April 12, 2022
For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:4-7
It is a rich journey to walk through history and appreciate how we have received jewels of truth through men of God in the past who dared to stand for truth. The Bible records for us the highlights, and shall we say “lowlights?” as men bore witness of God’s forgiveness and love for mankind, including His desire to restore His image in us. The Bible does not portray the heroes of the Scriptures as perfect. In fact, some of their most embarrassing moments are included along with the highlights. The rich lessons of God’s provision for forgiveness and restoration lift us to a place of learning, of only we will cultivate willingness to learn. We’ve seen how faith in Him led to lives of obedience. God’s merciful patience is interwoven throughout the Bible and imparts to each of us real hope for our own lives.
Paul’s message to the Corinthians in the above passage foreshadows the development of Protestant denominations. The Reformers who bravely spoke against the abuses of the Roman church were attempting to get the Bread of Life to the spiritually starved masses. They were not out to make a name for themselves. The Bible had been banned from the commoner by the church, claiming that only the Catholic priests could interpret the words of God. The jewels of truth discovered in God’s word by the Reformers were fervently shared for the purpose of correcting gross errors that had crept into the church. Never was it God’s plan for the church to withhold His word from the people; nor that His people be fragmented into so many opposing groups. This has done horrendous damage to the cause Christ among professed believers and also to our witness for Him before unbelievers: and all because His professed followers set their sights on this person or that person, and not exclusively on the person of Christ!
The inestimable opportunity and privilege to learn from the successes and failures of those who went before cannot be overstated. The long process of restoring in humankind the image of God has been—and continues to be—arduous. Consider the longsuffering of God! How we hurt Him through cavalier attitudes, disobedience to His word, and denominational pride. But what about those who, through no fault of their own, were steeped in error from birth yet sincerely yearned to please Him?
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man who He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. Acts 17:30-31
Beloved, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, let us look forward to His soon return as our King. Following His resurrection, He became our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary. And as our intercessor, He has shared with us His will for unity in the body of believers. Unity in truth, with no mixture of error. This is a worthy goal, that we may faithfully share the truth of God’s Word and be a unifying influence for our Savior. As we unravel the confusion brought about by the author of confusion (see 1 Corinthians 14:33), we are doing the work of reclaiming for Jesus that which is rightfully His.
“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock, and one shepherd.” John 10:16