Following Jesus: The Challenge of True Discipleship
September 10, 2024 - Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
1 Cor 6:1-11
Yesterday, Paul reprimanded the Corinthians for tolerating the immoral lifestyle of one member of their community: having a relationship with “his father’s wife” (5:1–13). Today, he criticizes them for failing in brotherly love: having court cases against each other in Gentile courts (6:1–11). Paul's problems with the Corinthians reveal that there is a long journey from baptism to holiness, from dying to sin and living for God, from being self-centered to being Christ-centered.
Paul presents a list of lifestyles unacceptable by the standards of God's kingdom, reflecting the prevalent moral standards of Greco-Roman society and highlighting the transformative impact of Christianity (see 1 Cor. 6:9-10). The phrase "inherit the kingdom of God" recalls the rich man's question: "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). Jesus gave him a twofold answer: keeping the Ten Commandments and leaving his current lifestyle to follow Him (see Mark 10:17-22).
Paul notes that some Corinthians once lived according to societal moral standards. However, his proclamation of Jesus' death and resurrection brought transformation. "That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11). Faith in Jesus led them to baptism, which, like the Flood, purged their sins and made them a new creation. This transformation demands a lifestyle modeled on Jesus Christ. Yet, the Corinthians struggled to understand the implications of their new status as God's children and temples of the Holy Spirit.
"Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," how could they inflict injustice on their brothers and sisters? When choosing between inflicting or suffering injustice, a Christian has only one option. This is not written in law but springs from Jesus, our norm of life. He never inflicted injustice; instead, He suffered a terrible injustice for our sake.
Inflicting injustice also violates the golden rule. Tobit 4:15 says, "Do to no one what you yourself dislike." How would those bringing court cases feel if roles were reversed? Jesus taught, "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31). Perhaps the Corinthians had not yet heard this teaching—the Gospels were still being written.
We can easily fault the Christians in Corinth while congratulating ourselves. The truth is, we face the same challenge of making Jesus our norm and role model. Baptism marks the start of a journey to holiness and becoming Christlike. May Jesus become our point of reference in life, guiding us to live in sincerity, truth, and love.