A friend and I have decided to reflect on a chapter of 1 Corinthians every other day. If you would like to check out her reflections, head on over to Coloured Pyrex.
Summary of 1 Cor 1:
To those who have been set apart in Christ:
You have been blessed in great measure; you want for nothing as you wait for our Lord’s return. He will keep you strong in your faith until that day, for our Lord is faithful.
Until that time, do not let your fellowship become divided. Do not follow those whom God has brought to you as messengers, but rather the one who has sent them. There is no power in the words of one man over those of another. The power of the message is in the cross of Christ, not in flowery words or dramatic presentation.
This power seems weak to those searching for human or supernatural strength, and it seems foolish to those searching for human or supernatural wisdom. But the weakness of Christ’s crucifixion is stronger than any other strength, and its foolishness is above any other wisdom. For those who have been saved find salvation in the grace demonstrated by Christ on the cross.
And of those who have been saved, those who have been called, few were wise or strong or influential. We were the broken and discarded, the despised and rejected, that God might reveal his power to the world. For no one, least of all ourselves could claim any part in the salvation we, who were once lost, have received in Christ.
Favorite Passage from 1 Cor 1:
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. - 1 Cor 1:22-24
Thoughts on 1 Cor 1:
but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. - 1 Cor 1:17b
If you will forgive me, I’ll quote myself…
My life is wonderful. I am surrounded by incredible people, amazing opportunities constantly present themselves, and unbelievable stories fill my past, yet I find myself growing ever more tired, bitter and angry.
I want desperately to protect my friends from their own mistakes while I pursue mine with fanatical devotion. I want to shield them from pain, yet I defend to the death my right to hurt.
Imagine my shock when I realized I’ll never be able to save everyone.
Imagine my surprise when I was told someone already had.
But now we see that not only is it not my place to save anyone, but its not even my job to convince anyone that they’ve been saved. It’s my job to carry the message, not sell it.
No matter how much I want to, I can’t convince you of anything. I can’t sway you to believe that Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection offers you something incredible. I can’t convince you that the God who loves you so much that he’d give his own son over into death has designed a way for you to spend all of eternity in that love, in his presence.
I can’t. But the cross… Christ’s death, his resurrection… This is power. The foolishness and weakness of a God who can die, and would willingly to save his creation, this is power. And this power, this saving grace, has the power to convict and convince.
Jesus Christ died for you. He rose for you and He now lives for you to prepare a place for you to be with Him for all eternity. There’s no entry fee, no set of requirements. You don’t have to be good enough, in fact, you can’t be good enough. All you can do is believe that His death and resurrection opened the way back to Him, the way out of living in rejection of God and instead living in his presence. And that belief, that faith, isn’t even something you have to come up with on your own, even that is a gift of the God who loves you to death.
Posted with : The Way