Live with the Sanctified as Saints

Read the Text: 1 Corinthians 1

Memorize the Text:  

For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.

(Romans 15:4, CSB)

Consider the Text: 1 Corinthians 1:2

Living as a follower of Christ means engaging in a journey of spiritual growth and following the Lord as a family of God. We are joined with the church both on a local and a global level through our relationship with Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he engaged them as brothers and sisters in Christ who struggled with many components of the spiritual journey. As he opened, he quickly pointed to the fact that they were sanctified because of Christ to live as those separated by Christ as the gathering of God’s family.

Paul reminded the church in Corinth that their SANCTIFICATION comes in Christ Jesus. Therefore, the apostle focused his letter on genuine followers of Christ. He did not address those associated with the local body of believers but not in a relationship with Christ. Instead, he addressed the letter to “those sanctified in Christ Jesus.” When one becomes sanctified, they are set apart and made holy. No, they are not perfect or holy of their own accord, but because of their relationship with Jesus, they live blanketed in the righteousness of Christ. The work of Christ on the cross and in the resurrection offered the needed sacrifice for the needed sanctification to be secured. Thus, Paul reminds the church in Corinth that holiness and sanctification come from nowhere other than a relationship with Jesus. 

Paul declared that those in a relationship with Jesus are SAINTS. When sanctification comes through a relationship with Jesus, one’s status moves from rebel to saint. Often, when people think of the term “saint,” they picture an individual known for great holiness and spiritual life. In reality, a saint is not a special believer but every believer. A person's sainthood does not rest on their activities in life; instead, this state comes because of one’s relationship with Christ. A saint is a former rebel who becomes sanctified because of Christ and, as a result, takes on a new title. The key to sainthood is not what you accomplish but who you know and how you grow in living for Him.

Paul called the church to see the LINK to God’s family. The apostle noted that believers are linked to “all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus.” The local church exists as a gathering of the family of God by people in a region. But the family of God does not dwell in one specific area because it is global. The church in Corinth needed to seek the Lord in their local setting but did not need to forget their brothers and sisters worldwide and the link together. Paul revealed that the church is gathered because of Christ and can be witnessed locally and globally.

As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he reminded them they could only be sanctified in Christ. He challenged them to see their status change from rebels to a saint and to live with the understanding of the local and global church. Today, it is important that we remember and believe that our sanctification comes only through a faith-based relationship with Jesus. At the same time, we need to realize that we are no longer sinners and rebels but have become saints when we enter a relationship with Christ. This relationship ties us to the family of God, and as a result, we should seek to gather with the local body while remembering those around the world in prayer.

This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.