I thank my God always on your
behalf,
for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
that in every
thing ye are enriched by Him,
in all utterances, and in all knowledge;
even as
the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
so that ye come behind in no
gift; waiting for
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall
also confirm
you unto the end, that ye may
be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful, by whom ye were called
unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus
Christ our Lord.
1Corinthians 1:4-9
It
is the will of God to sanctify through Jesus Christ all that are called, that
means you and I, and, it is not by what we do in works but by our decision to
believe upon the One sent forth to call all who believe on Jesus Christ. If a
person truly has come to believe upon Jesus Christ as their Savior then they
also then have the responsibility to be obedient to Him and His commandments.
This is proof that you are being sanctified in this life to match the fact that
God calls you now as sanctified. When you believe on Jesus Christ as Savior God
inputs to you righteousness and by this you are in the sight of God sanctified.
Now, we must in this life work out this sanctification.
Clement
mentioned by Paul in (Philippians 4:3); as a fellow laborer and as Paul had to
write to the Corinthian Church, so did Clement. It seems this Church was always
in some sort of trouble: Paul wrote to them to admonish them to return to the
faith as it was delivered to them, and Clement after the death of Paul had to
do the same thing as this Church was once again following after heretical
teachings, doing things that were never taught by Paul. This is true of many
Churches today: they are doing things not Scriptural even though the twist the
Scripture to fit their personal theology, or ideology. It is the philosophy of
the world that is fighting against the truth of the Bible, today, and in Paul’s
and in the day of Clement. Here are the words of Clement to the Corinthian
Church:
“The Church
of God which sojourns at Rome, to the Church of God sojourning at Corinth, to
them that are called and sanctified by the will of God, through our Lord Jesus
Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ, be
multiplied.
Owing, dear brethren, to the sudden and successive
calamitous events which have happened to ourselves, we feel that we have been
somewhat tardy in turning our attention to the points respecting which you
consulted us; ([Note the fact that the Corinthians asked
this of their brethren, the personal friends of their apostle St. Paul.)
Clement’s own name does not appear in this Epistle.] and especially to
that shameful and detestable sedition, utterly abhorrent to the elect of God,
which a few rash and self-confident persons have kindled to such a pitch of
frenzy, that your venerable and illustrious name, worthy to be universally
loved, has suffered grievous injury. (Literally, “is
greatly blasphemed.”) For who ever dwelt even for a short time among
you, and did not find your faith to be as fruitful of virtue as it was firmly
established? (Literally, “did not prove your all-virtuous
and firm faith.”) Who did not admire the sobriety and moderation of your
godliness in Christ? Who did not proclaim the magnificence of your habitual
hospitality? And who did not rejoice over your perfect and well-grounded
knowledge? For ye did all things without respect of persons, and walked in the
commandments of God, being obedient to those who had the rule over you, and
giving all fitting honour to the presbyters among you. Ye enjoined young men to
be of a sober and serious mind; ye instructed your wives to do all things with
a blameless, becoming, and pure conscience, loving their husbands as in duty
bound; and ye taught them that, living in the rule of obedience, they should
manage their household affairs becomingly, and be in every respect marked by
discretion.”
Clement
praises the Corinthian Church for their once faithfulness to the teachings of
the Apostles;
“Moreover, ye were all
distinguished by humility, and were in no respect puffed up with pride, but
yielded obedience rather than extorted it, (Eph. v. 21; 1 Pet. v. 5.) and were more willing to give than to receive. (Acts xx. 35.) Content with the provision which God had made
for you, and carefully attending to His words, ye were inwardly filled (Literally, “ye embraced it in your bowels.”) [Concerning the
complaints of Photius (ninth century) against Clement, see Bull’s Defensio
Fidei Nicænæ, Works, vol. v. p. 132.] with His doctrine, and His
sufferings were before your eyes. Thus a profound and abundant peace was given
to you all, and ye had an insatiable desire for doing good, while a full
outpouring of the Holy Spirit was upon you all. Full of holy designs, ye did,
with true earnestness of mind and a godly confidence, stretch forth your hands
to God Almighty, beseeching Him to be merciful unto you, if ye had been guilty
of any involuntary transgression. Day and night ye were anxious for the whole
brotherhood, (1 Pet. ii. 17.) that
the number of God’s elect might be saved with mercy and a good conscience. (So, in the ms., but many have suspected that the text is here corrupt. Perhaps
the best emendation is that which substitutes συναισθήσεως, “compassion,” for συνειδήσεως, “conscience.”) Ye were sincere and uncorrupted, and
forgetful of injuries between one another. Every kind of faction and schism was
abominable in your sight. Ye mourned over the transgressions of your neighbours:
their deficiencies you deemed your own. Ye never grudged any act of kindness,
being “ready to every good work.” (Tit. iii. 1.) Adorned
by a thoroughly virtuous and religious life, ye did all things in the fear of
God. The commandments and ordinances of the Lord were written upon the tablets
of your hearts. (Prov. vii. 3.)”
This
sanctification was soon marred by those men and women coming as sheep in wool
clothing only to blaspheme the truth once delivered. This caused such
disharmony in the Church due to many now following wicked lusts.
“Every kind of honour and happiness (Literally, “enlargement” was bestowed upon you, and
then was fulfilled that which is written, “My beloved did eat and drink, and
was enlarged and became fat, and kicked.”) (Deut. xxxii. 15.) Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and
sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. So the worthless rose up
against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the
foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years. For this
reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every
one abandons the fear of God, and is become blind in His faith, (It seems necessary to refer αὐτοῦ
to God, in opposition to the translation given by Abp. Wake and others.)
neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part
becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the
practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into
the world. (Wisdom ii. 24.)”
Today we face
such men and women who sound good, have good words that are easily digested
only to teach a form of Christianity that was not taught by the Apostles. Words
are redefined, presuppositions are leading the way that are far from the truth,
holy worship is replaced by euphoric clamor, and doing things: i.e., running
through tunnels of fire, or laying on tombs, even allowing tarot cards, and
other such blasphemous things to make the people stay with them, to believe in
them. This is only bringing upon those who follow and keep Authentic Christian
Faith to be denigrated, spit upon, even killed because they will not relent on
Authentic Christian Faith. It is up to each of us to ensure that what is being
taught to us is actually the truth.
Let the floods clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together.
Before the LORD; for He cometh to Judge
the earth:
With righteousness shall He judge the world,
And the people with equity.
Psalms 98 8-9
Obedience equals sanctification
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