1 Corinthians 1:4-9 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are [a]sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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 [b]utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed [c]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.
We introduced this letter 2 Sundays ago and I entitled the whole letter, “Jesus is your Lord, now act like it.” Verses 1-9 describe who we are—then comes the rest of the letter that says, “now act like the saints that you are.”
I read a sermon about this passage about being a saint, and the pastor quoted…
“Ambrose Bierce said one of the best definitions of a saint I ever read. He said, “A saint is a dead sinner, revised and edited.”
The pastor went on to say that the message is in the verb tenses. He said.
“You might put it this way: the indicative, you are, is the basis for the imperative, you ought.”
https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/1811/the-benefits-of-being-a-saint
And the basic truth that we should glean from this letter is that who you are should affect how you act.
A young American engineer was sent to Ireland by his company to work in a new electronics plant. It was a two-year assignment that he had accepted because it would enable him to earn enough to marry his long-time girlfriend. She had a job near her home in Tennessee, and their plan was to pool their resources and put a down payment on a house when he returned. They corresponded often, but as the lonely weeks went by, she began expressing doubts that he was being true to her, exposed as he was to comely Irish lasses.
The young engineer wrote back, declaring with some passion that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. "I admit," he wrote, "that sometimes I'm tempted. But I fight it. I'm keeping myself for you."
In the next mail, the engineer received a package. It contained a note from his girl and a harmonica. "I'm sending this to you," she wrote, "so you can learn to play it and have something to take your mind off those girls."
The engineer replied, "Thanks for the harmonica. I'm practicing on it every night and thinking of you."
Who we are should affect what we do. Our profession should match our performance.
At the end of his two-year stint, the engineer was transferred back to company headquarters. He took the first plane to Tennessee to be reunited with his girl. Her whole family was with her, but as he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up a restraining hand and said sternly, "Just hold on there a minute, Billy Bob. Before any serious kissin' and huggin' gets started here, let me hear you play that harmonica!"
Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, pp. 17-18.
Paul is addressing a letter to a messed- up church. But even though they are messed up, they are still Christians. The basic ingredients are there. They are saints. They are sanctified. They are chosen. They have been given grace and peace. Now he says, act like it. Show me by your performance that your profession is true.
Well, that’s the message of the epistle. But before we get into all the areas of behavior that he addresses, we need to finish off defining who they are. They are Christians. They are saints. But what does that mean? What does it mean to be a Christian? A Saint? That’s where we pick up with chapter 1 verses 4-9.
If you already are a Christian today, this is an encouragement to live up to who you are. If you are not, it is an endorsement of this life.
prayer
In this passage, it all comes down to verb tenses; past, present and future. A Christian is a Christian because of the past, the present, and the future. Paul says…
Past
(v4) the grace of God which was given to you….(v5) that you were enriched….(v6) the testimony of Christ was confirmed [c]in you.
Present
(v7) that you come short in no gift….(v7) eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Future
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.
In the life of the Christian, something happened in the past, something is happening in the present, something will happen in the future.
Let’s look at those.
I. Something happened in the past
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 [b]utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed [c]in you,
A. The grace of God was given to you by Christ Jesus.
1. Grace given by Christ Jesus
We touched on the idea of grace last week. The word grace means “favor.”
But the word favor doesn’t really do justice to the idea of God’s grace. It doesn’t specify the magnitude of the favor. And it doesn’t specify the deservedness of the recipient.
We talk about doing someone a favor, and it is often a trivial thing. “Could you do me a favor and pass me the meatloaf.” And if the favor is more meaningful, we say, “could you do me a big favor and drive me to the airport.”
But when a person becomes a Christian, the favor they receive was fair more profound than any of that.
Grace is far more magnanimous and extensive than “favor.” Two reasons
Christ did for you what you couldn’t do for yourself and Christ did for you what you couldn’t pay for.
a. Christ did for you what you couldn’t do for yourself.
If someone doesn’t pass us the meatloaf, or refuses to take us to the airport, we can easily say, “fine, I’ll get it myself, I’ll drive myself.” But that is not God’s grace extended to us by Christ Jesus. He is doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves.
Why can’t we do it for ourselves? Because when you are made a saint, you are resurrected from the dead.
Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ….
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
The favor God extended to you in Christ was something you couldn’t do for yourself. How do I know you couldn’t do it? Because you were dead. You couldn’t do anything for yourself.
Let me be graphic in describing what happened to you. People go to the humane society to pick out a dog or cat because they want to save an animal. Those animals are on death row in a manner of speaking. And they do save them. They may take a dirty and sick animal, get them shots, feed them and nurse them back to health.
They save them. But nobody, to be graphic, go to find a pet which has died along the side of the road. We don’t say, “I want to save him.” Why? Because we can’t.
But when God extended His grace to you, in Christ Jesus, you were dead in your trespasses and sins. And God came along, and made you alive. You couldn’t do this favor for yourself, if you could have it wouldn’t be grace.
That is how extensive a favor God did for you. But the favor He did for you was also magnanimous. It was huge. You can’t pay for it. There was not a reserve of wealth that you could tap to pay someone to do this grace for you.
b. Christ did for you what you couldn’t pay for.
When we receive a favor, sometimes we will say, “Hey, I know I really inconvenienced you by having you drive me to the airport. Let me give you gas money. Hey, I’ll pay you for your trouble. I’ll pay you for your time, your gas, and the wear and tear on your vehicle. When I’m all done, you’ll make a profit.
And sometimes we think of grace that way. We say, “God, save me, and I’ll pay you back by serving you the rest of my life.” Or they think, “Well God saved me by grace, but I keep my salvation by works.” That’s not grace. If you can pay for it, it’s not God’s grace. Because you couldn’t pay for what He did for you.
