Blameless Series

There's a certain degree of optimism at the start of a new school year. There are no late homework assignments or projects. There are no low results from tests, no absences and no detentions from bad behavior. In essence, there is a flawless report and a blameless record. The challenge naturally is from everything that follows. We know that we will not be perfect and that flawless record will not last.

This is the same challenge that every Christian has after salvation. We start the Christian life with such optimism, but as we face challenges, we stumble into sin, strain relationships and leave a wake of pain in our path. If we are believers we should feel a certain degree of guilt and remorse from this.

As a Congregation, the Church in Corinth pretty much got everything wrong that could go wrong. Although the church was blessed with an exceptionally talented group of people (12:7–11, 27–31) but was burdened by strife, divisions, moral problems, and irregularities in the worship services. When Paul wrote I Corinthians, he pastorally approached the readers by thanking God, who had called them to a life of holiness. Many of them had lived in spiritual darkness but by God’s grace now had fellowship with Jesus Christ. Paul rejoiced in their salvation. In a positive manner, he reminded the Corinthians of their commitment to Christ and urged them to ascend to a higher level of serving Christ in church and society. In his thanksgiving to God, he addressed the people positively in spite of their lack of love to God and their fellow (believers) (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, pp. 42–43). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)

When our failings and sins are before us how can we cope? When relationships are strained and the weight of sin is before us, how do we deal with this burden? The solutions that the Apostle Paul presents the Corinthians Church can help us to see how Blameless believers are in Christ, and how to effectively deal with the sins that so easily beseech us. Paul takes the first nine verses of 1 Corinthians to show believers who they are—saints, holy ones, sanctified ones. The rest of the letter is built on this foundation. “You are holy; therefore act holy. Live a life commensurate with who you are.”

In 1 Corinthians 1:3–9 Paul summarizes the benefits of believing in Christ, of being a saint. The benefits have three dimensions. Some are past, given the moment we accept Christ as Savior and Lord. Others are present, worked out as we live our lives in Him. Still others are future, to be experienced only when we go to be with Him in heaven. In the past there is grace, in the present there are gifts, and for the future there are guarantees. 1) Our Past is already taken care of (1 Corinthians 1:3-4, 6), 2) Our Present is provided for (1 Corinthians 1:5, 7a), and 3) Our Future is assured (1 Corinthians 1:7b-9).

Believers are Blameless in Christ because of:

1) Past Benefits of Grace (1 Corinthians 1:3-4, 6)

1 Corinthians 1:3-4, 6 [3]Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [4]I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, [6]even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-- (ESV)

The first benefit of being a saint is the grace of salvation. In verse three, Paul used a common form of Christian greeting (cf. Rom. 1:7; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:2; 2 John 3; Rev. 1:4; etc.). Grace is favor, and peace is one of its fruits. Peace (Greek eirēnē) was used as the equivalent of the Hebrew shālôm, still the most common Jewish greeting today. The peace of which Paul speaks here is “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension” (Phil. 4:7). It is the peace that only Christians can have, for only Christ can give it (John 14:27). The world does not have and cannot give that kind of peace. “Grace is always first, peace always second. This is due to the fact that grace is the source of peace. Without grace there is and can be no peace; but when grace is ours, peace must of necessity follow. (R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians (1935; Columbus: Wartburg, 1946), p. 28.)

• In a world of noise, confusion, and relentless pressures, people long for peace. Many give up the search, thinking it impossible to find, but true peace of heart and mind is available through faith in Jesus Christ (Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). 1 & 2 Corinthians (p. 21). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.).