Come Together (1 Corinthians 1:1-10)
When we open Paul's letter to the Corinthians, it's evident that the church has problems. In this series, we will look at the first of their problems over five or six weeks.
I'm not beginning this series to address our division issues. I don't know of any, but I hope to prevent any issues. We will see throughout our study the root causes of division and how we can avoid pitfalls. This is important because the division is the opposite of God's will for the body of Christ.
Introduction
To start our study, I want us to see how Paul introduces this letter. The words in the introduction of a letter are often given to prepare the way for more profound teaching. That is certainly the case here. In 1 Corinthians 1, we read encouraging words from Paul to prepare the way for intense criticism. So today's lesson is more encouraging than discouraging, but be ready; there are severe criticisms in the future, things that we all need to hear.
Those in Christ haven't been called to avoid criticisms or discouragements. We have been called to embrace them with the right attitude, and we can do that because of all that we have been given in Christ.
Think for a moment about all that you have in Christ. Aren't all of the struggles we face worth the blessings we have? That is essentially what Paul wants the Corinthians to understand in this text.
Remember
1 Corinthians 1:1--9 (ESV) --- 1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 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: 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 was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge--- 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you--- 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.
First, we see Paul reminding the brethren in Corinth of who he is. Paul is "called by the will of God to be an apostle." He needs to establish this authority before he offers up criticism. This isn't just a preacher speaking, nor is it an elder of some church. This is one whom God has placed in a position to spread his message. His words carry weight and authority. He tells us three things that bring us together in the section we will be studying today.
Sanctified In Christ
1 Corinthians 1:2--4 (ESV) --- 2 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: 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 was given you in Christ Jesus,
The first thing that brings us together is our sanctification. When he talks to the Corinthians, he doesn't speak as though they are foreign or alienated. All of their problems and mistakes do not disqualify them from the grace of God. On the contrary, they are sanctified through the body and blood of Christ. They are no less saved than anyone else.
How are they saved? They call upon the name of our Lord together with everyone else. Salvation is not an individual thing. It's not something that we enjoy because we are so special. Salvation is a blessing made available for all who humble themselves enough to call on the name of Jesus and submit to him for salvation. We are all part of those sanctified in Christ.
As we read this, we need to understand that this unites us. I'm not sanctified or set apart as a child of God separate from you if you call on the name of Jesus to be saved. All baptized into Christ rely on his grace and sanctification, from the most problematic to the most self-controlled.
We have all received grace and peace through Jesus, and we should pray that, as long as we continue to love God and submit to Jesus, we all continue to receive it.
Enriched In Christ
1 Corinthians 1:5--7 (ESV) --- 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge--- 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you--- 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The second thing that brings us together is the knowledge of God. He points out that these Corinthian Christians have been given spiritual gifts. He will discuss those gifts in detail when we get to Chapters 12-14, but now he mentions them to point out that God was abundantly gracious toward them.
He didn't just save them and leave them to figure things out. He saved them and gifted them with supernatural gifts that are a testament to Christ saving them. These brethren had received enough love from the Lord to help them understand salvation was available to them as Gentiles in Corinth.
As we read through this, we might feel left out. Perhaps you don't want the ability to speak in tongues or prophesy. We might like that if it wasn't so frowned upon today. But, notice how they were all enriched in speech and knowledge. We have that as well today. God's word has been written down and collected for us to see and understand what God has done. The message brought through the tongues and prophesies is written for us to read repeatedly.
So, whether it's tongues and prophesies or the revealed word, we have received grace upon grace, which also unites us. This divine revelation is something we trust in and understand God with. Through our study, we can discern God's will for us and know how we ought to live.
Hoping In Christ
1 Corinthians 1:7--9 (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.
The third and final thing that brings us together is our hope for what will come. At the end of this section, he brings up one more point of unity. He says that the Corinthians are waiting for the revealing of Jesus, who will sustain them to the end. They are looking forward to the day when Jesus returns. They aren't dreading that day because they know that Jesus will sustain them to the end as guiltless. They know that God is faithful and will bring us safely into the eternal home he promised to those who love him.
