Why we need Christ to Be Worthy

 Recently I was reading in first Corinthians. This is a letter from the New Testament of the Bible. In this book is a series of letters that Paul wrote to a church that was growing during the initial founding of the Christian church. This group of believers faced some major challenges including idol-worship, unhealthy relationships, confusion and many other stumbling blocks to their fledgling faith. It was a chaotic time for the church. 

As I was reading chapter fifteen of this great book of encouragement and wisdom for Christians, I came upon 1 Corinthians Chapter 15:20-26. It says: 

In this passage, we see that it is not by our own selves we become worthy. That, in fact, we need Christ to be worthy. To be our leader. To be the one who can save us from our own selves. I know that's true in my own life. When I have forged ahead in my own self. Believing that my agenda is what would serve others best, I get tripped up. I start making compromises in my life. Do you do the same? 

We need Christ to be worthy because we are so unworthy in our own selves. That is the whole purpose of the cross. If we want to have relationship and communion with God, we must first submit to the worthiness of Christ. If we want to understand the Word of God and be able to do what it commands, we must first put aside our own sense of what is right and wrong. At the end of the day, those guided by self will end up far away from what their original intentions were. It is only thru the utter worthiness of Christ that we are able to do the work of racial reconciliation. The work of caring for the widow, orphan and immigrant. It is only thru Christ that we can look at our fellow humans and see them as worthy of love, compassion, mercy and grace. 

Without Christ as worthy, that leaves only me. Or you. Humans that will be swayed by our own personal agenda. Agendas that will lead us back to the creature comforts that have kept us safe and protected. We might make some efforts to help others, we may even have a life of helping others. But if we do not do it with the motive of elevating Christ, we are only elevating ourselves. Which makes all our efforts ones of selfishness and pride. 

This is all very counter-cultural. We want to believe that humans are inherently good. We aren't. Give someone some time and they will eventually choose themselves or their loved ones over another. It is only because we surrender ourselves to the worthiness of Christ that we can do good. Good that will last and be world-changing.