What Paul Didn’t Do

Though such doesn’t keep us from our appointed camps, we are well aware of the plain teaching Paul gives to the Corinthian church about party loyalties. It demonstrates our pride when we declare “I am of Paul” or “I am of Apollos.” Mentioning within a crowd of ten evangelicals that you are a Calvinist is generally sure to give rise to the gentle rebuke from someone, “I’m not a Calvinist or an Arminian. I’m a biblical Christian.” Point well taken. Yeah and amen.

The other side has a point as well. There’s not a thing wrong with short cuts to describe distinctions among believers. To be a Calvinist isn’t to believe Calvin was right about everything, much less that his thought is on par with the Bible. It simply means to believe in the five points of Calvinism which existed as biblical convictions long before he was born and were formulated into the acrostic TULIP well after he was dead.

In addition to being a Calvinist, and one not fearful to affirm such, I’m also a “Missed an important part of Paul’s point-ist.” It struck me when I came across for the umpteenth time Paul asking the Corinthians this rhetorical question, “Was Paul crucified for you?” (I Corinthians 1:13). The issue with the Corinthians wasn’t simply too high a view of their theological heroes, but too low a view of Jesus.

I don’t know what if any distinctions there might have been among Peter, Paul and Apollos in their thinking. I know even less about any distinctions in their communication styles. I do know, however, that whatever differences there might have been, they pale into utter insignificance in comparison to the work of Christ for us. He was crucified for me. The zeal, the passion, the joy, the loyalty, the gob-smacked shock over what Jesus has done for me should leave no room for anything petty and small. Was Calvin crucified for me? Was Whitefield? Edwards? Luther? Sproul? Machen? Ferguson?

Not only is the answer to each a resounding no, not only is Jesus the only one who was crucified for me, He was also crucified for Calvin, Whitefield, Edwards, Luther, Sproul, Machen and Ferguson. It’s not just that our theological heroes all fall short of Jesus, but that each one of them needs Jesus. And Jesus needs me not in the least. That is, He didn’t have to go to the cross. He didn’t have to remain silent. He could have called an innumerable company of angels to remove Him from the tree. He could have refused the cup and given it to me, who earned it.

So yeah, let’s drop our heads in shame over the folly of Corinth that still infects us and the rest of the church. Guilty as charged. Let us also, however, move quickly to the joyous truth that Jesus was in fact crucified for us. And in His resurrection, we are innocent as declared. It’s Jesus. He is more than enough.