Rooted in Christ: Embracing Our True Identity

"And obviously no book of the Bible will ever actually be able to do that, but there are a pair of books in the Bible that I feel like really could have been written to us today in a lot of ways. They address a lot of the issues that we face today as individuals, as a church, as a nation. They talk about questions of identity and about human sexuality, about leadership and power, about how we use our money and our health. And questions of purpose that many of us are wrestling with." [00:36:43] (29 seconds)


"So Paul's the author, and the audience is this group of Christians in Corinth. And you can tell they're Christians because of the language he uses. You know, you're called to be holy, you're God's people, sanctified, that kind of thing. So they're there in Corinth, which is why I think it's good to think, okay, well, what was Corinth like? I mean, this is the city they lived in. So what was going on in Corinth at the time? Understanding that gives us a little background into the letter." [00:39:56] (23 seconds)


"And by the time Paul is writing this letter, he's actually got some history with the people in Corinth. So if you were to turn to another book we have in the New Testament, the book of Acts, which is a book that tells the history of the early Christian movement. records, like, some journeys that Paul took as he was going around and establishing churches in different places. And in Acts chapter 18, we read about when Paul goes to Corinth for the first time." [00:43:23] (21 seconds)


"And it's actually because of these problems that we have the letters in the New Testament that we have. Because Paul wrote the letters of 1st and 2nd Corinthians to try to help his friends back in Corinth figure this out, to try to figure out what was going on and to solve those problems. So Paul apparently found out about these problems in a couple of ways. One is he actually got a letter from some of the people in Corinth. It's almost like, Paul, you know, you helped us get started." [00:47:28] (26 seconds)


"Especially when you know, if you know anything about Paul, Paul had a little bit of a fiery personality, right? So I mean, you think about all of the issues that the people in this church have. I kind of expect to Paul to just come out guns blazing, right? And just drop the hammer on him from the start. But look at how he does this. He doesn't do that. He says, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people." [00:50:47] (22 seconds)


"And then he builds on that, right? Instead of complaining about all the headaches that they're causing him, he actually starts talking about all the reasons that he's grateful for them. So he says, I always thank my God for you. Always, right? I wouldn't do that. But I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him, you've been enriched in every way with all kinds of speech, with all knowledge, God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you." [00:51:24] (24 seconds)


"But I think the fact that he chooses to do that, it points out something that's really important for Paul. Like Paul looks at this whole messy situation and he doesn't just see the problems. Like he sees that God's grace is already working in the situation. And in fact, if you go back and you read those verses about what he's thankful for, it turns out he's not actually thankful for the stuff the Corinthians are doing. He's really celebrating God's activity." [00:52:41] (24 seconds)


"It's remembering what God has done in you and how your core identity has been fundamentally transformed by God's grace and power, which is why Paul looks at them and he says, you are not failures. You are God's chosen people. Yeah, you're called to be holy and sanctified and set apart. You're part of God's own church. Like, these are identity statements. And Paul knows that God -honoring actions follow when we get our God -given identity straight." [00:54:20] (28 seconds)


"God is still at work in the church, even though it's flawed. I don't mean just suburban. God is still at work in his church, even though it is flawed. So if you're wrestling with those things, Paul wouldn't advise you to give up on the church or give up on your faith. He would encourage you to allow your deconstruction and your disillusionment to point you back to the bedrock of who Jesus really is and what God has done and what your identity is in him. He wouldn't encourage you to abandon your faith or the church." [00:59:05] (29 seconds)


"Because you see, that's what Paul wanted for his friends in Corinth. Before he addressed any of this massive list of problems they faced, he wanted to make sure that they understood who they were if they were following Jesus and that they had a new identity. That's why near the end of these letters, he says this. He says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone and the new is here. And that's what God wants us to remember today as well." [00:59:46] (25 seconds)