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Paul shows that the church is enriched in everything by the grace of God. He says that specifically of the church in Corinth, but it holds true to any and all true churches of God in the world. God’s grace is dispensed by Christ and not by any other man. This is important for Paul to mention because divisions in Corinth have arisen based by human distinctions. The testimony of Christ, righty spoken and received is the main avenue through which the church witnesses the grace of God. This enrichment by grace is to a blameless fellowship. Paul is confident of this because of the finished work of Christ. The Church as the Bride of Christ is covered by His atoning blood and takes on His image. In Christlikeness, the Church as the gathering of the saints is nurtured under the very real fact of God’s preservation. Since this is true, all the saints are called to live into that reality of blamelessness. The challenge becomes apparent. The city of Corinth was a true Vanity Fair, a place described by John Bunyan as an endless carnival where vain pursuits are marketed at every stall. I commend to you his book The Pilgrim’s Progress in Today’s English as retold by James H. Thomas. A cursory look over this Vanity Fair and you’d think Bunyan wrote this allegory last year. With clarity and truth, this 1678 work highlights both the condition of the Church in Corinth and the Church in America today.
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About the SeriesPaul’s First Epistle to the church in Corinth is a letter full of love and sorrow. Love for God’s Word and His Church is present on every page and sorrow for a church that has given over to the divisive wantonness of a real-world “Vanity Fair.” Categories
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