Notes on 1. Corinthians 1:4-9

What we're dealing with today is an extraordinarily long sentence that spans 4 verses. Long sentences are tricky to deal with, because they generally consists of several thoughts that are somehow connected to each other. And our job is to find out what is connected to what before we forget how the sentence started. And to top that off we're going to go through some pretty heavy theology today, so I'm going to need all of you to switch your brains on.

So here's the sentence that goes from verse 4 through 8:

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 

that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,
 
even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you,
 
so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 
who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So let me suggest the following, that:

• In verse 4, Paul expresses his thankfulness for the grace of God to the church.
• In verse 5, he talks about the effect of this grace for the church in speech and knowledge. Spiritual gifts that are especially important in evangelizing the lost.
• In verse 6, he finishes his thought from verse 4, building on verse 5, pointing back to the time when they themselves heard someone speak with knowledge about Christ, and the testimony was confirmed in them. The phrase “confirmed in them” is a very fascinating study, and we are going to spend some time looking into what it means.
• In verse 7, building on all of the previous verses, he says all of this has worked an abundance of spiritual gifts among them
• In verse 8, he asserts his trust that the same grace that he's been talking about up till this point will also cause them to persevere until the end.

Verse 4:

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

Thankfulness:
Is the mark of a person who trusts in Christ. It is in many ways the opposite of of pride. A proud person, who relies on himself, will puff himself up when he has success. A person who depends on God and knows he can do nothing in himself, will respond to success by thanking God, because he knows God is the only possible explanation for that success.

Verse 5 and 6:

that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you

This is the source of the gratitude that Paul was expressing in the previous verse. The Corinthians had by God's grace been enriched in Christ in speech and knowledge “even as” the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in them. This is a difficult sentence to read. As best I understand the construction of it, after comparing several different Bible translations, is that the term “even as” implies two things at the same time. Both that this enrichment came as a result of God's saving work when the testimony was confirmed in them, and that it was by a similar enabling, that Paul and his co-laborers gave the testimony that they first believed in.

It's hard to say both of those things at once in English, So to make it clearer, let me rewrite these verses twice, saying one thing at a time.

(…) in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge, because the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.

(…) in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge, just like the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.

What Paul is getting at is how the Gospel spreads. Those who have it receive an enabling to share it with others, with a spiritual knowledge that is confirmed in the hearers. An they in turn receive the same enabling, and the Gospel keeps on spreading.

Confirmed in them:
This leads us to the most intriguing part of this passage in my opinion. What does it mean that the testimony is confirmed in them? It teaches us something about the nature of faith. Something we know already, because it's our experience and it's what we're living in, but still we have a hard time putting words on it.

But the fact of the matter is that we process spiritual things differently from other claims. When you believed the Gospel, it was a different kind of believe. We'll get to all of this in just a few weeks so I'm not going to spend much time on it in this session, but I'll let this serve as an appetizer for later on.

1Cor 1:22: “For indeed Jews ask for a sign, and Greeks search for wisdom” – This is our natural way of handling information. The way we process everything else.

1Cor 1:23: “but we preach Christ crucified. To Jews a stumbling block, and to gentiles foolishness” – Our natural mind is not receptive to the claims of the Gospel

1Cor 1:24: “but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” – There it is! The calling of God is the key once again. When it is present the testimony of the Gospel bypasses our normal institutes, and are confirmed in us by something that surpasses our natural understanding.

So what then is this confirming power in the person that is being called by God? We find the answer in Chapter 2, verse 11 through 14

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 
 

The answer is the Holy Spirit. Without Him no one is able to understand or recognize spiritual truths. He does exactly what Jesus promised he would do, when he said “he will guide you into all the truth” (Jn 16:13)

Verse 7:

so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Not lacking in any gift:
When we read this letter we understand quite quickly that the Church of Corinth was exceedingly gifted. God had blessed them with all kinds of spiritual gifts, and Paul is quick to commend them for that. Yet he spends a very considerable portion of the letter (chapter 12-14) untangling some of their abuses of these gifts. In stead of using them to build up and help each other they are using them to show off and build up themselves on the expense of others. I'll be saying a lot more about that when we make it to those chapters.

Awaiting eagerly:
I think the reason why Paul says this in the context of spiritual gifts is to remind the Corinthians that the spiritual gifts are only temporary. And that when the Lord returns they will cease. There's no need for them in heaven. “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.” (1Cor 13:8)

Verse 8 and 9:

who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Confirm you to the end:
Now we're getting into some heavy stuff. This is a question that has been dividing Christians for centuries. And our goal is to get through this in a way that makes sense without anyone being burned at the stake.

And people have been burned at the stake over this question of eternal security. One side will say that God is absolutely sovereign over our salvation, and that he will complete the work he has started. We're not saved because of our own own abilities, and we can't become unsaved because of our lack of abilities. We didn't get saved because of our own will, and we can't become unsaved because of our will.

The other side will put the emphasis of our free will, and say that it is possible for the believer to fall away from the faith. So what is the truth then? Which one is it?

If you weren't confused already, you will be now, so find something to hold on to in case you get dizzy. Both of those claims are true. At the same time. Let me explain.

At first, option two seems more intuitive. After all we humans do like to regard ourselves as the center of the universe, and our free will is something we don't let go of easily. And indeed we do have a free will. That's why there's such a place as hell to punish those who use their free will for evil. So we tend to see our salvation as a choice or a decision we made to believe. And often that's how we'll present it to others too, urging them to choose Jesus as well.

