For today’s daily meditation, “The Church is a community of faith,” let’s take the opening text of First Corinthians. It takes us to the beautiful seafront. Corinth, one of the port cities of Greece, is located there. It is crowded, it is full of action, it is full of business, and it is full of life. There are Greeks, Romans, and Jews. Paganism flourishes here, with many different idols and strange rituals.
And suddenly, amid all this religious confusion, a small Christian community, the Church, appears in the city of Corinth.
Devotional for Today January 16
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
The Church is a New Form of Life
The Church is a new form of life. A new space for life. Here people who were strangers to each other join in a familiar story and take responsibility for each other. Here people give, receive, and share life. They do not have to be all the same to create unity. The secret of this is that they have come together as one community in the name of Jesus.
They all understand that they are alive only by God’s grace and that there is no greater need than the desire for God’s love.
The Apostle Paul gave birth to this Corinthian community. He writes a letter as a pastor.
Amazingly, the letter written to the Corinthians is spreading to churches worldwide. And with the letter of the Apostle Paul, the Word of God speaks to the hearts of Christians in all historical epochs uniting in the Church.
The Church is a Community of Faith
Today’s devotion calls us to see again how important the Church is.
- The Church is a community of faith.
- The Church is the nation of God. (1 Peter 2:9)
- The Church is a family. (Gal 3:28)
- The Church is the Body of Christ. (1 Cor 12:27)
- The Church is a sanctuary. (Eph 2,19-22)
Love is in the relationship. It needs encounter; it needs closeness. And love requires sharing life in a real way. Conversely, where there is communion, love is born.
I am not talking about a feeling. I am talking about understanding – we are brothers. Thanks to the Lord Jesus – we are brothers.
Prayer for Today
Lord Jesus, sometimes your Church looks like a bunch of ungrateful nobodies. That’s because we are just weak, sinful people. But you remain faithful. You do not turn away from us, even when we behave foolishly and sinfully as members of your Church. For this faithful love, thank you so much.
But we do not want to remain as we are. We want to grow and improve. And we want to know God’s Word better and to be guided by it in our lives. Also, we want to learn to love with the love that You love. Help us as we struggle with this learning process. Bless us so that we do not become discouraged by our failures. Give us the strength not to give in to pride but to turn to You again and again. Amen.
Also read: Devotional for January 15
