Particulars
of Christianity:
312
The Church Ethic
The Context
of 1 Corinthians 1-10
and Introduction to 1 Corinthians 11-14
Introduction
& 3 Models of Church Gatherings and Leadership
Examining the Models
Examining the Models
Conclusions and Study Expectations
Examining Church Gatherings
in the Gospels
The First Supper, Jesus'
Specific Instructions, Conclusions
Survey of Post-Ascension
Church Gatherings
Apostolic and Eldership
Functions in Acts and the Epistles
1 Corinthians 1-10 &
Introduction to 1 Corinthians 11-14
1 Corinthians 11-13
1 Corinthians 14
1 Timothy 2:12, Conclusions
on Women in Church Gatherings
Conclusions: 1 Corinthians
14, Church Gatherings & Leadership
1
Corinthians 1-10 – Studying the Context of 1 Corinthians
At
this point in our study we have covered all of the relevant
New Testament passages on church gatherings and leadership
except one, 1 Corinthians 11-14. Before we proceed into our
examination of that passage let us first take note of what
we have learned so far so that we can be sure to place what
we find in 1 Corinthians within the context of this larger
body of information.
Through
the course of our survey we first learned that Jesus’ manner
of meeting with his disciples was characterized by his teaching
them in dominant fashion. Though these meetings were open
to the disciples asking questions or making comments themselves,
they were not meetings in which each person present contributed
or participated equally. As we saw throughout the Book of
Acts, in accordance with their “on-the-job” training from
Jesus, the apostles continued to conduct church gatherings
according to the speaker-dominant model they had learned from
Christ. In fact, they continued to practice this model well
after Jesus’ ascension and the day of Pentecost.
We
also took note there are no instances recorded in the Gospels
or the Book of Acts where church gatherings involved equal
participation by all present, where the communion meal was
abbreviated to small portions of bread and wine, where musical
worship occupied a large segment of the meetings, or where
poetry or skits were performed. We have seen no instances
where all attendees spoke with equal contributions or for
equal or nearly equivalent amounts of time. And we have absolutely
not read of any prohibition against church meetings being
dominated by one or more persons teaching the word of God
for long periods of time.
We
have seen several facts emerge clearly from the New Testament.
First, multiple elders were appointed in each church community.
Second, part of the reason for the appointment of elders was
in order for the elders to lead the church gatherings through
teaching the word according to the speaker-dominant style
that was first established by Jesus Christ and afterward carried
out by his apostles. The pattern is clear. When Jesus ascended
he sent his apostles out to continue leading God’s people
on earth. When the apostles left a community of disciples,
they appointed elders over that community who were supposed
to do the same.
We
have seen that Jesus, his apostles, and the elders of the
early church communities lead through the teaching of the
word. As the church grew throughout the Roman
Empire and beyond and the time of the apostles
drew to a close, elders were appointed to fill that role and
function. In the New Testament elders are mentioned in Jerusalem, in Lystra, in Iconium, in Antioch (Acts 14:21-23),
in Ephesus (Acts 20:17), in
Crete (Titus 1:5), and in Philippi
(Philippians 1:1). And we have two statements indicating that
appointing elders in each church community was the practice
of the apostles (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5).
Our
study of all the passages in the gospels and the Book of Acts
leads us to adopt the conclusion that multiple elders were
appointed in each church community to oversee that church
through the teaching of the word at their meetings. Additionally,
the conclusion that elders did indeed hold such a specialized,
hierarchical, and at times dominating position is further
supported by the fact that the language used to describe them
and their role is the same language that is used to describe
Jesus and the apostles who held this role before them.
Jesus
is the Chief Elder, Bishop, Overseer, Pastor. He ruled over
and oversaw God’s flock and fed them with his word by teaching
them at their gatherings. The apostles were elders, bishops,
overseers, pastors and teachers who ruled over and oversaw
God’s people through the teaching of the word at the church
gatherings just as Jesus had taught them and sent them to
do. And the elders, likewise, were pastors, overseers, bishops,
and teachers who were to rule over and oversee God’s flock
and feed them by teaching them God’s word at their gatherings
just as it had been taught to them by the apostles.
