that
you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even
as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no
gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will
also confirm you to the end, that you
may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called
into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. – 1 Corinthians
1.5-9
Paul begins to
address the Corinthians by reminding them of the blessings God has bestowed on
them. He reminds them of the spiritual gifts He gave them and that there was
not a shortage of spiritual gifts.
He reminds them
that we are looking forward to the return of Christ.
Waiting for the
Lord can be a challenging thought. After all, how can we live lives that honour
Him as we wait for Him to come back? We are, after all, sinners and inclined to
sin. If it is up to me than how can I be sure that I will be worthy when he
does come back? If it is up to me I will never make it till He is again
revealed.
So Paul addresses
that. ‘He will confirm you to the end so that you will be blameless in the day
of the Lord.’
Christ is the one
who establishes us in the faith. In the same way the testimony of Christ was
confirmed in us he confirms us in the faith. He has established us as
blameless. I can’t keep myself pure, but Christ already has. And though my life
might not always be faithful the great blessing is that God is faithful.
I am grateful that
God is faithful to keep me, even when I wander. There would be no chance if it
were up to me – but there is certainty of my security because He is faithful.
2 comments:
It is not about worthiness, but about being a "good and faithful servant", about faithfulness to God. A successful life is to have Jesus Christ, God's Living Words, in you. His Mouth and Hand guides us into all righteousness as He draws us to himself with faithful loving kindness. That is why pride is so bad -- it's because you belong to God and God himself teaches you; it is not in your own righteousness that you can trust, but life is about your relationship with God. The meaning of life, the reason we live, is to obey God, which is obviously based upon what God says, Jesus Christ. And this is all for God's glory, that we would return to him what belongs to him: the self, our very existence. Yet it is not in death that we return to God, but it is in life, actively living, repenting and having Jesus Christ in our hearts and learning from and obeying Him that we return. "I the Lord do not change. Therefore, you, O descendants of Jacob (Israel) are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers, you have rebelled against me. Return to me, and I will return to you." So you see, returning to the God of the Living does not mean dying, but repenting and living from Jesus Christ's Mouth, feeding upon his body and blood, every word that comes from the mouth of God. And Immanuel and Jesus is forever.
Second verse of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God:
Did we in our own strength confide?
Our striving would be losing!
Were not the right man on our side,
A man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus! It is He!
Lord Sabaoth [Lord of Hosts, King of Heaven] his name,
From age to age the same.
And He must win this battle.
And he walked on the water as his glory was about to pass by his disciples, but then he came and entered the boat with us. Now Immanuel Forever.
God is Faithful, and God said, "I have said that you are gods." To be a "god" means to be "of God" or "like God". This is why people are born into families of a marriage covenant. (Malachi 2). "And why has God made them one? Because He was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth." So a man and woman take the best of both of themselves, both biologically and as parents, and use this to raise a child into righteousness, into godliness, because God seeks for all people He makes (that includes all living humans) to be "of Him", "like Him". And that, for our own benefit and for God's glory, is a part of God's Almighty Mercy and Love, for "I am the Lord who exercises Kindness, Justice, and Righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight."
And this is why the angels rejoice in the Lord God Almighty and proclaim that all glory belongs to God; because God alone is Good and has defined Truth in Himself, His Son Jesus Christ.
Post a Comment