Listen up, little ones
Listen for the word you.
Reading
1 Corinthians 1:4–9—Identity in Christ
Keys for kids
- God’s work in us by Christ is the foundation of our identity.
- God holds us together in Christ even when we fail.
- We should live out who we are in Christ.
Questions
- Why does Paul focus so sharply on Christ?
- What might we think is our identity?
- Why does it matter that our identity is in Christ?
Notes
(See last page for authors. Today’s notes are from a commentary on 1 Corinthians by Stephen T. Um.
It may seem redundant, but Paul’s laser focus on the work of God in Christ is meant to frame the entirety of his reflections throughout the book of 1 Corinthians. He wants the troubled church that he is addressing to know this: God’s objective reality overrides their subjective experience. Christ’s work on their behalf is more foundational to their identity than their ability to sully it with their failings. He is essentially saying, “Look, Corinthian church, you may be falling apart at the seams, but the God who called you has secured your past, present, and future. He is holding you together.”
What does this mean for us? It means that our status as “sanctified” and “saints” is not based upon our work but upon the work of another. Our identity is sure because it was given to us by someone else. Our gifts are sure and sufficient because they were given to us by the gift-maker. And our future is secure because it has been prepared for us by the one who holds the future in his hands. …
In the gospel, God declares us presentable before he ever even looks at our record. The gospel says, “Stop striving to build an identity; you have been given one free of charge because of the striving of another in your place! You no longer have to live in order to build an identity, but you can live into the identity that has been given to you.”
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 36b, 85a
Prayer
- Ask the Lord to help you live out your identity in Christ.
- Give thanks for something from last Lord’s Day’s sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.