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First Corinthians Chapter One

by Paul George  
11/12/2008 / Bible Studies

Introduction
1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Quotes from World English Bible unless otherwise noted

"Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

The City

Corinth was a center of the worship of Aphrodite. The worship of Aphrodite involved a high degree of sexual perversion. Corinth was famous for its education system. The people spent much time in discussing and arguing the pros and cons of the teachings of their philosophers. The religious views of the people were influenced by the ancient mystery religions that drew men and women into exotic experiences. The inhabitants of Corinth considered Corinth a highly civilized city.

The Recipients (verses 1-3)

The letter is addressed to "the assembly of God which is at Corinth." The phrases "the assembly of God" identifies the One who brought the church into being through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the One who sustains the body of believers. "Which is at Corinth" identifies the church as a local church, "saints, by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" identifies the local church as part of the universal church.

Note Paul's calling was by the will of God, the Corinthians calling was by the will of God. Your calling is by the will of God.

Paul's Prayer (verse 4)

Paul's prayer was a prayer of thanksgiving; he told the Corinthians, "I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus."

Paul directs his thanks toward God. Paul first gives thanks for the grace God has extended to the believers in Corinth. God's grace to the saints in Corinth was boundless.

Note what Paul told the Corinthians in verses five through nine.

"that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Paul wanted it understood; God enriched them in everything, in all speech and all knowledge. The false teachers who claimed the Corinthians were lacking in speech and knowledge and that they needed something more were liars. God had provided all that they needed. No gift was lacking in the church. God had provided just the right gifts for the growth and maturity and ministry of the saints in Corinth. If the church at Corinth was failing, it was not due to any failure on God's part to provide for their needs, but rather a failure on their part. God had given the Corinthians all they need to fulfill their calling.

In verses eight and nine there words of encouragement; the Corinthians have God's promise that they will be in Christ's presence when He returns and that they would be blameless, based on the faithfulness of God.

The division in the church were causing the Corinthians to lose sight of a very important fact, those who God sets apart have an obligation to be devoted to the One who provided their salvation, our Lord Jesus Christ, and not men. Just as the Corinthians needed to be reminded they were a people set apart for a higher purpose and end and the gifts they have received comes from God there are times when we need to be reminded who we are. We are people set apart for a higher purpose and end, the worship of the Lord. The gifts we receive come from our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and we are to use them in the building of His kingdom and not to satisfy egos.

There are also, times when the ungodly and unrighteous need reminding that every good thing in this life comes from our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The ungodly and unrighteous of this world do not realize or understand they also benefit from the blessings God pours out on His children. Those who want to rid the world of those they have labeled trouble making intolerant Christians do not realize or understand if there were no true believers in Christ on this earth this earth would be filled with unimaginable evil and terror.

The divisions in the church caused the Corinthians to lose sight of the fact that through the grace of God, they have fellowship with Jesus Christ and their brothers and sisters in Christ. The Corinthians were part of family, the family of God. We also know, from experiences, members of a family have different viewpoints on any given subject and they express their viewpoints. The problem is not the expressing of a viewpoint. In fact, it can be a good thing. It can build a stronger relationship. The problem arises when a family member's viewpoint creates division in the family. Division weakens the family structure. Division in the church weakens the structure of the church. Division in a nation weakens the structure of the nation. Division weakens the influence of the church upon society. The true worship of the Lord cannot exist where there is division.

In verses one through nine Paul has laid a foundation he will build on. Paul begins his call for unity in the church with an exhortation (verse 10).
"Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

Paul defines unity as the absence of division. Having the "same mind" refers to a way of thinking. To have the same mind is to have the same outlook or perspective. To have "the same judgment" is to agree as to a particular decision, to agree on a particular issue.

When the apostles and the 120 saints gathered in the upper room (Acts 1:12-14), they were all like-minded. They were one in spirit and in focus. When they selected Matthias as the replacement for Judas, they came to the same judgment. They reached a particular decision with unity. Unfortunately, the Corinthians were not living up to the standard Paul set for them. There were quarrels and divisions in the church, which he had heard about from "Chloe's people" (verse 11). This probably does not mean each member, without exception, those who are not guilty of this evil is the exception and not the rule.

The Source of the Divisions

In chapters one and two of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul identifies three sources of divisions in the church:

1. Focusing on personalities rather than doctrine (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)
2. Misunderstanding of the message of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5)
3. Misunderstanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:5:16)

Focusing on personalities rather than doctrine (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

"Now I mean this, that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' 'I follow Apollos,' 'I follow Cephas,' and, 'I follow Christ.'

