Be The Church

May 4, 2025|Be The Church|1 Corinthians 16:13-24

JD Cutler

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This morning we come to the conclusion of our time together in the book of 1st Corinthians as we look at the last twelve verses of chapter 16. We started looking at this last chapter last week where we talked about it being similar to a P.S. at the end of the letter. Especially considering how many short commands Paul issues.

Now, I have to say that last week I told you something that was not true. I said that there were 9 imperatives or commands in these 24 verses. As I studied more this week, I found that there are actually 12, working out to one command for every two verses.

With so many commands, we have to ask, what is Paul trying to accomplish in the way he closes this letter? I was thinking about the way he wrote this and I think it is a little bit like the last couple of moments in the locker room before a team runs out onto the field, or the last moments in the huddle before the team takes their position.

Part encouragement, part exhortation, and part a reminder.

I say a reminder because what we know about those moments of instructions is that they are not in isolation, rather they are meant to call to mind the things that have been drilled into the team through previous communication and instruction. Everything that has been previously communicated is summarized and the important things are emphasized.

In the same way, in these last few lines, Paul rapidly issues commands and in doing so, calls to mind the things he has taught, probably both in person and in his letters. These are his final words to the Church at Corinth that he hopes God will use to lead them to address the problems within the body, heed the warnings he has given, follow the instructions he has laid out, and draw nearer to both Christ and one another.

Within these final words of the apostle Paul to the Corinthian church I want us to look at three areas concerning the church this morning under the heading ‘Be The Church’. The first is…

I. THE WORK OF THE CHURCH

Let’s pick up in verse 13 of chapter 16 and read verses 13 and 14 together.

1 Corinthians 16:13–14 (ESV)

13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.

In twelve Greek words, Paul issues five imperatives or commands to the believers at Corinth. But as we noted at the start, we should not think of these as isolated commands, but rather commands that are supported and find their full weight in what Paul has said so far. By taking what Paul has said both in this letter as well as his teachings included in other letters to other congregations, we can explore how one might fulfill these commands of Paul.

But before we look at the individual commandments, it is helpful to pause and think about the implications of such a passage. Throughout this letter, there has been a common theme, and it is no less evident here, being a follower of Christ means something for the way we live our lives. Paul issues these actions to the Corinthians because one, he has the authority to do so as an apostle of Jesus Christ and two, because the reality of being changed by being in Christ should be evidenced in our lives. Whether you call it fruit or evidence, there ought to be things that are true in your life that were not true before we were brought into a saving knowledge of Christ. There ought to be a noticeable and demonstrable change brought about in your life when you come to Christ.

One of the first things you notice when you dig into these commands is that Paul is not primarily dealing with religious expressions. He has certainly done that from time to time in this letter, but Paul is dealing more with attitudes than actions and dispositions than deeds. With that in mind, let’s look at five dispositions out of which flow the work of the church. By church we do not mean the ecclesiastical structure, but rather the people who come together to make up the body or the church.

We often think of the church in terms of a building or in terms of religious services, but in the New Testament the word church, or ‘ekklesia’, means the called out ones, or the gathered ones. When we talk about the work of the church then, we have in mind the overall shared dispositions of those who belong to one another in a new testament body of believers, and the work that they do individually and corporately as that body.

The first disposition that Paul says ought to describe believers is that they be watchful. In the New Testament Greek this word is used with the idea of staying awake, either literally or figuratively. Sometimes translated as keep watch, like someone who is on guard duty, stays awake so that they can watch over the encampment, the city, or the fortress. They keep an eye out for enemies or suspicious activity, etc.. Jesus himself used this terminology in some of his parables.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

In 1st century practices we know that the first watch was (6–9 pm) sometimes called the evening watch, the second watch was (9 pm–12 am) or the midnight watch, the third watch was (12 am–3 am) or the cockcrow watch, and the fourth watch was (3 am–6 am) or the morning watch. So Jesus is telling the disciples to be on watch, or always ready because they do not know when He will return.

