1 Corinthians 14:36-15:2
36 Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
15:1Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. [1]
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What is striking to me in this brief passage are Paul’s words regarding the Lord’s command. Paul is expecting his readers to follow what he is instructing, not because the words are his, but rather because they come from the Lord. It seems as though Paul expected some to oppose his teaching. After all the Corinthian church was very divided, as he has addressed in this letter. So he reminds them – somewhat forcefully – that the one to whom they must answer, and whose word they must follow is not in fact Paul, but the Lord.
This is of course just as true today, in our church, and in our lives. Whether we’re considering how we conduct ourselves in a congregation, how we approach our mission, how we treat each other, how we live our lives, we start by acknowledging that it is the Word of the Lord that speaks to us, and that we are to seek to follow.
What this passage says to me is the importance of humbling myself before God’s instruction. The Word in fact did not originate with me, but with the Lord. So my prayer today is one of thanksgiving for the Word, along with a prayer that by His grace, I may follow His word today.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (1 Co 14:36–15:2). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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