“I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me.”
1 Corinthians 4:14-16 NLT
Is Paul on an ego trip here? He was claiming to be the Corinthians’ “spiritual father” because it was he who brought the Gospel to Corinth and started a church there. Other men (and presumably at some point women), may have taught them about Christ, but Paul reminded them that he was the one who started it all. Paul was, however, only doing what Jesus had asked of all of us – “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Even though Paul would not have heard Jesus’ words at the same time as the rest of the disciples, he had a personal revelation of Jesus, and he also spent time with the other Apostles and early disciples, learning what he could. But why did Paul have to remind all the Corinthians of his pedigree? It was because they had moved into error by neglecting their own missions, and they were squabbling over who was the best teacher.
The use of the word “father” can be a bit contentious in a religious sense because Jesus explicitly told His disciples, and by implication us as well, never to give anyone such a title. As recorded in Matthew 23:9, Jesus said, “And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father“. But there are references in the New Testament to the Apostles having spiritual children. Peter made such a reference about Mark in 1 Peter 5:13, “Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark“. We know enough about Mark to know that he wasn’t naturally related to Peter, so the reference must have been spiritual. And of course we have the reference to Timothy being Paul’s son “in the faith” – “I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace” (1 Timothy 1:2). And another Apostle, this time John, referred to the church he founded as his “children” – “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous” (1 John 2:1). But in all these cases, there is never a reference to anyone in the congregations calling their mentors “father”.
The references to parents and children may seem a bit strange until we understand that there is a birthing process in operation. Jesus clearly spelt this out in John 3:5-7, “Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again’”. I suppose it must be a natural conclusion because just as a physical birth resulted from a mother and a father, there is an analogy that a spiritual birth also has a parent. Perhaps we can also extend the analogy to include a “foster parent”, a man or woman who nurtures the young disciples through their early years in the faith. The whole principle of Christian discipleship involves a parent/child spiritual relationship, and the new disciples grow up in the faith and have their own “children” as well, thus fulfilling Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” everywhere. And of course, we are aware that the ultimate “parent” is God Himself,
A few years ago, I thought much about my spiritual parents, several men and women who, at various stages in my spiritual life, brought instruction and assistance. Their’s was a solid grounding for me, and I have had the opportunity to thank each one personally for their persistence and patience in keeping me on the “straight and narrow” pathway . Sadly, three wonderful parents are dead now, but their legacy – for me and others – still lives on. Being a parent can be a thankless task sometimes, as any natural parent will testify, but we are all spiritual parents in one degree or another to the “children” we encounter.
We mustn’t forget the role of spiritual siblings, our brothers and sisters in Christ. For their benefit, we have all been provided with a spiritual gift designed to build each other up in the faith. 1 Corinthians 12:4, 7, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. … A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other”. Note that all Christians are provided with such a gift, and any believer who may be unsure should seek God through prayer to determine what their gift is.
It is sad that in society today, being “born again” has such negative connotations, but it is an essential part of entering the Christian life. Being “born again” will divide cultural Christians from true Christians. Cultural Christians are those who want to live a good life (commendable, of course) but without the relational connection with God. Yes, they may go through the motions, singing the hymns and saying the prayers, but they have never come to that point where they submit to Christ through true repentance, trusting God for their future and handing their lives over to Him, and in the process being birthed through the Holy Spirit. The devil hates “born-again” Christians because he knows he has no jurisdiction over them, but there is no other way for a believer to start his or her walk of faith. We who are “born again” must never forget and respect our “spiritual fathers“, thanking them through Jesus for their faithfulness and love, teaching and spiritual nurturing.
Dear Father God. Thank You for the spiritual birthing process, because without it there was no way we could enter Your Kingdom. We pray too that You reveal to us clearly what Your gift is for us, so that we can benefit those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 