1 Corinthians 14:37-40

“If any one thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord. If any one does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues; but all things should be done decently and in order.” RSV

There is, in 1 Corinthians, a sermon within a sermon. A portion of chapters 11-14 are parenthetical, related to each other. They deal with how to behave when the local congregation comes together. The beginning passage is:

“I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. . . . Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it. Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk.” (11:2, 17-21)

The ending passage are the verses in chapter 14 (above). These are, in essence, the bread of the sandwich, with the meat being chapter 13, the chapter on love.
In order to understand the essence of what Paul is saying, we need to continue to remember that everything we do as a Church is to be done in love, that this is the measure the world we use to determine whether or not we belong to Christ:

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (13:4-7).

Sadly, the Church doesn’t love very well. We promote well. We divide well. We identify the moats in others’ eyes well.

We don’t love well.

In fact, rather on working on whether or not we love well (particularly those among us who are unlovely), we are more concerned about trying to advance our own cause, trying to convince others that we are right and they are wrong. Most of us who’ve been involved in church doctrine for awhile know that these four chapters (11-14) are more often used to try to promote a certain agenda (complementarianism versus egalitarianism) rather than to promote the fact that first and foremost Christians need to love each other. We are more concerned about being right than being loving.

At what point do we stop being the world and start becoming the Church?

Do I believe that correct doctrine is important? Yes! Do I believe that doctrine has been used to oppress people wrongly? Yes! But arguing and insisting isn’t the way. Loving is the way.

The way of love is very different from the way of the world. Paul explicitly told us how to love our enemies:

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:14-21 RSV)

We cannot fight evil with demanding our rights (against their insisting upon taking them away). We can fight evil by doing good, by loving those who don’t love us, by continuing to do what we know is right (prophesying, speaking in tongues, ministering in the Spirit).