The factor needed for solving these problems concerning the proper daily Christian life is Christ. Christ is God’s center and the One given to us as our unique portion. If we enjoy Christ according to the way He is revealed in the first ten chapters of this book, we shall have the necessary factor to solve these six problems. We shall solve the problems of division, the indulgence of the flesh, the claiming of personal rights, and the abuse of our rights. We shall also have the solution to the problems in our married life. If you have problems in your married life, that is an indication that you are short of Christ, that you are not adequately nourished with Christ. But if you enjoy Christ in a full way, you will not have any problems in married life, or the other five problems covered in 1 Corinthians 1 through 10. Because Christ is the factor to solve these problems, these ten chapters place great emphasis on Christ. Christ is the all-inclusive One. He is the power of God, the wisdom of God, and even the depths of God. He is the unique factor to solve the problems in the realm of human life.
The problems among the Corinthians, however, were related not only to human living, but even the more to God’s administration. Among them there was no order, no authority. Therefore, they not only abused their rights in eating and marriage; they even abused the spiritual gifts. They excessively misused these God-given gifts in order to fulfill their self-seeking. This caused God’s administration among them to be frustrated and, to some extent at least, to be damaged.
Some were even so mistaken with respect to God’s administration that they went so far as to say that there was no resurrection (15:12). If there is no resurrection in this universe, then God becomes nothing. God Himself is resurrection. When God came in the flesh, He said, “I am the resurrection” (John 11:25). Hence, if there were no resurrection there would be no God, for there would be no God to be the source of life, the power of life, the shape of life, and the function of life. Without resurrection, the whole universe would be empty. Therefore, it is a very serious matter to say that there is no resurrection. This is to deny God and to annul the divine power for His administration in the universe. We must recognize that there is resurrection and that God is administrating the universe to fulfill His eternal purpose by resurrection and in resurrection.
If we are truly under God’s administration in resurrection, we shall overcome money and material possessions. They will have no power over us, and they will not occupy us or possess us. Instead, we shall overcome them and reign over them.
In chapter fifteen Paul deals with the matter of resurrection. Then he opens chapter sixteen with a word about collecting material gifts on the first day of the week. The first day of the week signifies resurrection, for it is the day of resurrection.
The fact that material things are offered on the first day of the week indicates that they should be presented in resurrection, not in our natural life. Certain wealthy worldly people are able to write checks for large sums of money. But if they make a large donation, they usually make a name for themselves and advertise what they have done. This is not giving in resurrection. Our giving of money and material things must be in resurrection. This way of giving is a strong indication that we are under God’s administration in resurrection and have overcome the possession of material things. As a result, God’s administration will have a way to be carried on among us.
The first of the five problems related to God’s administration is that of headship. Paul covers this in 11:2-16 when he deals with head covering. Head covering is related to the headship in God’s universal, governmental administration.
The second problem in this group is that of the Lord’s supper. The Lord’s supper is not a thing in itself, for it concerns the Body. For God to administrate the universe He needs the Body. He needs a group of people formed organically into a Body. This Body is the means by which God carries out His administration.
The third problem in this category is the problem of the misuse of spiritual gifts. In chapter eleven Paul speaks of the headship and of the Body, and in chapters twelve through fourteen, of the gifts. The Body functions by means of the gifts. If the Body is to carry out God’s administration, every member of the Body must have a gift for function according to God’s operation. God administrates by operating, and God’s operation can be carried out only by our function. Furthermore, our function is possible only by our gifts. When we have a gift, we have our function. Then the service comes out of this function. This service is for God’s operation, and this operation carries out God’s administration. Therefore, first we have the headship, then the Body, and then the gifts for the services that God’s administration may be carried out.
Resurrection is the fourth problem in the realm of God’s administration. The headship, the Body, and the functioning of the members by the gifts should all be in resurrection. We should never deny the fact of resurrection. If there were no resurrection, there could be no gifts and no power for the divine administration.
Finally, Paul deals with material possessions. If we are under the headship, if we are in the Body, and if we have the gifts to function in resurrection, we shall certainly overcome the bondage to material things. The material things will be under our feet. Money or material possessions will not hinder or frustrate our function in the Body. Rather, what we have will be used for God’s administration through the churches. If this is our situation, the Lord God will have a way to carry out His administration.
Now we have before us a bird’s-eye view of the whole book of 1 Corinthians. Having this view enables us to remember what the sixteen chapters of this Epistle talk about. Chapters one through four deal with division; chapter five, with incest; chapter six, with the claiming of rights and the abuse of freedom in eating and in marriage; chapter seven, with married life; chapters eight through ten, with the eating of sacrifices offered to idols; chapter eleven, with the headship and with the Lord’s supper related to the Body; chapters twelve through fourteen, with the spiritual gifts; chapter fifteen, with resurrection; and chapter sixteen, with the overcoming of material things.
We have pointed out that the eleven problems covered in 1 Corinthians are of two categories, two groups. To solve the six problems in the first category we need Christ as the unique factor. To solve the five problems in the second category we need the church as the element to settle the matters. Therefore, this book first emphasizes Christ in chapters one through ten, and then it emphasizes the church as the Body of Christ in chapters eleven through sixteen. Therefore, what we see in 1 Corinthians is Christ and the church. Christ is the factor for solving all the problems in the realm of human life, and the church is the element for settling all the problems in the realm of the divine administration. We all need to see Christ in the realm of human life and the church in the realm of the divine administration.
The saints at Corinth had problems in both realms. The same is true of many Christians today. They have problems in the realm of human life, and they have problems in the realm of the divine administration. Therefore, all believers, including us, need 1 Corinthians. We all need to be under the headship in God’s governmental administration. We need to be right with the Body of Christ so that God may have the means to work out His administration. We need to know how to use our gifts to function properly and to serve the Lord with ministry to carry out God’s operation so that the divine administration may be effective on earth. We also need to know resurrection life, the resurrection power, and the resurrection principles so that we may function under the headship and in the Body rightly, properly, and adequately. Then we shall overcome money and material things. This means that we shall overcome all earthly ties. Then we shall truly live Christ. By living Christ we shall have a proper human life and we shall carry out God’s administration. This is what the Lord desires and expects today. This was exactly the burden in the spirit and heart of Paul when he wrote this book. First Corinthians is not merely a book of teachings. This Epistle was written according to the burden in Paul’s spirit concerning Christ in the realm of human life and the church in the realm of God’s administration.