God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 1:9
Most of the time, I get so caught up trying to be faithful to what God has called me to do. I give my best to accomplish and finish the work He has placed in my hands. But sometimes, in the midst of all that effort, I find myself drifting away from the truth that God alone is truly faithful. The main purpose of His calling is not just for us to complete the tasks He assigns, but to walk in fellowship with Him. Like the church in Ephesus, it’s easy to become so focused on doing the work of God that we slowly drift from our first love
When Paul wrote that “God is faithful”, he was speaking to a church that was far from perfect. The believers in Corinth were struggling. There were arguments and divisions among them, pride over spiritual gifts, confusion in worship, and even moral sin that had been ignored. The church was broken and needed correction. But before Paul said anything about their failures, he reminded them of who God is. In verse 8, he told them that it is God who will sustain them to the end, confirming them so that they will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, even though they were struggling, God would not abandon them. He would continue the work He had begun in them.
We can understand the struggles of the Corinthians, for they didn’t have the entire Word of God within their reach to instruct and guide them in their walk with God as we do today. Yet now, we have the entire Word of God within our reach, in our homes, and on our phones but still, not everyone takes the time to read it. This often becomes the reason why many continue to struggle in life and drift spiritually. Even I, who read my Bible every day, still find myself struggling to live in full obedience to God. That’s why Paul reminded the believers in Corinth and all of us, that only God is truly faithful, and only He can help us in our weakness. The Word of God says in Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
We are now acceptable to God, not because of anything good we have done, for we have all sinned and fallen short of His glory. On our own, we cannot produce anything truly righteous or pleasing to Him. But in His great mercy and faithfulness that we are not all consumed because God made a way for us to be reconciled to Himself. He stepped down from His throne and took on flesh, declared to be the Son of God. The Lord Jesus was beaten, mocked, and spat upon. He was scourged and crucified, hanging on a cross, stripped of His garments, and shamed before men. He endured all of this for our transgressions and was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment that we all deserved was laid upon Him, and through the shedding of His blood we have been brought near to the throne of God. Through His death and resurrection, He conquered sin and death so that we might be restored to fellowship with the Father and never again be separated from His presence. By His precious blood, our sins are washed away, and eternal life in His Kingdom is freely given to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through the faithfulness of God, we have obtained reconciliation by our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Paul reminded the Corinthians that they were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul’s confidence in them was not based on their strength or understanding but on the unfailing faithfulness of God, who alone has the power to transform hearts.
Paul himself was a living testimony of this transforming grace. Once a persecutor of the church, he encountered the LORD Jesus on the road to Damascus, and his life was forever changed. Instead of being consumed by the judgment he deserved, Paul received the mercy of God. From that moment,
Paul walked in fellowship with the LORD Jesus Christ, being taught by the LORD Himself and strengthened by His Spirit. The one who had brought terror to believers now became a mighty vessel of God’s proclaiming the gospel and had built so many churches of God he once tried to destroy.
Though Paul had been trained in the law from his youth and was well-versed in the Scriptures, he confessed that he had not truly known God until he came to know LORD Jesus Christ. If such transformation was possible for Paul. Once a blasphemer and persecutor, how much more could the same God work in the hearts of the Corinthians who were newly brought out of idolatry and ignorance of the truth?
What Paul is speaking of here comes from his own experience that our salvation, our reconciliation with God, and even the gift of the Holy Spirit are all the result of God’s faithfulness. Through his encounter with LORD Jesus Christ, he came to understand that the greatest calling in life is not only to believe in LORD Jesus Christ but to walk in a intimate fellowship with Him. Belief is the beginning, but fellowship is the journey. We are not merely called to acknowledge the gift of salvation offered of the LORD Jesus Christ. We are called to know Him deeply, to walk with Him daily, and to grow in communion with His Spirit.
It is only through our fellowship with the Lord Jesus that true transformation begins not by our own strength or effort. Were we not reconciled so that we might be with God? To dwell in His kingdom, where He abides in the midst of His people? Our calling is not only to accomplish the work He has given us but to walk with Him as we do it. We are not meant to labor apart from Him, but to labor with Him in fellowship.
Whenever I read about Joshua and the Israelites as they went forth to possess the Promised Land, I am reminded that our fellowship with God is not only in times of peace and blessing but also in times of battle. There are moments when the Lord calls us to be still and watch His deliverance, yet there are also moments when He commands us to rise up, to fight, and to take back what the enemy has tried to steal. The Lord was not distant nor merely watching from the heavens. He was with His people, fighting together with them. As the Israelites faced their enemies, the Lord Himself cast down great hailstones from heaven, and the Scripture says that more were killed by the hail than by the sword of Israel.
I often imagine that scene and wish I had the skill to paint it, the LORD of hosts moving among His people, mighty in power, fighting together with them for the promise He had given.
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