Nougat 3

There’s something to be said about knowing that we matter to others, or that someone cares about us simply because we exist. Isn’t it hard to know someone doesn’t care for us? Especially if their opinions can influence our lives. As I read more of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, these are some thoughts that I have been reflecting on. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat, for example.

1 Corinthians 4:7 CEVDCI

[7] What is so special about you? What do you have that you were not given? And if it was given to you, how can you brag?

No Bragging Rights

So, today, I begin with a disclaimer. I do believe that we are all unique like our theme suggests. Each of us has a defining fingerprint, a reminder that even if we’re part of a pair of twins, of a team of triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, etc., there is something about us that is specially and totally ours.

It’s why fingerprints have become mainstreamed in identification systems. One could say that those little details remind us that we fearfully and wonderfully made (see Psalm 137). Yet, with every ounce of our uniqueness, we’re more similar to each other than we think. And the things we have in common with others are often more visible, or tend to get more attention than those that are unique.

Self-Check

How do we feel about being one of many to persons who are special to us? How does it feel to be unique to God?

Deeper Dive

As we get deeper into our reading of 1 Corinthians 4, I am more convinced that Paul wasn’t calmly writing to the church. This message feels sharper than his letter to the Galatians, whom he described as bewitched. It may be subtle, but thus far we’ve heard Paul telling the Corinthians that he’s under God’s orders, so their opinion of him doesn’t matter – it’s God’s opinion that counts. His reference to the imposed rivalry of discipleship among themselves also alludes to him being disgruntled. Now Paul asks, ‘What is so special about you?’, a question that firmly puts the rival groups in their place.

Someone was once angered at their friend and said, ‘You are nobody!’ Those were fighting words. In those three words, the person was reduced to an object. Years later, even with the semblance of reconciliation, the recipient of the pronouncement was still hurt. Paul’s statement would have effectively communicated the depth of his anger (and perhaps his pain toward the congregation). We hear some of that expressed in 2 Corinthians. He wasn’t arguing for himself or Apollos; Paul argued on behalf of their witness.

Whether we feel Paul’s response was appropriate or not, it is important for us to realize that our uniqueness is God’s gift to us. Our forgetfulness of that, especially when we cast slurs on other’s character, places us at risk of receiving this reprimand. It is from dust we’ve come, and it is by God’s intervention that we have life. In that sense, we are nothing. We have nothing that’s entirely exclusive of God’s provision. When we place other issues in that perspective, it may be easier to offer grace to another. And that grace is a gift from God.

Point to Ponder

How does knowing of God’s grace toward us – collectively and also as individuals – affect a) our own self-understanding, and b) influence our relationship with others?

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May all we seek be found in Christ