God's Faithfulness: The Foundation of Our Assurance
Summary
In the first chapter of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, we find a profound declaration of confidence and assurance in God's faithfulness. Despite the myriad of problems and divisions within the Corinthian church, Paul begins his letter with a resounding affirmation of God's unwavering faithfulness. This confidence is not rooted in the Corinthians themselves, nor in Paul, but solely in God. The church, despite its flaws, is the Church of God, and it is God who has called them into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
Paul's confidence stems from his understanding of salvation as entirely the work of God. He emphasizes that it is by God's grace that the church exists at all, and it is God who calls individuals into this life. This call is not merely an invitation but an effective, life-giving call that brings spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead. The Apostle underscores that every aspect of salvation, from the initial grace to the sustaining power, is a gift from God.
Paul's assurance is further bolstered by the belief that God will confirm and sustain His people to the end. This is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, where God not only initiates salvation but also ensures its completion. The faithfulness of God is the bedrock of this assurance, as God is unchanging and His purposes are eternal. Therefore, despite the challenges and failures of the church and individuals, the certainty of God's faithfulness provides a solid foundation for hope and confidence.
Key Takeaways:
- God's Faithfulness as the Foundation: The confidence in the Christian life and the church's future is rooted in God's faithfulness, not in human efforts or achievements. This faithfulness assures us that God will complete what He has started. [01:30]
- Salvation is Entirely of God: Salvation is initiated and sustained by God's grace. It is not dependent on human merit or effort but is a gift from God, emphasizing the passive role of humanity in receiving this grace. [09:23]
- The Efficacious Call of God: God's call is not just an invitation but a powerful, life-giving call that brings spiritual life to the dead. This call is what transforms individuals and brings them into fellowship with Christ. [21:49]
- The Perseverance of the Saints: God not only initiates salvation but also sustains and confirms His people to the end. This doctrine assures believers that they will be kept from falling away and will be presented blameless before God. [34:37]
- The Unchanging Character of God: The assurance of salvation and the church's future is grounded in the unchanging nature of God. His eternal purposes and promises are sure, providing a firm foundation for hope and confidence. [40:09]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction to 1 Corinthians
- [00:29] - Emphasis on God's Faithfulness
- [01:06] - Paul's Confidence Amidst Trials
- [02:36] - Challenges in the Corinthian Church
- [03:50] - The Church's Turmoil and Confusion
- [05:21] - Unexpected Optimism
- [06:09] - Basis of Confidence
- [09:23] - Salvation as God's Work
- [12:47] - The Church of God
- [15:32] - No Confidence in Human Effort
- [21:49] - The Call of God
- [29:23] - Enriched by God's Gifts
- [34:37] - Perseverance to the End
- [40:09] - The Unchanging God
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:4-9
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Observation Questions:
1. What specific problems and divisions were present in the Corinthian church that Paul addresses in his letter? [03:21]
2. How does Paul describe the role of God's grace in the existence and sustenance of the church? [16:24]
3. What does Paul mean when he says that God will confirm and sustain His people to the end? [34:37]
4. How does Paul emphasize the passive role of humanity in receiving God's grace? [18:25]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. Why does Paul begin his letter to the Corinthians with a declaration of God's faithfulness despite the church's many issues? [05:52]
2. How does the concept of God's efficacious call challenge the idea of human effort in salvation? [21:49]
3. What does the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints imply about the security of a believer's salvation? [35:05]
4. How does the unchanging character of God provide a foundation for hope and confidence in the Christian life? [40:09]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you faced challenges or failures in your spiritual journey. How can the assurance of God's faithfulness provide you with hope and confidence in such situations? [06:39]
2. In what ways can you remind yourself daily that your salvation is entirely a gift from God and not based on your own efforts? How might this change your perspective on your spiritual walk? [09:23]
3. Consider the idea of God's call being life-giving and transformative. How have you experienced this call in your own life, and how can you share this experience with others? [21:49]
4. The sermon emphasizes that God will sustain His people to the end. How can this assurance impact the way you handle trials and temptations in your life? [34:37]
5. How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God's unchanging nature, especially when facing uncertainties in your personal life or within the church community? [40:09]
6. Identify an area in your life where you struggle to rely on God's faithfulness. What practical steps can you take to surrender this area to Him and trust in His promises? [42:47]
7. How can you encourage others in your small group or church community to find confidence in God's faithfulness rather than in their own abilities or achievements? [09:09]
Devotional
Day 1: God's Faithfulness as Our Foundation
Despite human frailty and the divisions within the Corinthian church, the foundation of confidence in the Christian life is God's unwavering faithfulness. This faithfulness is not contingent on human efforts or achievements but is rooted in God's eternal nature and promises. The church, with all its imperfections, remains the Church of God because it is God who has called it into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. This assurance provides a solid foundation for hope and confidence, knowing that God will complete what He has started. [01:30]
1 Corinthians 1:8-9 (ESV): "He 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."
Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to rely more on God's faithfulness rather than your own efforts? How can you begin to trust Him more in this area today?
