City Life Starter

God is an integral part of our lives (1 Corinthians)

By Blesson C Selvanesan

This letter by Paul to the church of Corinth (1 Corinthians) is a fascinating epistle through which we know that God is intimately involved in all parts of our lives. I would like to highlight some key aspects which spoke to me as I meditated, and I think these aspects are extremely important.

God is interested in our lives: In the world, we live in, it is often considered that faith is a private affair and is supposed to be boxed in and hidden away from the public view. In this book, Paul teaches that our faith should permeate like a perfume into all facets of our lives. Faith should be like an aroma that disperses and influences others. According to Paul, there are lessons from God for all aspect of our lives including worship (both personal and corporate), relationship (with fellow believers and unbelievers) and family (husband, wife, parents, and children). Further, he also uses history, logic and contemporary philosophy to defend the rationale behind Christian faith and various key doctrines. He used his arguments effectively to defend the truth and bust the heresy. As flawed as we are, we have hope through Jesus to repent and walk in the light of the knowledge of God. We have a hope! We have lessons to learn about life in general from this epistle.

Divisions are forbidden: We are living in an extremely divided and polarized world. It is very easy to divide us using all possible criteria. We have divisions in our families, divisions in our neighborhoods, division in our churches, divisions in our cultures, divisions in our countries. Divisions exist because we are not on the side of truth. Divisions exist because of our selfish ambitions, divisions exist because of our lack of perspective. Paul rebukes believers not to fall prey to divisions but to focus on Christ. In Christ, all are equal and important. Everyone has a divine destiny and have a part to play. Everyone is interdependent. So, he urges everyone to respect God by respecting one another. Unity in diversity is a design of God, let’s not force uniformity as it is not from God but from man.

Resurrection is the linchpin of Christian faith: Resurrection from death by Christ is a unique claim. If there is no resurrection, there is no Christianity and faith in Christ will be a mega Sham! Christianity will cease to exist if the resurrection is disproved. The resurrection of Christ is a risky and falsifiable claim. Many including Paul suffered severely for their faith in the resurrection of Christ. Resurrection gives all believers the hope of eternity. We cannot have Christianity without resurrection and eternal life. Any teaching that questions resurrection, is contrary to the Word of God, historical eyewitness accounts and is far from the truth.

Conclusion: None of us are perfect, but we are aiming and moving towards perfection not by our own works but by trusting in the finished work of resurrected Christ. Saul had an encounter with this Christ and became Paul. He wrote this letter to Corinth (and to us) exhorting us to live a Christ-centered life to achieve perfection. Are we ready for an encounter with this resurrected Christ who is interested in our lives?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for being interested in us that you came to die for us. Help us to focus on you and not to be sidetracked. Let us live a life that will glorify you. Let’s glorify you as individuals, as families, as churches, and as nations. Help us to be strong in faith, so that we can boldly proclaim that ‘Our God Lives!’ In Jesus Name. Amen.