1 Corinthians 3:5-10
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.
Justification is a work of God – by His grace – where the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts and we are enabled to trust [exercise faith] in Jesus and receive God’s pardon and acceptance.
Grace (the power of God working in our lives) –
- God working to help us see our true condition – fallen and in need of salvation
- God working to help us see and understand who He is – that He’s good and has worked to free us from sin’s power
- God working in us to enable us to love Him and our neighbor
Sanctification:
The gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Spirit by which He delivers the justified sinner from the power of sin, renews their nature in the image of God through faithful obedience, and enables them to grow and mature.
Establishing Believers will Require:
- Process
- People
John 3:3; 6-7
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
1 Corinthians 3:1-4
But for right now, friends, I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You’re acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I’ll nurse you since you don’t seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything’s going your way? When one of you says, “I’m on Paul’s side,” and another says, “I’m for Apollos,” aren’t you being totally childish?
1 Peter 2:1-3
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.