Washed, Sanctified, Baptized

Jason Bintz writesto offer a gloss on my discussion of 1 Corinthians 6:11 as a baptismal passage . The rest of this post is from Jason: “I do see in this text a baptismal formula. In particular, I believe this is a baptismal formula based on Jesus’s baptism by John. The ordo in 1 Cor . . . . Continue Reading »

Paul the Heretic?

Paul employs patronage terminology with some frequency, and in 1 Corinthians he employs it mainly to secure his position against rivals for patronage of the Corinthian church. So argues Joshua Rice in Paul and Patronage: The Dynamics of Power in 1 Corinthians . Paul names himself father in 4:15, . . . . Continue Reading »

Factional leadership

The Corinthians did not unfortunately slip into factions. When two ancient men competed for power, Dio Chrysostom says, “of necessity they court the favor of everyone, even those who are ever so far beneath them.” Creating factions was the main strategy of political action, the tactic . . . . Continue Reading »

Baptism exhortation

1 Corinthians 6: Don’t you know that you are not your own? “What is your comfort in life and in death?” begins the Heidelberg Catechism. And it answers, “That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.” . . . . Continue Reading »

Exhortation

Human life is shot through with envy. Envy whispers in our ear about a neighbor who has slightly more than we do –a nicer car, more recognition, a prettier wife, more accomplished children. Envy wants to silence praise for others and grows angry when praise continues (Nietzsche). Enslaved to . . . . Continue Reading »

Eucharistic meditation

1 Corinthians 10:21-22: You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than he, are we? As Pastor Sumpter has emphasized, disloyalty in marriage doesn’t . . . . Continue Reading »