Sunday, we will start working through the book of 1 Corinthians, a letter written to a church that was struggling badly. Paul planted this church in the wealthy, status-obsessed city of Corinth (Acts 18), but since that time, the church had absorbed the values of Corinthian culture and the result was pride, division, and a long list of sinful problems that Paul will address in this letter. But in his greeting and introduction, before Paul says a word of correction, he reminds these believers of who they are and what God has given them. In 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Paul points this sin-infected church to the gospel as the cure for their pride and their many ongoing issues. Paul tells this divided, puffed-up church that they belong to God, that they have been set apart by Him, that they lack nothing they need, and that the One who called them will faithfully keep them until the end. Given the stern rebuke Paul gives them in almost every chapter of this letter, the way he greets them and thanks God for them is surprising. Like the Corinthian church, we must be grounded in knowing that everything we are is a gift of grace. Only in the gospel do we see the futility of the pride (Paul says “boasting & puffed-up” throughout the letter) that was the source of Corinth’s many problems. Only in the gospel's grace do we recognize that we are kept by God’s faithfulness (v.9), and this is not something we must earn or maintain. Knowing this also leaves no reason for sinners, whom Paul will rebuke, to live under the weight of their sins and failures. Whether you are weary, tempted to measure yourself against others, or doubting that God could be faithful to someone like you, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 has a message for you. To prepare, read through this passage prayerfully and gratefully, taking in these glorious truths Paul gives to a people who he will also rebuke sharply. Before their sins can be dealt with, they need to understand that, in Christ, they are: I. Called & Sanctified By God (vv. 1-2) II. Enriched By God’s Grace (vv. 3-7a) III. Kept By God’s Faithfulness (vv. 7b-9)
