360-DEGREE DEVOTION

These closing words reinforce some of the great themes of 1 Corinthians and give us something new to reflect on as well. The reinforcement, first of all. We are told to ‘stand firm’ yet again (v 13). When Scripture says something so often we need to take special note. We are reminded about love as well (v 14) and we see practical demonstrations of love in the warm greetings that combine depth of relationship with holiness (JB Phillips’ translation of verse 20, ‘I should like you to shake hands all round as a sign of Christian love’, was not his finest hour!). We see practical, costly love demonstrated by the household of Stephanas (vs 15–18). To live consistently in these ways is hard, but Paul’s closing greeting conveys the grace of Jesus which cleanses, strengthens and equips (v 23).

The material on Stephanas’ household prompts a further reflection. They have ‘devoted’ themselves to the service of others, specifically to God’s people, and have clearly been doing this for some time since they were first to come to Christ in Achaia. Their help for Paul is just one concrete example of this practical devotion. Now notice a crucial point. It is because of their way of life – their devoted service – that the Corinthians were to ‘submit’ to them. See how Paul explicitly connects the two in verse 16. Here are leaders who can be trusted, for they are people of integrity. If you are a Christian leader (and many of us have at least some leadership responsibilities) your way of life is crucial. People deserve leaders of character, faith, and holiness. What are we like in private when no one is watching, or with our families? The psalmist prayed ‘give me an undivided heart’.1 Here is 360-degree devotion. What better way to close this set of reflections?

Spend time today praying that the lessons learned over the past few weeks may be firmly embedded in our lives.