When hubby and I moved into our home in the forest we didn’t know anything about caring for a forest piece of property. I automatically assumed that any plant which had thorns or prickles was a “nasty blackberry.” Therefore, I spent the next several years aggressively pulling up and digging up by the roots any plant I deemed to be a “nasty blackberry.”
Then hubby and I took a forestry class.
I was shocked to discover that the upright woody shrub, with small prickles along its stem, was actually a Salmonberry plant. It was native to the Pacific Northwest … and it was very beneficial to the forest. I had no idea!
Furthermore, I was surprised to learn that the Pacific Northwest has its own native trailing blackberry … a shoelace blackberry which sends out long thin “shoelace-type” runners which spread like a carpet all across the forest floor grabbing your ankles and trying to continually trip you as you walk through the forest. Trailing “shoelace” blackberries are a native plant … and are very beneficial to the forest. I had no idea!
Our forestry professor taught us how to differentiate between the native “shoelace” blackberries and the invasive Himalayan blackberries. The invasive Himalayan blackberries send out runners also which spread everywhere, but they do not stay contained to low-lying surfaces (such as the forest floor). No … they climb and reach upwards, with their stems continually growing larger and more woody … and they develop large sharp thorns!
As they age, the older, large woody stems of the Himalayan blackberries die off, becoming a woody “scaffolding” (of sorts) upon which the new growth climbs to even greater heights and spreads even further. Eventually, Himalayan blackberries will overrun everything! They will swallow up the forest in a dense, thorny, mass of unsightliness.
As you can see here, Himalayan blackberry stems are purplish in color, with sharp thorns.
But not always. The older the stem is, the more purple in color it becomes. Younger stems are green.
Himalayan blackberry leaves grow in clusters of 5.
But not always. The older the leaves are, the more distinct the 5 leaves are. Younger leaves grow in clusters of 3. (“camouflaging” and pretending to be the real thing … when in reality just a “counterfeit”)
Here’s another example of the 3-leaf cluster. Pretending to be the real thing … but the purple woody thorny stem gives it away as an invasive plant!
As the leaves age, they slowly morph into a 5-leaf cluster.
As brand-new forest property owners, hubby and I simply didn’t know. We didn’t know there were “good” native plants which were beneficial, and “bad” invasive plants which would destroy our forest. We simply didn’t know.
This right here is the way the people in the brand-new church at Corinth were. They simply didn’t know. The people in Corinth were brand-new Christians. Most of them had come from backgrounds of paganism. They had grown up in a society and a culture of temples and the worship of gods and goddesses.
The people of Corinth were living in a city which was famous for its Temple of Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty), well-known for its worship led by hundreds of priestess prostitutes.
So, when the Apostle Paul came to the city of Corinth preaching the good news about Jesus Christ, this was as brand-new for these people as owning a forest piece of property was brand-new for hubby and me.
Many of the people in Corinth repented of their sin, and turned to follow Jesus Christ as the one true Son of God and Savior of the world.
But they didn’t know how to follow God in a life of holiness. They simply didn’t know.
The letter of 1 Corinthians (in our Bible) is Paul’s instructions to these brand-new Christians, teaching them how to follow God in a life of holiness. In a sense, this letter is like mine and hubby’s forestry professor explaining to us how to identify invasive Himalayan blackberry plants, whose presence is destructive to our forest. These invasive plants need to be removed. We need to know how to identify them … and we need to get rid of them!
Spiritually speaking, this is the letter of 1 Corinthians.
The Himalayan blackberry is a deceptive “counterfeit” of the native “shoelace” blackberry. The native “shoelace” blackberry has 3-leaf clusters. But … so does the invasive “counterfeit.”
The native “shoelace” blackberry sends out trailing runners. But … so does the invasive “counterfeit.”
How do we know the difference??
Similarly, how were the people of Corinth to know the difference between what was “good” for living a life of holiness and what was “counterfeit” and destructive??
Hubby and I were instructed – by our forestry professor. And so too, the people of Corinth were instructed – by Paul in the letter of 1 Corinthians.
Here you can see the 3-leaf cluster of the native “shoelace” blackberries. The shape of the individual leaves is slightly different from the “counterfeit.” The texture of the leaves is slightly different from the “counterfeit.”
When you become familiar with what the “good” is … then it will be obvious what the “counterfeit” is.
But sometimes the “counterfeit” can be very deceptively convincing! How can you tell then??
