So far this week, we’ve looked at the big problem in the Corinthian church and we’ve learned some more about Paul and the city of Corinth. Let’s take a deeper look at the actual letter. Read 1 Corinthians 1:1–9. As you read, notice how many times Paul mentions Jesus.
Greeting
1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless 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.
Paul starts off by reminding the Corinthians of the salvation they’ve received through Jesus. He doesn’t want them to forget it. Beginning in verse 4, he lists off all the ways the Corinthians have received God’s generosity.
Go back through verses 4–9. Write down anything that the Corinthians have received as a result of God’s grace.
Take a look at your list. It’s true Paul wrote to a specific church in a certain situation. But what’s amazing is that God’s kindness to the Corinthians is true for you too. If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’ve also received God’s grace.
But what exactly is grace? We talk about it all the time in church circles. Do we know what it actually means?
Think of it this way. Imagine you’re in a car accident—and it’s entirely your fault. Instead of an angry driver demanding your insurance information, picture the person you hit writing you a check in the amount it would cost you to buy a brand new Ferrari.
It doesn’t make sense. It’s extravagant. In the eyes of the world, it’s wasteful at best and simply stupid at worst.
An undeserved car doesn’t even begin to illustrate the sacrificial love God has shown us through Jesus. Look at the list you wrote earlier. None of us deserves any of those things. But God has given them to those who believe in him anyway. He’s written us the most outlandish check.
That’s why Paul mentions Jesus nine times in just nine verses. And it’s why Paul always talks about Jesus combined with the word, “Christ.” The word “Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” who was the anticipated savior of Israel.
So when Paul writes “Christ,” he’s alluding to Jesus’s ministry—his death and resurrection and the salvation that comes through him. It’s everything Jesus, the Messiah, did. Jesus—all that he’s done and all of who he is—is evidence of God’s grace in our lives.
Paul wants the Corinthians to remember the true source of everything good they experience in life and every hope they have for life after death.
That’s true for the Corinthians. And it’s true for us.
End your time today by writing out a prayer of thanks to God—look at the prayer Paul wrote in verses 4–9 if you need inspiration. Thank God for his grace in your life. Thank him for Jesus.
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
God, I am thankful for everything you have given to me and done for me. I am most thankful for the grace that I have received through Jesus Christ and pray that I can continue to serve you from the attitude of gratitude in your sacrifice. I thank you for everything that you have done and continue to do in my life. I pray, I will never forget the gift of your grace nor will I ever take it for granted. I pray all of these things in your name, Lord, amen.