Editorial – “Decently and in order”

Paul writes to the Corinthians that “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints… Wherefore… Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:33,39,40, KJV).

Or, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace… in all the congregations of the saints… Therefore… everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (NIV).

Confusion and disorder

In Corinth — as the context suggests — there was confusion and disorder, mani­festing itself in the conduct of some believers…

  1. “exercising their freedoms”, no matter the effect on others (1 Cor. 8:7-13);
  2. indulging in idolatry and sexual immorality (10:7,8,14);
  3. “pushing the limits” (10:9);
  4. grumbling against God’s appointed leaders (10:10);
  5. switching back and forth between two “worlds” (10:14-22);
  6. emphasizing, at every opportunity, what is “permissible” — to the downgrad­ing of what is “beneficial” and “constructive” (10:23);
  7. being “contentious” about brothers’ and sisters’ respective hair lengths and head coverings (11:1-16);
  8. exhibiting gluttony and drunkenness at the memorial meetings (11:17-22);
  9. expressing to other members of the One Body, by action or even words, that “we are independent”, or “we don’t need you!” (ch. 12); and
  10. exercising their special “gifts” whenever they please — even if disruptive of routine or inappropriate or unedifying to others (ch. 14).

It is this last item that leads, most directly, to Paul’s command that everything be done in a fitting and orderly way (14:40). But it may be seen that the first nine items are of one piece with the tenth item. They all have to do with selfishness, indulgence, and independence. And they all seemingly ignore Paul’s exhortations to build up the One Body in love.

Peace and order

“Peace” and “a fitting and orderly way” (the KJV’s “decently and in order”) can seem so vague, so general. It’s all too easy to make light of the very words them­selves, or the brothers and sisters who cite them: “They’re so old-fashioned!” “A narrow-minded conservatism, and a pointless dependence on tradition!” “I feel so much more spiritual with new and lively music!” “We need changes that appeal to young people today!” “We should be free to express our own feelings!” “God doesn’t care about outward appearance — only the heart!”

Therefore it may help to go over the list above, and to consider the opposites of what is listed there. Since those are the manifestations of confusion and disorder, then their opposites ought to be the manifestations of peace and order:

  1. being careful not to use one’s freedom in such a way that it becomes a “stumbling block” to others (1 Cor. 8:9);
  2. “fleeing from idolatry” and immorality (10:14);
  3. being mature enough to refrain from ‘testing the limits’ — or ‘pushing the envelope’ — just to prove your point (10:9);
  4. accepting the wishes — even the ‘rules’ — of ecclesial elders without whin­ing or complaining (10:10);
  5. staying as far away as possible from a worldly lifestyle (10:14-22);
  6. always thinking first of what is “beneficial” and “constructive” for one’s brothers and sisters (10:23);
  7. holding to the “teachings” (NIV), “ordinances” (KJV) — and, yes, even the “traditions” (NIV margin) — that have been passed along from older believers (11:2);
  8. “waiting for each other” (11:33); i.e., curbing one’s own indulgences and sharing generously with all others;
  9. realizing that every member of the One Body has worth, and that we all need one another, and should care for one another (especially those who are “weak”); and
  10. behaving like adults (14:20), “weighing carefully what is said” before speak­ing (v. 29), and “keeping quiet” so as to “speak to [oneself] and to God” (v. 28) (the last of these, says Paul, being especially applicable to women: v. 34).

The larger context can only take us so far; then we ought to look closely at the words themselves…

“Fitting”, or “decent”

These are the translations of the Greek “euschemonos” — which denotes “graceful”, or “in a seemly or pleasant manner”. The word literally means “good [eu] form [schema]” — which in itself gives the lie to the idea that “outward appearance means nothing”. The same word occurs in Romans 13:13 (“decently” in NIV, “honestly” in KJV), where it stands in contrast to the shameful Gentile social life of “orgies and drunkenness… immorality and debauchery… dissension and jealousy”.

Just as there is protocol, or ‘good form’, for meeting monarchs and heads of state, or even governmental officials and judges and generals — so there ought to be ‘good form’ for meeting the King and the Judge, and for attending a service in his honor that is equal parts funeral and wedding!

“Orderly”

This word translates the Greek “taxis”, derived from the root “tasso”, which signifies an orderly arrangement. It is used of the fixed succession of the priestly courses in Luke 1:8. There is, in other places, practically a military sense to the word; thus Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 3:6, commands avoidance of every brother who “walks disorderly” and “not after the tradition received from us.” There “disorderly” is the related “ataktous” — demonstrably a military term, signifying to be out of step, to break ranks, or to be insubordinate. The disorderly tendencies of the Thessalonians find a parallel in those of the Corinthians.

More generally, the equivalent Hebrew expressions for “setting in order” describe significant features in the service of God:

(a) Abraham carefully “set in order” the wood on the altar where Isaac was to be sacrificed (Gen. 22:9; cp. Lev. 1:7).