Nowhere
in the New Testament have we seen any indication whatsoever
that the role and function of elders in church gatherings
was in any way different from that of the apostles in church
gatherings. But we have seen abundant evidence that the elders
were to function in the same way as the apostles did in church
gatherings. Because of this, we cannot question the role of
the elder at the church meeting without also questioning and
overturning Jesus’ role and that of the apostles in the church
gatherings as well. The cases are inextricably linked and
connected by the historical descriptions as well as the language
of the New Testament. Indeed, we have seen no evidence of
any other model for church leadership or church gatherings
in the New Testament. And we have likewise seen no indication
that any change was made, was going to be made, or should
be made to this model prior to Christ’s return.
As
we proceed to our examination of 1 Corinthians 11-14 we must
keep in mind all these things that we have already established
from our study and survey of the New Testament. From the weight
of that material we would expect that what we will find in
1 Corinthians should coincide with and fit the model that
is so well and clearly established throughout every other
passage in the entire New Testament, which speaks on the subject.
What we would not expect to find is a lonely outlier, a single
passage, which in the midst of such a large body of information
and with no prior precedent, somehow indicates a novelty completely
distinct, unanticipated, and irreconcilable with what we have
seen in every other possible New Testament passage on the
subject.
Having
said this, we now turn to our examination of church gatherings
in 1 Corinthians 11, 12, and 14. First, we should place this
epistle within its New Testament historical context.
Paul’s
first epistle to the Corinthians was written from Ephesus. The text of 1 Corinthians
16:8 states this plainly.
1 Corinthians 16:8 But I will tarry at
Ephesus until Pentecost.
Acts
18:1 and 11 inform us that after Paul had spent a year and
a half in Corinth, he then stops in Ephesus briefly before
departing on his way to keep the Jewish feast in Jerusalem
(Acts 18:19, 21.) In Acts 19:1, Paul arrives back in Ephesus
where he stays for three years (Acts 19:10, Acts 20:31.) After
this, Paul again intends to head to Jerusalem
(Acts 19:21.) He sends Timothy and Erastus ahead of him into
Macedonia, while he remains in Ephesus, the capital city of
the Roman province of Asia, for a season (Acts 19:22-23, 30.)
At this point a riot occurs in Ephesus over Paul’s preaching
against the gods of the Roman culture, especially Diana who
was the patron goddess of the city of Ephesus (Acts 19:23-35.)
After the assembly of rioters and Diana worshippers is dismissed,
Paul gathers the believers together and departs for Macedonia
where he stays for three months (Acts 20:1.) He then travels
on to Troas, where he stays for five days (Acts 20:6.) Then Paul
sails to Assos, then Mitylene,
then Chios, Samos, Trogyllium, and
finally to Miletus (Acts 20:13-15.)
Because of his haste to get to Jerusalem
by Pentecost, Paul intends not to spend time in the province
of Asia. As a result, Paul
sends to the elders of the Ephesian
church before he departs on towards Jerusalem
(Acts 20:17-Acts 21:1.)
Based
on Luke’s chronology and Paul’s own indication in 1 Corinthians
16:8 that he was in Ephesus when he wrote 1 Corinthians, scholars
deduce that this first letter to Corinth was written toward
the end of Paul’s three year stay in Ephesus, which ended
in the riot of Diana worshippers and Paul’s departure for
Macedonia.
So,
what do we know about Corinth at this time in New Testament history?
Beyond the biblical information, which we will look at momentarily,
we can find basic historical descriptions in any decent Bible
dictionary.
Corinth, an ancient and celebrated city of Greece…Corinth
was a place of great mental activity, as well as of commercial
and manufacturing enterprise. Its wealth was so celebrated
as to be proverbial; so were the vice and profligacy of its
inhabitants. The worship of Venus here was attended with shameful
licentiousness. – Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson
Publishers, page 124
So,
we know that ancient Corinth was both financially prosperous and
a center of worship for the goddess Venus. But these facts
are about the city of Corinth itself, we want
to know about the community of believers that lived there.
