God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
God in faithfulness calls believers into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, bringing them into a near and dear, intimate relation with Him. This calling is God's own work, not earned by human wisdom, power, or status, for He chooses the weak and lowly so none may boast, and Christ Himself becomes their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The call enriches them by grace in utterance and knowledge, confirms Christ's testimony in them so they lack no gift, and Christ will confirm them to the end that they may stand blameless in the day of the Lord while they wait for His coming. That fellowship with Christ brings believers into fellowship with one another, grounding the appeal that all speak the same thing with no divisions but be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment in mutual love and harmony. The assurance of God's faithfulness comforts His children in trouble and opposition to stand firm, and it calls for faithful service in return, for all who enter that relation are entrusted with responsibilities and as they prove faithful they will never find Jesus unfaithful to them.
Faithful Call into Fellowship
God in His faithfulness calls believers into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. That calling is God's own work, not a distinction earned by human wisdom, power, or status. Fellowship is being brought into a near and dear, intimate relation with Christ. That calling chooses the weak and lowly rather than those prized for worldly wisdom or status, so that no one may boast in human achievement, and Christ Himself becomes the believer's wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, giving true wisdom and standing.
The call enriches believers by grace in utterance and knowledge, confirms Christ's testimony in them, and leaves them lacking no gift while they wait for the coming of the Lord. Those so enriched in speech and knowledge by grace, with Christ's testimony confirmed in them, are assured they will come behind in no gift while waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's faithfulness includes Christ's confirming believers to the end so that they may stand blameless in the day of the Lord. This confirming to the end encourages confident waiting for Christ's coming and keeps them firm to the end.
Paul knew this faithfulness of God from personal experience. God's faithfulness is a pledge given not only to Israel but to all who obey His Word, including those living amid the perils of the last days. The call to fellowship began at the beginning of experience when truth united believers to the Saviour, and He who is the Author and Finisher of faith will perfect the work He has begun for them. As men and women exercise simple faith day by day believing God will establish them in Christ and cooperate with God in the work He has given them, they go forward from strength to greater strength.
Unity Through Fellowship
God in faithfulness calls believers into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and this calling stands among the church's privileges alongside being sanctified in Christ, receiving grace, being enriched in utterance and knowledge, having Christ's testimony confirmed, and awaiting Christ's coming while being confirmed to the end to stand blameless in the day of the Lord. Because God enriches by grace in utterance and knowledge and testimony so that those who wait for Christ's coming lack no gift, the call to fellowship grounds the appeal that all speak the same thing with no divisions but be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. The call makes possible that rich spiritual experience of being enriched in speech and knowledge, receiving spiritual gifts, waiting for Christ's coming, and being kept blameless to the end, and those united with Christ are therefore to share a corresponding experience of unity, speaking and judging together without divisions. Fellowship is the basis for the unity urged, so that believers joined in the same mind and judgment live out Christ's prayer for unity and form a Christian bond, speaking in agreement on a plain thus saith the Lord rather than remaining divided.
Fellowship with Christ also brings believers into fellowship with one another, so they are to cherish mutual love and preserve harmony. This mutual love and harmony strengthens the church and gives the world a good impression of their faith. For workers, fellowship means being brought back into right lines of work as God leads out a people and prepares them for translation. In that work those who act a part stand as sentinels for God, labor unitedly, are willing to be servants of all, and follow in the footsteps of Jesus as the great Exemplar.
This unity means medical missionary work is to be done in connection with the gospel message for this time and not controlled or torn apart by those who do not see its bearing. Such unity comes when the Holy Spirit molds and fashions minds and hearts, and the question drawn from the verse is shall we obey it. The opening of the letter through this verse is to be read in churches so its words sink deep into every heart, joined with the Thessalonian Scriptures. There believers are called unto the fellowship of His Son, enriched in utterance and knowledge, coming behind in no gift while waiting for the coming of the Lord, who confirms them unto the end that they may be blameless in the day of the Lord, perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment with no divisions among them.
Comfort and Faithful Living
God is faithful in calling believers into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ, and that assurance comforts God's children in trouble and opposition and strengthens them to stand firm in trial. It holds faith firm under trial and opposition, bringing comfort and encouragement when trouble in the world increases and the Lord's children must suffer. It confirms faith and sustains confident waiting for Christ's coming with the promise that He will keep believers firm to the end. That same assurance that God will not abandon those who trust Him strengthened the Reformers as they faced danger for the gospel.
The calling requires faithful service in return, for those entrusted with even one talent must do their very best with it and be faithful in little things. Failure in littles robs God of His revenue and forfeits eternal life, while working on the plan of addition in the littles heartily as unto the Lord causes God to work on the plan of multiplication so those littles become precious influences. No offering given with pure-heartedness and gladness of soul is small. All who enter that near and dear, intimate relation with Christ will be entrusted with responsibilities, and as they prove faithful to their charge they will never find Jesus unfaithful to them as His appointed servants.
The call leaves no misunderstanding and requires those who love and honor God to let Christ take charge of their affections and center them upon proper objects. For a married man this means his wife keeps the first place in his affections, giving no least manifestation of affection to the wife of another or to another woman. It means guarding mind and heart that impurity may not abide there, and remaining true as steel to marriage vows in thought, word, and deed. The verse stands among the truths of 1 Corinthians that readers are urged to understand and practice.
