To the Church of God

“Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:1-3 ESV)

Questions:

• Who is an apostle of Christ Jesus? Who is Jesus Christ?

• What is the church of God? What is it not?

• What does it mean to be sanctified in Christ Jesus?

• What is meant by “called to be saints”?

• What is God’s grace to us? His peace?

The apostle Paul was called of God, by the will of God, to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. And an apostle is a messenger, one sent on a mission, one commissioned by God to a particular area of ministry, under the authority of God, and according to his guidance and direction and specific choice for our individual lives. So, in a sense, we are all to be apostles, but only in the sense that all of us are to be the Lord’s servants and messengers and witnesses in taking the message of the gospel to the people of the world.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Eph 5:11-14; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

And who was/is Jesus Christ? He is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And he is our creator God, and he is the only begotten Son of God who was born to a human mother but conceived of the Holy Spirit. So when he lived on the earth he was fully human and fully God (God incarnate). So, he suffered like we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, but without sin. And then one day they put him to death on a cross because they hated him for who he was.

But it was God’s will and purpose for Jesus that he should suffer and die for us on that cross, and that he should be raised from the dead, for he who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross in order to put our sins to death with him, and he rose from the dead in victory over sin, so that by faith in him we can now die to sin and live to righteousness. For faith in him involves us denying self, dying to sin (not just once, but daily), and us walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, by his grace, in his power.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

And the church is the whole universal body of believers in Jesus Christ. We are the ekklēsía, those who are called out from the world, and to following Jesus Christ with our lives. We are called out from our lives of living in sin and for self, and to walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands in holy living. We are those who are “belonging to the Lord” by genuine repentant God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ whereby we die with him to sin so that we can now live to him and to his righteousness, by his grace.

The church is not an institution of human origin which is incorporated under the state as a not-for-profit business (incorporation), which is a merger and a union with the world and with the people of the world. Yet so much of what is called “church” here in America are incorporations under the state which are being marketed to the people of the world. So they alter the character of God and of his gospel to make them more acceptable to the people of the world. We are called of God to come out of and to not partake in these.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

And if we have been and are being sanctified in Christ Jesus, it means that we are being made holy, set apart from the world and the flesh because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of Jesus Christ in character. And to be called of God to be saints is a calling of God for us to be holy in all our conduct and for us to no longer live like we did before we believed in Jesus Christ. For we are to be different from who we were before and different from the world because we are being made to be like the Lord.

And the grace which comes from God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce (say ‘No!’ to) ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works,” “which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10).

And the peace that comes from our Lord is not absence of conflict other than it is absence of conflict with our Lord. For this peace has to do with us who believe in Jesus Christ joining together with God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – into a whole, but also into wholeness of mind, character, and heart because we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

To Be Like Him  

An Original Work / March 16, 2014  

Based off Scripture

Crucified you are with Jesus.

To be like Him, oh, you’ll be,

Because He died at Calv’ry,

So from sin you’d be free.

Oh, what joy He brings into your life,

Giving life with Him endlessly. 

Oh, what plans He has for your life.

Share the gospel faithfully.

Show the people He loves them.

Now His witness you’ll be.

Tell the world of sin about Jesus,

How He died for them on a tree.

Purifying hearts, He saves them,

Who believe on Christ, God’s Son.

Turning now from their idols,

New lives they have begun.

Jesus saves from sin; we’re forgiven.

Over sin, the vict’ry He won!

When He comes again to take us

To be with Him evermore,

There will be no more crying.

Gladness will be in store.

Heavens joys will now overtake us:

We’ll be with our Lord evermore.

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