Paul
the apostle did not “write these
things”
concerning he and his companions' “oppression and labor” in the
“gospel”
to “shame”
the Corinthian church members, but as his “beloved
sons” he
“warned them”.
In chapter four and verse fifteen of First
Corinthians, Paul tells the church members in Corinth that he
has “begotten”
them “through the gospel”
where we read:
for in
Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
The
verse begins, “For
though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have
you not many fathers:”
Paul began
with the word, “For” which
means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and
therefore” “though you have”
or “if or in case the Corinthians have” “ten
thousand”
which means “innumerable and countless” “instructors”
or “tutors, guardians and schoolmasters” “in
Christ”
which refers to “the anointed one, the Messiah and the Son of God”
“yet”
or “no not in direct question expecting and affirmative answer”
“have you not many”
which means “the Corinthian church members do not have a large or
great number of” “fathers”
which refers to “the originator and transmitter of the gospel”.
Paul knew though the church members in Corinth had a great number of
“teachers”, they did not have “originators” with the “good
news” of Jesus like himself.
The
verse continues, “for
in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.”.
Paul added
the word, “for” which
means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and
therefore” “in Christ” or
“in the anointed one, the Messiah and the Son of God” “Jesus”
whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation” and is “the Son of God,
the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “I
have begotten you”
which means “Paul had born, engendered, caused to arise and excited
the Corinthians” “through the
gospel” or
“by way and means of the good tidings or news concerning Jesus”.
Paul was responsible to share the “gospel”
with the Corinthians, and he was as the
“father”
of their faith.
When
we meditate upon these words from Paul, we see his distinction above
any other “teacher” or “instructor” that dwelt among
them. The “gospel of Jesus Christ” was presented to the
Corinthians by Paul and his companions, and those who received Jesus
as their Savior were born into the family of God. Paul was as a
“father” of their faith which gave him a special place
that no other could occupy. Perhaps we know the person who led us to
our “faith” in Jesus, and maybe we have been fortunate enough to
be the one who shared Jesus with others. In each case, Jesus is to be
exalted, and the instrument He uses are simply ministers or earthly
transmitters of His “good news”.
Next
time Paul tells the Corinthian church members to “be
followers of me”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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