1 John 1:7 …. the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
I John 1:9 …. He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
There’s no amount of goodness that will cover all your sin.
Grace was given us in Christ. And it is all the grace we need. It covered all my sin, past present and future. I didn’t deserve it and I can’t pay Him back for it. It is God’s magnanimous undeserved favor to me. And every believer has received that favor. But something else happened in the past at your salvation.
B. You were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge
You were not only given a favor, you were given a gift.
1. Enriched in everything by Him
At salvation, you were “made full” in everything.
What it makes me think of is when we have had car trouble along the side of the road. And there have been people who stopped to help to one degree or another. Some people offer to call someone for you. Some will try to fix what’s broken. Some will take you to the gas station. A few might drive you around to take care of what needs to be done to get you rolling again.
But nobody buys you a new car.
At salvation when you became a saint, you were “Enriched in everything by Him.” He not only extended grace, He also equipped you with all you need to be a saint. You were given an engine overhaul.
Now, what does it mean that we were “enriched in everything?” When he says that you are made full in everything, it is not to say that we are given “everything” that is available. But we are given “everything” that we need for the work that He calls us to do. You know what that means? That means that when you became a Christian, you got everything you need for your Christian walk.
You don’t need a second blessing. You don’t need to reach some extra level of sanctification. Your toolbox is full of all the tools you need.
2 Peter 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
What were you given an abundance of?
1. In all utterance and knowledge
a. All Logos
This just refers to the ability to speak. He is saying, “I thank God that you have already received all you need in speaking the Word.”
Do you know that you have been given all you need to speak? That’s why Jesus said to His disciples what He said,
Mark 13:11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Now there are two things that that doesn’t mean.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare. Study…be ready to give an answer. It means we shouldn’t worry.
That doesn’t mean that we all have the gift of teaching or preaching.
1 Corinthians 12: 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
But it means that every believer already has the tools necessary to witness about Christ.
And they will say, “I can’t witness.” “I don’t know what to say.” Like Moses, “I can’t speak.” God said, “Who made the mouth?” Do you know that you were given the same Holy Spirit at salvation that Paul, Peter, John, and James had.
Your eloquence is not the problem. Do you know what our problem is? We are missing the first step.
Matthew 5:2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
Acts 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
So many Christians struggle with this; like the Arctic river, frozen over at the mouth. Ephesians 6:18-20 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
So, you have been given the ability to speak. And you have been given the knowledge.
b. All Gnosis
You were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge. It says this same thing in other places.
Romans 15:14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
1 John 2: 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you[e] know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
But hold on a minute. Is he saying that we already know everything we need to know? Yes and No.
Other Scripture says that we are to increase in knowledge.
Colossians 1: 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
And we are to seek knowledge from others who are especially gifted to teach.
And we are to grow in knowledge.
2 Peter 3: 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Well, if all that is true, then how can Paul say that at salvation, I was enriched in all knowledge? It is that we were given access to that knowledge.
Let me illustrate.
Let’s say that you had a device in your pocket that you could access all the information available all around the world. (Pull phone out of pocket) Now this isn’t it. But let’s say that there was such a device. Anything, absolutely anything that I want to know, I have access to that information on this device. Then I could say, “I have been enriched with all knowledge.”
When you became a Christian, you received such a “device” in regard to spiritual knowledge.
Colossians 2: 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, [b]both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
When you come to Christ. Christ comes to live in you.
He is your resident source of all truth.
You have God in you. All knowledge is there in you. Especially all spiritual knowledge.
But if I have all knowledge in me, then why doesn’t the answer just pop into my head? Because the Spirit of God is the mediator of that truth. He is not only there to lead you to truth, but to mature you in your faith. He wants you to work for it.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed.
But when Paul says that you are enriched with all knowledge, he is saying that you have the resource at your disposal. Think about that.
“I could never be a rocket scientist.” My brain is not equipped to handle all the information, and to bring it all together to safely and successfully launch astronauts into space. I’m never going to get there.
But, in regard to Spiritual knowledge, I already have the resource to get me to the highest level of Spiritual maturity.
And God knows exactly what knowledge you need for your life.
5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all [b]utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed [c]in you,
C. Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.
1 Corinthians 1:6, NIV: God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you.
Paul is affirming that he sees in these Corinthian believers the evidence of the Spirit in them indicating that the witness about Christ that he brought to them was truly believed and that their salvation is real. They had the fruit of speech and knowledge that evidenced the genuineness of their faith.
So, what does it mean to be a Christian? A Saint?
You were given all you need. All the grace, words, and knowledge you need. And that all happened at your conversion. Isn’t that wonderful?
You already have it. You were given the resource at salvation. You were made a Christian. You profess to be a Christian. Now you should be demonstrating who you are by the life of Christ shining through you.
Setting out from Hamburg, Germany, one day to give a concert in London, violinist Fritz Kreisler had an hour before his boat sailed. He wandered into a music shop, where the proprietor asked if he could look at the violin Kreisler was carrying. He then vanished and returned with two policemen, one of whom told the violinist, "You are under arrest."
"What for?" asked Kreisler.
"You have Fritz Kreisler's violin."
"I am Fritz Kreisler."
"You can't pull that on us. Come along to the station."
As Kreisler's boat was sailing soon, there was no time for prolonged explanations. Kreisler asked for his violin and played a piece he was well known for. "Now are you satisfied?" he asked. They were!
Today in the Word, December 22, 1992.
The reality of who he was was demonstrated by what he did.
Prayer