"God will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" - 1 Corinthians 1:8 RSV
On what ground does the apostle dare to make this assertion, that on the day of Christ we shall be 'guiltless'?
He quickly tells us. It is the faithfulness of God (v.9). God has called us into the fellowship of Christ, and He never goes back on His call (Rom. 11:29). It is irrevocable. He who has called us will confirm us to the end. Why? Because He is faithful; faithful to his character, and faithful to His covenant. Even if we are faithless, yet He abides faithful (2 Tim. 2:13)
And notice how the call of God is described. The call to be saints (v.2) is now said to be the call into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ. This is the very essence of the Christian life - a deep, personal, intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ. Even while we await the revelation of Jesus Christ, we can already enjoy the fellowship of Jesus Christ. Before we know Him by sight we can walk with Him by faith.
Indeed, there is in this context an inherent appropriateness about this description of the call of God as a call into fellowship with Jesus Christ. For if God is faithful, and if He has called us into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ, do you think He could allow us to fall short of that full fellowship with Christ which cannot be ours until He is revealed?
Surely not. If He has called us into fellowship with Christ, He will keep us to that end, until at the revelation of Jesus Christ our fellowship with Him is consumated. We have no confidence in ourselves that we shall persevere to the end: our confidence is in God, that He will preserve us. The emphasis is on the faithfulness of God. It is the first word the Greek of v. 9, "Faithful is the God through whom you were called......"
On what ground does the apostle dare to make this assertion, that on the day of Christ we shall be 'guiltless'?
He quickly tells us. It is the faithfulness of God (v.9). God has called us into the fellowship of Christ, and He never goes back on His call (Rom. 11:29). It is irrevocable. He who has called us will confirm us to the end. Why? Because He is faithful; faithful to his character, and faithful to His covenant. Even if we are faithless, yet He abides faithful (2 Tim. 2:13)
And notice how the call of God is described. The call to be saints (v.2) is now said to be the call into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ. This is the very essence of the Christian life - a deep, personal, intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ. Even while we await the revelation of Jesus Christ, we can already enjoy the fellowship of Jesus Christ. Before we know Him by sight we can walk with Him by faith.
Indeed, there is in this context an inherent appropriateness about this description of the call of God as a call into fellowship with Jesus Christ. For if God is faithful, and if He has called us into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ, do you think He could allow us to fall short of that full fellowship with Christ which cannot be ours until He is revealed?
Surely not. If He has called us into fellowship with Christ, He will keep us to that end, until at the revelation of Jesus Christ our fellowship with Him is consumated. We have no confidence in ourselves that we shall persevere to the end: our confidence is in God, that He will preserve us. The emphasis is on the faithfulness of God. It is the first word the Greek of v. 9, "Faithful is the God through whom you were called......"
