April 15, 2012
The Virus of Triumphalism
Behind the rancor and division in the Corinthian church was a spiritual virus infecting it which was an immoderate desire to be something. Paul cuts the ground out from underneath those who were thus infected by reminding them that there was nothing desirable in them which accounted for their election unto salvation. Then Paul gives these Corinthians the pure gospel antidote for resisting this spiritual virus which is their sovereign and gracious union with Jesus Christ.
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April 1, 2012
The Rich Mercy of God
Three attributes of God, mercy, love, and grace, are the source of the rich streams of saving benefits bestowed upon sinners when they are converted to faith in Christ. Paul, responding to the terrible predicament of human sin, outlined in verses 1-3, transitions to proclaiming gospel grace by putting the spotlight on the rich mercy of God the Father. This message takes the attributes of divine mercy, which a root of our salvation in Christ, and places it in its broader Biblical context in order to gain deeper insight into the riches of God’s mercy.
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