It is clear from what Paul writes here that God is inclusive rather than exclusive. When we commit ourselves to any practices as Christian fellowships which are exclusive-preventing non-members from accessing Communion, for instance-then we are doing something which God would not do. Non-Jews who wanted to live in Israel were generally not treated well, just as the Arabs today, and Paul asserts that God has welcomed them into His family, fully fledged and equal with everyone else. Paul uses the image of a building, a Temple, to illustrate his point. Each church fellowship is part of a great building and every believer is a stone built into it. Christ is the corner stone who holds everything together and this building continues to grow to this day. Fi and I love to visit cathedrals; ones such as York, Durham, Lincoln, Salisbury and Wells are amazing constructions and they have been built over a long period of time. Just as there are often Norman arches and Gothic decoration in them, so we are built into the Temple which has been growing for millennia. This building is strong because it has unity and that unity is founded on Jesus Christ and no other.
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See AllThe reader is reminded afresh in these few verses that Paul cared nothing about himself or his reputation, but wholly sought God's glory and the growth of His Kingdom. He also had a great heart of lov
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Paul again has to resort to irony in his exasperation at the accusations of some of the Corinthian believers. It is as if they were searching minutely for anything they could hold up against him and
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As so often happens, when someone is pushed back by unfair questions and accusations, their response is to tell their story: they may come out with reasons as to how things are or their life story o
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