Defining Reality by Giving Thanks

Scripture — 1 Corinthians 1:4–9 (NRSV)

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Devotion

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church reveals a community struggling in its life together. Divisions and factions have infected the Corinthian body like a disease and, as is often the case, those who are most vulnerable pay the price—such as the poor who leave communal worship gatherings hungry (11:21)!

What I find amazing is how, in the midst of such communal turmoil, Paul chooses to begin the letter with a prayer of gratitude. One would think Paul had the right to come out of the gates swinging, immediately calling out the various sins of certain community members and calling for their reform. One could even argue that to waste any time not addressing these serious issues is irresponsible. People are hurting and real damage is being done; reformation needs to happen now! But Paul seems to think differently, offering a prayer of thanksgiving for this community before beginning to address the problems that plague its life.

Max De Pree’s oft-quoted definition of an artful leader goes like this: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you” (Leadership Is an Art). It seems to me that Paul’s opening prayer of thanksgiving brings these tasks together, defining the reality of the situation for himself and the Corinthian community in his act of saying thank you for what God has done and will do among them. How exactly does Paul do this?

First, Paul reminds them that God’s work holds their life together. God has called them into the fellowship of the Son, God is the one who has given grace to them, and it is God’s work through Christ that will sustain them until Christ’s return. Paul’s words not only reframe the desire of some Corinthians to view their gifts and status as deriving from themselves, but they also appropriately contextualize Paul’s own apostolic work with the Corinthians. Throughout the letter, Paul will emphasize his authority and role in fathering the community (4:15). But in light of Paul’s thanksgiving, it is clear that the work ultimately belongs to God. God has been working before Paul and will continue to work after Paul.

Second, Paul names the very issues that are currently tearing the community apart as gifts from God. In the prayer, Paul names speech (logos) and knowledge (gnosis) as gifts (charisma) with which God has enriched their life. But as becomes clear, these gifts are being used incorrectly. Certain people are using the gift of ecstatic speech to create confusion among the congregation and as a tool to garner more social status (chapters 12–14). Additionally, certain members wield their knowledge of food in a manner that destroys the conscience of other community members (chapters 8–10). Given how these gifts are being misused, it would be tempting to claim that speech and knowledge are not gifts or that these Corinthians do not in fact possess them. Instead, Paul appropriately identifies them as gifts even as he works to reorient how these gifts are received and used.

Paul engages this work of reorientation by, third, grounding their life of fellowship and the gifts they have received in Christ. Paul refers to Jesus in every verse of this thanksgiving, a total of seven times across two sentences in Greek. The Corinthians have been given grace in Christ Jesus, been enriched in every way in him, the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among them, and they await the revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ. If God’s work in the world frames the life of the Corinthians, Jesus is the foundation and source of their life.

In the opening of this letter, Paul uses the practice of prayer to define reality for those entrusted to his care, offering genuine thanks for how God has worked through Christ for a community in the midst of turmoil. Instead of immediately calling out the peoples’ sin and offering correction, he reminds the community that God’s activity holds the drama of their life, that the community does indeed possess certain gifts from God even if they are being used incorrectly, and that the Lord Jesus Christ is the source of their life and future.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Spiritual Resources Available (1 Corinthians 1:4–9).