I've always sort of wondered why we say it that way, if you must know. Instead of First Corinthians and Second Corinthians, why not call them Corinthians and Corinthians 2, or better yet, use Roman numerals like you would with Super Bowls (except this year) or Rocky movies? I suppose you'd get some confusion distinguishing the Gospel of John from the first epistle of John, but surely there's a labeling solution to that dilemma if you just think about it a little bit.
Here's something I bet you didn't know: Catholics and most Protestants say "Matthew six, thirty-three," but we Pentecostals say "Matthew six and thirty-three." Why? I have no freaking idea, man. It's just how we say it.
And all of us recognize that these differences are strictly stylistic and don't mean a thing, which is probably why Christians don't really seem to care that Donald Trump referred the other day at Liberty University to "Two Corinthians":
The media, as they so often do, think they've caught Trump in the "gaffe" that will finally trigger his ultimate humiliation - and many of them took to social media to mock Trump for the way he referenced the verse. That is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, coming from a group of people who collectively would be lucky if they could accurately recite six or seven verses from the entire Bible.
But what they really think is that evangelical Christians are going to join them in the pile-on, and it astonishes them that this isn't happening. I'll tell you why: First of all, Christians don't act that way. Second, what really matters is whether Trump correctly referenced and understood the substantive content of the passage, and he did. Third, when Trump says he will protect the freedom of Christians to live without threats and practice our faith, he comes off as serious about it.
To serious followers of Jesus, that matters a lot more than whether he says "Two Corinthians" or "Second Corinthians" or "Corinthians Deux."
Now, are there legitimate questions to be raised about the fullness of Trump's commitment to the faith? I suppose. It's not been a major theme of his life until recently. Then again, there are an awful lot of people who have talked publicly about their faith non-stop and have fallen, while many others have offered their faith as the primary reason they should be elected to political office - and have been unconvincing to say the least.
My impression of Trump's faith life is that he is what Hebrews 11:6 (or "eleven and six" as we would say in church) is all about. He is earnestly seeking God. He doesn't necessarily know all the vernacular and he hasn't got all the doctrine right (especially on the need to seek forgiveness), but he wants to know and he wants to get it right. And I think the crowd at Liberty University senses that as well, which is why they're welcoming him - much to the disappointment of the political media who desperately want them to mock him instead.
Sorry, media. That's not how we do things. That's how you do things.
I've always sort of wondered why we say it that way, if you must know. Instead of First Corinthians and Second Corinthians, why not call them Corinthians and Corinthians 2, or better yet, use Roman numerals like you would with Super Bowls (except this year) or Rocky movies? I suppose you'd get some confusion distinguishing the Gospel of John from the first epistle of John, but surely there's a labeling solution to that dilemma if you just think about it a little bit.
Here's something I bet you didn't know: Catholics and most Protestants say "Matthew six, thirty-three," but we Pentecostals say "Matthew six and thirty-three." Why? I have no freaking idea, man. It's just how we say it.
