Our Faithful God Who Has Called You

God is faithful, by whom you were called

by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that you all speak the same thing,

and that there be no divisions among you,

but that you'd be perfectly joined together

in the same mind and in the same judgment.

For it has been declared to me concerning you,

my brother, by those of Chloe's household,

that there are contentions among you.

1 Corinthians 1: 9 -- 11

            Before I begin discussing what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church due to the fact that there were persistent problems in the church in Corinth to want to point out that: "God is faithful."  This statement is a foundational statement from the hope that we have within us and it is not to be forgotten even under time to trials.  Secondly, we must remember that we were: "you were called by the name of our more Jesus Christ."  You may have decided to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, but that decision came because God in naval view and called to and you did not do this simply from your own feelings: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."  "And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father" (John 6: 44, 65).  This fact but God is faithful and He is the one who calls whomever He chooses to call, and the Bible tells us that those who are called, έκκλησία, are called out ones who respond by the faith given to them by God (Ephesians 2: 8), to respond and show that they have responded by the growing sanctification in their life.  As Christians we are called to be saints in the Lord Jesus Christ and we are fellow -- ministers of our Lord and Savior.  There are those who call themselves Christian but they're very action show them that they are not the true Church for they follow doctrinal positions that are in opposition to God's Word.  But true Church of God is comprised of those who are sanctified in the Lord Jesus Christ and call upon Him as God manifested in the flesh for the blessing of salvation.  Christians are to be distinguished from the profane and secular world, and the teachings of those who are atheistic.  The true Church of God, and any other persons are those who are becoming sanctified in Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to save us from all iniquity, and that we are to purify ourselves to Him as a peculiar, and zealous people for good works.  Even Clement some 50 years after Paul wrote about the concerning problems in the church at Corinth had this to say to the church at Corinth: "It is a shameful report, beloved, extremely shameful and unworthy of your training in Christ, that on account of one or two persons as steadfast and ancient Church of the Corinthian's is being disloyal to the elders" (1 Clement 47: 6).  Later in this letter to the Corinthians Paul is going to define what it means to have gifts in the church and points out that it was pastor, teachers, elders, and that we were to listen to them and adhere to their teachings and also to ensure that those teachers, and pastors, are actually teaching the Word of God and that we are not making a doctrine that is outside of the will of God.  The Corinthian church, as God has done in all true churches, is to enrich the church was various gifts, and the miraculous, especially in those days whereby many people came from all parts of the earth speaking different languages, enabled those Christians to speak in various languages and gave to them abundant knowledge of providing things.  God does not give something that He has not intended and will give the capacity to use those gifts.  Unfortunately those gifts can be misused and are even in this day been misused.  Many may have a flower of fruit and yet do not have the root of knowledge and what they are doing is harming the fruit that this particular gift was to produce.  The gifts that God gave to the Corinthian church, and in the gifts given to Christians in general were to be used as a confirmation in regards to their/our testimony about our Lord Jesus Christ who lives within us.  Yes there were signs and wonders and are even to today, signs and wonders, our gifts of the Holy Spirit and those gifts bear witness in regards to God and those gifts are confirming by this evidence that they/we have a divine mission.  With the influx of people into the church came with them their past experiences and lines that needed growth in the Word of God and yet this was not occurring and there were different thinking in regard to who Jesus Christ is in this caused visions among the people of Christ.  People wanted the special gifts, such gifts like healing, and speaking in tongues, and the euphoric feelings of being part of something special making them to feel pious.  We find this among some churches today whereby people are more involved in the gifts rather than in the actual living out in witness for our Lord and Savior who sanctifies us by his word.  There was disunity within the church there in Corinth a fractional wisdom by means of futile worship.  There was immorality brought into the church by those who practiced immorality prior to entering into the church, and this is very possible by the influx of both male and female temple prostitutes who became believers in the Gospel.  It must be admitted at this point that there are two things that we must understand: 1.  There are matters of indifference.  2.  There are matters of difference, that is those things which are scriptural and are necessary for the true Church of Jesus Christ.  Far too often the divisions and contentions are over matters of indifference.  All that is being done is making divisions among the people of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As I go through this book were going to be talking about those matters and looking at scriptural principles that are to guide us, and not those things that men have decided are more important to be practiced than to actually be preaching, teaching, and proclaiming the Gospel.

            It is time now for us to personally meditate upon our actions and those things that we declared to be unscriptural, or unbecoming of a Christian as to whether or not they are actually formed from scriptural principles.

The sacrifice of the wicked

            is an abomination

to the LORD, but the prayer

            of the up right is

His delight.  The way of the

            wicked is an abomination

to the LORD, He loves him who

follows righteousness.

            Proverbs 15: 8 -- 9

Plead to God for guidance

Richard L. Crumb