I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but not all was rosy and bright in Corinth. Paul doesn't hold back here, telling the Corinthian church that they were spiritual babies not ready for solid spiritual food. Really gives you the warm and fuzzies, right? One of the many problems they're having is that they aren't united -- they're claiming that some are more special than others because they follow certain leaders within the church, rather than focused on the larger message of the church. It's a claim that my celebrity pastor makes me a better Christian than yours. Paul is not pleased.
So the New Testament isn't all love and peace and grace. There are some hard words here, because they're addressed to real people living in real communities. They're facing real challenges, and Paul writes to those specific challenges. The church matters to the real problems we face in day to day life, even in interpersonal conflict that we're dealing with -- the church has something to say to this.
So let us listen well, and give thanks for a Gospel that speaks to both the eternal and the immediate.
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