As
Paul the apostle completed his discussion concerning “the
eating of meats offered in sacrifice to idols”,
he instructed the Corinthian church members that if “eating
meats offended”
their “brothers”,
do not “eat”
them. In chapter nine and verse one of
First Corinthians, Paul asked the church members four questions
concerning himself
where we read:
Am I
not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?
are
not you my work in the Lord?
The
verse begins, “Am
I not an apostle? am I not free? ”
Paul began
with the words, “Am I”
which refers to Paul himself “not an
apostle” or
“not a delegate, messenger and one sent for the with orders which
specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ”? “Am
I” which
means “Paul himself” “not free”
which means
“not freeborn or not a slave or manumitted”. Paul rhetorically
asked the church members if they understood that he was an “apostle”
of Jesus Christ, and he was “freeborn” into the kingdom of God.
The
verse continues, “
have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not you my work in the
Lord?” Paul
added the words, “have I not” or
“had Paul not” “seen”
which means “looked at, perceived, become acquainted with by
experience and appeared” “Jesus”
whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation” and is “the Son of God,
the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “Christ”
which refers
to “the anointed one, the Messiah and the Son of God” “our
Lord”
which refers to Paul and the church members' one “to whom a person
or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and
the title given to God the Messiah”? “Are
you not”
which means “were the church members not” “my
work” or
“” “in the Lord”
which means “into or toward the one to whom a person or thing
belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title
given to God the Messiah”. Paul saw Jesus on the road to Damascus,
and he brought the message of salvation to the people in Corinth.
When
we meditate upon these words from Paul, we see him establishing his
credentials before the Corinthian church again. Paul was “an
apostle”. He was “freeborn”. He had “seen Jesus
Christ our Lord”, and the church members in Corinth were his
“work in the Lord”. In order to demonstrate his ability to
instruct the church members and validate his authority over their
church, Paul needed for them to know his position. He led them to
Jesus, and he started the church in Corinth. This was because he was
“an apostle” and “free”, and he saw Jesus
personally on the road to Damascus.
Next
time Paul tells the Corinthians, “if
I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you”,
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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