Let us turn our attention to Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians, in particular to the manner in which he fulfilled his ministry of the word. A brother once said that of all the books of the Bible, the Corinthian Epistles, and in particular 1 Corinthians 7, show us the peak of human experience. This is right. Paul’s experience proves this. Consider the following examples:
Verse 6 says, “But this I say by way of concession, not by way of command.” The phrase this I say clearly indicates that this was Paul’s own word.
Verse 7 says, “Yet I wish all men to be even as I am myself.” Such a wish was Paul’s own wish. Verse 6 presents Paul’s own word, while verse 7 speaks of his own wish. He did not say that God commanded such or that God ordained such. Verse 7 continues, “But each has his own gift from God, one in this way, the other in that.” God works in different ways. But it seems as if Paul was giving his own opinion. He was hoping that all would be even as he was.
Verse 8 says, “But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, It is good for them if they remain even as I am.” This was again Paul’s own word.
Verse 10 says, “But to the married I charge, not I but the Lord, A wife must not be separated from her husband.” Paul first said that he charged them, but then he said that it was not him but the Lord who charged them. We can only find such expressions in 1 Corinthians 7. On the one hand, Paul charged, and on the other hand, he said that it was not his charge but the Lord’s charge.
Verse 12 says, “But to the rest I say, I, not the Lord.” This is Paul’s word again. Verses 12 through 24 are all Paul’s word; they are not the Lord’s word. How could Paul have dared to say such a word? How could he have been so bold? By what authority was he speaking these words? In the following verses he presents the basis for his speaking.
Verse 25 says, “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord.” Paul did not lie. He honestly confessed that he did not have a commandment of the Lord. “But I give my opinion as one who has been shown mercy by the Lord to be faithful.” Here was the opinion of one who had been shown mercy by the Lord, one who was empowered by the Lord to be faithful. God had done a profound work in him and had made him a faithful one. He was able to claim that God’s mercy had made him a faithful person, that it had done so much work in him that he was now able to express his opinion. Here we do not find the Lord’s commandment. Instead, we find Paul’s opinion, that is, his view concerning a certain matter. All the words were Paul’s. He told the Corinthians how he felt.
Verse 26 says, “I consider then that this is good because of the present necessity.” Paul said that this was his opinion.
Verse 28 says, “I am trying to spare you.” This was again Paul’s opinion.
Verse 29 says, “But this I say, brothers.” This is Paul’s word.
Verse 32 says, “But I desire you to be without care.” This is Paul’s word.
Verse 35 says, “But this I say.” This is again Paul’s word.
Verse 40 says, “According to my opinion.” This is Paul’s opinion.
In verse 17 Paul said, “And so I direct in all the churches.” He said this not only to the Corinthians but to all the churches. He charged all the churches with the same things.
Brothers and sisters, how marvelous this is! This is the opposite of our common understanding. In John 8:28 the Lord said, “As My Father has taught Me, I speak these things,” and in 12:50 He said, “Even as the Father has said to Me, so I speak.” Yet Paul was bold to tell others that his words were his own opinions, views, and even his charge to the churches. This is either the loftiest experience or the worst experience. Thank God that this is the loftiest experience. No place in the Bible is as high as 1 Corinthians 7. After his words in this passage, Paul concluded by saying, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God” (v. 40). Here we reach the highest peak. Paul was clear that he did not have God’s commandment; he was clear that he did not have a word from the Lord. His speaking was merely based on the mercy that had been shown to him. He had no other basis. His only basis was God’s compassion and mercy to him. But after he spoke, he could say that he thought he had the Spirit of God.
This is the “human element” which we discussed earlier. This is an outstanding and stark example of man’s elements being employed in God’s word. Here was a man who was disciplined, restricted, and broken by the Lord to the extent that he could speak even when he was very clear that the Lord had not said anything. Yet in the end, his word became the word of the Holy Spirit. Paul was giving others his own opinion. Yet in the end his opinion was the opinion of the Holy Spirit. Paul said that it was his thought and his opinion. Yet in the end it was the intention of the Spirit of God. Here was a man under the Lord’s Spirit and His operation so much that when he spoke, the Holy Spirit was speaking. What a great difference this is from the donkey of Balaam! Balaam’s donkey could speak God’s word only when the word was put into its mouth. When God’s word was taken away, only the donkey was left. In contrast, here was a man who had followed the Lord, received mercy from Him, and been faithful for years. In the end his speaking became the Spirit’s speaking. Paul made it clear that it was his opinion. But in the end it was the Lord’s opinion. God had worked in him to such an extent that he could almost speak God’s word without having God’s word. What is this? This is a minister of the word.
