“Loyalty to Jesus”

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

BIBLE READING: 1 Corinthians 1

The Corinthian church is notorious for the issues they faced. Prideful rivalries, sexual immorality between members, issues with marriage and divorce… There is a laundry list of issues here that needed attention. And yet Paul addressed them as “the church of God that is in Corinth… Those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together” (1 Corinthians 1.2).

We often skip the introduction so we can get to the nuts and bolts of their issues. But it is the introduction that reminds us what made them a church of God. 

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless 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 1.4-9)

Before anything else Paul puts Jesus front and center as the basis for his plea to this church. 9 times in the first 9 verses, Paul invokes the name of Jesus. He recounts the benefits in Christ, the sufficiency of Christ, and the fellowship they share together in Christ. They are lacking in nothing because Christ was preached, and gifts were given to equip them for their new life in Christ (1 Corinthians 1.6-7). While the issues he has to discuss are important, Paul was reminding them that loyalty to Jesus is the fundamental basis for fellowship. 

Now with that comes expectation. He doesn’t tell them to simply avoid or ignore the issues they were facing. On the contrary, this letter emphasizes the critical nature of knowing God’s expectations and practicing faith in a specific way. Allegiance to Christ directs the actions of believers (Titus 2.11-12). It forces us to examine ourselves more closely and hold one another to a higher standard. But it should also create humility as we understand our limitations and see our sinfulness.

Loyalty to Jesus must be the motivating factor in everything we do. We may not always agree at first, but a commitment to obey and follow Jesus will always bring us closer. We must not forget this fundamental truth. The calling of God is through Christ. The forgiveness of sins is because of Christ. The hope we have is in the sufficiency of Christ. We have no grounds to boast of ourselves except for what Christ has done for me, even while I was an enemy of his (Romans 5.6-9).

There is nothing about our faith and fellowship that can exclude the example, teaching and saving power of Jesus Christ for me. Especially when we find ourselves at odds with others, we must recommit ourselves to unity by promoting a sincere commitment to obey and honor King Jesus.

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5.21)

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