Someone had surgery yesterday. Hubby has just now left to go down to the hospital to bring said someone back home.
Something was not working in the body.
A skilled surgeon needed to take a surgical scalpel and do some cutting to correct and mend what was broken in the body.
As I have been thinking about the brand-new Christians living in the city of Corinth, many of them were saved out of a society and a lifestyle of immorality. The acropolis overshadowing the city of Corinth was the location of the Temple of Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty), well-known for its worship led by hundreds of priestess prostitutes.
This was the society of Corinth … this was the accepted, normal lifestyle of the people of Corinth.
In the last blog post I shared about a swanky high-end golf course which has been built high atop an “acropolis” (of sorts) in my own city. This particular property used to be a garbage dump years ago. But one day a wealthy investor decided to purchase the entire top of the hill (which was nothing but a garbage dump) … and develop it into something beautiful!
In the same way, this exact same type of thing was happening spiritually in the city of Corinth.
Jesus paid the price to purchase and redeem all people from the “garbage” of their sin. And Jesus is actively at work to make something beautiful out of his redeemed people.
In the case of the swanky high-end golf course high atop the “acropolis” in my own city, a lot of excavation needed to take place to turn the garbage dump into something beautiful.
So also, in the same way, “a lot of excavation” (so to speak) needed to take place in the lives of the brand-new Christians of Corinth, as Jesus was developing them into something beautiful.
Or, in the context of surgery … a “skilled surgeon” (so to speak) – this would be the Apostle Paul – needed to take a “surgical scalpel” (this would be the Word of God) and do some “cutting” in order to correct and mend what was not working correctly in the body of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians, chapter 5 we see Paul doing some surgical “cutting” concerning issues of immorality which were causing terrible unwellness in the body of Christ.
Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 6:13-18 Paul continues with the “surgical scalpel” doing some “surgical cutting” – “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:13
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!” – 1 Corinthians 6:15
“Flee sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:18
Jesus will take us no matter who we are, no matter where we are at, no matter what we have done. Jesus gave his life and died to pay the price to purchase and redeem us out of the “garbage” of our sin. Jesus offers redemption to everyone!
Jesus will take us right where we are at … but Jesus won’t leave us there.
Jesus will get to work right away doing “excavation” work in our soul.
Jesus will get to work with the “scalpel” of the Word of God to convict us of sin in our life which needs to go. Jesus will use our pastor, as a “skilled surgeon” to do some “cutting” with the “scalpel” of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will convict us, doing some “cutting” with the “scalpel” of the Word of God.
Surgery will take place in our soul!
Surgery which is “cutting” and “removing” things which are broken and unwell in the body so that we can become spiritually healthy … and strong in our faith … and flourishing.
