“Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.”
2 Corinthians 8:7-8 NLT
From all accounts, and regardless of the issues Paul raised, this was a very gifted church in Corinth. The believers there were blessed in so many ways. But Paul was introducing them to some harder challenges that would test them a bit. What about your giving? he asked. Paul effectively asked, “Do you really love the Christians in other places who perhaps are not as financially blessed as you are?” Such questions often expose the love and commitment that believers have, and even today, some churches collapse because the congregation is either unwilling or unable to support the work.
The church in Jerusalem was struggling financially, as we read in Acts 11:27-30, “During this time, some prophets travelled from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem”. As far as the timeline of events goes, Claudius reigned from 41 to 54 AD. Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians around 56 AD, so the Judean believers must still have been in difficult times and desperately needed assistance.
The believers in Corinth excelled in their faith, Paul wrote. When we think about our faith, we consider it as a name for our Christianity, in the context that it is the one faith amongst many. Our current King, Charles III, holds the traditional title of Defender of the Faith as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, but he has expressed a desire to be a “defender of faith” (or “all faiths”), acting as a protector for all religions in a multicultural Britain. While he retains the traditional, formal title, he has emphasised a broader, more inclusive approach to religious diversity, which was reflected in his coronation ceremony. Sad, really, because his mother was definitely a defender of the one true faith.
We pilgrims also think of “faith” in the Hebrews 11:1 context, which starts, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see”. In this context, faith is perhaps more objective and far enough away not to bother us too much. But further down in Hebrews 11 we read verse 6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him”. Such a faith is more immediate and personal and is a reflection on how we live our Christian lives. The question is, “How does our faith in God impact our daily lives?” Do we attend church on a Sunday, and yet fail to uphold Godly principles in the office on a Monday morning? Or do we fall apart when a problem arises and our faith is then soon forgotten? Excelling in faith means consistently growing beyond basic belief into an overflowing, active, and Christlike life, characterised by deepened love, knowledge, and dedication rather than complacency. So we diligently seek to glorify God in all that we are and do, acting in ways that demonstrate our faith. Most of the time, we are not talking about a faith like Noah’s, a big faith that persevered for a hundred years, building a boat large enough to take all the animals. Or a faith like Abraham’s. Romans 4:3, “For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith””. Our personal faith is worked out in our day to day lives, as we journey on to glory, meeting the problems, troubles and challenges that all people experience, but applying our faith-filled lives with a Godly faith.
Paul also commended the Corinthians for their gifted speakers. These were not just the up-front preachers, but all the believers, as they spoke out their wisdom, knowledge and prophetic words, all for the edification of the church. This was a thriving fellowship devoted to growing in numbers and their faith, and they applied themselves enthusiastically to living their lives together. Don’t forget, this was a church at the cutting edge of Christianity in a hostile world, and they needed all the faith and other resources that they could muster. Paul and his colleagues loved them dearly, and I’m sure did their best to encourage them in their lives as believers.
What do we pilgrims excel at? The fact that we are here so far along the trail is a testimony to our growing faiths. We have been Christians for varying lengths of time, and we will all have been facing a unique series of events as we go about our daily lives. School and further education, the workplace, family matters like marrying and having children, and then on to retirement and a new twilight season with perhaps some health challenges. But these are generalities which we will encounter, but within them, there are the hard times when our faith is really tested. It may have already been tested severely, but in it all, we are overcomers. That is where our faiths excel.
Paul wrote to the Roman believers, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? … No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us”(Romans 8: 35, 37). We pilgrims see beyond the short-term troubles to the time when we will give God the Glory He deserves, to the time when He will reward us for our faith. Our faith connects us with the Source of all that we need to be overcomers in a world that seems to lurch from one disaster to the next, disasters driven by sin and wickedness. Jesus said, “ … Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). Our faith is taking us on an exciting journey, and the Corinthian believers seemingly were excelling in walking by faith through the difficulties of their times. Are we as well?
Dear Father God. You are the Source of all our faith, and nothing will separate us from Your love. We thank You for Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, and we praise You today. Please help us in our walk of faith, as You have done on so many occasions. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 