Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Living Holy Lives and Embracing Correction | New Testament | 1 Corinthians 1

Episode Date: June 7, 2023

How do you react to correction? Do you tend to hide your sin behind your accomplishments? In today's episode, Jensen explores 1 Corinthians 1 as she discusses how to examine your heart and follow Jesus. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 1 Corinthians 1

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. And the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt McNair. If you're following along with our reading plan going through the New Testament this year, then you will have noticed that today we are yet again starting a new book of the Bible, 1st Corinthians. Like many of the letters in the New Testament, this was a letter written by Paul to a specific church. This particular church was in Corinth, and the city in which they lived was incredibly pagan.

The people that Paul is writing to in this book were surrounded by a culture that lived very differently than what believers were called to. And because of this, the Church of Corinth struggled in different ways to live in step with the gospel they had been given. Now, the entire book of First Corinthians has a strong corrective tone to it. Paul knows that this church is strong in their faith, and that they have been gifted in many ways. But he's also heard that they have fallen prey to arrogance, divisiveness, and moral impurity among other things. And we'll see as we read through these chapters that Paul is writing to correct, redirect, and encourage the Corinthians as they struggle to live out their faith in a world that lives quite the opposite to them.

But today, we're only focusing on the first chapter and because of time I'll really only be staying in the first few verses, Paul's initial greetings. But I want to have the whole context of the book in mind, because knowing the context of why Paul is writing to this church will help us grasp a deeper understanding of Paul's initial greeting to this church. Like many of his other letters, Paul begins this letter with a greeting and encouragement to the church. And it can be easy to quickly read those parts, pull out the nice things he says, and be encouraged by the truths, and then move on to the main sections and themes of the letter. But today, let's sit with this greeting and thanksgiving for the church.

I want us to recognize that Paul is speaking specific truths and encouragement over this church in light of the letter that is about to follow. We'll start with verses 1 through 3. Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and our brother Sosthenes, 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, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So Paul starts out like most of his letters saying who is writing, him, and who he's writing to,

the church in Corinth. And he specifically highlights things about the Church of Corinth. He's writing to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and who are called to be his holy people. In his first words to the Corinthians, he reminds them that as followers of Jesus Christ, they have been sanctified by Jesus in order that they may live holy lives. See, sanctified is maybe one of those words that you've probably heard a lot and know the gist of what it means, but may not be able to fully articulate it. At least it's been one of those for me. But to be sanctified means to be set apart or declared holy for a specific purpose. So before Paul ever gets into any kind of direct correction to the people of Corinth,

he's doubling down on the truth that they have been set apart by Christ, made blameless before God, so that they can live holy lives. They have been made holy so that they can live holy lives. And he continues. He says that they are to live according to this gift and calling from Jesus. together with all believers everywhere who also call on Jesus. He specifically uses language like our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. We're not even two verses in, and Paul has already touched on two of his main themes of

correction to come in this letter. The Corinthians are to be living holy lives, and they are to be living united with the church, both those within their own city of Corinth, but also the larger church. all believers everywhere who believe in Jesus. Now, we could easily miss these themes and reminders that Paul places within the first two verses if we don't approach this letter as a whole, as a letter written to a specific people with specific challenges and specific characteristics. And so although these first verses have no direct correction or confrontation, I would venture to guess that as the Corinthians hear this greeting and are reminded of the holiness and

and unity they are called to, they may begin to feel the twinge of recognition that things are not as they should be. Paul finishes out his initial greeting with a blessing, saying grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if the people had begun to feel that maybe not all as well, this blessing is a balm. Despite what may be coming and despite where they may need to change, Paul still reminds them that he cares for them, that he writes with grace and peace. I don't know about you, but my initial reaction to correction is usually indignation, defensiveness, anger, which usually is all covering up the embarrassment that I feel over the correction. I don't like to fail. I don't like to fall short of expectations, and correction from others

