1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1
I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. – 1 Corinthians 10:33 NLT
The Christian life is a team sport, not an individual event. Yet, many of us, heavily influenced by a society that puts all the emphasis on the individual, have come to believe that everything revolves around us, including the Christian life. But Paul would beg to differ. He had a completely different perspective, and spent a great portion of his correspondence to the believers in the early church trying to convince them that individualism was antithetical to the Christian cause. A big part of the problem that Paul was trying to address concerning meat sacrificed to idols had to do with the selfish and self-centered attitude that was motivating the behavior of some of the Corinthian believers. While the logic behind their argument that they were completely free to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols was true, it still did not give them the freedom to do as they wished. They had to consider the well-being of others. Just because they could eat meat sacrificed to idols with a clear conscience didn't mean that they should.
The response of these individuals had been, "I am allowed to do anything." But Paul reminded them that not everything was good for them or beneficial. He gave them another way of looking at their situation that took the focus off their individual rights and put them on their role within the Body of Christ. "Don't be concerned for your own good but for the good of others" (1 Corinthians 10:23 NLT). In other words, it's wasn't all about them! The universe didn't revolve around them. They were not the center of all things and the sole inhabitant of the planet. In saving them, God had placed them in His family along with other brothers and sisters in Christ for whom they had a responsibility to love and protect.
For Paul, community was everything. Fellowship and loving concern for one another were the foundational principles of faith. Every believer was to live his or her life with a sense of shared responsibility and mutual concern for one another. Individual rights were to take a backseat to the corporate well-being of the flock. That required a daily dying to self and a willing sacrifice of legitimate rights and freedoms – all for the benefit of others. But Paul didn't just write about this, he lived it. "I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved" (1 Corinthians 10:33 NLT). He had adopted this same attitude and lived it out in his daily life. Which is why he could say with a straight face, "you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT).
Paul echoes this theme in his letter to the believers in Philippi. "Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too" (Philippians 2:3-5 NLT). He then went on to describe in great detail the attitude that Christ possessed. He gave up His divine privileges as God, and took on human flesh. He came and served, becoming a slave to all men. He willingly obeyed His Father, even to the point of death – giving His life as a substitute for sinful man. We are to follow His example. We are to live our lives with the same selfless, sacrificial attitude. It isn't all about us. It's about Jesus Christ and His body, the church. It is about the Kingdom of God and His plan for the redemption of the world. It is about the benefit and well-being of the other members of Christ's body for whom I have a responsibility to willingly give up my rights for their good. Loving God and loving others is our call. That requires sacrifice and selflessness. It demands that we have the same attitude or mindset that Christ had – like Paul had.
Father, give us the mind of Christ. Let us see our lives like He did. We need to give up our addiction to individuality and begin to think corporately and communally. Too often, we let our rights become a road block to mutual love and care for the body of Christ. Thanks for reminding me once again that it isn't all about me. Amen.