A living Word!

Many will have heard the Bible described as "the living Word of God". Perhaps the prime reason for that adjective "living" is the description found in Heb. 4:12 - "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." However, it is also true to say that, regardless of how often one has read the Bible, or any part thereof, one may always see something that one has never noticed before!

That was my experience this afternoon when, during the worship service in Lamonzie, the guest preacher directed us to Acts 18:9-11 - "And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, «Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man shall attack you to harm you; for I have many people in this city.» And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."

It was just a couple of weeks ago that, as I was preaching, I was describing Corinth - the 'city' referred to here - as a "centre of immorality and iniquity", as any historian of the period would agree!  Indeed, Corinth was so notorious for its debauchery that contemporary Greeks used the description "to play the Corinthian" as a means of referring to the lowest of loose living! That is why those words: "... I have many people in this city." hit me like a cold wave at the seaside. Almighty God, the omniscient (all-knowing) One, is able to say, even about a city like Corinth,  "... I have many people in this city." 

How had I missed those words before? I have read the whole Bible a number of occasions; the New Testament even more often; and some books and passages more often than I could ever begin to count! Yet I had never really taken account of those words until today (and I was reading them in French! Perhaps that helped!).

So what are these words actually saying? It is certain that there had been no previous preaching of the Gospel message there. If there had been, Paul would not have been constrained to visit Corinth - not the Paul whose ambition was "... to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man's foundation," (Rom. 15:20). I would suggest that what the Lord was saying to His faithful servant was that there would be fruit - even in Corinth! These were words of great encouragement, that impinge on the difficult doctrine of election/predestination*. Paul was being told to preach the Gospel in the assurance that the Lord already knew, and had known for all of time, those in Corinth who would respond positively. Of course, he almost immediately found a couple of newcomers, Aquila and Priscilla (v.2), Jews who had come from Rome when the emperor had banished all Jews from the city. It may have been that this couple were "Messianic Jews", converted in Rome under the ministry of Peter - but we cannot be certain of that. What we do know is that, like Paul, they were tentmakers, and that he stayed with them. Imagine - having Paul as one's houseguest for some eighteen months! Wow! However, even if Aquila and Priscilla were, indeed "Messianic Jews", there is no way by which two people could be considered to be "many"!

The (true) Church of Jesus, the Christ, consists of those of whom Paul could write: "... He [God the Father] chose us in Him [the Lord Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. He destined us in love to be His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." (Eph. 1:4-6; emphasis added). So, because Paul had been assured that the Father had people, already set apart for salvation, he spent that time in Corinth and preached the Gospel in faith, and with courage. It wasn't "an easy patch". The Corinthian correspondence that is available to us, makes clear that the young church there had many difficulties. Yet those very difficulties may give hope to someone reading this post!

In what we know as Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, he has this to say: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (I Cor 6:9-11; emphasis added). This is, surely, a reminder that your past of much less importance than your future - if you are "... in Christ ..." (see, e.g., Rom. 8:1).

How do you know that you are one of the elect? Well, this is the real paradox.  Because the only way in which I can be sure that I am one of the elect is by accepting, in repentance and faith, the Lord Jesus, the Christ, as my personal Saviour and Lord.  In other words, I am assured that I am one of the elect – by becoming one!

This is, indeed, a great mystery.  Suffice it to say that God the Holy Spirit only works in the elect; and that if He is prompting you right now, then it is in order that you might claim your inheritance.  And if He is speaking to your heart, don’t try to chase Him away!  Yield your all, and be filled with that wonderful assurance that "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." (John 15:16).

It will be to your eternal good, and to His eternal glory.

*The subject of predestination/election is dealt with, in greater depth, in ch.15 of my book "Great Words of the Faith", available from Amazon in both paperback, and Kindle formats. Links are at the top of the blog. Please permit me to emphasise that I do not receive a single penny from sales. ALL royalties are sent, by Amazon, directly to the Bank Account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church.