Do You Know God's Call for You?

1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary 4. The Occasion and Purpose of 1 Corinthians

Paul’s purpose then is principally to set right disorders which the Corinthians took lightly, but which he saw as grave sins. Secondly, he wrote to answer some questions put to him. Thirdly, he wrote to give doctrinal teaching, particularly on the resurrection.28

1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary 6. The Date and Place of Origin

1 Corinthians would have been written somewhere about the mid fifties.38

Our culture longs for unity and solidarity. It wrongfully seeks to create it through conformity to its developing standard; based on finite understanding, clouded judgement, morals, and motives; and that expectation then exacts punitive cultural pressures to those who refuse it. As we briefly mentioned last week, the Bible warns of the nature of this world’s developing standard in 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” The passage also talks about the destiny of such a standard when it says in v. 17, “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

The Apostle Paul reinforces the idea in our familiar passage of Rom. 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

There in Romans 12, the following verse presents the comfort and hope for those who look up from the world’s developing but futile standard and accepts God’s standard in its place. Rom. 12:3 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Through the Apostle Paul, God directed a new standard, one not based upon finite humanity, but rather one based upon His own infinite nature and goodness. It was not a standard of outward obligations, but one of inward transformation.

It was a standard of unity and solidarity that was based upon an everlasting power rather than a never ending responsibility in this life. Through Christ, God offered His standard to humanity not as an expectation, but as a power, and He offered it freely. As Rom 12:3 put it, that inward power was God’s eternal grace through faith. Even the OT prophecy of the coming King that we have referenced over the last few weeks speaks of the origin of this power of change in Isa. 9:6-7, which ends with, “…the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

That is where Paul began. In order to address the disorders in the body of believers in the Corinthian church, he started with that which gives God’s people a unique unity and solidarity over that of the world’s. Paul started with the very foundation upon which such unity and solidarity is built, the new standard of God’s call. You see, unity and solidarity is not found in the resilience or goodness of mankind, it begins with the omnipotence and goodness of God alone. So, it starts not with us, but with God. In these first 18 or 19 verses, we will see that...

Big Idea: The grace of God is found in the unity of God that comes by the call of God through the Gospel of Christ to the people of God according to the power of God, to which - through faith in God, you have been called.

This all starts with God’s grace, which creates unity among those He calls through the Gospel of Christ, according to His power rather than ours, that bestows the power of faith within us. It does it so that we might rise up to the purpose of that call which is to develop, promote, and proclaim a unity that reflects the very grace of God.

Like we have mentioned many times in the past, whenever studying God’s Word, always notice those things which are repetitious. As you are well aware and able to discern for yourself, with little or no prompting, there is a great volume of words and ideas in these first few foundation verses that speak of the idea of unity or solidarity - the kind that reflects God’s grace. So let us break down this big idea into bit size pieces that we can digest a little easier. The first thing that we can note is...

The Grace of God is Found in Unity vv. 1-10

13 times in the first 10 verses there are words found that are all inclusive terms of unity (all [4 x’s], every, everything, always, not lacking, confirm, blameless, no divisions, same mind, same judgment).

All who are saints are so because they called on the name of Jesus Christ (true for everyone, everywhere) v. 2

Paul is always grateful for the grace of God in them, every time he prays for them v. 4

Every part of them has been enriched in God; all speech, all knowledge v. 5

They do not lack in any gift v. 7.

They are confirmed completely blameless all the way to the end v. 8.

They are to all agree v. 10a

They are not to have divisions v. 10b

They are to have unity in the mind of Christ v. 10c

They are to have unity in the judgment (discernment) of Christ v. 10d

One could argue for others in this passage as well, but these 13 certainly stand out like the droning of a base drum that sets a pace of rhythm for the rest of this letter.

This is not for some, it is for all. It is not simply some of this that is important, it all is.

This is not something that is alloyed with man’s, but rather something that transform man.