For this we turn to the New Testament.
Acts
18:1 is the first mention of Corinth in the New Testament and the first record
of believers in that city. There Luke records for us that
after his time in Athens, Paul went to Corinth
(Acts 18:1). In Corinth, Paul
meets Aquila and his wife Priscilla with whom he works making
tents during his time in the city. While there, Paul first
reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue each Sabbath day,
persuading some Jews and Greeks alike. At some point Silas
and Timothy arrive from Macedonia. When other Jews oppose
his message that Jesus is the Christ, Paul determines to speak
to the Gentiles instead. At this point, Paul stays with Justus.
Crispus, the chief synagogue ruler
and his household came to believe in Jesus Christ and were
baptized. This is the New Testament’s account of the birth
of the Corinthian church.
After
this, Paul remains in the city for a year and a half teaching
the word (Acts 18:11.) Towards the end of this period, some
Jews in the city accused Paul before Gallio,
the proconsul of the Roman province
of Achaia.
(Achaia is one of two Roman provinces of Greece,
the other was Macedonia.)
Gallio dismisses the hearing on
the grounds that the charge does not concern Roman law (Acts
18:14-15.) After this, Paul remains in Corinth for a time and then
departs. Passing through Syria,
Paul arrives in Ephesus,
as we chronicled earlier (Acts 18:20.) After this, there is
no further mention of Corinth
except in Paul’s Corinthian letters (and Paul’s statement
in 2 Timothy 4:20 that Erastus was in Corinth.)
Any
additional insights about the Corinthian church come from
Paul’s epistles directly. In order to understand Paul’s comments
on church gatherings and leadership in chapters 11-14 of 1
Corinthians, it is best to first familiarize ourselves with
the issues and situations of the Corinthian church as well
as Paul’s response to them. The reason for this chapter by
chapter examination is twofold. First, going chapter by chapter
will ensure that we are taking into account all of the relevant
biblical context so that we will not leave anything important
out of our analysis. Second, going chapter by chapter will
also ensure that a lack of awareness of the actual biblical
context will not result in an inadvertent insertion of extra-biblical
points of view into our conclusions.
As
we begin, let us first state up front that there are several
relevant themes that we find in Paul’s comments throughout
the book of 1 Corinthians. First, Paul repeatedly criticizes
the tendency of some Corinthians toward proud assertions and
their own self-preference which was to the detriment of others.
Second, although perhaps less frequently, Paul contrasts the
Corinthians’ pride or self-assertion with their shame. Third,
Paul often corrects the Corinthians by pointing to his own
practice or the practice of other apostles. And fourth, Paul
repeatedly corrects the Corinthians by appealing to things
that have been universally established in all the churches.
The
first instance of these trends can be seen in chapter 1, where
Paul chastises the Corinthians for dividing from one another,
each group claiming to be special followers of Paul, or Apollos,
or Peter, or Jesus. This contention seems similar to the apostles’
own discussions (in the gospels) about which of them was to
be the greatest in the kingdom (Matthew 18:1). Here, second
generation Christians in Corinth make similar claims about themselves
based upon who they personally followed. Paul’s correction
of this specific issue begins by a reference to Christ’s humility
upon the cross. Paul uses the crucifixion to demonstrate how
God’s wisdom seems foolish to those who think themselves great
in this world (1:17-30.) Likewise, Paul refers to the fact
that not many persons who receive Christ are of high-birth.
(This mirrors Jesus’ own statements regarding the difficulty
of getting the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven – Matthew
19:23.)
In
this first issue of the Corinthians’ self-preference and proud
assertions, we can see a trend that will continue to be exhibited
in Paul’s responses throughout the book. Here in chapter 1,
Paul corrects Corinthian assertions by pointing to universal
truths that are known in all the churches. In this case, the
truths that are universally known among the churches are the
humility of Christ’s crucifixion and the widespread lowly
condition of the majority of Christians. Paul’s point is that
because these truths were universally known among the churches,
the Corinthians should have known them also and that universal
knowledge should have prevented the Corinthians’ misbehavior.
