1 Corinthians 9:4,5,8,9 English Standard Version

⁴ I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— ⁸ who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Not too long ago these verses were used to bring a point home in another study. As I read it again the word enrich struck me. Over the years I have I the idiom “Boy that’s rich!” without attaching any real significance in being rich. That has nothing to do with wealth and we understand that. Do we understand what it means for us to be enriched?

Thoughts of the refining fire will come to mind and we will allow ourselves to feel better that what we endure makes us more valuable for service. That was my thinking but others might have a different take on those passages. That is fine.

Today as I ponder the words again in 1 Corinthians 9 I am struck with another awareness I missed before. We are enriched “in Him”. He who has no sin has no need to be enriched from impurities. He is perfect already. This enrichment, this refinement is in speech and knowledge not sin nature.

It would be so much easier on us if we were purified from our sin nature but we are not. We remain as we always were with this sin nature. 1 John 1:8 says “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

This refining is in our speech and knowledge. It has little to do with our sin nature unless it helps us resist giving into our nature.

Yes it would have been easier on us if we were purged in the flesh of all sin but we are not.

It remains so that we will have the choice to love God or to give in to our sin nature.

Love is a choice.

John 21:25 English Standard Version (ESV) Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

At the time of John’s writing of his gospel accounts a number of years had passed since his contemporaries Matthew, Mark and Luke had penned theirs. There are glaring differences between the synoptic gospels and John’s. Those differences are purposed by God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that spoke to each according to God’s plan.

It is obvious from this opening verse that much of what Jesus did during those three years of ministry has been left out by each writer. What has been included is according to God’s plan. We only have some hint of what might have transpired in the lives of those that Jesus touched.

Mark 7:35-37 English Standard Version

³⁵ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶ And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷ And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

At first glance one might think these people were disobeying Jesus. He was not their Lord at the time nor were they disciples.

This might be just the leading edge of all that Jesus did in His ministry during His three year ministry. It is mere speculation as to what happened to these witnesses of God’s power. We do not know just how much the experienced changed their lives. There were both Jews and Gentiles that received God’s gracious goodness in those days. They would not have necessarily reacted the same nor should we expect them to do so.

If they had a vested interest in Jesus, what might have transpired in their lives after His death, resurrection and ascension?

We can only answer for ourselves, not others.