1 Corinthians 1:1-9 (NRSV)
Salutation
1Paul, called to be an
apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of
God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to
be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord* and ours:
3 Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to
my* God always for you because of the grace of God that
has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5for in every way you
have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6just as the testimony of* Christ has been strengthened among you— 7so that you are not
lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 8He will also strengthen
you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 9God is faithful; by him
you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
In the first ten verses
of the passage, the name of Jesus is mentioned ten times. This was going to be
a difficult letter for Paul to write because the situation in Corinth was
difficult and when dealing with problems like this, it is good to remember that
we ought not to try to do this in our own strength, but always to look to
Christ for our guidance and direction. Barclay writes: “... to this difficult
situation he took Jesus Christ, and it was in the light of the Cross of Christ
and the love of Christ that he sought to deal with it ...”
In this introduction
Paul introduces his reader to two things: Firstly,
it tells us something about the Church – it should be the church of God – and
in this case not the church of Corinth! Whatever denomination we might come
from and cherish being part of, we must always remember that we are all part of
the same family of God. When we think of it in this way we are sure to discover
all the things that unite us rather than those things that divide us.
Verses 4 ff refers to the experience of the
Corinthians, of Jesus and His grace: they were enriched in all areas including
speech and knowledge of every kind. This was my experience. As you recall when
we were at school, I was but of minor intellect, but when I found faith, my
mind was set free and I have had the privilege to study at two universities and
completing three degrees. I know that many of my teachers would be astounded!
There is another dimension. No one can ever argue a person
into Christianity; all we can say is “Try it and see!” When people do, they
find that its claims are all true.
One of the most special parts of this experience is the
receipt of gifts that we are given, wonderful gifts that are free and
undeserved. I have already referred to my gift, that of learning and teaching,
which is all of grace. All our special gifts are from God. This is in fact true
of all people, but too many do not acknowledge this. The world would be such a
different place if it were so. Barclay writes: “If we fully realised that, it
would bring new atmosphere and character into life.”
Such skills as we possess are not our own achievement – they
are all gifts from God and therefore are held in trust – they are not to be
used as we want to use them, but as God wants to use them – not for our own
personal profit or prestige – but for the glory of God and for the good of
humanity. If only all realised this, would the world not be a far better place,
with less poverty and suffering, and much more beauty and joy?
From verse 8 Paul brings things to a head as he speaks of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ – the
ultimate end. In the Old Testament, the idea of the day of the Lord keeps recurring: it was the day when the Jews
expected God to break into history and when the old world would be wiped out
and the new world born. On this day all people would be judged. Now Paul
translates this in a new way by referring to the day of our Lord Jesus Christ referring to the day when Jesus will
return in all his power and glory – indeed a real day of judgement – but our
judgement is not one of fear and punishment but forgiveness, acceptance and
love. Barclay concludes:
“The person who is in Christ can
meet even it unafraid because he will be clothed not in his own merits but in
the merits of Christ so that none will be able to impeach him.”
This is a wonderful passage that celebrates the grace of
God: it is given by God, mediated through Jesus Christ and is experienced ‘in
Christ Jesus’ – i.e. in the community – the ekklesia
– where people experience the sanctifying power of God in their lives. The Holy
Spirit works in us and through us as it refines us and makes us holy. When this
happens, we know that Jesus is there with us, because his Spirit is with us.
The problem in Corinth was that this was not their experience, as Jerome Murphy
O’Conner put it: ‘… they were not remarkable in their love for one another …’
Their commitment to the authentic Christ still left much to be desired. They
focused too much on the charismatic gifts (as we discover as we read on) and on
the present moment.
Is the Spirit of Christ amongst us? Are we been mae holy –
are we being sanctified? Are we being enriched in speech and all knowledge? Are
we being equipped for all that our Lord is calling us to do? If so, let’s be
encouraged, because we are in Christ, who will strengthen us to the end.
Amen.
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