1Corinthians 3:4,5 – The Lórd gives faith

For whenever anyone may be saying, “I indeed, am of Paul” yet another, “I, of Apollos,” will he not be fleshly? What then, is Apollos? Now what is Paul? Servants are they, through whom you believe, and as the Lord gives to each.

‘Fleshly’ indicates an orientation in which one focuses on ‘the flesh’. It gives man reason to boast. It sounds paradoxical, but it is precisely in the realm of religion that we find this attitude. “I am good or acceptable to God because I….”, you can fill in the blank.

We also see a ‘fleshly’ attitude, where people focus themselves on the outside instead of the content. In Corinth, quarreling parties arose concerning ministers. It is noteworthy that Paul dismisses the followers of his own party as being fleshly, just like the ones of Apollos’ party.

Both parties missed the point that both Apollos and Paul were only servants of the Word of the Lord. They are to be considered no more than a conduit. It was the Lord who had given them súch faith and thereby provided Himself with human ‘tools’. To be able to believe is solely GOD’s achievement. Whoever misses that, however pious they may be, is still ‘fleshly in his thinking.

Delen: