Study 47 – Yet not I

Paul boasts of his hard work and then suddenly adds, ‘Yet not I’ (1 Cor. 15:10). This is where it gets puzzling. It seems that the apostle is saying, ‘I worked hard, although it’s not I but the grace of God that’s with me.’ So who’s doing the hard work – Paul or somebody else?

Grace and Partnership
To understand this we should, perhaps start by explaining what Paul isn’t saying. He isn’t saying ‘I received grace’ as if grace was something that happened only in the past. In other words, ‘I was a sinner, a legalist and a killer of Christians. But I obtained grace! Thank you Lord. What mercy! Now, to show my appreciation for all that grace, I’m going to work harder than any of them.’ That’s not what he’s saying. Paul’s hard work isn’t just trying to pay back his debt to God. Nor is he saying, ‘I labour and toil, then I come up gasping for grace and sink down to work again, only to come up again for a bit more grace,’ like a swimmer struggling for a gasp of air from time to time.

The grace that saved us and gave us a gift of ministry is the same grace that will accompany us into the future. Grace works with us – as our partner. We live and serve by grace all the time. And sometimes we’ll feel as though we’re hardly exerting ourselves at all because God’s grace is at work with us.

How does grace work with us? Through attitude and action. We need to remain humble and acknowledge our need of grace all the time. We don’t say, ‘Thank you Lord. Grace has brought me this far and now it’s over to me’.

Grace and Contentment
Paul claims to have ‘learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty of in want’ (Phil. 4:12). Then he continues, ‘I can do everything through him who gives me strength’ (Phil. 4:13). We often quote this verse when we’re considering the aggressive advance of the kingdom, but Paul doesn’t use it this way. The context doesn’t concern dramatic power ministry, but the challenge of day-to-day routine. Quite simply Paul has learned how to receive grace regardless of his personal circumstances. He can do everything in terms of sustaining his ministry in the midst of difficulties because God’s grace is constantly available.

Can you cope with the pressures of life? You’re living on a tight budget; you’re battling with sickness; you’ve got abusive neighbours; you’re pressurised at work; you’ve failed your exams; you’re facing redundancy. These are among the many difficulties that we all face. How do we get through? We learn the secret of contentment and continually draw on God’s grace.

To Meditate On

God wants us to be content.

‘Godliness with contentment is great gain’ (1 Tim. 6:6).

‘If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that’ (1 Tim. 6:8).

‘Be content with what you have’ (Heb. 13:5).

To Consider

What attitudes and actions might characterise Christians who are not partners with grace?

Food For Thought

God isn’t only concerned about the big issues, but also about the routines of life.

Read Colossians 3:1-4:6 and note the attitudes and behaviour that God wants for you.

Which areas do you need to improve on most?

To Be Inspired

‘Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace, and your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.’
Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace, NavPress, 1994