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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
VOLUME 6, NUMBER 22, JUNE 4, 2006 “CAME THE WORD OF GOD OUT FROM YOU?”
Bible students are aware of the fact that a large portion of what Paul
writes in the First Letter to the Corinthians deals with times when they came “together
in the church” when they came “together
therefore into one place” (1 Cor. 11:18, 20).
We know that in chapter 11 Paul deals with whether or not a woman was
required to wear a covering and with problems they were having in partaking of
the Lord’s Supper. In chapters 12,
13, and 14 Paul addressed the issue of miraculous spiritual gifts, what their
attitude toward them should be and what their attitude toward each other should
be. In chapter 14, Paul focused on
instructions that would help them to do all things “decently
and in order” when “the whole
church be come together into one place,” (1 Cor. Paul was primarily addressing the times when the congregation assembled for corporate worship, what they were to do, and how they were to conduct themselves at those times. Interestingly, Paul wrote concerning the Lord’s Supper, prayer and singing, teaching and giving (1 Cor. 16:1-2). In chapter 14, after writing about the orderly exercise of miraculous spiritual gifts in their assemblies, Paul wrote in verses 33-37, “For “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your woman keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? Came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” It is not my purpose in this article to address the place of women in the worship assemblies, but rather to notice an aspect of Paul’s teaching to the Corinthians that is not often talked about. The confusion and lack of order that characterized the assemblies of the Corinthians was not what was happening in all of the churches. In verse 33, Paul wrote, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” That phrase brings to mind a statement that Paul made earlier in this letter. In chapter 4, verse 15 – 17, Paul said, “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.” There was a consistency of teaching and a pattern to be followed by all of the churches wherever they were. What was happening in Corinth was different from what was taking place in all of the other churches. In verse 36, Paul made a very interesting point. He asked the Corinthians, whose practice was different from the other churches, “What? Came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you only?” What did he mean by that? Quite simply if the gospel originated with the Corinthians, then the other churches were wrong, because what they were doing was different from what the Corinthians were doing. If the gospel came to the Corinthians from some other place or source and their practice was different from all the other churches, then they were wrong. Paul went on to make the point that those who would present themselves as being particularly spiritual or who presented themselves as spokesmen of God had to acknowledge that what Paul was writing to them were in fact the commandments of the Lord and not something of his own devising. I believe that there is a practical lesson to be learned for us today from Paul’s statements found in verses 33 and 36 of 1 Corinthians 14. Those who would feel free to change any aspect of the Lord’s pattern for the church, whether we are talking about worship, the organization of the church, the work the church is authorized to engage in, or the terms of admission into the body, need to answer a simple question. Did the gospel originate with them, or did they receive it from some other source? The truth is there is only one gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and it was delivered in its entirety with the conclusion of the book of Revelation in the A.D. 90’s. No one has a right to add to it or take away from it. No one has the right to change it in any way. If they add to it, God will “add unto him the plagues that are written in this book…” If they take away from it, “God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Rev. 22:18,19). The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 1:6-10, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” It is a serious matter to tamper with God’s word in any way. If any should find themselves chafing under what they might perceive as its restrictions and limitations and what they desire is different from what is being done in all other faithful churches of the Lord’s people, pause and ask, “Did the gospel originate with you, or did you receive it from some other source?”
Greg Litmer
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