Masterclass: Lesson 2 – Branding or Becoming?
Welcome to Masterclass Lesson 2. If you are joining us this week for the first time, that’s okay. Let me catch you up to speed. We are utilizing 1 Corinthians as our foundation for this Masterclass.
Reminder: This is a Masterclass for all of life. Now, why is that? In our digital age, we often confuse Jesus-branding for becoming like Jesus.
“Across different industries, there is a lot of talk going on about crafting a personal brand. It often involves determining what you want to be known for at work, whether it’s an attribute, skill-set, or both, then working backwards to achieve it. The focus on building a personal brand means that being known as a smart, hard-working, or reliable employee is almost as important as actually being one.” [1]
The apostle Paul is writing to a church where their behavior is not consistent with their belief. Five areas he will discuss: Divisions, Sex, Food, Gathering, and Resurrection. Further, he wants them to understand that their belonging to Christ should affect their behavior. Meaning, their belonging to Christ, belief about this belonging, helps them become what they are in fact.
Alan Noble in Disruptive Witness describing this distracted age and its effects says, “ (1) it is easier to ignore contradiction and flaws in our basic beliefs, (2) we are less likely to devote time to introspection, and (3) conversations about faith can easily be perceived as just another exercise in superficial identity formation.” [2] In other words, adopting the Jesus brand without actively following Jesus. Or, promoting Jesus without actually proclaiming Him in all areas of life.
Many of us search for a new reality to catch up to that one experience we had. Instead, we need to flip that script, there is a new reality to which our everyday experience must catch up. We access that new reality—the new person, the new family, the new mission through Jesus.
I urge that
- you all say the same thing,
- that is, that there be no divisions among you,
- rather, that you be knit together in the same mind and the same opinion. [3]
Paul writing the letter to the church in Corinth—makes this appeal in light of divisions within the church. Now, when we picture division we can often think of political parties.
A better image might be the plowing of a field. “The best illustration of the present usage is found in the Gospel of John (7:40–43; 9:16; 10:19–21), where various groups are said to have divided opinions about Jesus, meaning they were arguing with one another as to his significance. Thus Paul does not refer to distinctly formed groups or “parties” here, but to divided opinions over their various leaders, which according to two sentences (vv. 11 and 3:3) have developed into jealousy and quarrels.” [4] Paul desires them to actually be unified through forgiveness. There is a word play here where Paul makes the connection between their relationship and that of mending nets. The same word usage in Mark 1:19, meaning, repair the relationship is also preparation for the real work that needs done.
Go ahead and picture a negotiating table. Every movie you’ve ever seen where it’s once person versus another. They are adversarial. As Paul describes the problem of not living out the implications of the life, death, and coming back to life of Jesus within Corinth, he wants them to shift from adversaries where one must win and the other must lose to partners that sit on the same side of the table and address the problems. [6]
“Although the words “mind” and “opinion” (NIV “thought”) implies that at least they must agree on the fundamental nature of the gospel, as will soon be spelled out in some detail (1:18–3:23), they do not thereby also imply that in the Christian faith unity demands uniformity; the argument for the need for diversity that will come later (in chap. 12). [5]
Paul’s vision is for unity now that will be reflected in eternity. Inversely, the eternal vision will provide concrete guidance for how believers that have been baptized relate to one another. Unity is not society at large. Specifically, Paul desires unity in the church. In pursuit of this, he will absolutely deal with other issues. As he moves toward the heart issue, he begins with the public sayings that have been heard and visible to all.
The default conduct of the church was informed by their context. Corinth was a place where various speakers would come in and teach and share. Just as a drama club director might hold auditions with a clipboard and arms crossed, the Corinthians were used to evaluating leaders and their abilities in the same manner.
Paul identifies this. “Hey, I’ve been informed that you are saying…”I follow _____.” After Paul had left, other teachers who pointed to Jesus, named Apollos and Peter had come through town. Basically, people had become groupies of their favorite teacher. It’s led to quarrels and fighting. In this context, the body of Christ appears divided. They are spending time talking about their favorite preacher than talking about Jesus. Further, this was already common in the public square. How you about who you follow is vastly important.
It’s one thing to think about another story and context, but it’s more difficult for our own. We have people who have come from different churches. As we continue to move toward being established in this community, we must fight against cliques for how we identify people, such as naming Body of Christ, or the Branch, etc.
While I hope people come to see themselves as less where they have left but instead be positively identified as where we are going. We are a church that desires God’s family to be expanded. We want people to trust and follow Jesus. We want people to live by the Scriptures and Spirit. It’s the old adage, “Be known what you are for, rather than what you are against.”
