Build Up the Church
The renowned Christian theologian Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) described sin as “curvatus in se” which is Latin for “curved into oneself” or, as it’s often translated today, “the inward curvature of the soul.” Our sinful nature is like a black hole in our souls, constantly and mightily battling for sin’s desire to make things all about “me, myself, and I.” One of the most telling indications that sin still has a foothold of influence in the souls of the redeemed is in the way we love to talk about ourselves. In conversations, it’s as if we can’t wait for the opportunity to bring the conversation back around to “me.” A soul curved in upon itself feeds on attention. Heading into 1st Corinthians 14, one sees why Paul has focused on the need for love within the body of Christ as the body exercises its God-given gifts and abilities. If sin curves the soul in upon itself, love takes hold of that curve, and by the power of the grace of God, wrenches the curve outward away from self and towards others. Spiritual gifts in the church at Corinth were being used as attention getters, particularly the gift of speaking in tongues. Paul readily acknowledges the benefit and blessing of the gift of tongues to those who possess it but regards it as less beneficial to the body than other spiritual gifts unless it’s accompanied by an interpretation. The gist of the matter is that speaking in tongues is a dramatic spiritual gift and some in the church at Corinth who had this gift were using it in corporate worship to draw attention to themselves in a “look at me and what I can do” kind of fashion. But without an interpretation, the church and the individual may as well be listening to “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal,” a critique Paul was likely alluding to in 1st Corinthians 13:1. Such self-interested use of a spiritual gift in worship was unloving because it drew time and attention to an individual but did not build up the church because the speech of the tongue was unintelligible. In contrast, love in all of its faithful expressions builds up.
We invite you to come join us this Sunday morning for our in-person worship service at Leptondale Bible Church in Newburgh, starting at 10:55 AM. For those unable to attend, our service can be viewed live on the church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/leptondalebiblechurch. This Sunday, we’ll continue a sermon series from 1st Corinthians titled “Written for Our Instruction” with a message from 1st Corinthians 14:1-25 titled “Build up the church.”
God bless!
Pastor Mike