As you journey through the book of Hebrews, we encourage you to invite the Lord into your studies through prayer, reading of the word, and reflection.

• Pray: Before you start each devotion, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• Read: Invite God to open your eyes and deepen your understanding of His Word through each daily passage.
• Reflect: Ask the Spirit to help you take to heart what He wants to show you.

A New Message for an Ancient City

Ever thought about becoming a saint? Sound impossible? Well, in one sense it is. But in another, it is not. According to some religions, some people arrive at sainthood by living an incredible life. But according to God, there’s a better way. You become right with God by trusting in His Son, Jesus Christ. You become a true saint.

But you can also live out that holiness in how you relate to and interact with others, especially your fellow believers in the body of Christ. That’s where the Corinthian Christians struggled. They had become divided over baptism and over silly things like who they admired most among the more prominent spiritual leaders, and they were stuck in patterns of sinful activities. Sin takes us places we don’t want to go.

Yet, like the Corinthian believers, we find a power and a hope in the power of the Cross, which is the message Paul preached. Jesus changes everything.

God wants Christians to embrace the message of Jesus as the sole truth that keeps everyone together.

And by focusing on Jesus, we guard against fostering harmful divisions and living lives in ways that dishonor the Lord. That is such an important principle for Christians to embrace.

In the city of Corinth, as well as in most cities of that day, philosophy reigned supreme. But the gospel challenged all of that by presenting the message of Christ’s death on the cross as the true power to bring salvation.

Let’s face it: People today struggle with the same skepticism when it comes to Jesus. Some want to see supernatural signs, like the Jews of Paul’s day; others think it’s foolishness to embrace such a crazy message. Believing God became a human to suffer unimaginable torture and die like a criminal on a cross is what we are to place our hope for eternal life in? Sounds far-fetched! But that’s the point. Something so foolish sounding to us is what becomes the key to us being made right before a holy, gracious God.

Does that mean you are foolish for believing? Absolutely not! But it will likely seem foolish to those closest to you who reject God’s claims. You are not weak, but you may appear weak in the eyes of your family. Take heart—this is God’s way.

We don’t have a thing to glory in except Jesus. He is everything we need. God longs to communicate that message to you and to everyone who seeks Him. Jesus has become our wisdom. He is your righteousness. He is the One who saves you, redeems what’s broken in your life, and grows you up in Him. Whatever you need today, you will find it in Him.

1. Does the description of the city of Corinth sound similar to where you live? Why or why not?

2. A focus on Jesus will help prevent division in the church. Where else do we tend to focus other than on Jesus? What about Jesus will unite us?

3. God’s method of proclaiming the gospel is viewed as foolishness by those who need the message. What does that tell us about people who need Jesus?

Additional Resources

Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s complete teachings on 1 Corinthians 1:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:9-12 and 1 Corinthians 1:9-12.