Simon Peter tells us in the letter we call 1st Peter, to be watchful because our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. To be watchful then is to both be prepared for Christ’s return and to be prepared for an enemy attack. It is like sitting on the rampart, you know that the king is due to arrive at anytime, but you have also been made aware of an enemy that is seeking to attack. You are watching closely for either to happen at anytime.

What does Paul have in mind here? What things do we need to be watchful over or for? Three things from his letter stick out to me. First, we need to be watchful over our own hearts. Think about the problems he has addressed in this letter that we need to be on guard against. that you are not being divisive, that you are not being prideful and arrogant, that you are thinking according to the mind of Christ, that you are maturing in your understanding, that you are not forgetting that everything you have in Christ is an underserved gift, that you are seeking to glorify God with your body and life.

Second, we need to be watchful over our church body. What kinds of things do we need to be watching for? that we are not tolerating open sin in the body, that the body is more concerned with one another than with their individual preferences, opinions, and freedoms, that everything is being done decently and in order, that love is the motivation for what we do as a body, that right doctrine is being taught

Third, we need to be watchful for the enemy’s schemes and pagan influence. When Paul was instructing the Corinthians church about participating in idolatry, he reminded us that there are demonic forces at work in the world. Listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians 10:20-22 (ESV) 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? We already referenced what Peter says, but as a reminder, 1 Peter 5:8 “8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Watching our own hearts, watching over the body we are in, and watching for the enemies schemes.

I think one of the powerful ways we can bring all three together is in the observance of the Lord’s Supper. I believe it can function as a regular touchstone to remind us to be watchful. One, as individuals we ask God to examine our hearts to show us anything there that is not in line with His will and word. Two, we are reminded of the corporate nature of our body as we approach the one table together, and three, if we take what Paul says in Corinthians to heart, we can ask ourselves if there is any area in our life under the influence of the enemy. Is there any area of our life we are participating in a table other than the Lord’s? That is not the only way or time of course, but it is a powerful reminder to be watchful.

Be watchful.

The second disposition that Paul says ought to describe believers is that they be firmly planted in the faith. The first thing I want you to see is that Paul uses the definite article when he says the faith. Paul is most likely referring to the teachings of Christ and his apostles, the totality of the Christian faith. But practically speaking, are there some areas we need to make sure we are standing firm in? Yes, and by examining some of the places in scripture he tells us to stand firm, we can identify four. This is not exhaustive but it is helpful to ask are we firmly planted in the faith.

First, we stand firm in our freedom in Christ by not submitting to the law or manmade systems. We stand firm that we are saved in Christ by grace through faith. In Galatians, Paul says it this way. Galatians 5:1 “1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Second, we stand firm on scripture. We stand firm that this is God’s word and contained within is all that we need for godly living that is pleasing to the Father. Paul says it this way in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (ESV) 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Third, we stand firm in the gospel, or the good news contained within the scriptures. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (ESV) 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. We guard it and we stand firm in it.

Fourth, we stand firm in the hope of heaven. Paul uses a great majority of his time in chapter 15 reminding us that our hope in Christ is not just for this world, but for a future bodily resurrection where we will be with him forever. Listen to the way he says it in Philippians 3:20 - 4:1 (ESV) 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. We know that we no longer belong to this world, but we are citizens of heaven, members of the household of God, co-heirs with Christ.

Our disposition is that we are firmly planted in the faith, immoveable as he says earlier in Corinthians. Saved by grace through faith, according to the scriptures, as proclaimed in the gospel, secure in our hope in Christ.

Stand firm.

The third disposition that Paul says ought to describe believers is that they be courageous. The ESV says ‘act like men’. I asked my family recently in the car, what do you think it means to ‘act like men’. As you can imagine there were a variety of answers. If you have young kids and want to see where you are failing at parenting, it’s a great question to ask. But what is Paul telling us here?

