Guiltless

A secular management consultant would tell you that the apostle Paul perfectly constructs his first letter to the church in Corinth. He has a number of criticisms and corrections he needs to convey. But first, he begins with some commendations. In fact really glowing praise for his recipients.

He says, first of all, that they are sanctified, and part of the large and growing community of those who serve the Lord Jesus Christ. This is important. They have their problems, but they are still part of the body of Christ. He says he prays for them, he says they have been enriched in speech and knowledge, that the testimony of Christ was confirmed among them, that they are not lacking in any spiritual gift, that in fact they have been called by God Himself into fellowship with Christ—and therefore with all believers.

This church has a boatload of problems, as he goes on to address through the rest of the letter. They have factions forming. They are arrogant, in spite of excusing gross immorality among some members. They are suing each other. They are living as if they are still pagans. They are fighting about dietary rules. Some of them are trying to undermine Paul himself. They have corrupted the remembrance of the Lord Jesus in bread and wine. They are misusing the gifts of the Spirit given to them. Some of them are questioning the resurrection, the cornerstone of their faith and the only Christian hope.

You can’t read this letter without seeing that there was a lot wrong in this church and in its members. And yet, in that opening section of chapter 1, Paul says they aren’t lacking anything, “…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.” (verses 7-8)

The rest of the letter shows these brothers and sisters were anything but “guiltless”!

But, Paul says, the Lord Jesus Christ will (not “could” or “might”) sustain them guiltless. Now? No—right now they sure aren’t guiltless. Paul makes the timing clear: it’s at the return of Christ as judge and as the Anointed King of all the earth. The phrases “the revealing of our Lord” and “the day of our Lord” are synonyms for his return.

You know what Paul is driving at, I’m sure. It is only by grace that these Corinthians, or you or I, can be regarded as guiltless. As Jude says, through Jesus Christ God, “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.” (Jude verse 24)

This is so awesome. I think we all embrace Jude’s prayer in hope of it applying to ourselves. But I wonder if we embrace it quite as readily when we notice serious problems in others. Paul did. He doesn’t shy away from speaking the major corrections they need. But the corrections are given in the context of assurance that they are still his brothers and sisters, and more than that, Christ’s brothers and sisters, and that at the judgment they can be sustained guiltless. Yes, they need to shape up. Wonderfully, there’s excellent motivation to do so.

By faith we believe we can be counted guiltless in the day of judgment. By the same token, we must believe that others—even those with big problems—can have the same guiltlessness in that day. We are all in this together—Paul, the Corinthians, you and I, all in need of correction, in need of grace.

Love, Paul