READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l The start of a new year invites reflection on past lessons and future goals. This often inspires resolutions, new habits, and systems to optimise productivity. It can be exhilarating and sometimes even addictive when we start new productivity protocols or utilise productivity apps. But while personal discipline and productivity are good things, we can also pursue them to the detriment of our relationships. We become less welcome to interruptions during our day or even irritated when someone gets in the way of our productivity flow.
This tension also appears at work, where high-pressure environments reward extreme effort at the expense of marriages, families and friendships. The same danger exists in spirituality. Pastor David Ho reminded us in midweek teaching that when spiritual practices are detached from the heart, community and the context God places us in, we may become disciplined but not transformed. Faith can become a checklist. Practised in isolation and legalistically, it produces exactly the kind of religious people Jesus warned against: knowledgeable in the law, yet blind to those around them.
The Corinthian Culture
Corinth prized personal progress, status and productivity. Stephen T. Um describes the ideal Corinthian as “the reckless development of the individual… the man who recognises no superior and no law but his own desires.” Life revolved around climbing social ladders, outdoing others, and asserting a “me first” meritocracy. This mindset infiltrated the church, as believers brought their cultural assumptions of independence and self-advancement into their faith. Paul, as a wise pastor, writes to confront this culture and reshape their thinking, calling for two paradigm shifts especially for those who pursue relentless productivity at the expense of relationships:
1. From Me to We: Confronting Individualism
Paul’s greeting to the Corinthian church is unusually long. Unlike his other letters, he emphasises that they are the church of God, together with all who call on the Lord (1 Cor 1:2). From the start, he reminds them: you do not belong to yourselves; you belong to something greater.
Corinthian spirituality was inward focused; “me, myself, and I.” Personal preference often outweighed communal good, seen in divisions over favourite teachers, some claiming freedom in Christ to justify sexual immorality, others insisting on rights regarding food offered to idols and chaotic worship gatherings dominated by self-expression with little regard for others.
Paul’s message is clear. Not everything permissible is constructive. No one should seek only their own good; everything must build up the church. He shifts the focus repeatedly:
- From individual preference to unity
- From personal freedom to responsibility
- From self-expression to communal edification
The belly button illustrates this truth. It exists only to remind us that we are not self-made. We are begotten, not manufactured. Someone fed us, cleaned us, carried us. Grace always comes before achievement. This principle extends to daily life. We depend on spouses, parents, teachers, mentors, colleagues and countless unseen helpers to get to where we are. Forgetting this fosters self-importance, impatience and pride. As Kelly Kapic writes, “I need others if I am to be the most faithful version of ‘me.’ We flourish not by exalting ourselves, but by loving and being loved.”
2. From Mine to Thine: Confronting Pride
In the opening verses, Paul thank God for the Corinthians’ speech, knowledge and spiritual gifts; the very things causing division (1 Cor 1:4-5). Why thank God for what he will correct? Because these were good gifts that had gone astray. Speech, knowledge and spiritual abilities are never earned and they are received by grace. Paul reminds them that if everything they have is received, what grounds do they have for boasting? There are only two ways to hold God’s gifts:
- With open hands; for enjoyment and service to others or
- With clenched fists; for self-glory
Tim Keller calls pride “a form of cosmic plagiarism.” Plagiarism steals credit; pride takes what God gives and claims it as our own. It harms our relationship with God, with others, and our own integrity. Gifts held in pride inevitably become curses. Living as if everything depends on our own strength is exhausting. It demands constant performance, and any lapse feels catastrophic. This is not freedom, it is slavery. But when gifts are received as grace, we are freed from comparison, insecurity, and the need to prove ourselves. This principle shows up in two ways:
- How do we respond to praise?
- How freely do we give praise others?
We often deflect praise out of fear of pride but sometimes this dismisses God’s work. A healthier response is simply, “Thank you,” recognising God as the source. Likewise, praising others generously honours God rather than diminishes Him. As Kapic notes, “We can happily praise people, because such praise recognises God’s own work.” A culture of encouragement fosters a healthy, flourishing community (1 Cor 1:7-9).
Christ at the Centre
Paul mentions Jesus Christ nine times in nine verses because Christ is the antidote to self-obsession. Jesus always put others before Himself. He served, emptied Himself and obeyed the Father; even unto death. When we fix our eyes on Christ, we receive the gift of self-forgetfulness. We stop making ourselves the centre. Christianity knows nothing of isolated faith. We receive gifts from God, steward them together and build one another up.
True flourishing is found not in optimising ourselves, accumulating achievements or asserting independence, but in rooting our lives in Christ, practising gratitude and participating in the flourishing of the community. Let us be that community; rooted in Christ, grateful for one another and growing together.
(Sermon notes by Alex Choe)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Read 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 together. Now, look at verse 2 – Paul’s address to the church in Corinth. Compare this address to Paul’s other epistles to churches (Romans 1:7; Galatians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1). What main difference do you see? Why do you think Paul emphasises their togetherness with ‘those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’?
- Recall from the sermon: What was Corinthian culture like and why was it detrimental to the church?
- Name one paradigm shift mentioned in the sermon that resonated with you the most. Why did it resonate with you?
- Are there persons in your life that you have sidelined because of your “reckless development” or individualism? What is God saying to you regarding these persons?
- Which of your personal gifts are you most proud of? How do you prevent that gift from becoming “a good thing gone bad”?
