1 Corinthians 1:5-9

“He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” vss. 8-9

Paul regularly encouraged people to prepare for the imminent return of Jesus so that they might be ready when that time came. Here he gives the impression that it will be possible for them to be blameless on that day. Now there are some believers who do believe in a kind of perfectionism, that bit by bit, through the years, we can improve until we are virtually perfect, and no longer subject to sin. It’s doubtful that this is what Paul had in mind and it’s really foolish to imagine that we could actually pull this off. We will be in need of the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit until the day we die. Now we can make some improvements, but that only comes through daily repentance and forgiveness. And it may be that we and the people who know us best will be able to see the difference. But we will remain in this good and broken world as long as we live. In fact, as soon as we start to get cocky and think we are pretty decent folks we can probably count on messing up. And ultimately it’s only because of God’s faithfulness that we can have any hope at all. It’s in God’s perfection that we find our own.

Thought for the Day: How have I changed for the better through the years?