1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Made Holy, So Be Holy
When was the last time you cleaned your microwave? If I came over this afternoon and asked to make a burrito in there, would you be embarrassed to let me see it? Until about 2 days ago I would have been embarrassed to let you use mine. It’s one of those things that piles up after a while, right? But once you do it – once you get that paint scraper out – if you’re like me, maybe you make that vow to yourself, “I am never going to let this get that dirty again!” Every spill you wipe up right away. Maybe you go out and buy one of those covers to prevent splatter.
But how long does that last? How long until you have to wash it again? Once washed doesn’t mean always clean. Even with the best of intentions and the firmest resolutions you set for yourself are always enough. That’s true of both microwaves and the human soul.
Corinth was a big city. According to some estimates, it was the fourth largest city in the entire Roman empire. It was the capital of its province. It was a major trade center. It also housed a massive temple to the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Today, Corinth isn’t even half the size of St. Albert, but back then – when Paul was doing his mission work – it could have housed as many as 700,000 people.
Corinth was a big city and it had big city problems. You had greed, corruption, vice, discrimination, crime (and with a huge temple for Aphrodite, a lot of sexual sin too). Paul had his hands full as the founding pastor of the Christian church there.
He once said that besides all of the hardships he faced as a missionary – shipwrecks, highway robbery, attempted murder – he faced daily the pressure of his concern for all the churches,[1] and the church in Corinth was no exception.
We know of at least 3 letters Paul wrote to them after he moved away – only two surviving history. And for the next 5 weeks we’ll read his introduction to the First. In many ways, this is a unique letter. In it, Paul addresses many and varied, but also very important, topics ranging from cliques within the church to an outright denial of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
He starts the same way he does in many of his letters. He introduces himself; he addresses his audience; and he gives a good Christian greeting: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.[2]
But then he does something that, on the surface, looks ordinary – it’s the same thing he does in many other letters – but is very telling. In verse 4 he says, “I always thank my God for you…” Almost every single letter he writes conveys the same sentiment. Here’s are three. As we read them, what is it that Paul is thankful for?
Romans 1:8 – I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
Ephesians 1:15,16 – Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Colossians 1:3,4 – We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people…
That’s not what he says here, though, is it?
1 Corinthians 1:4 – I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
Paul doesn’t praise the Corinthians’ faith or love or any other thing that they might have done or been known for. The Corinthians weren’t shining examples of Christian faith and life, and yet Paul still thanked God for them and for the grace given them in Christ Jesus.
Which brings me to another thing that makes this letter – and especially Paul’s introduction – unique. Paul does something here that isn’t done anywhere else in the entire Bible. He says some variation of the name Christ Jesus or Jesus Christ our Lord 9 times in 9 verses. You will not find a higher concentration of Jesus’ name anywhere else in all of Scripture.
That ought to tell you something. Of all the things that Paul could say – of all the controversies and drama and false doctrine that he could address – Paul makes a point of focusing on Jesus and the grace he gives us. Paul addresses this letter to Christians, like us, who are defined not by what we do, but what Christ has done for us and who has made us.
Paul talks about that in verse 2: To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – their Lord and ours.[3]
Of all the characteristics that Paul could have used to address these people, he picks some of the most positive possible. He doesn’t say, “To the sexual sinners,” or, “To the separatists who follow Apollos or Peter,” or even, “To the dissatisfied deniers of organized religion or the resurrection of Jesus.” No. He says, “To the church of God in Corinth.”
There were a lot of things that set these people apart and made them different. There were many unique challenges to maintaining faith in Jesus in such a worldly environment. But Paul reminds them – and us – who we really are first and foremost. We are God’s church.
It doesn’t matter if you’re in Corinth or Canada. It doesn’t matter if your pastor’s name is Peter or Paul. It doesn’t matter what your person pet sins are. What matters is who your God is. He is the one who gathers us here. He is the reason we formed this congregation. We don’t come here because we like the coffee or the music. We come because we’ve been called together by our God to gather around his Word and to hear what God’s Word has to say to us.
And it says that we are “sanctified in Christ Jesus.”
Sanctified means “to be made holy.” In other words, it means to be cleansed, forgiven. Every spot and stain of sin is washed away. When God looks at you, he doesn’t see a single wrong that you’ve done – no failures, no faults. He sees you as perfect in every way.
But that’s different than “perfect just the way you are,” isn’t it? Paul talks about a change that’s taken place – a change that needed to happen, but a change that we had nothing to do with. It was entirely Jesus’ doing.
We are not perfect just the way we are. We are flawed and broken in so many ways, and in the rest of this letter Paul is going to talk about several. But before he mentions a single one, he wants every one of us to know that we are not defined by our sin, but by Jesus’ forgiving love. We are sinners, sure, but sinners saved by grace. That is who you are – redeemed, restored, forgiven.
And not because of anything you’ve done. Christ Jesus 9 times in 9 verses. Holiness is entirely Jesus’ doing. He was the one who lived a perfect life; that’s not a burden that you have to bear. He was the one who sacrificed himself and died on a cross; that’s not a threat you have to fear. Jesus Christ is the one who gives you peace with God because of his forgiving love.
You are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be his holy people.
There’s a great parallelism in those words, isn’t there? Made holy, so be holy. They go together. But is that always the reality in your life?
After you come here and receive the absolution from your pastor, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;” after you receive the Lord’s Supper and the body and blood of Jesus Christ our Lord given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins, do you go home and have no desire ever to sin again? Do you leave this place and lead a perfect life? I don’t.
It may be easy to say “Made holy, so be holy,” but it’s another thing to do it. Which is why I think Paul starts this letter the way he does. He’s going to go into all kinds of practical, measurable ways that we can reform our sinful lives, but before he delves into the controversies, drama and false doctrine, Paul dwells on Christ Jesus – 9 times in 9 verses – including what may be the most important for you remember as you try to be who Christ has made you:
He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.[4]
You have been made holy by Jesus Christ through his sacrifice on the cross. You are called to be holy now as you live your life of faith. And when the Last Day comes, you will be blameless to stand before our Lord – not because you’re so strong, but because he will keep you firm; not because you are so full of faith, but because God is faithful.
Come what may, Jesus’ love for you will never fail. The grace God gives you in Christ covers over all your past sin, guilt and shame and will carry you all the way to the gates of heaven when Jesus is revealed on the Last Day. Will there be work for you to do here and now? Of course! But the work of your salvation is done. You are not defined by your sin or by what you go on to do through faith. You are a sinner saved by grace. You are sanctified in Christ. You are made holy, so be holy, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
[1] 2 Corinthians 11:28
[2] 1 Corinthians 1:3
[3] 1 Corinthians 1:2
[4] 1 Corinthians 1:8