By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador
I takoto hoki toku whakaaro, kia kaua ahau e matau ki tetahi mea i roto i a koutou, ko Ihu Karaiti anake, ko ia hoki i ripekatia.
Auā na tonu lo‘u manatu, ou te le iloa se tasi mea ia te outou tau lava o Iesu Keriso, o ia lava na faasatauroina.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:2
Corinth is a train wreck. The church is no different. Chaos, conflict, and confusion mark its life. Abuse, warring factions and legal wrangling all corrode the life of the church. The letter is a catalogue of conflicts.
One of our CCCNZ Board members wisely commented recently, “Conflict delayed is conflict multiplied.” He's right. Conflict in our lives is best addressed quickly and openly.
How does Paul confront the conflict?
He's direct. Paul takes them back to the beginning. He takes them back to the ultimate conflict. He takes them back to basics. He takes them back to the bedrock of their faith and life. He reminds them of his resolve to know nothing while he was with them except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
He invites the Corinthians to cast their eyes back to Christ and his cross. He invites them to not focus on their conflicts but to see their conflicts through Jesus Christ and his cross. He invites them to see that the underlying dynamics of their conflicts are ultimately dealt with by Christ’s work at the cross.
Paul shows the Corinthians the only real way out of their conflicts is to know and experience the grace of Jesus.
The crucified and risen Christ is the only person and power that can reconcile and restore even the most damaged of relationships.