This is the only time this word is used in the New Testament, so what does Paul mean when he says, essentially, ‘show oneself a man’? One way we can understand what Paul might mean is to examine how this Greek word is used in the Old Testament when scholars translated it from Hebrew to Greek. We call this translation the septuagint and it can be helpful for us to understand how the translators used certain greek words by looking at the times in the Old Testament they chose that word. For example, we can quickly find six times the word is used in the Old Testament.

When Moses is getting read to be replaced by Joshua, he gives instructions to the Israelites, he gives instructions to Joshua himself, and then God speaks to Joshua. In all three instances we find the words ‘be strong and courageous. Then when Joshua assumes command, the people say, we will listen to you as we listened to Moses, only be strong and courageous. David uses similar language in the Psalms, both in Psalm 27 and 31 when he says ‘Be strong, and let your heart take courage,’ Every time the word is courageous in these old testament examples, the translators chose the same Greek word Paul uses, here translated ‘act like men’

If this is how we should understand it, then Paul’s command is to be courageous. How should we understand Paul’s command to be courageous? I can think of one place where Paul implies we need courage. We need to be courageous when facing temptation and on the opposite side of that coin, to flee idolatry. Listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13–15 “13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.”

There is a quote that is attributed to FDR that says ”Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear”. We need the courage to follow God when we are faced with temptation, trusting that God will never leave us or forsake us and that through Him we are able to endure it.

Be courageous.

The fourth disposition that Paul says ought to describe believers is that they rely on God’s strength. His fourth imperative is be strong. As we saw in the Old Testament examples, these two instructions ‘be strong and courageous’ are tied together, but Paul does not use the same greek word used in those OT references when he says be strong. The word he uses for be strong is in the passive voice, be made strong, indicating that he is calling us to be made strong, to increase in strength, to grow strong. Paul is calling for more than physical strength here or even mental fortitude, Paul is calling for us to rely on God’s strength and his empowerment to live our Christian life. This is similar to what he says to the Ephesians when he tells them how he is praying for them.

Ephesians 3:14-19 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. In some ways, this may be the most important command. We cannot be watchful apart from God’s strength, our flesh is weak and we are prone, like the disciples did when they could not stay awake in the garden of Gethsemane and give into our weakness. We cannot be firmly planted in the faith apart from God’s strength. We sometimes sing, prone to wander, Lord I feel it. We cannot be courageous apart from God’s strength. We are fearful and anxious men and women who too often shrink back in our own power. We need to be continually strengthened by God so that these dispositions may be true of not just us individually, but corporately. May God help those who think they are strong enough in their own power to see their own weaknesses.

Fifth and the final disposition that Paul says ought to describe believers is that they do everything in love. Let all that you do be done in love. This isn’t a very surprising command coming from the Apostle Paul who spent an entire chapter describing the more excellent way of love in the middle of discussing spiritual gifts within the body of the church. But in the same way, it does feel a little out of place in a series of commands like this. 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. It’s like if the football coach said right before the team took the field, keep your head on a swivel, hold the line, be aggressive out there, dominate, and don’t forget to have fun. Right?

But I think that is precisely Paul’s point. While our disposition ought to be alert, on guard even, although we need to guard the purity of the body and of the doctrine, although to be courageous and stand firm may mean we have to make difficult decisions, to have hard conversations, and fight against the culture of the world, we should never forget that our motivation is love. Love for Christ and love for one another. If God’s strength is key to the other three dispositions, then love is the overarching glue that holds it all together.

At the end of the day, these imperatives are a call to live out your faith in tangible ways, both as individuals and as a body of believers. This is the work of the church.

But Paul doesn’t leave us to figure out how to do this as a corporate body alone, he goes on to address…

II. THE PATTERN OF THE CHURCH

Let’s pick up in verse 15 and read through 18

1 Corinthians 16:15–18 (ESV)

15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.

When we remove Paul’s parenthetical comment about Stephanas in verse 15 and carry on into 16, it becomes simply this.

