Read the Credits (II)
There is application throughout the Bible, but none so potentially missed, than those of the greetings and salutations written by Paul. Many speed read when they come to this area, they neglect and to their detriment miss something God wants us to know. 1 Corinthians has a hidden treasure for us to see. If you are first joining us, please go back to last week’s post and see part one where in two verses we found an amazing application of how the gifts from the Lord should be utilized. These gifts should be utilized with great earnest, that we should be flexible with what challenges the world throws at us, and utilize what Christ has given. Secondly, we are to be united as believers under Christ. We are not to be swayed by the hatred and divisiveness brought about. This was an exciting post but now we come to part two, which we see God is not done revealing more to us within the credits of 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 16:21-24 “21 The salutation with my own hand--Paul’s. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! 23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. 24 My love [be] with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
A simple statement but holds great meaning. Instead of having someone write for him due to his ailments, Paul chose to write it himself. This reveals three aspects of Paul, he took scripture seriously and wanted to make sure those around him knew this. Where others might have spread read, they would slow down knowing that the very ink was written by Paul himself. Second, we see that Paul is intimate with fellow believers; wanting to take the time and effort to aid the Church. Third, it reveals Paul is wanting them to focus on what he is about to say. He wants this final part to be what sticks with the reader the most. This statement is verse 22.
“22 If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!”
Sounds harsh, almost as if he is backtracking from other parts of his letter describing love, “and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I gave my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” 1 Corinthians 13:3. But is he?
In fact, Paul is applying the aspects of love here in the most sincere way he can. He is identifying that if someone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, they are not saved and are cursed. This places our thoughts racing towards “What if’s” and I am here to tell you the simplicity of the statement speaks volumes. Paul is stating plainly, if you do not love Jesus Christ; including what He stood for, died for, resurrected for, and currently interceding for, then you are not saved and cursed. The curse is sin. Matthew 25:41-41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:” This curse is serious and it is why Paul is stating bluntly the reality of what is needed. If the curse is upon you and I then we do not love the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we can conclude that loving the Lord Jesus Christ will make you free from the curse. For discussion sake, let us look at exactly what Christ did and saved us from.
Ephesians 2:1-10 “1 And you [He made alive,] who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Paul is simple in verse 22 because he and others had already shared so much on what Jesus had done for us. It should be noted that if we love the Lord Jesus Christ and are following Him, we should be able to quickly fall into line with Paul’s next statement in verse 22, “O Lord, come!” Verse 22 is an equation with the answer all in a simple verse for us to see. If we love the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will follow His commandments, His statutes, and His Word. If He is our Lord, our Master, and our Redeemer, then we are saved. This adds us into a strange predicament, because if you love a person, you want to be around them and we currently are not with the Lord. So naturally the end result is a desire to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. Ironically, Paul is arguing for the desire of the Rapture. How interesting that it doesn’t say, Lord have your Kingdom come, but rather “Lord Come” short, to the point, and rapid. All contextual aspects of the rapture. As Christians, we need to understand the truth about salvation and not be cowardly with sharing the gospel, because everyone who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ is not saved. We need to help encourage believers to keep their eyes on Jesus Christ’s return for the Church. Paul is making sure our hope is in Jesus.
Finally, we come to the final verse of the letter, 23. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. 24 My love [be] with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” One of the biggest complaints I hear about studying Bible prophecy is that people get burnt out. They get to a point where they just go, “Well the world is getting worse and each day appears to be darker and darker. The bad guys always win.” I think Paul had to deal with this as well, it is why he ends the letter with encouragement and a golden reminder. God’s grace is on us, we who are saved have Jesus Christ’s grace. Nothing can take that away.
Romans 8:38-39 “38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This means that Jesus Christ is with us in Spirit, and will one day be with us in the flesh. We will be in His presence, never to be away from Him again.
John 14:1-3 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
I will say to those who believe there is no such thing as the rapture and Jesus Christ is only coming back to earth, allow me to ask the following questions to ponder. Why is Jesus making a place for us in heaven? Why are there countless of Bible verses describing the 1,000 years reign of Jesus Christ? And what is Jacob’s trouble for? I ask these questions because Paul is writing under the assumption that we have come to grips with these truths and have a basic understanding of the Gospel and prophetic sequence of events. This means we need to know and study the word more, so when basic discussions of deep theological truth is passively mentioned we can keep up.
Finally, Paul ends it with endearment, he knows that 1 Corinthians has some difficult topics to discuss. Yet, he wants them to know that he loves them as Christ loves us. Paul was walking his faith out as we should be walking our faith out. He was being an example of what a Christian today should be doing. It is why he states at the end of the letter, “My love [be] with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” 1 Corinthians 16:24. Paul is pointing out that love is defined in Christ Jesus. Christians who are claiming they are loving those who are practicing sin by allowing the sin in the church, are not loving the sinner. They are openly in defiance against the very person they claim to love as their Lord. Love is rooted in everything Christ did for you and I, to include defining what is right and wrong. This is why God’s Word is paramount in the lives of believers as our source of truth, guidance, and action. This is why Paul ends on such a note.
Now we come to the end of our small series on the credits of 1 Corinthians, we can see that God has something for you and I in every part of His word. So please do not skip the credits of the Bible and see what He might be wanting you to understand. Next time you read 1 Corinthians, remember about the call to action by Paul in pursuit of being what Jesus Christ made you and I to be. We were made to be His children, to be saved and in fellowship with Him. However, sin separated us from Him. Sin has cursed you and I, we have sinned and because of this deserve death. It is this reason that Christ died on the cross, to fulfill what He promised He would do. His perfect life for our imperfection, His perfect sacrifice for our inability to bring anything worthwhile. Then Jesus in His own authority, rose again from the grave to provide the very necessary resurrection for you and I. He is now at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for those who are saved. So I will end this asking a question, are you saved? Have you asked Jesus to come into your life and forgive you of your sins? Everything we have been talking about cannot happen if you are still cursed by sin. Leave the curse behind you and have Jesus free you from all the pain, sorrow, and misery that sin brings. Run to the only true source of love, Jesus Christ. It is only with Him as our Lord can we truly understand and apply the credits talked about in 1 Corinthians.
Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,
JL