Of all the things that unite us, this may stand out. We are all united in our hope that we can reach eternity. No one and nothing can stand in our way if we have put our trust and hope in Christ. Many people take eternity for granted now, but eternal life is not guaranteed. It's not something everyone has as a right or deserves. Sadly we all deserved the opposite. As Christians, we understand that we all deserve condemnation, but God has provided salvation and a promise of eternal life through Jesus.
The fact that we have escaped the condemnation we deserve and received hope to look forward to eternity joins us together. We know that we are going to be together forever. Knowing that means we ought to be kind and considerate of one another.
Paul's Appeal
According to the first nine verses, three things unite Christians: their sanctification, their understanding of God, and their hope for eternity. We could see these three things as our past, present, and future. We are connected in every part of our lives through our blessings in Jesus Christ. So, Paul takes this information and uses it to formulate an appeal. If Jesus has united us, we ought to live a united life.
1 Corinthians 1:10 (ESV) --- 10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
After speaking about many blessings that unite the Corinthians, he appeals to them "by the name of our Lord Jesus" to agree with one another and refuse to divide. That means that this appeal comes from Jesus' authority. Paul tells us that division is against what our Lord desires. He speaks on Jesus' behalf when he says this.
Have you ever struggled to get along or agree with someone in the church? This happens on occasion. We start thinking it would be better if sister so and so would just go somewhere else. It would be better if brother so and so moved away or fell away. These thoughts are far from the desires of Christ. He wants us all to agree.
Lessons
As we consider this, we can see the impossibility of it. After all, there is not a single person here who agrees with another person here on the meaning of every verse in Scripture. In one sense, this is impossible. We are all too different to agree on everything. However, there is a way for us to live in agreement. There is a way for us to be united in how we live our lives. We can love each other and fellowship with the Lord together while having a different opinions.
He clarifies by saying, "That there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." Paul is not calling for us to all be the same. Paul is not saying that we must agree on every single point, but we must be agreeable on some level. We must have the humility to recognize the limits of our understanding. He calls for us to develop a strong sense of unity through our differences. There will never be unity without this.
Application
As we consider the things that unite us, our sanctification, our enriched understanding, and our eternal hope. Are we grateful to have people like us in our lives? Look around and see a room full of men and women who love the Lord and want to serve him faithfully. Do you want to live a holy and righteous life because you appreciate God's grace toward you? So do they! Do you want to understand more and more about God? They do too! Are you looking forward to the day when all of this struggle will end, and the suffering will end? They are too! They search scriptures to understand the truth about God's will for them, and they are not living for this world. They are looking forward to the eternal home.
Isn't it nice to be a part of a group of people with the same perspective as you? Sometimes, we get so focused on the few details that are different that we fail to see the vast things that are the same. What will you do when you find out that a brother or sister disagrees with you on an opinion you have about a scripture or two? Will we run them off? Are we going to run away from them? Jesus wants us to work things out and become peacemakers. That doesn't mean we spend hours upon hours and days talking about the same things we disagree on. We don't have to agree about the details of every little thing when some things are difficult to understand. That is not required for us to be united and in agreement.
To live this text, we must focus on what we have in common and learn to work through the differences with love and respect. Jesus calls for us to have a united mind and judgment. We can choose to love each other and think the best of one another. If someone is trying to twist the scriptures with evil intentions, separate from them, but if they have come to a different conclusion, let them be. One of us is mistaken, and that's okay. It's not loving or unifying to force someone else to align with our limited understanding. Limited knowledge is the best we have.
Conclusion
Over the years, there has been a lot of division throughout the churches of Christ. Our goal in this study is to see what we can hold onto, the things that unify us. They all center around Jesus. It is the source of unity. If we believe in God's saving grace through Jesus, we will grow in our understanding and look forward to his return. If you haven't experienced that joy and understanding yet, we want you to. We want you to join us in praising his name and living a life that is worthy of the calling we have received.