By Bob DeWaay

These verses show that Paul had not given up on the troubled Corinthian church. He assured them that they had the gifts needed and were not lacking. In their case, they had gifts but abused them. At this point Paul tells them they are “enriched” and that God would keep them until the revelation of Jesus Christ (using the term commonly translated “apocalypse” in English). Here the term refers to the second advent. All believers will be kept “blameless” (by God) until the end. This is God’s promise. However, God uses means and errors must be corrected. Paul’s letter sternly addresses many errors, but not until after assuring his readers that God will keep them until the end. We must believe the promises of God AND respond in faith to correction.

We describe Paul’s use of Greek tenses to describe saving grace: past (at conversion), present (gracious gifts that keep us), future (kept blameless in the day of the Lord). This is grounded in the faithfulness of God who gave His great promises to the church. We address one of the themes in 1 Corinthians which is over-realized eschatology. They wanted to judge things that no one has the ability to judge. Matters such as motives of the heart and the relative status of people’s services as compared to others are not known and must wait for the coming of the Lord to be known. The Corinthians were “passing judgment before the time.” We also address post-millennialism which wants to set up a kingdom on earth now without the presence of the King. Finally, we see the promise that God who is faithful will bring to pass His promises in our lives.