The Called Ones, 1 Corinthians 1:24

1 Corinthians 1:24 – The Called Ones, a simple issue of grammar

²² For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 (NASB)

I often find great truth and rich treasure in even the simple grammar of Scripture.  In this verse, the phrase translated simply “called” or “the called” is τοῖς κλητοῖς, is an adjective in the Greek.  In English, the phrase is translated “the called” which is a participle, a verbal used as an adjective.  That is not particularly important or interesting at first glance, but on further examination, I found this to be quite significant.

Regarding the question of grammar, the words, “the called” connect logically three things – the action of calling, the caller, and the called ones.  In this case, no one element has meaning without the other two.  The call as an act has significance only with respect to God who calls and to the ones whom God calls.  In like manner, the called ones apart from the call of the God who calls have no particular importance; in reality “called ones” cannot logically exist apart from the God who calls.

This may seem a minor and almost frivolous point, but for me, one of the “called ones,” it is of eternal importance as it focuses my attention beyond the act of being called to the love, grace, and sovereignty of the God who called me.

Divisions in the Church, 1 Corinthians 1:11, 17-18

The central word in this passage describing the problems in the church in Corinth is the word translated “contentions.”  The Greek word is ἔριδες – erides, quarrels (plural).  In recent years, this word has become an unfortunate reality in many, many churches.  The cause and substance of the quarrel is perhaps less significant than the fact that the quarrel exists.  Whatever else may be happening, the foundational weakness that has permitted differences and quarrels to sprout is the movement away from the simple message of the cross.

The message of the church today seems to have become one of how to mix the blessing of God with the difficulties of enjoying the material comforts, recreations, and amusements of the world.  Christians are becoming morphed into victims of disappointment, envy, and unsatisfied desires along with all the emotional and material failures of the “popular” culture, and the messages of the church have become motivational, self-help instructions offering shallow comfort rather than the adoration and presentation of Jesus Christ crucified, buried, risen, and coming again.

According to 1 Corinthians 1:17-18, the solution to the problem that manifests itself in the contentions in the church is to return to the singular focus of the church which is to know and to preach Jesus Christ alone and to live sacrificially for Him and for Him alone.

An Observation - Church Music

JUST MY OWN OBSERVATION: In the last fifteen to twenty years, popular“Christian” music has accomplished a transformation in the church of the same nature and consequences that rock-n-roll brought to the national culture in the 60’s and 70’s. How and why this has happened I am not certain, but whatever the cause, the nature of the degeneration of standards in worship, dedication, and life-style of the church is the same.

The Dying Thief's Prayer - Luke 23:42

Luke 23:42
And he [the penitent thief] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

This penitent thief’s prayer is the last recorded prayer under the Old Covenant and the first recorded prayer of the New Covenant.  It is altogether fitting that it should be the model of faith and grace.  This prayer contains the elements of true repentance and salvation (adapted from Dr. John MacArthur’s Study Bible note). 

·         He believed the soul lives on after death

·         He believed Christ had the right to rule over a Kingdom of the souls of men

·         He believed Christ would soon enter that Kingdom despite His impending death

·         His request to be remembered was a plea for mercy

·         He understood that he (the thief) had no hope apart from divine grace

·         He understood that dispensing grace lay in Jesus’ power

·         His prayer demonstrates true faith on the part of the dying thief

·         Jesus rewarded that request, and that thief has been in the paradise of God ever since

In this one verse and its context is the complete picture of salvation!  It could not be more simple or profound.  There is no better expression of faith, and faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to the Kingdom.

Inscription on the Cross

 

The Inscription on the Cross

Luke 23:38; John 19:19

The inscription on the cross was the Roman accusation of Jesus’ crime; it read, “This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.”  Though Pilate doubtless thought it was an ironic insult and believed it was false, yet what he wrote was true and absolutely true on so many levels that it exceeds my ability to describe them.  This inscription is the repetition and confirmation of the prophets, it is the consummation of the law, it is the anticipation of the apocalypse, it is the cry of the believers, it is the banner of the redeemed, and it is the wail of the lost.

The most immediate and tragic reality of this inscription is that it has become an indictment against the contemporary church.  This indictment brings tears to my eyes and anger and shame to my heart.  How is it that we, the blood-bought church of the redeemed can so denigrate and repudiate our King that He is scarcely mentioned by name even in our worship let alone made the conscious object of our daily life and thought?

Most of the songs we sing in our contemporary “worship” services do not mention the name of Jesus Christ.  The songs use repeated spiritual-sounding words, pronouns, jargon, and cute figures of speech so that the “initiated” might know what the song is about, but most of these songs avoid direct references to Jesus of Nazareth who died for our sin.  An even greater tragedy is that the sermons are filled with psychology and self-help for the spiritually wounded, but again the name of Jesus is absent, and Christ is not presented as the Savior, Deliver, and Sustainer of our lives.  Jesus alone is the answer to the problems of life and living.

Is it any wonder that the world laughs at Christians in post-Christian America?  We are so consumed with the luxuries of the world and the success of doing the business of church that we are ashamed of the Name of Jesus and have reduced references to Jesus Christ to pronouns and jargon.  I am a Christian not a “Him-ian” or a “Lord-ian.”  I am not even a “God-ian.”   I am a Christian!