2014년 2월 16일 주일 영어예배 설교
고린도전서 1:1-9

(1 Corinthians 1-9)

Now, the Apostle Paul is opening his first letter to the Corinthian church. As usual, Paul begins his letter drawing attention to the matter of who we are in relation to God. And he first clarifies who he is in relation to God. In fact, Corinthian church had no small problems then. The reason why Paul wrote this letter to the church was to provide solutions and answers to the problems. But at the beginning of the letter, Paul first clarifies who the Corinthian church members are and who he is in relation to God rather directly touching the problems that the church had. Through today’s text, we are going to be appreciating who believers are in relation to God and how and why believers can still be guaranteed their Christian identities which were called by God.

     In verse 1, “Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus…..” Here, the Apostle Paul says that he is an apostle of Christ Jesus, and it is by God’s calling, ‘by the will of God.’ Then he designates them ‘the church of God that is in Corinth, those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints’ in verse 2. Here, we need to define ‘the church of God’, ‘being sanctified in Christ Jesus, and being called to be saints.’ Then we will find how Paul can still call them like that despite the church’s serious problems. First, ‘being called to be saints, or believers’, this is the relentless testimony of the Bible. The Bible always wants and requires us to have a solid, strong, and clear self-understanding. That is who we are. From where do you find your ultimate identity, your being? This is the question of the Bible to you, and at the same time the Bible always directs us that we are called to be saints, or believers. The Bible always defines who we are ‘in relation to God.’ The Bible never lets the world define who we are in relation to things and groups and our bodies. We are called to be believers, Christian people, this is the ultimate, first, and last identity of us. We only can find ourselves in this relation to God. Only in this relation to God, we are called to be a banker, driver, teacher, businessman, athlete, doctor, attorney, pastor, and housekeeper and so on. This glorious and victorious calling is exactly applied to us in relation to God. Then how can we be called to be believers like that? Verse 2 says, “…..those sanctified in Christ Jesus…..” We can be called to be saints because of being sanctified in Christ Jesus. Without the sanctification, nobody can be called a saint. Sanctification is often regarded as an ongoing lifelong process. Yes, it is also true. But now we need to better clarify the idea of this graceful state, sanctification. We want to grasp two things about sanctification that is related to the expression of today’s text.

     First, we need to understand that sanctification is something decisive in the past. That is, even though sanctification is still ongoing and will be completed in the future, sanctification of saints was already, firmly, officially, and lawfully declared in Christ Jesus by God. Our life is the process of its developing. This decisive declaration of sanctification by God is unchangeable and impregnable. How amazing and graceful this is.

     Second, even though we make an effort to be more and more sanctified in our lives, sanctification is impossible by our own efforts such as discipleship, retreat, or training. It is possible only by relying on what Jesus Christ has done for us, or the merits of Jesus Christ. This is because although we make every effort to be more sanctified in our lives, we cannot reach the degree that we are worthy to be called ‘saints’, or ‘being sanctified’ before God. All of human beings’ efforts are unworthy and useless, they are never able to satisfy God who requires perfect and absolute worthiness. As we were declared to be sanctified in Christ Jesus, the real process of our sanctification in our lives totally depends on Jesus Christ as well. Only Jesus Christ’s worth and merits are acceptable for God. So, to be sanctified more and more through our lives means to more and more trust in and hold on to the very merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is just to believe in Him. To believe in Him. That’s it. It is grace, God’s grace. The grace that is greater than all our sins. The result of the grace of God is expressed in verse 2, “those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” Therefore, all our changed lives and sanctified thoughts, mindset, behaviors, and every efforts are inevitable, natural products and fruits of what God has done in Christ Jesus for declaration of our sanctification. They are inevitably accompanied fruits of the effective and powerful God’s grace, they cannot be the source or ground of our sanctification.