(b) God gave very meticulous directions to Moses to “set in order” the construction of the Tabernacle (Exod. 26:17),   including the “ordering” of the lamp-stands (Exod. 39:37) and the table of the Bread of God’s Presence, and even   the  bread upon it (Exod. 40:4,23; Lev. 24:8). Did it make a difference how this was done? Evidently it did to God!

(c) The pieces of the sacrifices were to be “set in order”, by a very careful, ex­plained-in-advance arrangement (Lev.   1:8,12; 6:12) — not haphazardly tossed on the altar like so much meat on a grill!

(d) On Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah carefully “set the wood in order” for the sacrifice of the bull (1 Kings 18:33).

(e) As late as Hezekiah’s day the temple service — after being ignored for some time — was renewed and “set in       order” again, much to the LORD’s satisfac­tion (2 Chr. 29:35; also cp. Josiah in 2 Chr. 34; 35).

For our purposes it is worth noting that, in the Old Testament, the “setting in order” pertained to the arranging of the lamps, the offering of sacrifices, and the laying out of the holy bread. In our service, this is approximated by the read­ing of the Word of God (“Your word is a lamp… and a light”: Psa. 119:105), and the preparing and partaking of the commemorative bread and the wine! These observations have serious implications for us, in how we ought to approach our Memorial Service.

“The voice speaking to us”

The New Testament concept that in worship all should be done in an orderly and fitting manner (i.e., 1 Cor. 14:40) finds its basis in the Book of Numbers. Notice, in Numbers 7, how the lengthy and repetitive lists of the dedication offerings of the elders of each tribe — exactly the same offerings, presented in exactly the same order, time after time — emphasize the importance and the solemnity of the occasion. Plainly, it could have been done (and described) much more simply. But what a ‘payoff’ there is:

“When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony” (Num. 7:89).

The 88 verses that precede this final verse make Numbers 7, in the opinion of many, the most ‘boring’ chapter in the entire Bible! But notice how this final verse ‘redeems’ all the rest. When all the tribes have meticulously brought all their of­ferings and sacrifices, in perfect order, and when they have all been accounted for and catalogued, carefully and even tediously… only then does the LORD God Almighty speak to Moses from His own special place above the mercy seat. How could a chapter in the Bible qualify for ‘boring’ when it culminates with the voice of God speaking to man? What price would we pay, and what effort would we go to, in order that God would speak directly to us?

But, sadly, we may fritter away all the power, and majesty, and beauty, of our sacrifice and dedication to the LORD God. We may arrive at the Memorial Meet­ing late, tired, distracted, haphazardly dressed, and ill-prepared for our assigned tasks, or even to pray and sing with the entire congregation. Of course we know this is an appointment that we really ought to make — and so we come. But our minds may still be at the ‘unseemly’ places we frequented on Saturday evening (whether physically or merely in our minds), or occupied with plans for meals and activities immediately following the ‘service’, or with upcoming business matters of the following day.

If this is our attitude and our approach, then we may discover that the LORD God — who still sits enthroned above the mercy seat — may not ‘speak’ to us at all in the Memorial Meeting! Is there any greater tragedy?

“What’s love got to do with it?”

We have scanned parts of 1 Corinthians (particularly chapters 8 through 14). What we have left untouched until now is 1 Corinthians 13 (the ‘love chapter’). The question naturally arises, “What does love have to do with decent and orderly worship? Isn’t love by itself enough?”

But a moment’s reflection will show that the ‘love chapter’ is very aptly placed, right in the middle of a whole section about ecclesial order. To Paul, ‘love’ was not just an emotion — it was an action. Not just a noun, but a verb! We don’t just feel ‘love’; we do ‘love’… in our actions, or in our restraint of actions:

  • Problems arose in Corinth with those who desired to do ‘their own thing’, with no regard for the stumbling blocks they might be putting in the way of others. But in the ‘love chapter’, Paul reminds the Corinthians that “love is not proud… and not rude.”
  • Problems arose when some indulged their own appetites. But Paul reminds them that “love is not self-seeking.”
  • Problems arose when some acted as though they did not need anyone else. But Paul said that “love is patient and kind… love does not boast… love pro­tects.”
  • Problems arose when some insisted on acting like children, who must be heard, and who must have their own way. But in the ‘love chapter’ Paul said, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me” (1 Cor. 13:11).

We don’t baptize children; we baptize responsible adults! Worshiping the LORD, and remembering His Son, is not a game for children. Nor is it an arena for self-expression, or an opportunity for self-indulgence. It is the serious calling of adults, who have put away childish things.

John Thomas wrote, “The doctrine Paul taught, and the customs he established, afforded no scope for the gratification of personal ambition and democratic tur­bulence. He required that all things should be done decently and in order: and to the edification, or the building up, of the body of Christ in its most holy faith.”

In the right sort of service, there is more than enough scope for the experiencing.