1 Corinthians 1:4-9

We are sealed with the Holy Spirit and nothing can stop His work in our lives except us. We need to lean into Him to learn to hear His voice and follow His direction. 

Believers are the outward sign of His presence in mankind. 

He binds us together for His glory…Jesus the name above all names.

Christ within us is the promise of eternal life with God.

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Statements of thanksgiving are a common feature in ancient letters.  Paul thanks God for the Corinthian believers despite their immorality. He is thankful that they’ve come to Christ and are at least staying engaged with the Christian community; this provides the opportunity for God to work in them and through them. Believers have received from God—speech, knowledge, and spiritual gifts they do not come from people but from Christ. This also shows that the believers belong to Christ now that they’ve entered into a relationship with Him. 

In Paul’s worldview, the believers have been rescued from the reign of Satan  (evil) and placed under the reign of Christ (God’s proper and intended order of creation). Since there was a very large wealth gap in Corinth, Paul emphasizes that riches are found in a life of following Christ; Christ’s gifts are what matter. His life is focused on love as God is focused on love.

The Greek word used here, gnōsis, may refer to an understanding of Christian teaching. Paul is referring to the work that he told the Corinthians that Christ would do in them; it’s now happening and is providing a witness for Christ in the world. Christ has sent the Holy Spirit to them to transform them. The Greek word used here, apokalypsis, often rendered as “revelation,” can either refer to the second coming of Christ or to God revealing something directly to a believer through the gift of tongues, prophecy, or a vision. Christ will fully inaugurate justice in the world by delivering His followers and purging the world of evil. God intended for the Corinthian believers to join together because of Christ; instead, they focused on leaders and teachers, which (among many other things) caused division within their church. Faithlife Bible.

The thanksgiving Paul offers to God for the Corinthians seems odd, considering the many problems the church was experiencing. However, Paul focuses his praise not on the troubled Corinthians but on the eternally faithful God. Paul does not praise the Corinthians for their good works as he does some other churches instead, he praises God who works in them. When we focus on people’s faults, hope soon wanes and discouragement follows. But when we concentrate on the Lord, even the darkest hours can be filled with praise. NKJ Bible.

The Corinthian church contained some Jews, but more Gentiles, and the apostle had to contend with the superstition of the one, and the sinful conduct of the other. The peace of this church was disturbed by false teachers, who undermined the influence of the apostle. Two parties were the result; one contending earnestly for the Jewish ceremonies, the other indulging in excesses contrary to the gospel, to which they were especially led by the luxury and the sins which prevailed around them. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible.

Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

Isaiah 49:7 Thus says the LORD,The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.”

Luke 17:30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.