A Struggling Church

I Corinthians 1:1-9

Have you ever known someone who was attempting to do something great, but right from the start was making a mess of things?  They had a whole lot of potential, but they just kept tripping.  They needed someone to come alongside, help them get back on their feet, and get going in the right direction.  Perhaps this was an athlete, who with proper training, could do well.  Maybe it was a married couple who were having problems, but with proper counseling could have a great marriage.  Or a student, if only he would buckle down, could achieve much.  Then there was a church, which very early on fell into sin, divisions, doctrinal confusion, and misuse of spiritual gifts.  They desperately needed help or they would spiritually fail, and that is when the Apostle Paul stepped in to help this group of sinking Christians.

After having been run out of the city of Thessalonica and the smaller city of Berea, the Apostle Paul made his way down to Athens, and then shortly after, traveled into Corinth, a large, cosmopolitan harbor city.  He stayed there for about 1 ½ years, and established a large and thriving church, later returning several times.  That church, though, got off to a rather rocky start, falling into sin and dissension rather quickly after Paul left, necessitating the Apostle needing to write them several letters in order to help get the new Christians back on the right track.

As our Scripture opens, though Paul knows he needs to attempt to correct these problems, he doesn’t begin with a harsh rebuke.  Instead he gives a reminder to these believers of their identity in Jesus Christ, reaffirming their position in grace.  Paul begins by identifying himself as an apostle (vs. 1).  This was not a position that he sought for himself.  As a young man, he didn’t tell others he was going to be “an apostle” when he graduated.  This was a divinely appointed commission.  For those who questioned his authority to tell them how to behave as Christians, he reminded them that his authority was rooted in God’s sovereign choice, not his own.  His words would carry the weight of divine revelation.

Paul reminded these believers that they belonged to God, as all Christians do (vs. 2).  They didn’t “belong” to Paul, even though he established the church there, nor to Apollos, though he was an early pastor there.  And though they very quickly fell flat on their face in sin and division, they were still set apart and sanctified by the Lord Jesus, to be His saints, His holy ones.  Even though they weren’t acting like it now, that was their position in Christ.

Paul proceeded to thank this group of Christians (vs. 4).  Why would he do that, when their worldly and sinful behavior was a shame?  For one, he thanked that church and was grateful to them because that was one place where he had spent one of the longest times without being run out of town by either the Jews or the Gentiles.  They had welcomed him, provided for his needs, and had protected him from hostile persecution.  Paul was grateful.  He was also thankful to God for this church, as even though they were immature and carnal, he saw evidence of God’s grace.  He was grateful for God’s ongoing work in their lives.

This young church had many spiritual gifts among the members, such as teachers and preachers, those who understood doctrine, and those who spoke in tongues (vs. 5-7).  Their spiritual gifts validated the truth of the Gospel message that Paul had preached to them.  However, these very gifts that had been given were now being misused.  As was evident in the Corinthian church, the same is true today, that spiritual giftedness is not the same as spiritual maturity.

Not only were they blessed with spiritual gifts, this group of believers were living in the expectation of Christ’s imminent return.  Imminent means that it could happen at any time, that there is nothing in the way preventing it from happening. They knew that Jesus could return at any moment, and we today should know that even more so, and be living with that expectation.

Though this group had many who were living carnal, sinful lives, Paul reminded them that if they were truly saved, then the same God who called them would sustain them (vs. 8-9).  Their blamelessness was rooted in Jesus’ righteousness, not in their own personal performance.  God is faithful.  He called them into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ, and He will complete what He began.

As we look back at these opening verses of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church, we see that, we as believers, are called to salvation, to sanctification or holy living, as well as to fellowship with the Lord, and to future glory.  Are we living that way, or are we living more like the Corinthian church was?  The gifts which God blesses His Church with are real, and important for the functioning of His Body, but they need to be governed by truth and love.  We need to remember that God is faithful, and guarantees the believer’s final preservation.  In closing, we must remember who we are in Christ.  We represent Him to the world.  We carry His Name.  Let us not make Him ashamed.  When we trip up, let’s get back on the right track.