The Grace to Lose

It doesn't take long to figure out that Paul is dealing with some major issues in the Corinthian Church. It seems as though there is division on every level. They were divided over who to follow. Divided over the gifts they carried. Divided over how to handle conflict. This letter is strong but full of love and compassion for the people. Even though there are these major issues, this letter is probably contains some of the most quoted verses. The verse I want to share with you today, however, is not one of them. In fact, I wonder how many people actually know these verses exist.

Every Friday night, our High School football team repeats a prayer. In that prayer they actually recite these words: "If we should lose, let us stand by the road and cheer as the winners go by." I don't know of anyone who actually means these words. However, it is still part of the prayer. A recognition that in the game of football there are winners and losers. We don't always play our best game. We don't always pull it out in the end. Sometimes it just doesn't come together. Winning is the ultimate goal. We pray about that as well. But here in these words we discover the right way to handle loss. A humility that is willing to recognize the accomplishment of another. Believe it or not, there is GRACE to lose.

In Chapter 6 of this letter, Paul is condemning the actions of the people. They had started taking one another to court rather than handle things themselves. He even asks if there is not an elder among them that could settle the matters they are facing. Verse 7 really highlights the difficulty we face in many of our relationships. An unwillingness on our part to give up, to give in, and to allow others to be the winner.
"Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?"
Let me ask you: How often do you quote this verse? How rare is the humility to allow others to think what they will, say what they will say, and allow yourself to be done wrong? If we are honest, most of us fight. We argue. We try to validate ourselves. We don't stand for accusation and we do not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of. While I haven't seen a lot of believers take one another to an actual court, I have witnessed this need to be justified play out over and over again. What we don't realize is that when we accuse an accuser that we are operating in the same spirit. And it is one thing to be accused and quite another to take the role of the accuser. You might remember that the enemy is referred to as THE ACCUSER in Scripture. Something to think about.

I understand that this is a difficult thing to talk about. We weren't raised to be doormats. We were not brought up with the idea of giving up a fight. However, it seems that what Paul is teaching the people is that there are some fights that are not worth winning. Especially when they put the Church is such a bad light. How often do we think about that? How often do people actually consider that there actions are a reflection of the Lord to the world. Good or bad. If that is the case, and it is, then it might be time for us to lay down our arms.

Jesus stood before His accusers and was silent. Oh the grace to keep my mouth shut!
He didn't argue. He didn't fight for His life. He barely even answered their questions. He knew who He was. To fight and to argue would have only complicated the matter. He knew where He was going. He kept silent in the face of persecution, knowing that the Cross was to follow. And maybe that is the thing that we have to understand. That in the end He knew that His Father would validate Him. That there comes a time where you don't fight for what is rightfully yours but that you trust in who the Father is for you. That you believe in the face of horrible circumstances that He will work all things for good. Even the loss of possessions, reputation, or stature. How you and I handle these moments actually says a lot about who we are in Him. Paul's advice? Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

Not only is there grace to keep my mouth shut, but there is grace to know my identity in the face of false accusations. There is a grace to lose whatever I have to lose and still come out on the other side victorious. I realize that we have no idea what these people were going to court over. The letter doesn't go into detail about that. However, there is enough detail to know that the way they were fighting was wrong. That they hadn't learned how to govern themselves. Which is probably the greatest tragedy in all of this. Paul speaks this to their shame, and is a reminder to us that as believers we have an incredible amount of authority among one another. We have to trust in the judgement of the elders among us. Believing that they have the grace to carry out justice. In all honesty I believe that Paul was saying that if you are not willing to handle this within the Body then you should just give up whatever you need to give up. And if the outcome isn't what you would like then you need to trust those who are over you.

What a lesson for the church of today. Many of our churches are set up with a democratic government. Majority rules is the status quo. And while most people sign up for this type of structure, I'm amazed at how many people abandon a family because they did not like the decision of the majority. I'm not saying that this is the best style of church government, I'm just stating that there is an issue when we take our toys and go home. Does this not demonstrate how immature many adults have become? What do we think this says to the world? Forget our validations for just a moment and consider what damage we have done to the Kingdom. The admonishment of Paul still stands. Which is, in essence, why not allow another to win.

Peter told the church to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. Then he followed it up with this brilliant line: "He will exalt you in due time." I realize that this goes against everything that we have been taught in a democratic western society, but the church was never meant to be governed this way. We were never meant to treat one another in this fashion. His love among us speaks a different language, and His grace within us looks very very different. I know this isn't a popular topic. I know that most people want to know about the grace to win. I understand. But there are times when we need to learn how to lose. When we have to learn to not validate ourselves. To trust that you can be right while being wronged and the Lord knows all about it. How we carry ourselves will make all the difference. In fact, you can WIN while losing. Grace will teach you.