A Faithful Foundation

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“So that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”—1 Corinthians 1:7–9 (NKJV)

Paul was very wise when it came to correcting people, and this wisdom is never more evident than it is here in the opening verses of his letter to the church of Corinth. As we will see, this was a church in need of a lot of correction. In fact, a lot of this epistle is dedicated to confronting problems that had gotten out of hand there. But before launching into “corrective mode,” Paul wisely lays a foundation to support the difficult direction this letter is going to take. And the foundation he establishes is God’s faithfulness over their lives.

Prior to this passage, Paul shared how thankful he was for all God had blessed them with through their belief in Christ. By His grace, their lives had been enriched in everything. Following up on this theme, he declares that they “come short in no gift.” In other words, Paul is assuring the Corinthians that in Jesus everything that’s needed is always provided. Whether they were taking full advantage of the provision is another story. But for God’s part, He would give them everything they would need in order to live for His glory (which they weren’t doing).

But Paul doesn’t stop there! He then goes on to highlight what they have to look forward to: “the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice what Paul is doing here. He’s pointing these people (who were struggling spiritually) to the finish line that was ahead of them and where Jesus, Himself, was waiting for them! We all need to be reminded of this from time to time, because life on earth can lull us into a spiritual slumber. Being reminded of our destination has such a powerful way of waking us up and getting us to walk straight.

Now, given their spiritual state, the average Corinthian was probably starting to feel a bit convicted at this point. Did he just use the word ‘blameless’ to describe us? If he only knew the truth! Which is all the more reason why Paul emphasizes the faithfulness of God at this point. He writes, “God is faithful” . . . not them! That’s exactly what they needed to know, because it would be His faithfulness and goodness, not theirs, that would make the changes they would need possible.

The same holds true for us, as well. We’re not all that different than the Corinthian Christians. All of us are aware of areas in our lives that need to change. And we’ve probably tried and failed to change them on our own, causing complacency to set in. But that’s not where the story ends, because it’s God’s faithfulness that matters and makes us different. And He will change us when we simply submit to Him in the ways Paul shows us throughout this letter.

Pause: What does Paul wisely do as he begins his letter to the church of Corinth?

Practice: Consider what areas of your life need to be changed and how God’s faithfulness factors into this process.

Pray: Father, I confess the fact that I fall short in many areas and am unfaithful to you in many ways. But I surrender my heart to Your faithfulness over me and ask that You would continue to change me in the ways You desire for me. Help me to submit my will to Yours. Amen.