St. Paul was not one to say “whatever.” For him the truth mattered — it mattered because if faith was not grounded in the truth of the gospel it would have disasterous implications. He fussed with the people of Corinth because they accepted an approach to Christianity that the Apostle thought would distort the message of Jesus. Apparently some preachers came saying that while what Paul said was good if they wanted to be superChristians they would become circumcized and follow Mosaic practice. For Paul this could cause believers to imagine that it was their efforts, their practices that made them right with God. The truth, Paul insisted, was that it was trusting in what God did, not what we do, that was at the heart of the gospel message. In our age when dogma is seen as stifling and where we don’t want to be judgmental it is easy to lose sight of the fact that if we don’t live the truth we are on the road to ruin.
JUNE222023
By Church Staff
