I [Paul] give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is not doubt that the church at Corinth has been gifted and blessed in many ways. Later in this same letter Paul will be critical of them for their pride in the gifts God has given them.

Here, though, he simply provides a gentle reminder that the gifts they have been given are given by God. Implied is that they have no reason to be prideful about things they received as a gift.

It’s easy to focus on that part, though, and miss the reference to the day of the Lord.

While early in scripture it would be likely to think of the day of the Lord as a reference to the Sabbath, by the time of this letter it has taken on a very different meaning.

To the prophets of the Old Testament, the day of the Lord is the day of judgment, when God will pour out his wrath on the nations that have oppressed his people and, and restore his people to their land–and to their relationship with him.

The day of the Lord has now become the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even though the Bible consistently refers to Jesus as the judge, that teaching has been uncomfortable to many of us and isn’t spoken of a lot. Remember, though, that judgment brings blessing as well as vengeance.

Judgment, in fact, is justice. Not the simple justice that human courts can provide of punishing people who have violated a law, but real justice of making things right in ways beyond our understanding.

“The second passage read during the sermon Sunday showed the double-edged sword of justice: I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strays, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.” (Ezekiel 34:15-16).

For the person who suffers in this life, justice is a promise of good things to come. For the one who lives a good life now at the expense of others, justice is a threat.