1Cor 1:4-7 | KingComments | STEP | . Before Paul addresses the Corinthians about the wrong things that were found among them, he first thanks God for the good things that were found among them. He does that in almost all of his letters. That is an important lesson for us. Often, when we notice incorrect things in others, we tend to focus our attention only on that. The danger is that we no longer see the good things that this person has as well. When we are convinced that we have to talk to someone about a mistake, let us start with telling him about the good things he has. Then the atmosphere of the conversation will be such, that talking about mistakes will get through in a good way. It is quite something what Paul says here about the believers in Corinth. But do notice how he thanks God for what He had given them. He does not thank God for the way they were dealing with these gifts from God because they were not using them in a proper way. In the course of the letter this will become clear. Addressing them this way should make them feel ashamed. In front is “the grace of God” which was “given to you in Christ Jesus”. All blessings and riches that we have received come forth from it. After all there is nothing that we have deserved. When God gives something, it is always connected with the Lord Jesus. God never gives something that is apart from Him. To God, the Lord Jesus is the Center of His thinking and acting. God wants to glorify Him through everything and He wants us to cooperate in this glorification. You should start paying attention to that because you will find it everywhere in the Bible. You will notice this immediately in the following verses. . They were “in everything … enriched”, but only “in Him”. Are you a little bit familiar with these riches? A few of them are listed. The first richness is “in all speech”. Paul had preached the gospel to them by speaking words that came from God. They had accepted these words. This is how they acquired the words of God. Is it not an enormous richness to be able to hold the entire Word of God in your hands? God has not kept anything back from you that was useful for you to know. But holding it in your hands is something different from really knowing it. Well, the Corinthians were also rich in “all knowledge”. That is the second richness. They knew a lot. . This knowledge is, however, not primarily a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. It is not about how many Bible verses you can say by heart (even though that is important!), but about a Person. In ”all speech” and also in ”all knowledge” it is about “the testimony concerning Christ”. Christ has to be the Center in studying the Word and the increasing of your knowledge. . What God gives, He gives that you may get more understanding of Who the Lord Jesus is. That is why the Corinthians were lacking ”in no gift”, as a third richness. Each gift is meant for honoring Christ. But when believers start using a gift to show off themselves and to receive honor themselves, it is used in a wrong way, and God will have to punish them. He will not give His glory to another ( ). A fourth richness is the expecting of “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. ”Revelation” means: to come out from the hiddenness, so that it becomes visible. The Lord Jesus is not visible to our human eye at the moment. But that will change in time. He will once again appear in this world “and every eye will see Him” ( ). He will not come as a Baby, like the first time, but He will come in power and great glory. There is another aspect to the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Just before He publicly appears to the world, the believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ ( ). Everything that the Corinthians have done, said and thought will then be revealed. They surely will have changed their lifestyles immediately if they allowed this to penetrate their hearts. Their conscience will surely have been appealed to about the way they were dealing with the spiritual riches they had received. You will understand that this aspect of the revelation of the Lord Jesus is also important for you. How do you deal with the things you have received from the Lord? . Fortunately, it also says, and that is the fifth richness, that the Lord Jesus will “confirm you to the end”. The word ”confirm” means that He takes care of you and holds you and does not let you go. He has shown His care for you by bearing the judgment of God on the cross, which you deserved. He also shows His care by listening to you every day when you speak to Him and by speaking to you when you read His Word. He also shows His care in many things in your daily life. All this care is to make sure that on this day, when He appears, you will be “blameless”, the sixth richness. This means that there will be nothing to be found fault with you for which you should be punished yet. Of course this does not mean that you can now live life the way that suits you best because everything will be fine anyway. No, it is just the other way around. If you know that He will make sure that there is nothing to blame you in the future, you will want to be blameless now already, in the present. . Paul ends his introductory words by pointing at the faithfulness of God. It is always a great encouragement to be reminded of the faithfulness of God when we are unfaithful. But that should not justify our unfaithfulness. This becomes clear from the following words. The faithful God can never approve of His children being unfaithful to the calling to which He has called them. It is written very clearly that we are “called into fellowship with [better: of] His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”. In the past we lived in different forms of fellowship. Maybe you lived your own life in a circle of sports fanatics with whom you discussed and/or exercised your favorite sport on every level. Or you belonged to those motorcycle maniacs who can’t talk about nothing else but motorcycles. Or you joined the world of gamers and shared your passion with other club members. Or maybe the pub was the place where you would meet other people. It were certain forms of fellowship where you would meet people who took the same pleasure in this entertainment as you did. But this has changed radically when you got to know the Lord Jesus. Now you belong to a fellowship where everything ‘revolves’ around the Lord Jesus. Everything you do, should point to that. The more you will love Him, the more you will start with doing away wrong things. You will enjoy the fellowship with Him more and more, a fellowship that you will experience in heaven in a perfect way for all eternity. Now read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 again. Reflection: Name some more riches that you have received in the Lord Jesus. Thank God for them.