Now I urge you to be subject to those who have devoted themselves to labor among you in the service of the saints.

urge you- Here, and this is important, Paul does not command, he exhorts. The word translated urge here is from two words, to call and from beside. The imagery is Paul is coming alongside them and encouraging them to do something. To put in it the context of the coaching metaphor we have been using, it is that moment where the coach comes alongside the player, puts his arm around him and issues not a command or a directive, but rather an encouragement.

Before we look at why Paul exhorts and not commands, let’s look at what he is encouraging them to do.

Be subject to such as these and to every fellow worker and laborer.

Be subject- this is not a new word for Paul, he has used in repeatedly in 1st Corinthians, most notably in his discussion of the roles of men and women in the church where he says that women should be in submission to their husbands. He also uses it when he says the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets in his discussion on spiritual gifts, and that God has put all things in subjection to Christ. The word itself was a Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden".

To be subject then carries the idea of willingly and voluntarily following the command of another. Paul uses this wording many times over in his epistles.

Ephesians 5:18-21 (ESV) 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:22-24 (ESV) 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Colossians 3:18 (ESV) 18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Titus 2:3-5 (ESV) 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Titus 2:9-10 (ESV) 9 Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

Titus 2:15 - 3:2 (ESV) 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

The Apostle Peter mirrors almost every one of these exhortations in his letters. Be subject to governments, servants to masters, wives to husbands, younger to elders.

Yes, we all stand equal at the foot of the cross, yes, every believer in Christ is a priest before God, but at the same time, God has chosen to establish his church with human leaders. Paul is calling for us to voluntarily arrange ourselves under them for our good and for the good of the kingdom. One of the places in scripture this is most clear is in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus.

Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV) 1 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

God has so arranged the body that there are those who have been called to exercise leadership and oversight in the church. The author of hebrews says it this way.

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

This is why I think Paul switches from commands to exhorting.

Paul understands that this kind of Godly submission must be voluntary. Just as being someone who watches over the souls of the body is voluntary.

The relationship between the Pastor and the congregation he has accepted responsibility for is mutually voluntary.

This is clearly a biblical command throughout scripture, but I think Paul is doing more than just reminding them to be subject to their leaders, he is teaching something about who the leaders are.

Just as a way of reminder, remember that a large portion of the problems within the Corinthian church had to do with division over teachers. I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Cephas, I follow Christ.

Paul directs their attention away from these missionaries, apostles, and eloquent speakers and who does he call them to focus on? Those who are laboring among them.

Brothers, you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, (where Corinth is located) and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints.

Devoted themselves to the service of the saints- literally taken responsibility for ministering to the saints, or the church. Corinthian had men who had taken responsibility to minister to the church, probably through the proclamation of the word, through leading the ordinances, and through opening their homes for meeting in. We know that Corinthians was one of Paul’s early letters in the New Testament and the order of the church was in the process of being established. There were apostles and deacons, but as churches were formed during missionary journey’s local men in the church were obviously serving as leaders. Later Paul would refer to these men as elders, overseers who pastored those among them, but here he simply calls the church to be in subjection, or to submit to those who have devoted themselves to ministering to the saints.

Paul would encourage men like Timothy and Titus to help the churches formed through missionary work to appoint elders in every church. While Paul exhorts the church to be in subjection to these men, he does issue a command in reference to these men, in verse 18 he says, give recognition to these men.

recognition- to perceive who a person is, to understand who a person is.

What is Paul commanding them to do?

Recognize the leaders among them, know them, understand that God has placed them in the church for a purpose and for a reason. Acknowledge them and then be subject to such men.

There are two other scriptures that highlight this dual recognition and subjection.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (ESV) 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Hebrews 13:7 (ESV) 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

At the end of the day, this imperative and exhortation is a call to embrace local leadership, following and trusting those that God has placed in your church. It is great to listen to other pastor’s sermons both living and dead. John MacArthur is great, but he is not your pastor. Paul calls the Corinthians to stop worrying about what ‘celebrity pastor’, for lack of a better comparison, that they like and to pay attention to the godly men God has placed in their midst to minister to them.

