Paul was the role model for the Christian community of his time. The way Paul lived pleased God because the apostle followed the divine rules and was active in his missionary work. He used his freedom of will as a faithful Christian to popularize God’s wisdom and did not try to take advantage of it in any way. Converting people to the Christian faith is the basic principle of missionary work, and Paul succeeded in it. When he preached to the Corinthians, he tried to understand their needs and show empathy for their problems, which helped him convert them to the Christian faith. After the Corinthians understood what Paul wanted to tell them, it was easier for them to interact with the apostle, even though they did not convert to Christianity instantly. The freedom of the human will that God gives people requires spiritual guidance that the Christian missionary provides the faithful.
The first observation is that there were various examples of individuals’ use of free will throughout history. For some, freedom of human choice allows them to sin because it is the individual’s decision. Egoistic pursuit of own desires and satisfaction of own needs exemplifies this behavior. Paul told the Corinthians, recently converted to the Christian faith, not to do it and to pursue the example of the pious life. Question: What makes Paul the role model of truthful believers even though he did not tell the Corinthians that he is one? Paul gave them examples from history while illustrating the ways the faithful should follow. For instance, the story of the Israelites he uses in his preaching tells the believers that they should not remain ignorant. It means that people should remember what happened to their forefathers whom God had rescued from their slavery in Egypt, and it should strengthen their faith. Question: Does this translate into learning from history in general? If so, how this recommendation works when considering that the history is often written by the victors?
The second observation is that it is possible to illustrate the claims mentioned above with the lines from 1 Corinthians 10:1-3: “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud […]. They drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” These lines describe how God miraculously redeemed Israel after the Egyptians enslaved the entire nation. This historical episode has become a moral lesson for future generations of Christians because it illustrates the omnipotence of God and the salvation people can receive if they follow Jesus. As a result, it is not strange that prophets retold this story numerous times, emphasizing divine justice. The primary point is that Paul purposefully brought up the exodus narrative in his letter, even though he knew other stories and examples that would be useful for the Corinthians. Question: Has the exodus story been retold because it was a remarkable case of God’s power?
The third observation is that God’s generosity saved people from Israel from immense suffering. God intruded into this situation and kept them from the dreadful life of enslaved people in Egypt. The entire nation would never have escaped the horrible existence if it were not for the kindness of God and his one-sided grace to them. This message is central to the Christian doctrine, which explains the reason why the tale is repeated over and over again. Therefore, Paul had a similar motivation when he retold the story about the exodus from Egypt to Christians in Corinth. Paul emphasized the message slightly differently, claiming that the Corinthians were slaves of their passions that made them sin, and Satan tormented them. Similar to the Israelites who were born into slavery to the Egyptians, they were born into slavery to sin. Question: Are there parallels with the Exodus story?
The fourth observation is that even though most individuals are completely unaware of this concept, they live in sin. Nevertheless, this situation does not mean they can save from the eternal punishment they will receive after death. Yet the Corinthians were aware of it because they were Christians. They were aware of it because God, in his kindness, sent Paul to share the Gospel with them; that was the only thing that might free them from the bonds of sin. Paul explained to the Corinthians about the force of sin. He warned them that, as a result of their wrongdoing, they would experience not only suffering in this life but also the second death, when they would stand before God’s judgment. The apostle lets them know how God, in his love, had sent Jesus to save them. God gave knowledge to people that by the blood of Jesus, God had freed the Corinthians from their spiritual enslavement to sin, just as He had freed the Israelites from their physical slavery to sin in Egypt, and they had faith in it. Question: How can the passage be interpreted for the modern-day manifestation of spiritual enslavement?
Reference
King James Version, 1969/2017, 1 Corinthians 10:1-3.
Joel B. Green, and Lee Martin McDonald, The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), n.p. Kindle ed.