The scorecard or rubric was informed by the context. Rather, their posture should be formed by Christ. Almost as if in passing, Paul alludes to one factor which should change the scorecard—their baptism.
They were baptized. I should pause here. You do not need to be baptized to begin exploring faith or applying the teachings of Jesus. However, baptism publicly declares a person to be in the family, a theme Paul will develop later in his letter. It’s in the allusion to baptism that Paul is addressing different motivations for baptism.
Some of when you think of baptism:
- Assurance
- Performative
- It enters me into this church
- It has to be done by a specific person for it to count.
“Nonetheless, it is possible—probable, it would seem to me—that “who baptized whom” had a role in their divisions. Thus Paul does indeed separate the act of baptizing from the proclamation of the gospel, a fact that must also be taken into account as part of his understanding of baptism. It also seems clear from this passage that Paul does not understand baptism to effect salvation. The preaching of the cross does that—when of course it is accompanied by the effectual work of the Spirit. But it would be quite wrong to go on, as some do, and say that baptism is a purely secondary matter. Surely Paul would not have so understood it. For him baptism comes after the hearing of the gospel, but it does so as the God-ordained mode of faith’s response to the gospel.” [7]
Paul is saying what’s more important is the message that led you to get baptized in the first place. In this letter, it’s like, of course, you’ll get baptized as a response to hearing what Jesus has done for you on the cross.
The second factor was Paul’s call and medium of sharing the gospel. “How Paul shared this message mattered. “But here the contrast, which begins as though it might be similar to the one that follows (2:1–5; cf. 1 Thess. 1:5), makes a surprising turn toward the content of the preaching, not its manner or effect. In so doing Paul also sets up the powerful cadences that follow, a fact that is blurred in most English translations. “Christ sent me to preach,” he says, “not wisdom characterized by logos.” But there is another logos, he will go on to argue (v. 18)—the logos of the cross, which is foolishness to the perishing, who are doing so precisely because they think existence is predicated on wisdom. Thus he concludes his sentence, “so that the cross of Christ not be emptied of its power.” [8]
“Paul insists that to preach the gospel with wisdom and eloquence, in the first sense of sophisticated, impressive rhetoric, would be to empty the cross of Christ of its power. The cross of Christ here does not just refer to the crucifixion of Christ but is Paul’s shorthand for all that the death of Jesus accomplishes.” [9]
There was a Sophist strategy that was visual, manipulative, rather than containing content. In the sports world, it’s what’s known as Coach Speak.
Again, clipboard posture, well, Paul isn’t like _______ [fill in the blank]. Clearly, he doesn’t get it. Paul is addressing these issues in order to peel back the layers and expose their true values. Paul’s effort isn’t “eyes on me, rather eyes on thee [being Jesus].” The medium in saying the message must match the message itself. Meaning, clear engaging relevant speech is good. Manipulation of people with words is not.
Take for example the classic Hells Flames, Heavens Gates. The idea was to scare people into saying yes to Jesus. It comes out in tactics through sayings such as, “If you died tonight, do you know where you’d go?” These tactics scares, guilts, and shames people into fire insurance. The way the spiritual war is won in our world is not through the weaponization of shame, guilt, and fear, but through the upside-down weapon of the cross. We must resist the urge to manipulate people. The medium must match the message in a world of branding.
Alan Noble says this in Disruptive Witness, “No matter how confident we modern people are in our worldview, we are always aware of the alternatives. As a result, we become increasingly concerned with signaling our beliefs…meaning, our focus shifts away from actually practicing our beliefs to signaling our beliefs to ourselves and others.” [10]
So, when you feel tempted to signal–journey inward. Create moments where the divine can intervene. Peel back the layers in your own life. Simple thing. In the gaps of your day, look around rather than look down.
The church is not a popularity contest. The church is not a brand. The church is a community centered around Jesus. [11] From Jesus branding to belonging and becoming like Jesus.
1 https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/hows-your-brand/
2 Noble, Alan. Disruptive Witness. pp. 25
3 Fee, Gordon D.. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Revised Edition (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (p. 54). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
4 Fee, Gordon D.. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Revised Edition (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (pp. 54-55). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
5 Fee, Gordon D.. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Revised Edition (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (p. 54). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
6 See “Getting to Yes.”
7 Fee, Gordon D.. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Revised Edition (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (p. 66). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
8 Fee, Gordon D.. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Revised Edition (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (p. 68). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
9 CIAMPA, ROY E; ROSNER, BRIAN S. The First Letter to the Corinthians (Pillar New Testament Commentary) (p. 87). IVP. Kindle Edition.
10 Disruptive Witness. pp. 43
11 Bible Project Video on 1 Corinthians