I was reading today in 1 Corinthians and was really moved by Paul's teaching in chapters 11-14. For me, one of the most difficult challenges in my own life, and that I see in my church experience, is letting my opinion go for the sake of unity with and love for others. Opinions are dangerous. They have a way of taking on a life of their own (often encouraged by us, of course). But opinions need to be left aside for the sake of Christian love.
Beware of making your opinion a stumbling block for others. As Paul begins teaching the Corinthian believers about the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-19) he points out the divisiveness of their meals together. They are not waiting for each other and they do not even appear to be sharing a community meal but rather are eating their “own private suppers” (11:21). He links this behavior with divisiveness. He can't believe that when they come together there are divisions among them, and the divisions exist as a way of showing which of them have God's approval. The danger here is in making God side with you in your opinion. To do so triangulates God with you and against others. It is not right.
We should read this section of scripture (chapter 11) in light of the teachings in chapters 12-14 about the preeminence of love in the lives of believers. Only when we love others can we truly see how divisive our opinions are. Only when we love others are we willing to lay our divisive opinions aside for the sake of another.
When someone begins lining God up behind their opinion, there is generally a lack of love. Paul says we are nothing without love. We can reach so-called spiritual heights, teach with the best of them, have a faith that stands above the rest, give away everything we have to the poor, and even turn our bodies over to hardship. But all of these things, without love, are useless. Maturity and completeness are found only where there is love. Knowledge and experience can take us only so far. The rest comes when we learn to lay aside our opinions—and divisiveness—for the sake of our love for others.
Beware of making your opinion a stumbling block for others. As Paul begins teaching the Corinthian believers about the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-19) he points out the divisiveness of their meals together. They are not waiting for each other and they do not even appear to be sharing a community meal but rather are eating their “own private suppers” (11:21). He links this behavior with divisiveness. He can't believe that when they come together there are divisions among them, and the divisions exist as a way of showing which of them have God's approval. The danger here is in making God side with you in your opinion. To do so triangulates God with you and against others. It is not right.
We should read this section of scripture (chapter 11) in light of the teachings in chapters 12-14 about the preeminence of love in the lives of believers. Only when we love others can we truly see how divisive our opinions are. Only when we love others are we willing to lay our divisive opinions aside for the sake of another.
When someone begins lining God up behind their opinion, there is generally a lack of love. Paul says we are nothing without love. We can reach so-called spiritual heights, teach with the best of them, have a faith that stands above the rest, give away everything we have to the poor, and even turn our bodies over to hardship. But all of these things, without love, are useless. Maturity and completeness are found only where there is love. Knowledge and experience can take us only so far. The rest comes when we learn to lay aside our opinions—and divisiveness—for the sake of our love for others.
