e-mail 10/3/06

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he wrote to address problems in the church. The church stood divided. There were problems in marriages, people eating foods offered to idols and even incest within the body of Christ without the church taking a stand against the sin. All of these reasons and more concerned Paul so he wrote to correct the sin that had come into the church through the believers.

Corinth was considered one of the most wicked cities. It was a first century navy town. People flocked to the city of Corinth because of the amusements, gambling, people came to work the docks, trade, business ventures and even temple prostitution. At the time Paul visited the city of Corinth, there were estimated to be about 500,000 people (according to Nelson's Bible Dictionary). With all the many people coming into the city, they brought their own religious customs and idolatry.

In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul identifies to whom he is writing this letter. He addressed the Church of God at Corinth, who were sanctified (set apart) in Jesus. He called them Saints. So this letter was written to Christians of Paul's day. Paul reminded them of God's grace that was given to them through Jesus Christ, that God had blessed them in everything and it was confirmed by Jesus Christ. He then proceeds to address the problems within the church and tells them that they should be "blameless". This letter could be addressed to any American seacoast town.

Paul pleaded with the Christians that they should all be in agreement and not be divided in their faith. He says in verse 18 of Chapter 1, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." To the lost person, Christianity may seem foolish. A person who is lost is in the dark about God and the church is to be like a light on a hill or salt to unflavored food. We must not be like the world or make excuses for our actions.

I use to have trouble with this verse in not understanding about "being saved" but I had it explained to me in the simplest of terms and proper English grammar. I AM SAVED, I AM BEING SAVED, I WILL BE SAVED. All of these are true.

I am saved now because I have asked Jesus to come into my heart, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and I have confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God not only with my mouth and baptism but also with my daily life.

I am being saved indicates that my life is not over but I am on a journey and through my journey on this earth, there are many things that I am saved from, mainly my punishment for sin. I am being saved from God's wrath because Scripture is very plain and says that God hates sin. I will be saved throughout eternity. The Holy Spirit is my Guarantee that my salvation is secure and God says it is for eternity. (John 3:16) When Jesus prayed the Lord's prayer, He thanked the Father that He had not lost a single one and this prayer was not just for the disciples of His time on earth but also for those who believe today.

The world is not saved. Our churches are filled with people who have committed every known sin at one time or another. There are none of us that have been perfect but that does not mean that we are free to do whatever the world suggest to us. If Christ is our Lord, our desire is to please Him. Jesus said "IF you love Me, you WILL keep My commandments". Members of the church are not suppose to act like the world, we are called to be different. Scripture says that if we are of the world then Christ has no part of us.

The Apostle Paul was so confident of his faith and what he knew to be truth about Jesus Christ that he said "Therefore I urge you, imitate me." (I Cor 4:16, 6:12) I have always been hesitant about telling someone else to imitate me because I recognize most of my imperfections. Paul was not perfect either but he was striving for perfection.

I believe that this is what Paul was trying to get across to the church. We know that in this life, we will find perfection only as Christ lives His life through us. Is it possible? Absolutely! Jesus was our example. He was completely human and at the same time completely Divine. Jesus said to His disciples that after He went back to be with the Father, the Holy Spirit would come and help us. We were to be able to do more than He did while He was on the earth. However, I have not yet met the individual who gave 100% of himself to God.

We are on a journey in this life and while on the journey to eternity with God, we have to be careful with our actions so that those who do not believe in Jesus will want to know Him. We are Christ's example to the Lost.We have work to do....

Sharing God's love,
Peggy