1 Corinthians 1:1-9 (Pt 5)

1 Corinthians 1:7 (ESV)

[7] so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, [8] who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

In 1 Corinthians 1 the Apostle writes that the Corinthian believers were holy and blessed. He then goes on to assure them of their future and reminds them that they were called into fellowship with Jesus. What Paul writes is so different from what I would expect. Corinth is such an ungodly church that I would expect Paul to question their future and their fellowship. I would have written something like, “Are you sure you are saved? Look at how you are living. No true believer lives like that. You should be in a passionate relationship with Jesus Christ that transforms how you think and live. I am not seeing it. You need to examine your heart and change your ways!” But that is not what he says. He tells them that they have an eternal future, that God will sustain them to the end, and that he will keep them guiltless. He then reminds them that in God’s faithfulness they were called into fellowship with Christ.

The Apostle Paul will later challenge their behavior, but he starts his letter by pointing them to the faithfulness of God rather than questioning their faithfulness. Isn’t that as it should be? Hebrews 12:2 doesn’t say, “Examining yourself to see if you are really walking with God.” It says that we should be “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” In 2 Corinthians 13:5 the Apostle will tell them that they need to examine themselves to see whether they are in the faith, but even then he will point them back to Christ. After telling them to examine themselves, he queries, “Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Cor 13:5b). We must always come back to Christ.

The Christian life is not about the flesh trying to change itself. It is not about working hard to turn over a new leaf. The Christian life is about faith in Christ and identity in Christ. Who I am is not about what I do, but about who Jesus is. As a believer, I need to be reminded often of these three truths.

1. I am waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is coming back and my hope is not in this world.
2. He will sustain me to the end presenting me guiltless in that day. My hope is not in my own power and ability, but in the sustaining power of God and the cleansing power of Jesus death and resurrection.
3. It is the faithfulness of God that called me into fellowship with Jesus Christ my Lord. It was not my faithfulness. It was not my will and desire. It was not my great passion for all things spiritual. It was the faithfulness of God that called me into fellowship with Jesus Christ, and that is where I live.

The Christian life is not about the flesh trying to change itself. It is about the power of God, the grace of God, and the loving fellowship of Jesus Christ. It is time that I spent less time trying to examine myself and more time fixing my eyes on Jesus. He is my hope. He is my strength. He is my life. In him I rest.