God in faithfulness calls believers into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, bringing them into a near and dear, intimate relation with Him. This calling is God's own work, not earned by human wisdom, power, or status, for He chooses the weak and lowly so none may boast, and Christ Himself becomes their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The call enriches them by grace in utterance and knowledge, confirms Christ's testimony in them so they lack no gift, and Christ will confirm them to the end that they may stand blameless in the day of the Lord while they wait for His coming. That fellowship with Christ brings believers into fellowship with one another, grounding the appeal that all speak the same thing with no divisions but be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment in mutual love and harmony. The assurance of God's faithfulness comforts His children in trouble and opposition to stand firm, and it calls for faithful service in return, for all who enter that relation are entrusted with responsibilities and as they prove faithful they will never find Jesus unfaithful to them.
Faithful Call into Fellowship
God in His faithfulness calls believers into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. That calling is God's own work, not a distinction earned by human wisdom, power, or status. Fellowship is being brought into a near and dear, intimate relation with Christ. That calling chooses the weak and lowly rather than those prized for worldly wisdom or status, so that no one may boast in human achievement, and Christ Himself becomes the believer's wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, giving true wisdom and standing.
The call enriches believers by grace in utterance and knowledge, confirms Christ's testimony in them, and leaves them lacking no gift while they wait for the coming of the Lord. Those so enriched in speech and knowledge by grace, with Christ's testimony confirmed in them, are assured they will come behind in no gift while waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's faithfulness includes Christ's confirming believers to the end so that they may stand blameless in the day of the Lord. This confirming to the end encourages confident waiting for Christ's coming and keeps them firm to the end.
Paul knew this faithfulness of God from personal experience. God's faithfulness is a pledge given not only to Israel but to all who obey His Word, including those living amid the perils of the last days. The call to fellowship began at the beginning of experience when truth united believers to the Saviour, and He who is the Author and Finisher of faith will perfect the work He has begun for them. As men and women exercise simple faith day by day believing God will establish them in Christ and cooperate with God in the work He has given them, they go forward from strength to greater strength.
Unity Through Fellowship
God in faithfulness calls believers into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and this calling stands among the church's privileges alongside being sanctified in Christ, receiving grace, being enriched in utterance and knowledge, having Christ's testimony confirmed, and awaiting Christ's coming while being confirmed to the end to stand blameless in the day of the Lord. Because God enriches by grace in utterance and knowledge and testimony so that those who wait for Christ's coming lack no gift, the call to fellowship grounds the appeal that all speak the same thing with no divisions but be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. The call makes possible that rich spiritual experience of being enriched in speech and knowledge, receiving spiritual gifts, waiting for Christ's coming, and being kept blameless to the end, and those united with Christ are therefore to share a corresponding experience of unity, speaking and judging together without divisions. Fellowship is the basis for the unity urged, so that believers joined in the same mind and judgment live out Christ's prayer for unity and form a Christian bond, speaking in agreement on a plain thus saith the Lord rather than remaining divided.
Fellowship with Christ also brings believers into fellowship with one another, so they are to cherish mutual love and preserve harmony. This mutual love and harmony strengthens the church and gives the world a good impression of their faith. For workers, fellowship means being brought back into right lines of work as God leads out a people and prepares them for translation. In that work those who act a part stand as sentinels for God, labor unitedly, are willing to be servants of all, and follow in the footsteps of Jesus as the great Exemplar.
This unity means medical missionary work is to be done in connection with the gospel message for this time and not controlled or torn apart by those who do not see its bearing. Such unity comes when the Holy Spirit molds and fashions minds and hearts, and the question drawn from the verse is shall we obey it. The opening of the letter through this verse is to be read in churches so its words sink deep into every heart, joined with the Thessalonian Scriptures. There believers are called unto the fellowship of His Son, enriched in utterance and knowledge, coming behind in no gift while waiting for the coming of the Lord, who confirms them unto the end that they may be blameless in the day of the Lord, perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment with no divisions among them.
Comfort and Faithful Living
God is faithful in calling believers into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ, and that assurance comforts God's children in trouble and opposition and strengthens them to stand firm in trial. It holds faith firm under trial and opposition, bringing comfort and encouragement when trouble in the world increases and the Lord's children must suffer. It confirms faith and sustains confident waiting for Christ's coming with the promise that He will keep believers firm to the end. That same assurance that God will not abandon those who trust Him strengthened the Reformers as they faced danger for the gospel.
The calling requires faithful service in return, for those entrusted with even one talent must do their very best with it and be faithful in little things. Failure in littles robs God of His revenue and forfeits eternal life, while working on the plan of addition in the littles heartily as unto the Lord causes God to work on the plan of multiplication so those littles become precious influences. No offering given with pure-heartedness and gladness of soul is small. All who enter that near and dear, intimate relation with Christ will be entrusted with responsibilities, and as they prove faithful to their charge they will never find Jesus unfaithful to them as His appointed servants.
The call leaves no misunderstanding and requires those who love and honor God to let Christ take charge of their affections and center them upon proper objects. For a married man this means his wife keeps the first place in his affections, giving no least manifestation of affection to the wife of another or to another woman. It means guarding mind and heart that impurity may not abide there, and remaining true as steel to marriage vows in thought, word, and deed. The verse stands among the truths of 1 Corinthians that readers are urged to understand and practice.