God’s Enriching – 1 Corinthians 1:4-9

In an article on bahaiteachings.org about appreciating our divine gifts, Ken McNamara quotes Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith: “Know thou that, according to what thy Lord, the Lord of all men, hath decreed in His Book, the favors vouchsafed by Him unto mankind have been, and will ever remain, limitless in their range” (why do professed prophets from God tend to use King James English in their pronouncements?).  He explains that one of the key gifts God has given us is “understanding,” and that this gift was given to us so we might “come to realize the very purpose of our lives…to know and recognize the one true God.”  The apostle Paul has some comments about the divine gifts we’ve received (but he wrote in Greek).

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 ESV)

Paul’s report of his prayers for the church are a consistent part of every letter he writes (except Galatians) and always an introduction to the theme of the letter.  He is thankful to God that God’s grace has enriched the Corinthians with spiritual gifts of speaking and knowledge (think tongues speaking and words of knowledge from the Corinthians’ perspective, prophecy and wisdom from Paul’s perspective). 

All this confirmed the gospel’s power among them.  Spiritual enrichment by the Holy Spirit is evidence that we have indeed received the gospel and become God’s children.  This enrichment is, as Paul will be at lengths to explain in chapters 12-14, is for the purpose of serving others.  Even though Paul further describes his readers as awaiting the coming of Jesus to establish his kingdom, this waiting is not a passive one.  We aren’t just biding our time until Jesus returns.  We are using our gifts to build up the body of Christ and to proclaim the gospel.  Jesus would sustain them through this, Paul says, guiltless.  This guiltlessness is surely a factor of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, which took away our sins and made us justified, or declared righteous, before God.  And this sustaining time is one of fellowship with the Son that results in fellowship with one another.

The problem with the Corinthians is that they are not feeling grateful for this enrichment as much as prideful.  And they are acting as if in some sense the kingdom has already come and their showy gifts are evidence of that.  They are not depending on Jesus to sustain them.  They’re already ruling, they believe (chapter 4).  Paul’s letter will be a correction of that wrong perspective.

We have been enriched in all things by Jesus’ grace and sacrifice.  You don’t brag about a gift that you didn’t deserve.  You humbly receive it and gratefully live out the meaning of the gift.  And God’s gift includes the promise of the coming kingdom. But that should cause us to live in anticipation, purifying ourselves for what is coming.  There is no room for pride and conceit when we didn’t enrich ourselves.  Do you see yourself as spiritually elite?  Watch out!