Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is truly a profound book. Despite being born and raised in Christianity, it is a shame that I’ve never had the opportunity to go through it before. The introduction of this book came at a specific moment in the church life, with the backdrop of dealing with the problematic church in Corinth. Little did I realize that the church in Corinth is our day-to-day experience as believers in the new age. Every day, we are faced with challenges, problems, hardships, sin, and death. We proclaim to live an overcoming life, but oftentimes, our reality shows the exact opposite. How can we usher or transport people from the old creation to the new? The answer lies in the very subject of the book itself: Christ and His Cross.
What good is knowing the solution if there is no practical way of applying it? This is found from Paul’s placement of resurrection in chapter 15, and from the love that Paul described in chapter 16 at the very end of the epistle. It is not accidental. It is the ultimate solution to every problem in the church today, transporting us from the old creation to the new dispensation.
For many years, despite knowing and experiencing the Lord subjectively in my life, I have struggled to answer the question: “Why did Jesus Christ die on the cross?” The standard answer I’ve always been given is that because He died for our sins. This has never really made sense to me as the complete answer, because 2,000 years later, I am still a sinful being living in a sinful world. What is the reality of the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection, and what does it have to do with me? My view has always been so small and immature, only believing I was confused because I chose to stay in a confused state. Going through 1 Corinthians again, it is clearly written that God’s original desire is to be one with man, starting with Adam. Through resurrection, Christ became the last Adam, a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), transforming from the only begotten Son to the firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). What a revelation that we can be born into this divine birth through the Lord’s resurrection! How wonderful that we can be brothers to the Lord, our God and our Father.
I still recall the weeks leading up to moving into the brothers’ house. Internally, I had a lot of rebellion and foolish practical considerations. What about my freedom? What about my friends? What about my worldly enjoyment? A fellow brother in the church life then told me something that changed my life forever. All he said was, “First of all, it is a privilege to live in a brother’s house.” To others, this may seem like a very plain, simple, and unimpactful line. Yet somehow, at that moment, I felt my whole being turned and shaken up, like running into a brick wall. I looked at my dear brothers and realized how much more there is to this life than all my foolish considerations. Fast forward to today, while we have had our fair share of ups and downs, my experience in the brothers’ house and the church life has been nothing short of love, joy, and a living reality that has been with us ever since we proclaimed Jesus Christ as our Lord. Despite being simple in nature (or maybe because we are simple in nature), one thing that I can boast is that we, in the church life, truly live with the view of loving and enjoying the Lord.
How pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity, in oneness (Psal. 133:1)! How pleasant and good it is that we can be born from this divine womb together. How pleasant and good it is that we can call the Lord our Brother! It is truly a privilege to be able to experience the Lord in this way. This has already been made clear to us from our pursuit of the book of Matthew. The Lord referenced his disciples as “brothers” after His resurrection (Matt 28:10). He became the Firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29). His once “friends” were regenerated into this new creation. I enjoy how Brother Lee explains this in the Life-Study of John: “His many brothers are the many sons of God and are the church, a corporate expression of God the Father in the Son.” I hope that one day, we can all proclaim that we are part of this divine brotherhood.
In our Ivy League-like, West Point-like, intimate church life, our labor is not empty, hollow, or separate. It is the practical living out of resurrection. We are saints living out the new creation on earth today, awaiting our Lord’s return. This life is mysterious, but it is also very real and very tangible. What can man’s living be without this purpose? I am grateful that I can now see the Lord’s resurrection with more maturity and a wider lens of life. Thank You, Lord, that You are the solution to our life — to my life! Thank You that we can be vessels of transporting love in this resurrection life!
Death cannot hold the resurrection life,
The life of God eternal manifest;
’Tis uncreated, indestructible,
’Tis Christ Himself, unconqu’rable, expressed.
(Hymn 639)
— JL