In
chapter 2, Paul continues with this same theme. Now Paul corrects
the Corinthians’ pride by drawing their attention to the humble
manner in which Paul himself acted when he was among them
(1 Corinthians 2:1-16.) In chapters 3 and 4, after once again
mentioning their childish divisions, Paul offers as examples
Apollos and himself who act as workmen
laboring on God’s house. He provides contrast to the Corinthians’
prideful assertions by saying that he takes no stock in how
he values his own work in the gospel (1 Corinthians 3:5-4:4),
but leaves it to God to determine the quality of his work
(1 Corinthians 4:1-4). Instead of thinking highly of oneself,
Paul directly states in chapter 3:18, “Let no man deceive
himself. If any man among you seemeth
to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may
be wise.” Again it is clear that Paul is continuing to address
the problem of the Corinthian pride and self-assertion which
was a detriment to one another. Paul concludes his reference
to himself and Apollos in verse
6.
1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and
to Apollos for your sakes;
that ye might learn in us not to think of men above
that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for
one against another.
It
remains absolutely clear, that the constant theme of Paul’s
letter is instructing the Corinthians not to proudly assert
themselves over one another, but instead to humbly serve one
another for each other’s benefit. In verse 8 of chapter 4,
Paul even mocks their self-admiration for thinking they were
“so rich.” He follows this comment by again referring to the
humility exhibited by the apostles (1 Corinthians 4:10.) After
citing his own example as an apostle Paul tells them to follow
it (1 Corinthians 4:16.)
In
verse 17 of chapter 4, Paul makes an important statement where
he declares that he taught the same things everywhere in every
church community.
1 Corinthians 4:17 For this cause have
I sent unto you Timotheus, who is
my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who
shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ,
as I teach every where in every church.
So,
once again we see Paul pointing to truths that are universally
known in all the churches (the crucifixion, the low estate
of most Christians, and his own humble manner). These trends
further confirm our expectation that what we find in 1 Corinthians
will not be a novel or special set of instructions for the
Corinthian church alone. Instead, as Paul appeals to universal
truths known in all the churches, we should expect to find
Paul writing to the church at Corinth the same rules for
church gatherings and leadership that we have seen practiced
in the rest of the New Testament and which Paul himself taught
everywhere he went.
In
verse 18 of chapter 4, Paul again speaks about the Corinthians’
proud assertions of themselves and calls them “puffed up.”
His correction contrasts their being “puffed up” with the
shame they have acquired by permitting a man in fornication
to remain in their fellowship (5:1-2.) Again, Paul corrects
their error by providing instructions which are true in all
the churches. We know that Paul’s instructions here involve
universally known truths for three reasons. First, as we saw
earlier, Paul’s instructions for excommunication here mirror
Jesus’ instructions for excommunication in Matthew 18. The
fact that these are Jesus’ instructions implies that they
are true for all the churches rather than something novel
or something uniquely instituted in Corinth
to fit a particular situation. Second, in verses 6-7 Paul
appeals to axioms such as “a little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump” and “Christ our passover
is sacrificed for us,” which Paul connects to each other.
The axiomatic nature of these phrases itself demands that
they are universally true and universally known in the churches.
Third, Paul phrases the condemnation as “such fornication
as is not so much as named among
the Gentiles.” This implies that the sinfulness of the action
was so universally known that even the sinful nations knew
it. So, for these reasons, it is obvious that Paul is once
again correcting the Corinthians by appealing to things that
were established universally among all the churches.
After
this, Paul turns to another, related issue of self-assertion
in the Corinthians church, specifically the behavior of selfishly
preferring themselves over one another’s interests. In chapter
6:1 and 6:6, Paul brings up that some of them had taken each
other before the civil courts. Paul says that this too is
a shame (6:5). In verse 7, Paul indicates that one of the
problems of taking one another to court was that they insisted
on the vindication of their own wants and needs rather than
preferring to suffer for the gospel. In the remainder of chapter
6 (verses 9-18, especially), Paul reminds the Corinthians
of the universal, Christian teachings against fornication
and other sinful practices. These universals include additional
axioms, such as “all things are lawful for me, but I will
not be brought under the power of any,” “your bodies are the
members of Christ,” and “your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost.” As indicated earlier, the very nature of an axiom
demands that these things must have been universally known
truths in all the churches.
