Open The Word | Fungua Neno

⏱️ 5 minutes.

Greetings, children of God,

Today let’s look at these comforting words of sustenance that Paul shares with the Corinthians:

who will also confirm you to the end, beyond reproach in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
— 1 Corinthians 1:8

We find this at the very beginning of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. As is his routine, he takes some time at the beginning of the epistle to introduce himself, address them, and share salutations.

Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
— 1 Corinthians 1:1-2

In this verse, the verb that he uses for “to confirm” means: “to confirm, establish, secure, of things.” Paul uses this word a few more times. One such time is when he reassures his Roman brothers that the promises of Christ are confirmed to them:

For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers,
— Romans 15:8

He also uses this same word only a few verses before this, when he says that Christ’s witness was confirmed to the Corinthians:

even as the witness about Christ was confirmed in you,
— 1 Corinthians 1:6

Another interesting use of this word appears in the epistle to the Hebrews, where the author reminds the readers that it is grace that strengthens, or sustains them:

Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
— Hebrews 13:9

In his opening remarks, Paul tells the Corinthians that it is Christ who confirmed them. Paul wants them to know it is Christ who strengthens them and that it is Christ who sustains them.

Furthermore, Paul highlights that this sustenance is not merely a one-time event. He reminds them that this is an ongoing process and that Christ will continue to sustain them even to the end.

The result of Christ’s sustenance and confirmation of the believers in Corinth is that they will be beyond reproach in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here, the reproach that Paul points to is the final judgment which all men will have to face according to their deeds.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
— 2 Corinthians 5:10

The reproach will be upon those who are found guilty before the just Judge, that is, God Himself. All will be judged according to all their deeds in the flesh. And all will have to serve the sentence. Those who have not placed their faith in Christ will have to stand before God and will be judged according to their own actions. However, those who have placed their faith in Christ will be judged according to Christ’s atoning work on the cross. They will be found blameless because their sins will have been paid for by Christ. They will be found blameless because Christ lived a perfect, sinless life on their behalf.

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
— Galatians 6:8

Paul’s words of assurance to the believers in Corinth are so encouraging. Paul is telling the Corinthians that having placed their faith in Christ, Christ will sustain them all the way to the end.

The end that Paul speaks of is the end days. He tells them that they’ll be found blameless in the day of Christ. This is a comment on the end of days. Paul speaks of the second coming of Jesus when He will gather those who believe to Himself, and punish those who do not believe. This is judgment day. The phrase appears a number of times both in the Old Testament and the New Testament:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be found out.
— 2 Peter 3:10

Be silent before Lord Yahweh!
For the day of Yahweh is near,
For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice;
He has set apart His guests.
— Zephaniah 1:7

The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
— Acts 2:20

While this day promises to be a very terrifying day for unbelievers, Paul assures the Corinthians that they will be in the loving embrace of the Lord when this day comes, because they do not depend on their finite power to sustain themselves, but rather they will be protected and sustained by the power of God all the way to the end.

Here are some important notes to remember:

• Christ Sustains the Believers: We don’t sustain ourselves by our own finite power or abilities; rather, we are sustained by the infinite power of God.
• Our Assurance is in Christ: Our assurance of being confirmed all the way to the end is not something we prop up in ourselves; rather, we find our assurance in Christ.
• We Will Be Found Blameless in the End: Christ’s work in our lives ensures that we will not be condemned, for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Let’s follow the apostle’s example in pressing forward:

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 3:14

May the peace of Christ be upon you,
Paul.