Sunday night was a little atypical for our bible study because we spent quite a bit of time discussing internal Methodist matters. With General Conference last week, the “united” part of the United Methodist Church is really being stretched right now, and some of our group were feeling frustration, pressure, and hurt from the events of the previous week. Participants from other denominations were able to relate, as so many Christian denominations are currently debating (or have already split over) the issue of LGBT inclusion.
Paul has something to say about all these church splits.
As previously addressed, the church at Corinth had an issue with factionalism. Some of these new Christians favored the teachings of Apollos, while others favored Peter or Paul, and which teacher you followed was becoming a point of contention in the church. Paul writes a corrective to the Corinthians, reminding them these teachers have filled different roles (“one plants, another waters…”), but all of them are building on one foundation. Paul takes this metaphor a step further:
Imagine one large concrete slab on which several people are building homes. Some build with stable materials like brick and precious metals, while others use hay and straw and wood. (And yes, if it helps the visual, the builders can be pigs.) A great fire rolls through, and the less sturdy building materials burn up and blow away, but the sturdier building materials remain intact. Paul describes the end result, “If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15) Anyone building on the correct foundation, regardless of the home’s sturdiness or shoddiness, remains on the foundation. So it goes with the Church.
All who embrace Jesus are building on one foundation, even though we all use different materials. Some choose to build with conservatism, others with inclusivity. Some of these building materials won’t stand the test of time, but others will. By Paul’s metaphor, no matter what happens among modern churches and denominations, we need to remember we share a foundation.
“But wait!” I hear you saying, “In our current church situation, some of the ‘builders’ are actively harming other builders with their shortsighted and shoddy beliefs!”
Well, yeah. Don’t get me wrong; I think the passing of the traditionalist plan by the UMC General Conference was really screwed up, and I think the consequences of that vote will cause significant pain for years to come. It’s still fairly mild compared to the Corinthian Christians’ treatment of one another. For example, to my knowledge, no United Methodists currently own each other, and wealthy United Methodists don’t get to eat all the communion bread before poorer Methodists even arrive at a gathering, so Corinth still has us beat when it comes to harm and corruption. Last week’s vote was neither the first nor the last time Christians will be guilty of harming one another, but we’re still attempting (however unsuccessfully) to build on that one foundation. Also, to those reading this call for unity and feeling concern about abusers and bigots still being welcomed in the church, stay tuned. Paul has correctives for them later in this letter. Right now, chapter 3 provides us this key takeaway:
Though we may disagree, we are still attempting to build on one unshakeable foundation (God’s love), and though our personal structures may fall, the foundation will always stand.