Paul has addressed the work of the church and the pattern of the church, and as he closes this letter, he goes on to address…

III. THE HEART OF THE CHURCH

Let’s pick up in verse 19.

1 Corinthians 16:19–24 (ESV)

19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

While we may be tempted to dismiss this as a simple closing of a letter, I think that there is much here that instructs us about the church.

First Paul reminds them that they are not alone. He sends greetings from the churches of Asia where Ephesus was. Paul is writing from Ephesus and as he has already told them, God has opened a wide door for effective work there which is why he was not coming to Corinth yet. Then getting smaller he talks about Aquila and Prisca and the church that meets in their house (we find in acts that Paul stayed with Aquila and Prisca because they were of the same trade as he) sends them hearty greetings. Indeed, Paul says, all the brothers send you greetings. The church in Corinth were not alone, they were a part of something bigger than themselves. The belonged to the family of the Lord.

While Paul has previously used this reality to call them to repentance in chapter 14 when he reminds them that the gospel did not originate with them and was not only for them. He says…1 Corinthians 14:36 (ESV) 36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? There Paul is calling them to follow the example of the other churches in the way they are worshipping and conducting themselves in the gathering. Here I think Paul is using this reality to encourage them.

They weren’t the only ones dealing with problems, they weren’t the only ones facing persecution, they weren’t alone. To belong to Christ is to belong to His people, all those that belong to Him.

They needed to know that there was other churches that cared for them, that were praying for them, that were joining them in the efforts to alleviate the poverty in Jerusalem through the collection for the saints there. They needed to know that they were in this together with all those that name the name of Christ.

This is a good reminder for us as well. Emmanuel Baptist Church is not the only church that we should care for.

We should be praying for all those that name the name of Christ, in this city, in this county, in this state, in this country, in this continent, around the world. If there is a way we can help them, we should want to do it.

Our church recently took this reality seriously and voted to help a sister church in Gladewater during a difficult transition they are going through. Why? Because we are in this together. We want them to be successful in reaching their community for Christ just as much as we want to reach our community for Christ.

This is the same reason we take up mission offerings throughout the year like Annie Armstrong, Reach Texas, and Lottie Moon. This is why we send money to East Texas Baptist Network and the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention. We want to be a part of supporting churches all across the world in the places God has called them to minister.

But isn’t it funny that some of us will gladly pray for and give to fellow Christian, men and women all over the world, but we won’t reach across the aisle here to love and encourage someone in the same congregation. That we will give to international missions and not our next door neighbor.

But follow Paul’s instruction. The churches of Asia greet you, Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily, all the brothers send you greetings. They all send their greetings. But who does he call the church at Corinth to greet?

Greet one another. Don’t forget those closest to you. You guys make sure to greet one another.

And how are you to greet one another? With a holy kiss.

Now two things for us to wrap our mind around.

One, we need to understand that this is a command of Paul and therefore of scripture.

Two, we need to understand how we are called to fulfill this command.

What does Paul have in mind when he commands that we literally ‘embrace’ one another with a holy kiss?

Whatever it is, Paul is commanding us to have affection for one another in a way that goes beyond acquaintances and crosses over into familial territory. An affection that is rooted in holiness.

We often think of kissing in its romantic connotations, between a husband and a wife. But this was not always the case. In the bible, the word kiss is used only twice for that kind of kiss. In the Old Testament and even in first century world, a kiss was not bound to those connotations. Many times it describes a man kissing a man or a woman kissing a woman. Again, not in a romantic sense, which become even more plain when Paul says to greet one another with a holy kiss. Whatever he has in mind, it is a pure expression rooted in our shared identity in Christ.

