A GENUINE CHURCH

Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 1:2-9

1. “The church of God”-a church not only being possessed by God, but having God as its nature and essence, which are divine, general, universal, and eternal-v. 2a.
2. “The church...in Corinth”-a church in a city, remaining in a definite locality and taking it as its standing, ground, and jurisdiction for its administration in business affairs, which is physical, particular, local and temporal in time-v. 2b.
3. “The church...sanctified in Christ”-a church having been sanctified, made holy, in Christ, having Christ, who is the embodiment of the processed Triune God in His fullness, as its element and sphere-v. 2c.
4. The church being composed of the “called saints”-the assembly of the saints, the sanctified ones, who have been called out of the satanic world-v. 2d.
5. “With all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place”-this long phrase indicating that the church which is genuine is related with all the saints who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in every place around the globe-v. 2e.
6. The Lord Jesus Christ being “theirs and ours”-this indicating that the church which is genuine has the Lord Jesus Christ as “their” portion, “their” possession of the divine inheritance, for “their” enjoyment-v. 2f.
7. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”-this indicating that the church which is genuine, being under the dispensing of “grace” (the embodiment of the processed Triune God for the enjoyment of His called ones) and “peace” (the processed Triune God as the issue of the enjoyment of Him as grace by His called ones), from God the Father as the source of the Divine Trinity, from the Lord Jesus Christ as the course of the flow of the Divine Trinity, and from the Holy Spirit as the reaching of the flow of the Divine Trinity (not mentioned in word, but implied in denotation-2 Cor. 13:14)-v. 3.
8. “Based upon the grace of God which was given to you in Christ Jesus”-this indicating that the church which is genuine having the grace of God given to it in Christ, not the condition in itself, as its base-v. 4.
9. “In everything you were enriched in Him,...so that you are not lacking in any gift”-this indicating that the church which is genuine is enriched in everything in Christ, so that it is not lacking in any gift, the inward initial gift issuing from grace, such as the eternal life and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:23; Acts 2:38; Heb. 6:4), not the outward miraculous gifts-vv. 5-7a.
10. “Awaiting the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ”-this indicating that the church which is genuine should have a normal sign, that is, awaiting the unveiling (the appearing) of our Lord Jesus Christ-v. 7b.
11. “Who (referring to God in verse 4) will also confirm you till the end, unreprovable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ”-this indicating that the church which is genuine needs to grow in life (as mentioned in 1 Cor. 3:6) after its initial receiving of grace, that it will be unreprovable in the day of Christ’s coming-v. 8.
12. “God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”-this indicating that the church which is genuine has been called by God the Father who is faithful into the fellowship of, the participation in, His Son Jesus Christ who is the consummated, all-inclusive, indwelling and life-giving and dispensing Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17-18), as its divine portion for its enjoyment of the consummated Triune God-v. 9.