“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
The Basket Case Chronicles #195
“And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me” (1 Cor. 16:3–4).
In the previous verses, Paul had instructed the saints in Corinth to take up their collection Sunday by Sunday so that there would not have to be a last minute push. Their giving was to be part of their worship on the Lord’s Day, and their giving was not to be motivated by the duress of deadlines. Christian generosity is steady and deliberate, not momentary or panicked.
When we come to his instruction here, we notice some additional principles. Paul writes ahead to have them take up their collections. He then tells them that when he arrives, they will appoint delegates to accompany their gift. The collection was for the saints in Jerusalem, and delegates from Corinth were going to accompany the gift there regardless. If Paul did not go, they would simply take it. If Paul went to Jerusalem also, they would accompany him.
We can glean two principles from this. First, Christian generosity is personal, best delivered face to face. The Corinthians gathered the money up for the inhabitants of Jerusalem; it would therefore be best if Corinthians handed it over in person. The second principle is known accountability. Paul tells the church at Corinth that were not simply handing the money over to him, the great apostle. He said that no, if he went to Jerusalem, he still wanted those auditors with him.
Do we note correctly that you are deriving normative / authoritative principles from the inspired record of the apostle’s account of his own activities and instructions to folks? (rather than his direct proclamations) Is there any real difference? Yet we agree that not everything he said & did, post light bolt, was godly? Are you taking these instructions as from the mind of God — hence without sin — on the basis that, what? — the church has received it as such? It makes sense to you to receive it as such? It is without negatory inspired comment (like, say… Read more »
What a great way to start the day! “post light bolt”!
(And that really is the best way I’ve heard that interpretive/hermeneutic issue phrased. I think I’ll just copy/paste you when this needs to be asked again…and again…and again :)
This isn’t a definitive answer to the hermeneutical problem you raise, but it seems like we could get into impassably deep weeds pretty fast if we can’t even regard the apostle’s instructions to the church as authoritative and normatively instructive for our own practices. How does one even apply the pastoral epistles without that assumption? They rarely say, “God says to…” they just issue instructions for the various churches, to Timothy, to Titus, etc. I think there has to be some assumption, not that Paul never got anything wrong after the lightning bolt, but that nothing ever made into the… Read more »
“slavery produced in the South a genuine affection between the races that we believe we can say has never existed in any nation before the War or since.” I’m so glad you separated from Britain. This is discusting.
You’re very familiar wth Doug’s writing, yet either can’t or don’t want to find the topical post for your comment. Hmmm…
I read ‘the pamphlet’ and have no more desire to read more of his writing than I would sign up to Arian Nation and read their blogs. I found the first place I could post where he and his followers might find it. Trawling through more of his writing to find ‘the right place’ to post is something I have no desire to do. The man self describes as a ‘paleo-confederate’. :-O So he has said some ‘good’ stuff has he ..well I wasted 30 mins of my life confirming the man is a Bigot. I’ll stop commenting now as… Read more »
And yet, and yet… You took the trouble of using a Disquis account. Maybe read a bit about your history. We weren’t intent on leaving the King, Parliament pushed us out. Read his latest post today, based on what you wrote just above, and below I think its the perfect place to post. Look at this one too. https://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/up-to-our-knees.html
I did … and it depressed me how I see the message of Jesus being distorted and destroyed especially over your side of the pound, how the bible is being ‘cherry picked’ to fit right wing politics. How the petty political concerns of Americans have managed to make it out that rich people those that will go to heaven because your culture worships money and are then told that that is OK by your preachers. You don’t realy have a chance… which makes me sad .. and yes our appreciation of what rascism is very very different. I’m sad ..… Read more »
What does proper undistorted Christianity look like on your side of the pond? Don’t you have those that have different opinions that you deem to be “distorting” the message of Jesus, too? Is there open dialogue, progress? Just curious how the dynamics work out over there. Trust me, some (well, many, if you include the opposing side of any of our views out there, too) get depressed at the message of Jesus being distorted and destroyed and at the Bible being “cherry picked”. At least we’re concerned! We just disagree on what is distorting and destroying and even the message… Read more »
I’m just now these days learning and reading up on Wilson’s views and trying to find as much original context and clarification as I can. I found this list below of dialogue between him and a black pastor. I think if you read through it, you’d see the heart and intent behind more of his views rather than just one sentence standing alone out of many. And…in all of this back and forth, neither pastor resorted to dismissing each others opposing views as racist, etc. If THEY can do on such a topic, surely there is something to learn in… Read more »
I read the ‘pamphlet’ but only quoted half a sentence. I spent yr 2000 in the States and was appalled at the entrenched racism, in ‘liberal’ Key West of all places, little of it was acknowledged and whenever I brought up a topic was shut down (by Latino and white Americans). I have NO desire to read a single word from this man unless he makes a retraction. His outlook is not one that can easily be misinterpreted. His words are clear. A black preacher being able to converse with him ofended or otherwise is hardly the ‘proof’ he isn’t… Read more »
Okay, I read The Pamphlet :) http://reformed-theology.org/html/books/slavery/southern_slavery_as_it_was.htm Maybe he did clarify or explain concepts in this pamphlet more elsewhere, that’s why I keep on reading as I would with anyone. Maybe he’ll say more in the future since it seems to be a renewed firestorm on the internet. Anyway. Maybe all this difficulty understanding each other at times is the definition of “racism”. I don’t consider any other person regardless of ethnicity, etc. less “valuable” or “worthy” and my friendships/reputation would give evidence to that. And that’s where my definition lies. Maybe it’s our vantage, experience, or something…but I also… Read more »
As a CPA who supports the Auditor Full Employment Act, I appreciate Paul’s actions.