Title: The True Meaning of Koinonia
Contents
Faithful is the God who calls you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9).
Today is the third hour of the beginning of 1 Corinthians. As I visit the church in Corinth in the season of fruition, I think of the abundance of the Isaac of God that will appear when this trip is nearing the end of the season. Perhaps Paul wrote this letter with such a hope.
In verse 9, Paul says, "Faith is the God who calls you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." As I read this article today, I think of the great grace of God who called me, who was living a life of evil without any benefit or hope in the world, to fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Greek word 'koinoaia', which is written as "fellowship" in our Bible, cannot be accurately translated into English or Korean. In Korean, it can be described as communion, but this is more of an interpretation, not a translation. Koinonia has a deeper meaning than the friendship between friends. Paul said, "There is one body, and one Spirit, in the same way you were called in one hope of your calling" (Ephesians 4:4).
Each member of our body has a very important independence for each part and forms one in a close and deep relationship with each other. It is a precious member that cannot be neglected in any part. Therefore, each member of our body cares for each other in independence and unity, and supports each other in a close relationship with deep understanding. And how about the couple? The couple has unity and unity in mind and body. Paul applied this relationship to the relationship between Christ and the church. Therefore, koinoaia with Christ includes the meaning of the Eucharist, in which each of our members becomes one with Jesus Christ. This is an invitation to the glory of the only begotten Son of God. The Corinthian church received God's deep love like this.
Moreover, there is no way to explain the grace of beings who are like trash thrown away from the world if they had such a relationship. It can only be said that it is infinite joy and glory. Then, today, let's look at the grace (charis) that the church in Corinth received from God and what made it fall away from that grace.
First, Paul said about the grace that the church in Corinth had received from God, "Because in him you are rich in all things, word of mouth and all knowledge, so that the testimony of Christ may be established among you, so that you do not lack in any gift. waiting for planting” (1 Corinthians 1:5-7). Their knowledge even reached the appearing of Christ. Of their faith, Paul was sure, "the Lord will establish you to the end, blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Here Paul refers to "everything in Christ" and commented on it as "speech and all knowledge." Here, the word 'logos' in Greek means wise words and refers to the wise preaching of the Corinthian saints, who received the power of preaching to use abundant knowledge to reach all knowledge. Whenever I visit Calvary Chapel in the United States, I am amazed at the sermons of the amazing wisdom and knowledge of Calvary Chapel ministers who have not even graduated from seminary. This is a power that cannot be revealed unless it is received from God. As such, the Corinthian church was a church that was looking forward to the appearing of Christ in a state of lack in all of it. Now that Paul himself has testified that he is blameless from Christ, what more can we say? But Paul begins to point out their mistakes. This is the biggest key to understanding the book of Corinth.
The reason was first in their words. The word here does not mean ordinary words, but the knowledge of the gospel. Their words were really eloquent, but something was out of sync with each other. If they were called to be members of Jesus Christ and received a gift from the same Spirit, then their teachings had to be united in the Holy Spirit. They had some different views.
This is still the case today. Although we are all a church called to be members of Jesus Christ, we speak different words according to each denomination. Some churches have a different view of salvation and others have a different view of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts. They also look forward to the coming of Christ, but have a different view of the Lord's day. As a result, each church is divided into quadrants, forming several denominations. That is not to say that the churches that are now divided are not the churches of God. I am referring to the cause of the division of the united church in communion with Jesus Christ. The Bible records that no one can say that Jesus is Lord except through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are all members sealed by the one Spirit in Jesus Christ. It is that those members do not speak the same words (knowledge, longing, preaching) as Paul points out today.
Paul said to them, "Be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same will, without division among you." Therefore, their strife stemmed from different minds and different wills. Different minds and different meanings mean that the focus is on each other's purpose. The same mind and will here means to have the mind and will of Christ. Because we are one body with Christ. In Mark 12, the Lord said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." Hearing this, the scribe answered that life and purpose are wisdom, and received praise from Jesus, saying, “The kingdom of God is not far away” (Mark 12:34). Because he realized the meaning of one life and one meaning as a member.
At that time, to become a Christian, you first passed the gate of baptism. Jesus also said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16). On the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Peter stood boldly before the council and said, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins." d” (Acts 2:38). Therefore, in a sense, baptism could be said to be the gateway to becoming a Christian and the point of becoming a witness of Christ. Paul told the Ephesian disciples whether you received the Holy Spirit when you believed and encouraged them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. He testified that he received the Holy Spirit and was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2-6). However, this is a process for the confirmation of the salvation of those who have called and for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, not to increase greatness. But since ancient times, those who value honor and face have liked to be admired by famous people.
Paul said, "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in the wisdom of words, that the cross of Christ might not be in vain" (verse 17). This did not speak of the futility of baptism, but rather explained the essence of baptism. The essence of baptism is to make people repent and return to Jesus Christ to become children of God and to become witnesses of the gospel, but baptism itself was not a Christian qualification. Still, many people today are caught up in this misguided thinking and are dividing the Body of Christ. Looking at the fact that many of these special symptoms have occurred in the Korean church, it seems certain that God loved the Korean church. Now we will look at the appearance of the Corinthian church and the saints as a result of this conflict.