The last entry focused not the introduction to 1 Corinthians. You will remember the people of Corinth were ironically claiming their maturity, which proved to be the cause of their true immaturity as Paul saw it. The Corinthian believers were slipping off the slope of what is and is not true spirituality.
There are at least two instances in the early chapters where Paul defends the validity of his ministry. I 1:17 he says
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
The Corinthians seemed to be boasting about who baptized them rather than the Christ into whom they were baptized. This led to quarreling (v. 11) and their quarreling to divisions in their church. Again Paul writes:
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:2-5
The issue that Paul is really targeting among the Corinthians is that their faith is resting on the people who meet the "worldy" criteria for wisdom and power. This would include things such as eloquence of speech and all the things associated with a worldly notion of power such as persuasiveness, clarity, humor, smoothness, relevance, beauty, etc. When Paul talks about eloquent wisdom he seems to be referring to the way the preachers in their day can address the things of God with such smoothness, so as not to offend the sensibilities of the surrounding culture but rather tickle their ears with the warmies inside. Paul offers no such Gospel, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1:17).
So the people think they are growing in maturity, being baptized, claiming who they follow, having spiritual experiences. Yet, there is a major storm brewing and Paul is sounding the alarm. He is saying that their maturity is actually immaturity. Their very claim to maturity is the cause of their divisions. If they were truly mature in Christ, the divisions would go away. Paul is teaching the Corinthians that their claim to maturity is nothing more than competition, a desire on their part to one-up each other and use one another to make themselves feel better about themselves. This is childish at best and it reeks of freshmen first semester at a Bible college.
How does 1 Corinthians address us? John Piper, R.C. Sproul, Tim Keller, Matt Chandler, Paul Tripp, to name a few. All of these men are wonderful gifts to the church and absolutely amazing Bible teachers/preachers. So the problem isn't them as much as the slippery slope of celebrity Christianity, made much more slippery in the midst of the age of the internet.
Some people skip participation in their local church because, after all, they have world-class teaching at their fingertips in the comfort of their living room ("I listened to a great John Piper sermon today..."). Listening to the likes of John Piper can give the impression that there is real maturity because he is teaching at great depth that requires great understanding. However, any Christian who replaces real church engagement and submission to their imperfect pastor with podcasts is in danger of some hypocritical immaturity. A real understanding of submission is required. Often times Christians can get themselves off the hook of submission by convincing themselves that they listen and follow great Bible teaching. However, this doesn't assure submission as much as it dodges it. Podcasts give the listener a great advantage to listen to who they want, when they want, even what topic they want. Submission isn't submission when you essentially get to do what you want and stop listening when it isn't flipping your switch any longer. True submission is perhaps a better indication of maturity than who you follow or in Pauls case, who you were baptized by.
Another possible way this relates to us is the propensity to compare local, regular pastors with the gifts of those you can access online. 99% percent, probably 99.9% of all pastors don't stack up against the ultra gifted ones that have enormous followings through podcasts. Not that following these men or women is something that you should avoid. However, comparing your pastor to them and holding them to this standard isn't good. It could describe the fault of the Corinthians, who pridefully identified themselves by who they listened to. In this, there was a connection between the gift of the teacher and the value of the individual ("I am better than you because my preacher is better than your preacher").
In the end, Paul suggests that one of the best litmus tests for true maturity is detected in the fruit of love for other believers and unity with other believers. Love for God's people, within the context of the church, is the way believers both experience and reflect a deep relationship with the living God that is true spirituality.
Paul goes on to address the difference between the Godly wisdom and worldly wisdom, the same goes with a strength and weakness as defined by either the world or the cross. The next entry will address how Paul sees this fundamental understanding of strength and wisdom, and whether it comes from the world or from God, as giving shape to the way believers interact together.
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