1 Corinthians 15 Lesson

“By the grace of God, I am still alive!”

Have you ever uttered this phrase?

Or have you ever been through a scenario that was so horrific, you knew immediately that God was the only reason you got through it?

At that moment, how did it feel to be on the receiving end of God’s grace?

DEFINING GRACE

We hear about God’s grace.

We know it is important.

But do we really understand what it means to be the recipient of God’s amazing grace?

We will start today’s lesson with a definition.

Grace means, “Unmerited favor.”

Or to put it in lay terms, receiving something that we have not earned.  

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT GRACE

As we think about God’s grace, and how it applies to our own lives, it is helpful to look at what the Bible says on the subject.

The Bible is full of verses that talk about God’s grace.

For today’s lesson, we have highlighted five of them:

1. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” -Hebrews 4:16,
2. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9,
3. “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” - Romans 6:14,
4. “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9,
5. “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” - James 4:6.

GOD’S GRACE ALLOWS US TO REACH OUR POTENTIAL

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he wrote:

• “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:9-10.

Paul felt that his past sins were so bad, that God did not value him as much as the other apostles.

The mistake that Paul made here is that he underestimated God’s grace.

God had a plan for Paul, just as He has a plan for each of us.

Paul was a chosen instrument of God to do the specific work that he was called to do.

• But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” - Acts 9:15.

And just as God had a plan for Paul, He has a plan for each of us also:

• “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ” - Jeremiah 29:11.

FOLLOWING GOD'S PLAN

Paul saw the light after his “Road to Damascus moment.”

Once he learned what God wanted him to do, he did it!

So should we!

God has a plan for each of us. It is up to us to be humble enough and obedient enough to follow it.

If we read the Bible and apply what we learn, God’s plan for us will unfold, and He will prepare us for the important work that we are called to do:

1. To glorify God,
2. To serve one another.

Sometimes we get impatient and want to do things within our timeframe, not God’s.   That type of thinking is foolish and rarely works out well for us.  

A better approach is to allow things to work out on God’s timeline, not ours. 

When we submit to His plan, not ours, we no longer need to worry about the way that things are going to turn out.   We can take comfort in knowing that everything will work out just as God planned. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Romans:

• “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” - Romans 8:28.

God knows EVERYTHING, even the number of hairs on our heads! 

As our Creator, who are we to question His plan for us?  That is not our place. 

Our role is to submit to His will, wherever that takes us, and to follow it. 

Luke and the Prophet Isaiah wrote about this in the following two Bible verses:

1. “Now I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.  But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!  Are five sparrows not sold for two assaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God.  But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.” – Luke 12:4-7,
2. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9.

CONCLUSION

Grace means unmerited favor or receiving something that we have not earned.

There are no limits to God’s grace, and the power it can have over our lives.

If we align our values with God’s and focus on glorifying Him and serving others, His grace will perfect us, and allow us to accomplish things that we never dreamed of!

This does not mean that there will not be suffering along the way. Jesus suffered, the apostles suffered, and we will too. But that suffering will not last forever, and God’s grace will see us through it if we put our trust in Him and follow His plan.

Peter wrote about this in his first epistle:

• “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” -1 Peter 5:10.

We will end today’s lesson with the following scripture taken from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians:

• “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed .” - 2 Corinthians 9:8.