a letter written by Paul to the church of Corinth and Christians. While visiting Corinth, Paul witnessed the presence of sin within the church of Corinth and among the people of Corinth. Christians in Corinth were being pressured to adapt to the immortality of certain church members, corruption and other sins occurring throughout Corinth. Paul recognized the struggle among Christians to understand how they should respond to the pressures placed on them to adapt to the sins. In his letter, Paul identifies the issues Christians in Corinth were facing, emphasizes a need for change, gives the Christians guidance for how to respond, and stresses the necessity to maintain a clear commitment to Christ.

It can become overwhelming and discouraging to recognize the sins amongst us. The news frequently reports problems related to substance abuse, corruption, and shootings. Sometimes it seems that it would be easier to either ignore or develop some way to adapt to these problems, rather than work on developing solutions. In this passage, Paul tells the Christians he can see their commitment to Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit among them. As Christians we need to remember our commitment to Christ and work together to correct our own sins and those of society. As we work to resolve our sins, Paul says we must continue to strengthen our faith. Having a strong faith will enable us to be guided by the Holy Spirit and make a positive difference.

Debbie Tolliver