Well, all of that's not entirely wrong, but upon further examination of the Bible we see that it rarely talks of salvation as a matter of personal choice. It is pretty consistent in talking about salvation in terms of election and calling. In terms of Gods free will, and not our free will. We don't have to look further than last weeks study to find that.

This is a hard pill to swallow for most of us, because we would like to be in control. So we'll allow ourselves a small detour to Romans 9 to see how Paul deals with this dilemma in relation to God's election of Israel.

I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED." That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 
 

For this is the word of promise: "AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON." And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER." Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."

So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?"

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 
 

So what is the essence of Paul's answer? God is God, and he does whatever he pleases. If we get saved, then it is correct to say that we got saved out of our own free will. Because God, by his even freer will called us, and drew our will toward Him. If we don't get saved – well God never forced Pharaoh not to believe. He just didn't call him, and Pharaoh by his free will kept hardening his heart.

So now that we have established that God is sovereign to save whoever he wants let's get back to the question of eternal security. Our text said he is faithful, and he will confirm us blameless till the end. There are many other similar promises as well in the Bible.

This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:39-40)

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:27-30)

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)

So the Bible forces us to conclude that both getting saved and staying saved is a gift that God Gives, and he gives them together. He does not play tricks with us, saving us and then loosing us again. And just as everything is starting to make sense to us, the birds start singing and the sun peaks out from behind the clouds we realize that there's one more problem... This doctrine is very biblically correct, but it doesn't fit very well with our experience. Because we all have seen people fall away from their faith, haven't we?

Well if it was just a question of our experience, we'd have to invoke the rule that Bible trumps experience, and be done with it. Bible wins, and our experience is wrong. End of story. But it's not just our experience. The Bible itself warns about the danger of falling away, and we even find some examples of it.

This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme. (1Tim 1:18-20)

for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; (1Tim 4:10a)

So let's step back and get an overview of the situation. We have two camps here. Those who think it's possible to loose their salvation, and those who think it's not. And we have Bible-verses that seem to support each side. So then we also have two options. Either we can pick sides, build two forts and hide in them, shooting Bible verses at each other. If this is the option you go for, it doesn't really matter which side you pick. You'll end up ignoring or explaining away portions of the Bible that doesn't fit in. This is how it's done all too often. But there is another option. We can accept what the Bible says, believe it, and be satisfied that this is Gods domain. And say what the Bible says. Both that Christ will not loose any of his sheep and that we need to take care so we don't fall away.

The Bible, to the best of my knowledge, goes no further than this. It leaves us in the state of being assured of his salvation, yet careful not to presume upon it so we give occasion for sinning. If I were wiser, maybe I would leave it at that as well, but since I'm not I hope you will bear over with a little foolishness on my part as I share with you how I process it and seek to make everything fit with scripture when I see someone falling away. The claims I have made until now come from the Bible. I have proclaimed Gods eternal truth. Now I transition into my reflections on those truths, and while I hope they'll be helpful they're not infallible. You have been warned.

Now some cases of falling away are quite easy. Because it has been plain to see that they were never truly believers in the first place. They may have been dragged to the front of a church by some well-meaning friend during an emotional alter-call, prayed over and proclaimed to be saved. They may even try for a while to become a better person, and be sincere about it. Or they may have grown up in the church and feel very at home there. And fit in quite well without ever having truly known God.

This may be fully satisfactory in many cases, but there still are some that just don't fit in. We've all seen them. One of our most trusted brothers or sisters. The kind of person that you would call if you were ever uncertain if maybe the rapture happened and you were left behind, because if they were still there then it couldn't have happened yet. People who we have looked up to and admired. We've seen spiritual fruit in their lives. Looking at the strength of their faith has encouraged us in times when we have been weak. And then they're gone. Away from God. Faith shipwrecked.

Hymenaeus and Alexander suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. That is what Paul says. They had the faith, and they wrecked it. And they had been handed over to Satan. Didn't Jesus say no one would snatch them out of his hand? What will he do? Snatch them back? No, Hebrews 6:4-6 says that's impossible. They can't be renewed to repentance if they fall away. He won't even touch them.

So Hymenaeus and Alexander, if they indeed had tasted of the heavenly gift and taken part in the Holy Spirit, would be damned for forever, with no hope of ever returning. That doesn't sound like the promises that Jesus made to keep them, does it?

Did Jesus try to keep them, but failed? Then he's not all-powerful. Did he not keep his promise? Then he's not trustworthy. So what are we left with then? They may have believed, but not empowered by the Holy Spirit. They were never born again. They may have had spiritual gifts,but not from the Holy Spirit. Either from their own flesh or from some other spirit. They may even have been called by God, in which case he'll save them and give them new birth later, but they have not yet been saved. Because if they were they wouldn't have been snatched away.

So faith is not a sure sign of salvation. Yes, we're saved by faith, but not any faith. We need to have faith in the right thing, but not even that is enough. We also need to have living faith. The kind of faith that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is active in our lives. Hymenaeus and Alexander may have heard of these promises and been made confident in their sins, thereby proving that the promises were never for them. Because their faith was not alive. If it had been they would have never sinned in this way.

The people who we see fall away have believed in Jesus in the same way as a devoted Muslim believes in Islam. Or a devoted Buddhist believe in Buddhism. That faith can be strong. It can cause them to make great sacrifices. And they can be very pious and act in a way that is very consistent with what they believe. But it's not a living faith. Just a religion. And Christ is not meant to be believed in this way. There is a higher form of faith. It's called living faith. It's given as a gift of God, and, Romans 11:29 assure us that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”