September 11, 2022

Passage Read: 1 Corinthians 2-3
Meditation Verses: 3:17-18

Thought

Paul affirms the inclusion of the Corinthians in Christ, but also warns and corrects them. Right here he says that they are the sanctuary of God, then in the next sentence warns that anyone who thinks he is wise needs to become a fool so that he may become wise. Apparently there are those among the Corinthians who think they are very wise by the standards of the world, but that means they don't know much about Jesus and His ways, so he warns them that they need to become fools in the eyes of the world so that they may learn to be truly wise, such wisdom coming from the fear of God. He is speaking to the body of Christ, trusting that those who belong to Christ will respond in humility, and those who oppose him will either chafe but then repent or they will prove themselves to be excluded from Christ by their railing against God's Truth.

Application

Just as Jesus knew that eleven of His disciples were truly His and one was of the devil, so it is with any body of believers. The group belongs to Christ, though individuals in it may not. I need to know where I stand with Christ, and need to be sure that I am humbly willing to receive all He teaches, even when it humbles me. Every individual in a congregation needs to be sure where they stand with Christ, but I don't need to know where every other individual stands, I just need to teach and affirm the truth and let the individuals declare their loyalty or disloyalty to Christ. Unless they are holding fast to clear sin, then they need to be rebuked clearly.