Our rabbi just introduced one of his major themes, the high priesthood of Christ. He is trying to show how it is the fulfillment of the priesthood of the Old Testament. Here he decided to pause, as he needs to express a few worries he has about the people who will read his message. They are relevant to all who might read this letter today.
The Demanding Privilege of Making Known the Mystery of the Gospel
Many Christians are making a big mistake. They see Christ as a means to an end when He is actually the be all and end all of their existence. They see faith in Christ as the way to a happy life, the path to earthly success or comfort, or the solution to their present problems. In Paul’s case, the high calling that he received turned out to be a very demanding privilege.
Immaturity can be defined as imperfection, greenness, unpreparedness, inexperience, childishness or ineptitude. In this section, Paul shows us how a church can grow up – how a church can become mature, ripe and fruitful in the deepest spiritual sense.
In this chapter Paul challenges the Corinthian church, saying, “Examine yourselves.” We’re going to try to do the same, examine ourselves, noting that real Christianity involves both right Christian beliefs and real Christian experience marked by authenticity, maturity and unity with other believers in Jesus.
Central Reflections 