Day 2: Salvation is Entirely of God
Salvation is a divine work initiated and sustained by God's grace, emphasizing the passive role of humanity in receiving this gift. It is not dependent on human merit or effort but is a gift from God. This understanding shifts the focus from human achievements to God's grace, highlighting that every aspect of salvation, from the initial grace to the sustaining power, is a gift from God. This perspective encourages believers to rest in the assurance that their salvation is secure in God's hands. [09:23]
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Reflection: How does understanding salvation as a gift from God change the way you view your relationship with Him? What steps can you take to embrace this truth more fully in your daily life?
Day 3: The Efficacious Call of God
God's call is not merely an invitation but a powerful, life-giving call that brings spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead. This call transforms individuals and brings them into fellowship with Christ, emphasizing the active role of God in the process of salvation. It is a reminder that God is the one who initiates and completes the work of salvation in our lives, and His call is effective and life-changing. [21:49]
John 6:44 (ESV): "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt God's call in your life. How did it transform you, and how can you respond to His call more intentionally today?
Day 4: The Perseverance of the Saints
The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints assures believers that God not only initiates salvation but also sustains and confirms His people to the end. This assurance is grounded in the faithfulness of God, who is unchanging and whose purposes are eternal. Despite the challenges and failures of the church and individuals, believers can have confidence that they will be kept from falling away and will be presented blameless before God. [34:37]
Jude 1:24-25 (ESV): "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."
Reflection: In what ways do you need to trust God to sustain you through current challenges? How can you remind yourself of His promise to keep you from stumbling?
Day 5: The Unchanging Character of God
The assurance of salvation and the church's future is grounded in the unchanging nature of God. His eternal purposes and promises are sure, providing a firm foundation for hope and confidence. This unchanging character of God is a source of comfort and strength, reminding believers that God's faithfulness is not dependent on circumstances but is rooted in His eternal nature. [40:09]
Hebrews 13:8 (ESV): "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Reflection: How does the unchanging nature of God provide comfort in your life today? What specific promise of God can you hold onto as you face uncertainties?
Quotes
Paul's confidence is based upon the fact that he knows that salvation is entirely of God. God is faithful. It's God who's at the back of it all. It is God's work. Indeed, you remember that he has already referred to these people as unto the Church of God which is at Corinth, not the Church of the Corinthians. [00:11:51]
He thanks God for what God has done to the Corinthians and in the Corinthians and amongst the Corinthians. It isn't the people that matter; it is the God who is the foundation of the church and who has purposed and planned it all. That is the only basis of his confidence. [00:13:49]
Salvation, I say, is entirely of God. Now listen to him expanding it. It is the grace of God that starts salvation. There wouldn't be any apart from the grace of God. Therefore, he opens out like this: I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. [00:16:14]
It is God who calls us, calls us into this life. This is the most important word. God is faithful by whom you were called. Again, it's the passive. It is God who called. Man was doing nothing. Suddenly the call of God comes to him and brings him out. You were called. [00:21:49]
The Christians are those who are called in the special sense. It means an effective call, an efficacious call. It means a call that not merely addresses the men but puts power into the men. Let me use a simple illustration, and I take it from the scripture itself. [00:25:36]
It is God alone who can and who will confirm us unto the end, that we may be blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, God not only brings us into this life, he keeps us in it. Here is a glorious bit of confidence. [00:34:37]
God calls us, puts us into it. What if he left us to ourselves? Why, the story is we know perfectly well we would all collapse. Is there any one of us who has confidence in himself or in herself? The Apostle, as I've reminded you, had no confidence at all in these people in Corinth. [00:35:07]
God will keep you, he says. He'll confirm you, he'll sustain you, he'll keep you on your feet. You may be attacked by cults, by errors, by heresies, by false doctrine, and you may be shaken. And if you were left to yourself, you'd go down. [00:36:32]
The church was assailed by some of the most deadly errors and heresies, and they were only a handful of people and ignorant at times. And here was Greek philosophy and other things attacking. How did the church stand? There's only one answer: it was God who confirmed her, who held her, and who sustained her. [00:36:59]
God is faithful. He cannot deny himself, and this, I say, is the basis of our hope and our assurance. God does nothing hazily. God does nothing negligently. God, because he is God, always plans, and he planned salvation before the very foundation of the world. [00:40:09]
He never starts anything without completing it. You and I take things up with great excitement and enthusiasm, and then we forget. We make our resolutions, and we break them. We are ever beginning, but we never end. And oh, if the church depended upon men and upon men, she would have long since ceased to be. [00:41:52]
The work which his goodness began, the arm of his strength will complete. His promise is yea and amen and never was forfeited yet. Things future nor things that are now nor all things below nor above can make him his purpose forgo or sever my soul from his love. [00:44:18]
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