For the ancient world, the kiss was a demonstration of affection, in greeting, in farewells, in blessings, in submission to a king or ruler. Notice that Paul does not feel like he has to give much explanation about the practice itself, because it would have been well known to them. And far from being the only place it is mentioned, we are commanded four separate times in the New testament letters to greet one another with a holy kiss, or a kiss of love as Peter puts it, and neither Paul nor Peter sees fit to go into any in depth explanation of purpose or practice.

Now, just in case there are a couple of you starting to sweat and get nervous, I am not advocating for us to start kissing each other. But when we understand that Paul is calling believers to show affection to one another in a familial way, we ought to take that seriously.

We ought to seriously consider whether we one, feel that strongly about those around us in the body of Christ, and two, what would it look like to show affection to one another in a familial way.

From an historical standpoint we understand that as common as kissing was a way to greet family members or even in formal greetings, an entire group practicing this public kiss would have been unique to the early church. It would have been a very clear sign of their mutual acceptance of one another as family.

Don’t miss that, it would have communicated something to the outside world about the unique dynamic created when two people both belong to Christ.

Now, this is not difficult for me, I grew up in a hugging, affectionate family. But I know that there are some of you that did not. I went to embrace a brother in the Lord one time with a bro hug (you know what that is? you shake one hand and you use the other to hug), and he said, I don’t hug men. Just like that. Now if that’s you, brother, what are you going to do with a command like this that says kiss one another?

But seriously, we have already lost much of the natural affection that would have been present gathering in homes around tables like they did in the 1st century. How much more do we need to make sure we are expressing affection for those who God has brought together in the local body of believers?

I want you to notice that the root of this intimacy and familial love is Christ. Notice that Paul says, Aquila and Prisca greet you in the Lord, and that his love be with them all in Christ Jesus.

This is the heart of the church. We are united in Christ.

So much so, that Paul says if anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. This is Paul’s final command in this letter. He is to be anathema. The word means devoted to destruction, damned, doomed, cursed. Excommunicated, put out of the church.

Immediately after this he says, Our Lord, Come! The word here is maranatha- this is an Aramaic word transliterated into Greek (Our Lord come). It is an exclamation.

The word is a plea for the Lord to come and originally I thought Paul was just issuing an exclamation basically saying, hurry up Lord, come, speaking of the Lord’s return, and he may simply mean that. But as I was trying to figure out the connection between anathema and maranatha, I was reading a pastor’s notes that I respect and he tied them together in a way that I had not heard before.

He says, Paul is saying, “Look, I want the church to be full of love, but if you don’t even have a strong affection for Jesus Christ, you are cursed. God come and remove them.” That’s what he’s saying. Get them out.

Lord if there are people in the church who don’t love you much less one another, please just remove them.

If we understand the heart of the church being love for Christ and that love being expressed towards others in Christ, then as strong as this language seems to be, it certainly makes sense why Paul would include it.

If someone who doesn’t love the Lord has infiltrated the church, no good will come from that.

Put them out, and if there is someone here that we don’t know doesn’t have love for the Lord, God, you put them out!

He goes on to say, for the rest of you, those who love the Lord, 3 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

As we have done with the other two areas this morning, I would say at the end of the day this is Paul’s final call to stop being divided by teachers, philosophies, materialistic concerns, personal preferences and freedoms, and unite in our love for Christ, which will motivate our love for one another.

Three areas Paul addresses in his final words to the Corinthian church.

The work of the church.

The pattern of the church.

The heart of the church.

It seems that Paul’s final words in the best manuscripts are ‘My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.’ Which means that essentially Paul opened his letter after the initial introductions of verses 1 and 2 with 1 Corinthians 1:3 (ESV) 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. and ended with ‘my love be with you all in Christ Jesus.’ Paul began with Jesus and ended with Jesus. What a powerful reminder that this book is all about him.

Now, you may say, but pastor there is an amen in my bible. At some point, it seems, a scribe felt compelled to say what we may feel compelled to say now after studying through this wonderful book, Amen. Which is a way to say, ‘may it be fulfilled’ or ‘may it be so’.

Let us pray.