For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. – 1 Corinthians 14:33
In 1931, architect Alfred M. Butts developed a board game based on anagrams and crossword puzzles. He called it Criss Cross. In 1948, the game was redesigned and renamed by game designer James Brunot who called it Scrabble. Play begins by tossing small wooden pieces with single letters on them upside down into a mass in the middle of the table. From there, players begin establishing order out of the confused pile by creating words that they then place upon the gameboard with a goal of securing the highest number of points.
The Apostle Paul had found it necessary to tell the church at Corinth that disorder in the congregation was not honoring to God. He directed them to do everything “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). Unsettledness and instability are part of the Greek word translated “confusion” in today’s verse. Theologian John MacArthur said the word used can signify a “state of confusion, disturbance, disarray, or tumult, sometimes even of rebellion or anarchy.” The Apostle James used the same Greek word when he spoke of “jealousy and selfish ambitions” with “disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16). Paul said such things have no place in the life of the church. Nor have they a place in the individual lives of believers.
God desires that the places and people who worship Him should have peace. The Greek word used here means that which, although separate, binds them together, literally joining what had been divided. It is this peace that brings harmony and accord. That kind of peace, according to theologian and author Leon Morris, “applies in general to the entire creation. Its beautiful and intricate order and complexity offer a compelling testimony to their Creator.” If you are in a church that allows disorder, consider seeking another that better reflects the character of God. Peace in the congregation strengthens the body of Christ.
Today’s Verse: 1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints,
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
