Friday, March 13, 2015

1 Corinthians 1:4–9

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless 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.

Commentary
Bringing hope and life to those who thought they were without hope and beyond redemption is what the Gospel is all about. And so the Apostle Paul in that spirit of hope and redemption conveys to the Corinthians his own heartfelt thanksgiving to God for them all, who in His love for them all, has given His grace to them all, through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior (vs. 4). And so they being saved by the grace of God they were also enriched in everything by God, in all utterance and knowledge (vs. 5). That is the Corinthians were not only saved from their sins and transgressions, by the grace of God, but they had been enriched by God through that same grace which gave them Spirit utterances and knowledge of God which confirmed to them, and to all (1 Cor 14), the testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is in them (vs. 6). And so they having come short in no gift, would set their hope solidly upon Christ, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (vs. 7). Who, as the Apostle Paul says in verse eight "...will confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." Now the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ is referring to His return, when Jesus' Person will be fully manifested to one and to all (see Matt 16:27-28; Luke 17:22-30; 2 Thess 1:7-10; 1 Peter 1:7, 4:13; 1 John 2:28 etc.). While Christ's confirmation of our person until the end is the absolute assurance of our salvation, of us all who believe in Him. For our being declared blameless by God on that Day is not based upon ourselves, rather it is based solely upon our Sinless Savior who has made us justified in the sight of God through His own death on the cross. And so the Apostle Paul knowing that it is God who began His good work within us (Phil. 1:6), calling us into the fellowship of His Son, will also be the One who will complete His good work within us, making us fit for the Day of His Son's Manifestation and Glorification and Exaltation before all nations and peoples. Thus the Apostle Paul could boldly assure the Corinthian believers that though they were less than "stellar saints" in their lives and faith at that time, he was completely confident in God's faithfulness, who was still working in them and through them, and thus he could readily affirm them and assure them of this fact by saying, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." vs. 9

Now if you have not yet answered God's call to personally enter into the fellowship of His Son, that is by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life, resting all your hope for redemption and change upon Him, then by all means please do so now. For salvation from sin and eternal death is only the beginning of what God is offering you. For to know God through His Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is to have and live an abundant and satisfied life. For once that issue is settled in your life, you will have satisfied the greatest need in your life. And everything else will find it's own place, and nothing will ever again bring you to a place too despair beyond hope. Therefore by a simple prayer of faith, inviting the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life, you too can have Fellowship with God's Son and experience His life changing Power and Presence within You, For it is God through the Spirit of His Son will restore life, joy, and love to you. Therefore if you believe and want to receive the Lord Jesus Christ use this prayer, or something like it, to receive Jesus into your heart and life by praying something like this:
Dear Lord Jesus I believe that You died on the cross for all my sins and transgressions, and that You rose again from the dead on the third day so I could have new and everlasting with You the moment I believe in You calling upon Your Name. Therefore I now invite You into my heart and life to be My Lord and Savior, confessing You as Lord alone, amen.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

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