In
chapter 7, Paul turns to another issue of selfish assertion
and preferring oneself over what is beneficial to others.
In relation to the issue of potential fornication, Paul discusses
a question that the Corinthians had asked of him regarding
marriage. In accord with his overall theme of preferring one
another, in verse 3-5 of chapter 7 Paul explains that husbands
and wives should not defraud each other of marital relations.
Paul’s comments run against the idea of our own rights regarding
our bodies and instead assert that we should forego our rights
and instead serve one another’s wants and needs. In the remainder
of chapter 7, Paul first reasserts basic and universal Christian
teaching. The universal nature of these statements is demonstrated
by their generality. For example, Paul says in verse 4, “The
wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and
likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body,
but the wife.” Certainly this is not the case only in Corinth, but everywhere
in general where wives and husbands are concerned. Again,
the statement seems axiomatic. Similarly, Paul later writes
in verse 34 that “There is difference also between
a wife and a virgin.” Once again, it is clear that Paul means
that this difference is generally true concerning all wives
and virgins. Similarly, in verses 22-23 Paul says, “he that
is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s
freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free,
is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye
the servants of men.” Once again, such a statement is clearly
universally true for all Christians everywhere. Lastly, in
verse 10, Paul appeals to Jesus’ own teaching when he says,
“unto the married I command, yet
not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her
husband.” This is a reference to Jesus’ commands in Matthew
5 and 19, Mark 10, and Luke 16. As we noted earlier, the fact
that these are Jesus’ instructions implies that they are true
for all the churches rather than something novel or unique
to one church or another. So, once again we see Paul correcting
the Corinthians’ tendencies for selfishness and self-advancement
by appealing to universal norms in all the churches.
In
chapter 8, Paul begins his discussion of meats sacrificed
to idols. His argument takes a familiar course within the
theme of the rest of this epistle. First, we are informed
that this issue again involves Corinthians who thought highly
of themselves. They were asserting themselves against their
fellow Christians, who in this case were actually behaving
correctly and refraining from eating meat sacrificed to idols
(1 Corinthians 8:1-2). (A more detailed analysis of Paul’s
argument concerning the permissibility of eating meat sacrificed
to idols can be found in our “Liberty in Christ study.”) For our purposes
here, it is only important to point out that Paul first chastises
the Corinthians who ate sacrificed meat on the grounds that
in thinking and acting this way they were destroying their
brethren. Again, we see Paul dealing with the theme of pride
and self-assertion versus serving and loving your brother
(1 Corinthians 8:11-13).
As
chapter 9 begins, Paul supports his argument by citing how
he himself did not make use of his rights as an apostle in
order that he might better serve the Corinthians without hindrance
(1 Corinthians 9:1-19.) In the concluding verses of chapter
9, Paul again points to his own example of seeking the benefit
of others rather than exercising his own rights (1 Corinthians
9:20-27.)
The
opening portion of chapter 10 has Paul reminding the Corinthians
of lessons from the Old Testament wherein God’s people erred
through an idolatrous feast and through fornication (1 Corinthians
10:1-11.) Paul uses these examples from the Old Testament
because they specifically relate to two issues that he has
already had to address with the Corinthians, fornication and
eating meat sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 10:11-14).
Again, Paul’s means of correcting Corinthian misbehavior is
to refer them to other biblical truths, not to provide novel
and unique solutions.
In
verses 15-28, Paul reminds the Corinthians of the truth that
those who knowingly partake of the sacrificial meal fellowship
with the being to whom the meal was sacrificed. He asserts
this fact against the idea of eating meat sacrificed to idols.
In verses 29-33, Paul again restates his ongoing theme that
whatever they do they should act for the benefit of others
and not themselves. His summary of this theme comes in the
first two verses of chapter 11. In these verses, Paul is still
discussing the idea of humble service to others and he tells
the Corinthians to follow his example as he followed Christ’s
example.