Look at the stems. The stems of native “shoelace” blackberries are consistently a “shoelace” thickness. They never get larger than the size of shoelaces.
Whereas the stems of the invasive “counterfeit” grow larger and larger. The stems of the invasive “counterfeit” change colors from pale green, to dark green, to purple. The stems of the invasive “counterfeit” are covered in large thorns. The stems of the invasive “counterfeit” are ribbed and “boxy” … rather than smooth and “shoelace-like.”
This right here is what the letter of 1 Corinthians is. Paul’s letter of 1 Corinthians is instruction teaching the people how to distinguish between what is spiritually good & beneficial … and what is spiritually “counterfeit.” The people of Corinth simply didn’t know. They needed instruction.
What does unity vs division in the church look like?? How do we know what to stay united over … and what to divide over?? The people of Corinth simply didn’t know. Paul instructed them on such matters in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, and also chapter 3.
What about sexuality?? The people of Corinth had a lot of confusion about sexuality. They simply didn’t know.
Paul instructed them about what is “counterfeit & invasive” in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 – sexual immorality within the church, among those who claim to be Christians is very wrong! It is sin. It needs to be removed! Like the Himalayan blackberries in the forest, if not removed the sexual sin will spread and overrun everything! Get rid of it!
Here you can see the Himalayan blackberries have completely grown over and choked out a lovely rhododendron which hubby and I planted several years ago. You can’t even see the rhodie … at all. You can’t see the beautiful, variegated leaves. There’s not a chance for pretty purple blooms. It’s choked out and buried underneath the spreading mass of the aggressive invasive.
This is what it looks like when sexual immorality in the church is left unchecked. It completely chokes out the beauty God planted. There’s not a chance for blooms. It’s choked out and buried underneath the spreading mass of the aggressive, invasive sin problem.
The society and culture of Corinth was one in which sexual promiscuity with each other was perfectly acceptable and common. Furthermore, spending time with prostitutes was totally acceptable and common. Paul instructs them: “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:13
Paul gives urgent warning: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside their body, but the one who sins sexually sins against their own body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:18
Naturally, the people of Corinth were wondering: “If sexual relations are ‘sinful’ then should we just not get married at all??” (similar to when I first moved to the forest and began pulling up anything and everything that had prickles or thorns) With so much sexual promiscuity acceptable and normal in their society, the people of Corinth simply didn’t know what was “good” and what was “bad”??
Paul addresses their questions in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 – instructing about marriage and healthy godly sexuality within marriage. This chapter is Paul teaching the Christians to identify and distinguish the differences … much like identifying and distinguishing the differences between the beneficial “shoelace” blackberry and the invasive “counterfeit” Himalayan blackberry. Healthy godly sexuality within marriage is good … and this is what it looks like.
On the converse, any sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage is sin. This is destructive. Get rid of it.
The letter of 1 Corinthians continues with instructions about whether or not to eat food sacrificed to idols. Many of the brand-new Christians in the church of Corinth had come from backgrounds of idol worship. They needed instruction to be able to identify and distinguish between what is godly, and what is not. Because they simply didn’t know.
This is 1 Corinthians chapter 8, and 10:23- 11:1
What about observing the Lord’s Supper (remembering Jesus’s death & resurrection)?? How should it be observed?? As stated above, their background was one of participating in the revelry of idol festivals in worship to the gods. What does it look like to observe the Lord’s Supper?? The people of Corinth didn’t know. They needed instruction to be able to distinguish the differences between what is godly and what is not.
This is 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, and 11:17-34
What about the way in which worship should be conducted in the church?? What about spiritual gifts?? The people of Corinth didn’t know. They needed instruction – just like mine and hubby’s forestry professor instructed us how to distinguish what is “good” and what is “counterfeit.”
This is 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, and chapters 12 & 14.
We now live 2,000 years removed from the people of ancient Corinth. Yet nothing really has changed. We are the same.
Our society and culture today are no different. Everyone is living together and sleeping with each other … being sexually promiscuous is totally acceptable and normal. People have no idea there is anything wrong with this behavior. They simply don’t know.
God chose to include the letter of 1 Corinthians in our Bible so that we could have instruction. Just like hubby and I received instruction for how to tell the difference between the beneficial “good” blackberries and the destructive invasive Himalayan blackberries … so also, the letter of 1 Corinthians offers instruction for Jesus-followers to learn how to spiritually identify things in our life which are “invasive” and will destroy our life, vs those which are beneficial to the “forest” of our soul.