puts my failures in the spotlight. I failed so bad that someone else, else noticed, and usually I'd rather get angry and retreat, than humbly hear that correction. And so, Paul's words of blessing to the people resonate with me. He may be hinting at what is to come, where these people need correction, but he comes with the grace and peace of God. And he continues with this reassurance in the next five verses as he gives thanks for all that is good within the Church of Corinth. Versus 4 through 9. I always thank my God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in Him you have been enriched in every way. With all kinds of speech and with all knowledge, God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift

as you eagerly wait for Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end. so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. In the first three verses, Paul lets the Corinthians know that he is thankful for the work God has done in them. He acknowledges that this church has been blessed and enriched by the grace of God. They've been endowed with certain gifts. We learn that they have been enriched in their speech and in their knowledge. This is a church that has been blessed, which confirms the work of God within the people. In verse 7, he says that they do not lack any spiritual gift as they eagerly wait

for Jesus to be revealed. Paul knows that these people follow Jesus. They equally await his return. The gifts of the spirit are evident among them. He's quick to acknowledge both the confidence they should have in their faith and the evidence of that faith through the many gifts this church. has. Paul is reminding them that they are on the same team, that he sees them, he sees the good, he values it, he thanks God for it all. I think we can learn something from Paul here. He knows that reading the rest of this letter, as early as verse 10 of chapter 1, as he offers correction and calls out places of failure within this church, he knows that these people might easily become defensive, hard in their hearts. They may very well be tempted to do what I often do,

to say, what does he know? Doesn't he know who I am? Doesn't he know all that I do? Doesn't he know how faithful I am in all these different areas? I often become defensive in correction, throwing out what I'm doing right as a defense for the areas where I failed. I think if they knew all I did, all I'm succeeding at, they wouldn't be focusing on this one failure. But Paul is gently reminding them, I know about the good. I'm thankful for the good. But as we will see, that doesn't allow us to continue hiding sin in other areas of our lives. This is a hard truth for me to face. I'd much rather hold my accomplishments, my shining moments of faithfulness, even point to the areas I'm gifted in and rely on those things to help hide the parts of my life where I am failing. If people know that I go to church every Sunday, maybe they'll miss the fact that I spend

four hours a day scrolling and watching TV that is pulling my heart and mind towards things that are not edifying. If people know that I serve and give generously, then maybe they won't bring up the fact that I'm selfish with my comfort and time, and sometimes it makes me short-tempered with my family. If people can see that God has given me the gift of teaching, maybe they'll let me off the hook for failing to care for and love the people around me. See, I can deeply relate to the struggles that the people of Corinth face. The areas of my life where I fall out of step with the gospel and into step with the world around me, the ways I want to boast about and rely on my successes to cover up the failures look a lot like the Corinthians. But if this letter teaches me anything,

It is that those failures cannot go unchecked. The sin I try so hard to cover up to ignore, to defend, must be corrected. Not to call me out and tell me I'm a failure, but to graciously and peacefully invite me to live the life I was called to live. As a sanctified member of the church, I have been set apart for a purpose, to live a holy life in every area of life. of my life. And in his final words, before he begins his direct corrections, Paul reminds the Corinthians who it is that is making them holy. He reminds them that Jesus will keep them firm to the

end so that they will be blameless. He tells them that the one who has called them into fellowship with Jesus is faithful. Before he corrects, before he addresses failure, he reminds them of who called them. God is faithful. He is steadfast. He has already sanctified you. He is active in your lives. He has blessed you. He has gifted you. And because of all these things that are true, you have been called to live holy lives. That's the foundation of our faith, the foundation of this letter. As we continue through 1st Corinthians, I'm sure that you will notice the similar struggles that the Church of Corinth faces compared to our modern struggles. You may feel the twinge of recognition, the pull of the Holy Spirit to examine your own heart. And I would say that as this happens,

remember the graciousness and peace with which Paul writes. Remember the foundation of faith that this letter is written on. We have been sanctified so that we can live holy lives. Allow the Word of God to continue that work in our hearts and direct our words, actions, and lives towards the path of Jesus. Before you forget, sign up for the 10-minute Bible Talks newsletter. Hit the link in the show notes and you'll get an email every Wednesday that will help encourage you in the middle of the work week and bring you deeper in your walk with Jesus. Thanks for listening.