In
verse 2 of chapter 11, Paul again tells the Corinthians to
keep the ordinances which he had passed on to them. These
are the same ordinances mentioned in chapter 4:17 when Paul
stated that what he taught in Corinth was the same as
what he taught everywhere in every church community. In both
verses, Paul is instructing the Corinthians to follow and
remember his example (1 Corinthians 11:1), his ways (1 Corinthians
4:17), and the ordinances that he delivered to the Corinthians
and to every other church as well. As we have repeatedly indicated,
it is extremely important that one of the main theme in Paul’s
arguments centers around what was
taught universally in all the churches.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be
ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 2
Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep
the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
1 Corinthians 4:17 For this cause have
I sent unto you Timotheus, who is
my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who
shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ,
as I teach every where in every church.
As
we begin our examination of 1 Corinthians 11-14, let us pause
for a second to note the importance of the passages we are
about to cover. We have already studied the rest of the New
Testament passages on church gatherings and leadership. And
we have already studied the context and information about
the Corinthian church that is presented in the first ten chapters
of this letter as well as the context provided in the Book
of Acts. 1 Corinthians 11-14 is the only remaining passage
on this topic for us to add to our knowledge of the subject.
It is also the chief passage that Frank Viola refers to in
his books in support of his model for equal participation,
function, and contributions from everyone at a church gathering.
Earlier,
we noted that Frank Viola himself recognizes and stresses
the importance of the fact that what Paul taught about church
gatherings in Corinth,
he taught everywhere. And Viola points out that what we read
in 1 Corinthians is normative, and therefore prescriptive,
for “all churches yesterday and today.”
Point:
Normative apostolic commands
are binding on the contemporary church. But normative
apostolic practices are as well. By normative, I mean those practices that contain
a spiritual subtext and are the outworking of the organic
nature of the body of Christ. Such practices are not purely
narrative. They carry prescriptive force. This means that
they reflect the unchanging nature of God Himself. And they
naturally emerge whenever God’s people live by divine life
together – irrespective of culture or time. In that connection
the Book of Acts and the Epistles are awash with references
to the apostolic tradition. In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul declares how he
taught his ways “everywhere in every church.” To Paul’s mind, doctrine and
duty – belief and behavior, life and practice – are inseparable.
In short, that which is included in the apostolic
tradition is normative for all churches yesterday and today.
The exhortations of Paul to “hold firmly to the traditions
just as I delivered them to you” and to practice what “you
have learned and received and heard and seen in me” are the
considerations that should guide our church life. – Frank
Viola, Reimagining
Church,
Chapter 14, Reimagining the Apostolic Tradition, pages 247-248
So,
from 1 Corinthians 1-10, we have become familiar with the
issues that were occurring within the Corinthian church as
well as Paul’s methods for correcting them. In each case we
have found Paul correcting Corinthian malpractice, self-assertion,
and pride with universally taught and universally practiced
biblical truths. With this in mind, we can proceed to our
study of the critical chapters of this epistle when it comes
to the topic of church gatherings and church leadership, chapters
11-14.
The
Relevance of 1 Corinthians 11-14 to Church Gatherings and
Leadership
Having
surveyed the first ten chapters of 1 Corinthians, we can now
proceed into chapters 11-14. In the quotes below, Viola continues
to point to 1 Corinthians 11-14 as the key passage supporting
his model of equal participation, contribution, and function
by all at church gatherings. (For clarity, the first quote
below begins with Viola’s arguing that the Pseudo-traditional
model prevents Christ from expressing himself during church
gatherings.)
Jesus
Christ has no freedom to express Himself through His body
at His discretion. He too is rendered a passive spectator.
Granted, Christ may be able to express Himself
through one or two members of the church – usually the
pastor and the music leader. But
this is a very limited expression. The Lord is stifled from
manifesting Himself through the other members of the body.
Consequently, the Protestant liturgy cripples the body of
Christ. It turns it into one huge tongue (the pastor) and
many little ears (the congregation). This
does violence to Paul’s vision of the body of Christ, where
every member functions in the church meeting for the common
good (see 1 Corinthians 12). –Frank Viola, Pagan
Christianity, Chapter 3, The Order of Worship: Sunday
Mornings Set in Concrete, page 76
The
early church met for the purpose of displaying Jesus Christ
through the every-member functioning of Christ’s body.