‏ 1 Corinthians 1:4-7

Enriched in Him

1Cor 1:4. Before Paul addresses the Corinthians about the wrong things that were found among them, he first thanks God for the good things that were found among them. He does that in almost all of his letters. That is an important lesson for us. Often, when we notice incorrect things in others, we tend to focus our attention only on that. The danger is that we no longer see the good things that this person has as well. When we are convinced that we have to talk to someone about a mistake, let us start with telling him about the good things he has. Then the atmosphere of the conversation will be such, that talking about mistakes will get through in a good way.

It is quite something what Paul says here about the believers in Corinth. But do notice how he thanks God for what He had given them. He does not thank God for the way they were dealing with these gifts from God because they were not using them in a proper way. In the course of the letter this will become clear. Addressing them this way should make them feel ashamed.

In front is “the grace of God” which was “given to you in Christ Jesus”. All blessings and riches that we have received come forth from it. After all there is nothing that we have deserved. When God gives something, it is always connected with the Lord Jesus. God never gives something that is apart from Him. To God, the Lord Jesus is the Center of His thinking and acting. God wants to glorify Him through everything and He wants us to cooperate in this glorification. You should start paying attention to that because you will find it everywhere in the Bible. You will notice this immediately in the following verses.

1Cor 1:5. They were “in everything … enriched”, but only “in Him”. Are you a little bit familiar with these riches? A few of them are listed. The first richness is “in all speech”. Paul had preached the gospel to them by speaking words that came from God. They had accepted these words. This is how they acquired the words of God. Is it not an enormous richness to be able to hold the entire Word of God in your hands? God has not kept anything back from you that was useful for you to know.

But holding it in your hands is something different from really knowing it. Well, the Corinthians were also rich in “all knowledge”. That is the second richness. They knew a lot.

1Cor 1:6. This knowledge is, however, not primarily a matter of the intellect, but of the heart. It is not about how many Bible verses you can say by heart (even though that is important!), but about a Person. In ”all speech” and also in ”all knowledge” it is about “the testimony concerning Christ”. Christ has to be the Center in studying the Word and the increasing of your knowledge.

1Cor 1:7. What God gives, He gives that you may get more understanding of Who the Lord Jesus is. That is why the Corinthians were lacking ”in no gift”, as a third richness. Each gift is meant for honoring Christ. But when believers start using a gift to show off themselves and to receive honor themselves, it is used in a wrong way, and God will have to punish them. He will not give His glory to another (Isa 42:8).

A fourth richness is the expecting of “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”. ”Revelation” means: to come out from the hiddenness, so that it becomes visible. The Lord Jesus is not visible to our human eye at the moment. But that will change in time. He will once again appear in this world “and every eye will see Him” (Rev 1:7). He will not come as a Baby, like the first time, but He will come in power and great glory.

There is another aspect to the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Just before He publicly appears to the world, the believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2Cor 5:10). Everything that the Corinthians have done, said and thought will then be revealed. They surely will have changed their lifestyles immediately if they allowed this to penetrate their hearts. Their conscience will surely have been appealed to about the way they were dealing with the spiritual riches they had received.

You will understand that this aspect of the revelation of the Lord Jesus is also important for you. How do you deal with the things you have received from the Lord?

1Cor 1:8. Fortunately, it also says, and that is the fifth richness, that the Lord Jesus will “confirm you to the end”. The word ”confirm” means that He takes care of you and holds you and does not let you go. He has shown His care for you by bearing the judgment of God on the cross, which you deserved. He also shows His care by listening to you every day when you speak to Him and by speaking to you when you read His Word. He also shows His care in many things in your daily life.

All this care is to make sure that on this day, when He appears, you will be “blameless”, the sixth richness. This means that there will be nothing to be found fault with you for which you should be punished yet. Of course this does not mean that you can now live life the way that suits you best because everything will be fine anyway. No, it is just the other way around. If you know that He will make sure that there is nothing to blame you in the future, you will want to be blameless now already, in the present.

1Cor 1:9. Paul ends his introductory words by pointing at the faithfulness of God. It is always a great encouragement to be reminded of the faithfulness of God when we are unfaithful. But that should not justify our unfaithfulness. This becomes clear from the following words. The faithful God can never approve of His children being unfaithful to the calling to which He has called them. It is written very clearly that we are “called into fellowship with [better: of] His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.

In the past we lived in different forms of fellowship. Maybe you lived your own life in a circle of sports fanatics with whom you discussed and/or exercised your favorite sport on every level. Or you belonged to those motorcycle maniacs who can’t talk about nothing else but motorcycles. Or you joined the world of gamers and shared your passion with other club members. Or maybe the pub was the place where you would meet other people. It were certain forms of fellowship where you would meet people who took the same pleasure in this entertainment as you did.

But this has changed radically when you got to know the Lord Jesus. Now you belong to a fellowship where everything ‘revolves’ around the Lord Jesus. Everything you do, should point to that. The more you will love Him, the more you will start with doing away wrong things. You will enjoy the fellowship with Him more and more, a fellowship that you will experience in heaven in a perfect way for all eternity.

Now read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 again.

Reflection: Name some more riches that you have received in the Lord Jesus. Thank God for them.