1 Corinthians 1:1-13; I Am A Unifying Member

Sermon in a sentence: I will be a unifying church member.

Introduction

Martin Luther King Jr. said that 11 o’clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week. While King was speaking of racial segregation, I believe this statement has truth for us today in a different context.

By Sanctification (vs. 1-9)

Paul is wrote to the church of Corinth as a group and as individuals.

Andrew Naselli

Romans–Galatians Comment

In the NT, “church” usually refers to local churches. And the term always refers to people who gather together—not to a church building. In Scripture, believers are not said to go to church. Instead, they meet with the church. The church regularly gathers to worship God and edify each other through preaching the Bible, performing baptisms, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and practicing church discipline.

God commands me to pursue personal and corporate sanctification.

Andrew Naselli

Romans–Galatians Comment

The NT letters present three tenses of sanctification:

(1) Past. A believer is sanctified (e.g., Heb. 2:11). This occurs when God sets believers apart for himself at the moment he first gives them spiritual life. Some theologians call this definitive or positional sanctification. This is what Paul means when he describes the church in Corinth as “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” God sanctified them through Jesus’ cross-work. All genuine members of God’s church are holy in this sense. When the NT refers to believers as “holy” or “sanctified,” it usually refers to definitive sanctification.8

(2) Present. A believer is being sanctified (e.g., 2 Cor. 7:1). This is probably what most Christians today think sanctification is: the progressive, incomplete, lifelong maturing process in which a Christian gradually becomes more holy. In that sense sanctification is distinct from both justification (when God instantaneously declares that a believing sinner is righteous) and glorification (when God gives his people imperishable, immortal bodies). Those systematic-theology categories are valid and important. But in the Bible sanctification does not always refer to progressive sanctification. In the NT letters, it usually refers to definitive sanctification.

(3) Future. A believer will be sanctified (e.g., 1 Thess. 3:13). This ultimate sanctification corresponds to glorification, when God sets his people apart from sin’s presence and possibility.

We are gracious.

How do I speak? How do I respond to criticism or questions. Am I quick to speak or quick to listen. Do I meditate upon past sins? Do I pray for my own forgiveness of others?

We are peacemakers (Matthew 5:9 “9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”)

Do you cause trouble? Do you run away from problems or try to fix them?

We grow in speech and knowledge.

How are you growing in your walk with God? Do you practice any of the spiritual disciplines?

We grow in the spiritual gifts.

Have you asked the Lord to show you your spiritual gift? Are you using it for the church?

By Reconciliation (vs. 10-13)

We must be intentional and thoughtful to accomplish reconciliation.

Paul uses words like mind and judgement to demonstrate this is an deliberate action. We don’t fall into reconciliation.

Our reconciliation must be based upon our union with Christ.

Conclusion

Jesus said “A house divided cannot stand (Mark 3:25).” Beloved, we are called to be a body of believers that are united to each other in Christ Jesus. The Proverbs tell us “Proverbs 17:1 “1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.” Let us fight against division. Let us be unifying members of Christ’s body.

I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference The Second Pledge

The Second Pledge

I am a church member.

I will seek to be a source of unity in my church. I know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But neither am I. I will not be a source of gossip or dissension. One of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God’s power to help keep the church in unity for the sake of the gospel.