So that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:7
Our text is a direct reference to the parable told by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 25 of the man who went away leaving each of his servants with a number of talents. In that parable, the servants with five and two talents doubled their investments and were able to deliver a nice profit for their master. The servant with one talent hid it in the ground out of sight, and was condemned for his faithlessness. The parable is particularly applicable to us as Christians, because our Lord has left each of us with assorted capabilities, talents, and aptitudes, and is expecting a fair profit on his investments when He returns. In his reference to that parable, Paul is reminding the Christians in Corinth – and reminding us too – that God has not shorted us when it comes to the gifts we need to carry out our responsibilities as His servants.
Initially, Paul is complimenting the Corinthians for the obviously large amount of gift within their Assembly. He sees nothing lacking in terms of the gifts that an Assembly requires to function. He acknowledges the presence of godly and knowledgeable elders to shepherd the flock. He recognizes the presence of Godly elder sisters capable of serving as examples to the younger women. He notes the presence, and the work, of the deacons, of the teachers, of the Gospel preachers, of the many roles that we see in our Assemblies today. If Paul were to visit one of our Assemblies, he would see the same gifts. But the question is whether he would see those gifts being used in the service of our Lord, or whether those gifts would be lying dormant like the talent of the unprofitable servant.
In our text, Paul gives the key to the effective use of the gifts within a New Testament Assembly: the waiting and watching for the return of our Lord. Maybe that is a large reason for the spiritual laziness that is creeping in among us, where too many of us are all too willing to ‘let George do it’ when it comes to the exercise and the work that is required. We seldom hear much ministry these days on the rapture, on the imminent return of our Lord to take us home. And because we are not often reminded that our Lord is returning, we tend to lose our awareness of it, and tend to let the need to be ready for His return slip. Paul commends the Corinthians for their awareness of their Lord’s coming; would he be able to commend us today for such an awareness?
Like the Corinthians, we have the gifts we need to function as effective individuals and as effective Assemblies. Like the Corinthians, the knowledge that our Lord will soon appear can enable us to keep our gifts in effective operation. -Jim MacIntosh