daily bible readings

As Paul begins his letter to the Corinthians, we have to realise that this is not the first contact he has had with the church of Corinth. He planted the church in Corinth in Acts 18 after a vision of a man from Macedonia appeared to them one night. Having planted the church some ten years earlier, it is clear that there was further correspondence between the two parties before First Corinthians was  written. 1 Corinthians 5:9 makes it clear that Paul had written them previously about their sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 1:11 suggests that some from Chloe’s household  came to Paul in Ephesus and spoke of further troubles in the church. According to 1 Corinthians 7:1, the church wrote to Paul asking for his opinion on several matters that are addressed in chapters 7 and following.

Put bluntly, the church was a mess. There were divisions in the church as some followed Paul, some Apollos, some Peter and others. Sexual immorality was rife in the church as it was in the city. In fact, to “Corinthianize” something became a common metaphor of the day to suggest that something had been sexualised or turned into a sexual metaphor. Even worse, the church was rejecting Paul as their founding father in Christ and as an Apostle. There are suggestions that he is accused of helping himself to the collection money that he has been transporting. They were engaged in dining on food offered to idols and were rejecting each other. Their boasting in their own spirituality caused them to look down on others. Finally, some were following erroneous beliefs that the resurrection had already happened.

Even so, Paul begins his letter to them gently and with the greatest of tact. Paul gently states that they are the church of God, reminding them that they have a master over them. They are not their own. They belong to another.

He then reminds them, using the same word twice, that they are sanctified in Christ (or made holy in Him) and that they are called to be holy. Very little about their living could be called holy and they were certainly not living sanctified lives. Their calling was not to have spiritual gifts or to arrive at spiritual elitism, or to outdo each other but to be holy.

The fact that Paul mentions their sanctification in Christ is significant. It is only by the work of Christ that anyone can be made holy and set apart for God. There is nothing anyone can do to be sanctified. There is no good work or payment that can procure one’s sanctification. It is only by the grace of God as a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ.

And finally, ever so gently, Paul reminds them that they are sanctified and called to be holy together with all the other believers across the globe who call on the name of Jesus Christ. They are not uber-Christians as they would like to believe. They are  not super spiritual. Nor had they arrived at spiritual maturity. They are sanctified and called to be holy as are all other believers in the entire world. Paul even slips in another reminder at the end of the verse—their Lord and ours. All Christians share the same Lord and Saviour.

Your church will grow stronger in Christ Jesus as each believer realises that they are made holy in Jesus Christ and that they are called to be holy. This is not an individual and isolated calling. It is a calling for each and every single believer in your congregation and in all other congregations. As we realise that we stand shoulder to shoulder with all other believers - regardless of education levels, wealth, social standing and so on - we will grow stronger in Christ. The issues and ideologies that once caused divisions among us will be stripped away by the power of Christ’s love and we will grow stronger together. 

PRAYER

Adoration:

· Adore God that He is perfectly holy and pure in all His ways.

Confession:

· Take time to confess your sins to the Lord and to ask for forgiveness.

Thanks:

· Thank God that He has sanctified you in Christ Jesus and that He has called you to be holy in Him.

Supplication:

· Pray that a spirit of holiness will grow across your congregation.

Discussion Questions

1. Define the following words: sanctify, holy. grace and peace.

2.  What theological truths can you deduce from vv1-3?