The goal was to make Christ visible and to edify the whole
church in the process. Mutual
edification through mutual sharing, mutual ministry, and mutual
exhortation was the aim. To
our thinking, what would make all the difference is if God’s
people were equipped and then encouraged to have meetings
where every member shared the Christ they had encountered
that week, freely and openly, as 1 Corinthians 14:26, 31
and Hebrews 10:25 exhort. The result: God would be seen and
thus glorified. Consider your physical body. When every member of you body functions,
your personality is expressed. It is the same with Christ.
When each member of His body shares his or her portion of
Christ, then Christ is assembled (see 1 Corinthians 12-14).
– Frank Viola, Pagan
Christianity, Afterword, page 268
In
organic church life, the meetings look different every week.
While the brothers and sisters in an organic church may prayerfully
plan the focus of their own meetings (for instance, they might
set aside a month for the body to concentrate on Ephesians
1), they do not plan a specific order of worship. Instead,
everyone is free to function, share, participate, and minister
spiritually during gatherings, so the creativity expressed
in them is endless. Participants do not know who will stand
up and share next nor what they will
share. There might be skits; there might be poems read,
there might be new songs introduced and sung; there might
be exhortations, testimonies, short teachings, revelations,
and prophetic words. Because everyone is involved and people contribute
spontaneously, boredom is not a problem. The
most meaningful meetings are generally those in which everyone
participates and functions. Jesus Christ is the center
of the meeting. He is glorified through the songs, the lyrics,
the prayers, the ministry, and the sharing. The meeting is
completely open for the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ through
each member as He sees fit, In the
words of 1 Corinthians 14:26, “every one of you” contributes
something of Christ to the gathering. In organic church
life, the corporate church meeting is an explosive outflow
of what the Lord revealed of Himself to each member during
the week. These features are virtually absent in the typical
institutional church service. – Frank Viola, Pagan
Christianity, Afterword, page 261
In
like manner, the New
Testament letters show that the ministry of God’s Word came
from the entire church in their regular gatherings. From
Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 14:26, and Colossians 3:16,
we see that it included teaching, exhortation, prophecy, singing,
and admonishment. This
“every-member” functioning was also conversational (1 Corinthians
14:29) and marked by interruptions (1 Corinthians 14:30).
– Frank Viola, Pagan Christianity, Chapter 4, The Sermon: Protestantism’s Most Sacred
Cow, page 88
In
fact, one of the goals of New Testament-styled preaching and
teaching is to get each of us to function (Ephesians 4:11-16).
It is to encourage us to open our mouths in
the church meeting (1 Corinthians 12-14). – Frank Viola,
Pagan Christianity, Chapter 4, The Sermon:
Protestantism’s Most Sacred Cow, page 97
As
we read the New Testament with an eye for understanding how
the early Christians gathered, it becomes clear that they
had four main types of meetings. They were: Apostolic Meetings. These were special
meetings where apostolic workers preached to an interactive
audience. Their goal was either to plant a church from scratch
or to encourage an existing one. The twelve apostles held
such meetings in the temple courts in Jerusalem during the birth of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 5:40-42).
Paul held the same kind of meetings in the hall of Tyrannus
when he planted the church in Ephesus
(Acts 19:9-10, 20:27, 31). There are two chief characteristics
of the apostolic meeting. One is that an apostolic worker
does most of the ministry. The other is that such meetings
are never permanent. They are temporary and have a long-range
goal. Namely, to
equip a local body of believers to function under the headship
of Jesus Christ without the presence of a human head (Eph.
4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 14:26). – Frank Viola, Reimagining Church,
Chapter 2, Reimagining the Church
Meeting, pages 49-51
As
Paul pulls back the curtain of the first-century church gathering
in 1 Corinthians 11-14, we see a meeting where every member
is actively involved. Freedom, openness, and spontaneity
are the chief marks of this meeting. “One another” is its dominant feature – mutual edification its primary
goal. – Frank Viola, Reimagining Church,
Chapter 2, Reimagining the Church
Meeting, pages 53
But
the gatherings of the church are especially designed for every
believer to express Christ through his or her gift (1 Cor.
