Paul's Attitude

1 Corinthians 15:1-9

It seems like it has been years since the last post that went up in December, but I hope that since then, you have been rested and refreshed. Throughout the duration of last semester, our primary focus was on the much needed topic of Humility in Ministry. This was brought about by studying some of the many qualities of Christ; through gaining a better knowledge of the manifold characteristics of Christ, the byproduct of gaining a better understanding of ourselves then stems. The result of this is humility as we understand that we are nothing in comparison to Him.

Going into this next semester, our focus will be the same, yet shifted slightly. We will still be dealing with the overarching theme of Humility in Ministry, but we will be looking at the ministry and example of Christ as presented in Philippians 2, as his ministry epitomizes our theme.

Before actually jumping into Philippians next week, I wanted to discuss something that has been on my mind over the past week. It is a passage that I was reminded of very recently and its application walks hand-in-hand with what will be discussed throughout the rest of the semester.

1 Corinthians 15:1-9 presents very crucial pieces of information that are pertinent to the Christian faith. Within this passage, the Apostle Paul discusses some brass tacks that make up the basis of Christianity. At the beginning of the chapter, Paul begins this address by introducing what will be presented over the next few verses. He states “Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received…” (1 Cor. 15:1). By beginning the chapter this way, Paul is stating that what he is about to deliver is not new information, but that it has already been presented to them previously. He carries on by stating “…in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1-2). Paul is describing that not only has this church heard the information before, but that there has already been a response to this information.

The information that Paul is describing in the first couple of verses is the Gospel, as will be presented in verses 3-5. He states this as being the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. These are absolutely foundational ingredients in what we believe as Christians; without the reality of any of these, our faith would be in vain and everything presented in Scripture would be made void.

In the verses following, Paul goes on to record the list of individuals that were eyewitnesses of Christ’s resurrection. His main reason for placing this within the text is to place a greater emphasis on the reality of the resurrection. When you get to the end of his list of eyewitness, you find something rather interesting; Paul lists himself, which refers to his conversion back on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-8). What is intriguing about this is his description of himself. Paul states “and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Cor. 15:8-9).

This description is one that, at first, can be quite confusing. Paul refers to himself as one that was “untimely born.” To be honest, this phrase is one that had me stumped for a few days; it was not something that was easy to grasp. The word that Paul uses in this phrase refers to that of an “aborted fetus” or an “unborn fetus.” What Paul is saying is that compared to the other apostles that were previously listed within the passage, he is to these apostles as an unborn or an aborted fetus would be to perfectly formed infants. Paul’s words describe his inadequacy to even be called an apostle due to his wretched past and former position (1 Cor. 15:9).

His view is that of humility; when writing this, he had a clear picture of where he was before the Damascus Road and where he was thereafter. He had a handle on the fact that he was only what he was by the grace of God. This attitude of humility in Paul is absolutely evident in his writing and ministry; it is evident that he was not the subject of his life-- Christ was.

This passage, specifically Paul’s attitude towards his ministry, should present a great challenge to believers. It is so easy to get caught up in ministry and service that we forget that we have been specifically and intentionally placed in our ministries for a purpose that is greater than our own selves. When we stop and consider that we have been blessed with the opportunity to minister, regardless of the venue and despite our own wretchedness, our attitude should be similar to that of Paul’s. We should consider ourselves inadequate for our positions, except for the grace of God. I believe that until this happens, we will not be able to exemplify humility in ministry.

Happy Reading,

CBMaxwell