With many servants of the Lord, God’s word can be found in them only when a word is put into their mouth, and when it is not placed in their mouth, they do not have any word. Yet Paul had reached the stage where he had God’s word whether or not it was put into his mouth. Here was a man so trained that he could earn the Lord’s trust. Here was a man so trained and trusted by God that his speaking became God’s speaking. We cannot do anything about this except to plead for mercy. Brothers, we cannot be just a donkey. We cannot be satisfied with God’s word just being placed in our mouth. If this is our condition, it means that we ourselves have nothing to do with God’s word. Paul was a man who had much to do with God’s word. Even his own opinions became God’s opinions. The little thoughts that he had became the thoughts of the Holy Spirit. He was so one with the Spirit of God! His very speaking represented God’s speaking. He indeed reached the highest peak.
A minister of the word is not merely one who transmits God’s word. He must be a person who has a certain relationship with God’s word. He has God’s thoughts and opinions, and he has reached the stage where his desires become God’s desires. He does not act in a certain way because he comes to a separate realization of God’s desire in a certain matter. Rather, he is restricted by God to such an extent that God trusts his thoughts and ideas. God can acknowledge his thoughts and ideas as His own. This is what we have been saying for years; it is what we call the constituting work of the Holy Spirit. God constitutes Himself into us. He works and wroughts Himself into us. The golden lampstand was made of beaten work (Exo. 25:31). We must remember that something is given to us by the Lord on the one hand, while God is beating the same thing into us on the other hand. We are like an unshaped piece of gold. God is beating us blow by blow until we are formed into the shape of a lampstand. The Holy Spirit not only puts the divine word in our mouth but also beats such a word into our being until we are conformed to God’s defined shape. This is not a matter of whether or not we have God’s word in our mouth but a matter of whether we have been beaten to the point where God can entrust His word to us. Paul was constituted by the Lord to such an extent that his opinion was considered trustworthy; the Lord worked in him to such an extent that his thoughts were trustworthy enough to convey God’s word. When God’s word is placed in such a man and he is called to be a minister of the word, there is no danger of corruption.
A minister of the word is a person in whom God can confide His trust and faith. Ministry of the word means that there is not only the word but the man, the very person who serves as the minister of the word. Such a person has been so perfected that God’s word will not suffer damage or misunderstanding through him. He is a person whom God can use, one who can serve as a minister of the word. A minister of the word is one who is so constituted by God that God can entrust him with His very opinions, thoughts, and desires. His own human elements can be involved in the speaking; they will not cause any problem to the divine word. Brothers and sisters, do not think that we are contradicting what we have preached in the past. In the past we pointed out that human ingredients are forbidden in God’s work. Why then do we now say that God’s word contains human elements? We are not admitting every kind of human element; we are saying that only certain kinds of human elements can be involved in God’s word. Those who have such elements will find God’s word flowing out of them freely. God can freely trust them.
We should spend a little more time to consider Paul’s word. He said that he had obtained mercy to be faithful. Mercy is of God, and the result of mercy is faithfulness. This means that God did some constituting work in Paul. He worked in Paul to such an extent that Paul’s very being resembled God’s word. Because of this, Paul could release God’s word wherever he went. Paul could say “I wish,” “I say,” or “I direct in all the churches” because he was a person who had met God; he knew God. When he spoke his word, it was God’s word that came out. We have to remember that God’s word is not released in a supernatural way; it is released through man and with human elements. If the person is not right, God’s word cannot be released, and such a person cannot be a minister of the word. Never think that a man can preach a message just by memorizing it. God’s word has to make a turn within man before it can be released. If you are not the proper person, God’s word will be damaged as soon as it goes through you. As soon as man’s frivolity and carnality come in, God’s word is defiled. A man must reach the point where God’s constituting work is well formed in him. Then the Lord’s word can pass through him without suffering loss on account of his person.
In 1 Corinthians 7 God’s word did not suffer any loss in Paul. Here was a man who was mature. If he spoke according to his own opinion, we are assured that this opinion was right. If he said something, we have the confidence that what he said was right. When he directed all the churches to do certain things, we have the assurance that this direction was right. Here was a man who was directing others, yet God’s word was coming through him; he was not acting independently. Here was a man whom God could trust. He had reached the pinnacle. A minister of the word must attain such a height before God’s word can be released through him. The measure of discipline and restriction one receives from the Lord determines the degree of purity of God’s word that is released through him. The degree of brokenness before the Lord determines the degree of purity of one’s speaking. The less one receives and learns from the Lord, the more likely God’s word is defiled and contaminated when it is released through him. The more restriction, discipline, blows, and breakings one receives, the purer God’s word is when it is released through him. The ministry of the word is based on the ministry a person possesses before the Lord. If our ministry before the Lord is a failure, our speaking is a failure as well.