Daily Devotions
Grace, Our Only Hope
Reading for November 30th: 1 Corinthians 1-4
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus...
1 Corinthians 1:4
It's hard to believe this is how the Corinthian letter opens. The church at Corinth had problems. They had childish rivalries and carnal motives; they accepted gross immorality and false doctrine; they trampled on the sensitivities of weak consciences and displayed an utter lack of Christian love. Yet Paul begins with thanksgiving for the grace of God in them, expressing confidence that the Lord will sustain them to the end, guiltless when Christ returns (1 Corinthians 1:7-8).
This gives me great comfort. Sometimes I feel like a Corinthian. I look at myself and wonder how I'll ever make it to heaven. I wonder how God could possibly love me after all I've done. It is good to know that a church with as many problems as this one had hope. If they can make it, then surely I can as well.
Please don't misunderstand, Paul doesn't teach "once saved, always saved" here. If there's anything we understand from the two Corinthian letters, it is that our salvation can be lost. We can be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:24-27), believe in vain (1 Corinthians 15:2), and even receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). No "once saved, always saved" here! In fact, most of what Paul has to say (especially in the first letter) is in the form of rebuke and warning (1 Corinthians 11:29-30).
However, the letter begins with a message of hope. In the midst of all of these problems and issues, there was grace! By God's grace Paul could confidently write that he expected they would be saved. And grace is our only hope as well.
Father God, thank you for giving us what we do not deserve! Thank you for your grace!
