1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV)
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ
Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
The letter of First Corinthians
was written “to the church of God . . . to those sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1
Cor 1:2). The word sanctified means to be made holy. It means to be set
apart from the profane unto God. The verse calls believers “those sanctified in
Christ,” or those who have been made holy. Some time ago I asked a group of
young believers to stand against one wall if they believed that they were
sinners and to stand against the opposite wall if they believed they were holy.
Most of them identified as sinners. One student argued that because he commits
sin he is therefore a sinner. But that misses the point of the verse above.
The Corinthian church was not a holy
church is you look at their behavior. They were divided. They were excusing and
even celebrating sin. Much of the profane culture of Corinth had been carried
into their church and had diluted the gospel message and the impact of the
church on the city. How could God call a church like that holy? And yet he
does.
The mistake we make is that we
assume our identity is discovered by looking at our behavior. We identify
others or self-identify that way all the time. When I wore a broad-brimmed hat
to a T-ball game the catcher looked up at me with wonder and asked,
“Are you a cowboy?” When I ride up on my motorcycle wearing my leathers I am
identified as a biker. When I stand in the pulpit I am identified as a
preacher. We identify people by their dress and/or behavior all the time. But
that is where we make a mistake when it comes to faith.
Identity is not defined, for the
believer, by what they do, but by what God says about them. Those who are in
Christ Jesus are identified by God as sanctified and holy. The church in
Corinth, as unholy as it was, was considered holy by God. We make the mistake
of looking at behavior and identifying as sinners. God says that we should look
at Christ and identify as holy ones. That identity is the foundation of holy behavior.
The behavior follows the identity, the identity is not defined by the behavior.
We have it backwards.
If you are a believer in Jesus
Christ then you are holy. Believe it. Rest in it. Celebrate it. Then live it
out through faith in God’s grace and in the power of his indwelling and
empowering Holy Spirit, for you are holy.
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