     That’s why Paul says here that they are called to be saints, which means that they are already declared to be sanctified in Christ Jesus. So the Apostle Paul means that you must find who you are in relation to God who sanctified and called you in Jesus Christ. In the text, we find that Paul calls them ‘the church of God’, ‘the church of God in Corinth.’ As we know, not only each individual of us but also the congregation of the individual are churches as we confess this ‘I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints.’

     Then, in fact, it is surprising to still call them ‘the church of God’, ‘those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.’ At that time, about 5 years ago from then, Paul erected the church in Corinth, which was a city of rampant pagan religions, Greek philosophy, and disorderly cultures. The city was one of the most prosperous and busy cities with business and politics in Greece, and was very famous for many idolatries and hanky-panky to the extent that the city had a religion that had prostitutes as its priests and intercourse in the temple was its worship itself. In that city, the Apostle Paul established church, and shepherded and taught them with the gospel for about a year and a half, and left the church believing that they could do for themselves. So Paul expressed this, ‘I planted’ (3:6), ‘According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation’ (3:10), ‘I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel’ (4:15). But, about 5 years later since then, all reports about the church were something very frustrating. Paul heard from some Corinthian visitors and letter that was sent from the church that the Corinthian church had some serious problems; erroneous practices such as divisions, immorality, litigation in pagan courts, abuse of the Lord’s Supper, false teaching concerning the resurrection, false understanding and use of the holy gift, confusing in understanding of meat and food that was used in idolatry worship, and matters of marriage and married life. Even we find this report in 5:1, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.” Their problems were terrible.

     However, surprisingly, before those kinds of reports, in the beginning of the response letter to them, the Apostle Paul still calls them ‘the church of God’, ‘those who sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints’, and continues to even say this ‘I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God…..’ And then here, in resolving their practical and real problems in their Christian life, Paul again drives them into the gospel that he already taught. In the first two chapters, he again introduces to them ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘his crucifixion.’ Then he again draws their attentions to the very gospel one by one calling them ‘my beloved brothers’ even 22 times in the letter. Paul gives solutions and answers to the problems that they had one by one only with the gospel. In answering, he consistently reminds them of the gospel that he taught them saying this, ‘Do you not know……?’ What the Apostle Paul did for solving the problems of Corinthian believers who forgot the grace of God, and grew weak and weak was to again teach and remind them of the gospel of Christianity. What Paul did for them was to draw their attention to the basic principle of the gospel, which was simple, clear, and graceful. Why? Because Paul knew very well and was absolutely certain that their practical problems that came from their spiritual weakness could be solved only by returning to the principle and teaching of the gospel. That’s it.

     Paul even asserts this in verse 8, “Our Lord Jesus Christ will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here, he says ‘the perseverance of God.’ He means that even though you are now too weak, finally, you will never lose your salvation as the children of God, and you will be restored, and then you will stand in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, the final day, ‘guiltless’, ‘sinless’. How can Paul assure us like that? He simply says in verse 9, “God is faithful.” He continues to say, “By whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God’s perseverance will lead us into the final line as it has led so far. We can persevere because God perseveres for us, with us. God is faithful. Paul must have remembered the statement of God that was given to him right before coming to Corinth to erect the church. The statement of God is found in Acts 8:10, “I have many in this city who are my people.”

     Paul clearly knew that only with the gospel, their problems could be solved and they were restored. So he firmly kept reminding them of the gospel and its principle saying “Do you not know? Do you not know?” Paul clearly knew that God is faithful unlike us, and would guide and lead us until the very last day. So Paul was still keeping calling them ‘the church of God, ‘those who sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints.’ So Paul assured that ‘our Lord Jesus Christ will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ This is because ‘God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.’

     God’s grace, love, perseverance, and promise are far much greater and stronger than our sinfulness, weakness, and failures.

     Everyone, go to the gospel and its principles, teachings, and promise with your problems. Don’t look at yourself. Don’t look at what you have done. There is no hope, no guarantee, and no promise. Look at our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at what Christ have done for you. Look at God’s promise and faithfulness. And find who you are in relation to God as a saint who was sanctified and called in Christ Jesus our Lord. Remember again today’s text assurance, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”