Our adult Sunday school classes just started an 8-month study through 1Corinthians. No doubt the ensuing study & discussion will generate numerous posts of which today’s entry is the first.
If it’s possible for a church to live in infamy the Corinthian church would have to be exhibit A. Compile a list of the issues Paul was forced to correct in the letter you’ll find the Corinthians guilty of abrasive individualism, divisiveness, (one count of) incest, a disregard for corporate holiness, spiritual pride, shameful lawsuits against fellow church members, abusing Christian liberty, drunkenness at communion, disorderly worship services, a lack of love, the misuse/abuse of spiritual gifts, and a denial (by some) of the historical reality of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Now it’s one thing to recognize one or two of these sins in any given church, it’s quite another to find all of these failures in one church at one time!
What then are we to make of Paul’s absurd greeting to this misfit church in 1Cor 1:1-9 where he speaks of these people as saints and thanks God for the display of His grace(!?!) in their lives? I don’t have time to elaborate on the following “takeaways” but most should be self-explanatory.
When I read 1Corinthians and then re-read Paul’s greeting I…
…recall that apart from Christ there is none righteous, not even one.
…marvel that a holy God justifies the ungodly and declares me to be sanctified, a “holy one” in His sight.
…claim the title of “saint” on the basis of Christ’s finished cross-work yet I strive to live in light of my new name.
…feel ashamed to see how insensitive I am to sin’s corruption, how slow I am to repent, and how little zeal I have for God’s righteousness.
…remember that even God’s grace (whether in pardon or power for living) can be abused and perverted by pride.
…rejoice to think that God’s grace for today will be overtaken by a greater grace in a day to come.
…rest in the knowledge that God is faithful to fulfill all of His promises and that He is certain to finish the work He began.
according to Script 