TOPIC:“There's a Christian Way to Live for Christ”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:I Corinthians 3:1-8
“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual,
but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (I Corinthians 3:8)
Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist of past years, may light our pathway to the major thrust of this message when he said: “A Christian is the world's Bible, and some of them need revising.” Now this truth reveals exactly the situation that existed among the Christians at Corinth. They needed changing. Their discipleship was not superficial, but it was shallow. They were disciples of Christ, but that's about all. Their experience with Christ had little depth to it. Their behavior contradicted their belief. There were flaws which could be detected in their inner lives, thus making their experience in Christ somewhat deficient in those qualities which ought to characterize all genuine disciples of Christ.
For the next few moments let us focus our attention on those subtle sins which help to contradict the very Christianity we are trying so hard to communicate to others. Let me mention a few of the defects in the discipleship of the Corinthians.
I.
For one thing, here were Christians who had a DEFECTIVE SPIRIT. Here in verse 3 we read these words: “For you are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?” (I Corinthians 3:3). Listen to way The Living Bible brings the conduct of these Corinthian Christians to light: “For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by your own desires, not God's. When you are jealous of one another and divide up into quarreling groups, doesn't that prove you are still babies, wanting your own way? In fact, you are acting like people who don't belong to the Lord at all.” How true of many disciples of Christ!
Here the Apostle Paul puts his finger upon one of the outstanding faults in the discipleship of these people. He cries out again in I Corinthians 1:10-11: “But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony, and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissension's or factions or divisions among you…For it has been made clear to me…that there are contentions and wrangling and factions among you” (The Amplified Bible). Paul describes them in I Corinthians 4:18 by saying: “Some of you have become conceited and arrogant and pretentious” (The Amplified Bible).
Think of it - here were Christians, forgiven by God and redeemed by Christ, and yet, they had permitted discord and division to . . .