This is not something that brings God closer, but rather something that aids man to see more clearly the God who is already near.

This is not something that is given in part, but rather given in totality.

This is not something to help mankind’s mind rise up to a nirvana-type level of perfection, but rather the perfect mind of Christ that is to be fully applied.

This is not something that helps mankind be all that he can be, but rather that which shows the world all that Christ is in and through His people.

Clearly, the grace of God is seen in the unity of His people, a unity that is seen through Christ-likeness. That is the meaning of the term “Christian,” little Christs.

So, the grace of God is found in unity.

So where is the unity of God found?

The Unity of God is found in His Call vv. 1-17

What are we called by?

Called by the will of God vv. 1-8

What are we called to?

Called into fellowship with Christ v. 9

What are we called for?

Called to be completed in Christ v. 10-17

The Power of His Call is Found in the Gospel v. 18

Called through the power of the Word of the Cross v. 18

We are called by the power of the gospel

What seems like foolishness to the world becomes the very power tit seeks but does not find.

It is because the world looks for that power from the wrong source.

The world seeks the power for unity and solidarity within themselves, but Paul is telling the Corinthians and us that the real power for true and good change, true good and lasting unity and solidarity is not found in man, but rather it is found in God and the message of the gospel.

Through the gospel, God calls all men to repent and believe. Repenting in the faith He gives us enables us to receive the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ is that which transforms us and unifies us in a manner that confounds the wise of this world and shows increasingly clear, the grace of God. You have been called to believe in the transforming grace of God.

Big Idea: The grace of God is found in the unity of God that comes by the call of God through the Gospel of Christ to the people of God according to the power of God, to which through faith in God, you have been called.

1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary (1. Background)

The ideal of the Corinthian was the reckless development of the individual. The merchant who made his gain by all and every means, the man of pleasure surrendering himself to every lust, the athlete steeled to every bodily exercise and proud in his physical strength, are the true Corinthian types: in a word the man who recognised no superior and no law but his own desires.10

But here in 1 Corinthians, Paul defines for this church and ours, a new man.

One that is not fashioned after the definition of the world, but one that has been redefined, even reintroduced by God, one of solidarity in the mind of Christ which then transforms the recipient into that which more clearly reflects the grace of God.

What is the message for the church today?

We are in the world, but we are not to be of the world.

We are to proclaim, through our unity in the mind of Christ, the gospel which is the power to save the people of this world.

What is beautiful for the people of God and most comforting is the group of verses found later in this chapter that need little explanation.

It is a description that we would all relate to if we were honest with ourselves.

It is a definition of the called that helps us keep our lives in perspective.

It is a description that helps us keep our eyes off of ourselves and fixed on Jesus, who is as Hebrews 12 describes, the “Author and finisher of our faith.”

Look at vv. 26-31 with me.

Do you know God’s call for you? You are called by God to be different than the rest of the world and not let the rest of the world creep in. One commentator put it this way, in speaking about the church of Corinth...

1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary 4. The Occasion and Purpose of 1 Corinthians

The Church was in the world, as it had to be, but the world was in the Church, as it ought not to be’.25

What the world does points to what the world is, futile and finite.

Your calling is different. You are called to be like Christ in such a way that it breeds unity and solidarity within the church, so that together we can shine forth the power of the gospel to the glory of God.

God’s call for you is to rest in His grace, through the power of the gospel, so that the mind of Christ is what you now live for, so that you might show unity and solidarity with God’s people; not in conformity to the world, but rather in transformation to Christlikeness, so that others will take their eyes off of mankind and rather look to Jesus who alone is the author and finisher of our faith.

Big Idea: The grace of God is found in the unity of God that comes by the call of God through the Gospel of Christ to the people of God according to the power of God, to which through faith in God, you have been called.

Know your calling…your calling is to unity in Christ likeness together with the people of God so that together the church might be a shining light that illuminates God’s grace to a world that is trapped in the darkness of its finite and futile darkness.