11-14, Hebrews 10:24-25). – Frank Viola, Reimagining Church,
Chapter 2, Reimagining the Church
Meeting, pages 57-58
We
believe the pastoral office has stolen your right to function
as a full member of Christ’s body. It has distorted the reality of the body, making the pastor a giant mouth
and transforming you into a tiny ear. It has rendered
you a mute spectator who is proficient at taking sermon notes
and passing an offering plate. But that is not all. The modern-day
pastoral office has overthrown the main thrust of the letter
to the Hebrews – the ending of the old priesthood. It has made ineffectual the teaching of 1
Corinthians 12-14, that every member has both the right and
the privilege to minister in a church gathering. – Frank
Viola, Pagan Christianity, Chapter 5, The Pastor: Obstacle to Every-Member
Functioning, pages 136-137
There
are several points to make from the quotes above. First, from
the quotes we can list the various conclusions that Frank
Viola offers, which he believes find their support in 1 Corinthians
11-14.
In
the quotes above Viola states that 1 Corinthians 11-14 instructs
us that:
1.
Church meetings shouldn’t be dominated by one or two members.
This would be too limited in terms of participation.
2.
Every member of the church should function, participate, speak,
teach, and share, equally in the church gatherings.
We
must also point out that although these quotes are long and
simply citing them takes up several
pages, they encompass the totality of Viola’s discussion of
1 Corinthians 11-14 in his books. This puts his reader in
an unfortunate situation. Throughout our study we have sought
diligently and tediously to examine the entirety of the New
Testament discussion of church gatherings and leadership within
the context of the historical narrative and from the facts
presented in each passage. While Viola is quick and confident
to condemn the practice of citing passages without an examination
or context for them, he repeatedly commits this error when
supporting of his own model. In neither Pagan
Christianity nor Reimagining
Church does Viola provide an exegesis of New Testament
passages on church gatherings and leadership. As the quotes
above demonstrate, he cites 1 Corinthians 11-14 repeatedly,
but never does he exegete the passage
in context for his readers. (And yet, despite his lack of
thorough biblical exposition both of his two books are longer
than our study, even though we are examining the exact same
subject matter.)
As
we begin our study of these key passages in 1 Corinthians
11-14, we will do what Viola does not. Instead of providing
merely our own human assertions, we will let passages speak
for themselves and examine them in light of their historical
and biblical context as well as the particular details of
their internal content. As we do, we will also continue to
assess Viola’s position on 1 Corinthians 11-14 directly.
As
we examine this final New Testament passage on church gatherings,
let us also keep in mind the key positions from our three
models. We used four categories to help keep track of the
different points of view offered by the models. These four
categories dealt with the following issues:
Category
A: Church leadership.
Key
Question: Were the local church communities of the New
Testament period under a single authoritative pastor, by a
group of individuals collectively, or by all members of the
church equally?
Category
B: The Communion Meal.
Key
Question: Was the communion meal
of the New Testament church part of a full meal or did it
consist of only a small portion of bread and wine?
Category
C: Format and Common Features of the Meeting (not including
Communion.)
Key
Questions: Did New Testament church gatherings consist
of large segments of musical worship and uninterruptable monologues?
Did New Testament church gatherings consist of every person
participating, functioning, and contributing equally through
songs, skits, poems, short teachings, prayers, etc.? Did New
Testament church gatherings consist of one to three individuals
(called elders/overseers/pastors/etc.) dominating through
teaching the Word with some lesser, limited participation
from those with questions or comments?
Category
D: Gender Participation.
Key
Question: Were women allowed to participate in the New
Testament church gatherings to the same extent that men were
or were they prohibited from teaching, speaking, or asking
questions?
As
we proceed into 1 Corinthians 11-14, we will note when the
passage provides answers to these important questions and
provides indications in support of or in contradiction of
our models.
