I Corinthians 1:1-9 “Our Calling in Christ” July 6, 2008
“Love is patient, love is kind…” All of us have heard these lofty words from I Corinthians chapter 13 read at weddings? But these words were written not for couples being wed but were written to guide people in crisis. You see, the city of Corinth was famous for the temptations to be found on its streets. But in the midst of a city that was lost, the Corinthian Christians wanted to know how to live wisely. In many ways, Corinth is the city in the New Testament that is most like 21st century America. It was a city that had so much prosperity but had so little real wisdom about how to live life. For the next few weeks, I want to look at Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church and discover some advice for wise living.
What do we know about Corinth? The Greek city of Corinth stood on a narrow isthmus of land only four miles wide looking out to sea. In The Iliad, Homer calls this city “wealthy Corinth” because of its prosperity as a seaport. But like many seaport towns, Corinth was known for its sin. On an 1800 feet hill overlooking the city stood the Temple to Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of love. The 1000 priestesses of the temple came down into the city each night to make money for the temple. Inside the city stood the temple to Apollo, the Greek God of male beauty. This temple was served by beautiful young teenage boys who served the same purpose as Aphrodite’s priestesses. Corinth was a key military power but was destroyed in a war with the Romans in 146 BC. Many of its leading families were executed at that time. However, in 46 BC, Julius Caesar rebuilt the city as a seaport, and from that point, Corinth became a new boom town much like San Francisco during the Gold Rush of 1849. Historian William Barclay wrote that Corinth did not have well established citizens. Here was a port city where most were only passing through in order to make some fast money and have a quick good time. It is no wonder that in I Corinthians 2:3, Paul writes that he came to this city with much fear and trembling. Paul was very scared of this city, but he was confident that the gospel had the power to change even the worst of situations.
In so many ways, we who live in 21st century America find ourselves in a place much like Corinth. It is easy to be caught up in the sins, the pursuits, and the bad decisions of modern life. We may feel that we do not know how to live in the right way. But the good news is that there is wisdom for living. God is calling us to that way of wise living. Our first step is to hear that call from God. Let’s take a look.
This word “calling” is an important word in I Corinthians chapter one. It appears three times in the first two verses, a fourth time in verse 9, and two more times in verses 23-24. What does it mean to be called? Today we hear even secular, non-church folks talk about a calling to do this or that. But to receive a calling means there must be one who does the calling. It is God who calls us. Paul says that he has been called and he tells the Christians at Corinth that they have been called. They have been called by God’s love. Each of you here today has been called by God’s love.
Now maybe you think, “But Michael, you do not know my life. You do not know the mistakes I have made. You do not know the things I have done. How could God be calling me?”
In the Broadway play. "A Raisin in the Sun," a father dies, survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Each has a different idea on how to use the father's inheritance. The widow wants to buy a new home. The daughter wants to go to medical school. The son wants to go in business with a friend. "Don't you see." he says to his mother and sister, "if I take this money I can do all these things for both of you." So the son gets the money, gives it to the friend and the friend skips town. And the son has the difficult task of telling his mother and sister that all the money is lost. The mother responds sympathetically. She rubs his neck and says, "Honey. I know you feel so bad." Whereupon, the sister says, "How can you love him with what he has done? He doesn't deserve to be loved. To which the mother replies: Honey, when do you think is the time to love somebody? Is it when they get a big promotion? Is it when they're successful? Is it when all their investments pay off? Is that the time you love somebody? Honey, the time to love someone is when they're down-and-out. The time to love someone is when they've made a mistake. The time to love somebody is when they have nobody. The time to love somebody is when life has whipped and beaten them. That's the time to love somebody." My friends, no matter what you have done, where you have been, what wrongs you have committed, God loves you and is calling you to come to Him today.
What do we do when we are called by God? We answer the call. Paul says in verse 2 that we are to call on the name of Jesus. Did you get that? God calls us first. In response, we are to call on the name of Jesus. That is part of the meaning of our Baptismal ceremony. God calls us first. Before we ever know God, before we ever call on God, God has first called us. Sometimes people ask me, “Why do we baptize infants when they do not know anything yet about God?” The answer is because God knows us and calls us before we ever call upon God. In Baptism, we show this first calling from God. Now in time, each of us must call upon the name of Jesus in response. It is not enough to be called by God. We must each respond and call upon Christ. We must answer the call.
In 1830 George Wilson was convicted of robbing the U.S. Mail and was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. "A pardon is a slip of paper," wrote Marshall, "the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged."
The same is true in our lives. God calls us to a new life. But if we never answer the call, then it has no meaning for us. If we want to live wisely, then our first step is to answer the call of God by calling on the name of Jesus. Let me ask you, have you answered the call of God? Have you prayed in the name of Jesus Christ to say to God that you want to answer His call? The first step to wise living is to answer that call of God.
What happens when we answer the call of God? First, we are enriched in every way. Look at verse 5. Paul says that in Christ, we are enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge. This is not a wisdom and knowledge based on education or IQ. We are not talking about how many degrees you have. No. The Bible is speaking of the wisdom that comes from above. The knowledge for living that comes from God. Those who call on Jesus and walk in his ways year after year grow into wisdom for living that far surpasses any knowledge given by the highest university.
Now note that I did emphasize “year after year.” This is not a wisdom that comes overnight. Look at verse 8….He will keep you strong to the end. When we call upon the name of Jesus, He will enrich us. Secondly, he will keep on enriching us to the end. Our growth into maturity and wisdom is not a quick journey. It is a lifetime journey. But we need not worry because God will keep us to the very end of that journey.
God calls each of us to come and live a life shaped by His wisdom. Our job is to answer that calling. To say “yes” to Jesus Christ. And when we answer that call, God will enrich us with His wisdom. As we answer that call day by day, year by year, God will keep us to the end and grow us into maturity. Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at this godly wisdom for living and how we can grow into this wisdom. But before we can ever grow into wisdom, we must first enter the door. We must first answer the call. . Amen.