The source of the quarrels and divisions in the church was the focusing on personalities rather than doctrine. Each of the personalitiesPaul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ, is viewed as the one leader that the individual member has chosen to follow. None of these leaders was responsible for the problem or encouraged any of the members of the church to follow them. The true problem was not one of loyalties and allegiances to different leaders in the church it was pride. The first three groups take pride in the leader they have chosen to follow. The last takes pride in thinking he or she is following Christ. It is true that we all should be followers of Christ. However, we should not be proud of ourselves for doing so. Those who think of themselves as being "of Christ" also think of the rest as not being "of Christ." Those who boast of their following Christ are effectively declaring themselves the leader. Those who are "of Christ" do not need Paul, Apollos, or Cephas. They do not need an apostle. They can discern Christ's mind by themselves without any outside help from others. These are the most frightening group of all, and Paul makes this clear.


Three Questions (verse 13)

Paul asked the Corinthians three questions; Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?

In verse 13, Paul asked three questions, "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?"

These are closed end questions and require a single word answer, no. Since Christ is not divided, how can His body, the church, be divided? It was not Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or any other mere man who died on the cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shed His blood on the cross to cleanse us from all sin. Baptism testifies to this fact. Baptism is in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and not in the name of any man. Salvation is through Jesus Christ and not through mere men, regardless of their position in the church.

Note Paul's response to the question, "Were you baptized into the name of Paul" (Verses 14 -17).

"I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name. (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don't know whether I baptized any other.)"

Baptism is a prominent theme in verses14-17. Paul's point is compared to the preaching of the gospel and baptizing, baptizing is a lower priority to him. Paul viewed salvation as something that occurs independently of baptism. True, baptism is important. It is the believer's public identification with Jesus Christ. However, baptism is not the means of one's salvation; rather it is the outward manifestation of salvation. Paul rejects the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. If he thought baptism was the means of salvation, he would have made it a much higher priority. Baptism took second place to preaching in Paul's life and ministry.

Paul wanted it clearly understood why he was sent to Corinth (verse 17); "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News."


Misunderstanding the message of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5)

"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.'"

Jews and Gentiles may agree on few things, but they mutually hold that the cross of Christ is foolish. The Jews are into power through signs and wonders. All through our Lord's life, they wanted to see signs and wonders. They expected their Messiah to be a wonder worker, here to do their bidding. Even the disciples bought into this frame of mind, so that Peter rebuked the Lord for speaking of His cross (Matthew 16). The Gentiles were into a different kind of power, mind power, human wisdom. They took pride in following great intellectual thinkers or powerful orators. The message of a humble carpenter's son, who died as a common criminal on a Roman cross, was not popular among the Jews and Gentiles. To the saved, the preaching of the cross of Christ is a manifestation of the wisdom and the power of God.

Paul reminds the church the gospel does not appeal to human pride; it cannot even co-exist with it. The gospel informs us that there is only one thing to do with pride, crucify it. The "word of the cross," that is the message of the cross, to unbelievers is foolishness. For those of us who are being saved, the message of the cross, the gospel of the cross is the power of God (see also Romans 1:16). For the unbeliever, the cross is a shame; for the Christian, the cross is glorious.

The conflict between divine wisdom and power and the secular world's view of these matters should come as no surprise. Throughout history, God has worked in ways that the world would never have imagined or believed. God's purpose in history is not to glorify man but to glorify Himself by demonstrating the foolishness of man's wisdom. The text that Paul cites in verse nineteen (Isaiah 29:14) clearly implies that God has always worked in a way that is contrary to human wisdom. Would human wisdom have chosen an insignificant people like the Jews to be the nation among whom God would dwell? Would human wisdom have chosen the land of Canaan over other places on earth? Would human wisdom have led the Israelites into a trap between the Red Sea and the on-coming Egyptian army? Would human wisdom have instructed the people of God to use their power to help the weak, rather than to use their power to take advantage of the weak? Would human wisdom have purposed to save Gentiles through the rejection and failure of the Jews, rather than through their triumph? Would human wisdom have declared that the coming Messiah was to be born of a virgin?

In verse twenty, Paul asks four questions; "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn't God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Where are they in the church, in God's plans and purposes? Where the intellectual and scholarly giants? Mostly, those so highly esteemed in the world are absent from the church and are not involved in God's plans and purposes in human history. In addition, even when God may draw one of the intellectual and scholarly greats, He first humbles them. Paul is a perfect example of God humbling the intellectual and scholarly giants.
God has set a course for history that will prove man's wisdom to be foolish. God will use foolishness to prove the ungodly to be fools. Since the world has not come to know God through its wisdom, God will make Himself known to some through means that the world regards as foolish. God has chosen the cross of Christ as the means to save sinners.

In verses twenty-one through twenty-five Paul wrote, "For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn't know God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe. For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

Beginning with verse twenty-six, Paul directs our attention toward the church; Paul wants the Corinthians to give thought to who is present in the church. Granting the possibility of a few exceptions, Paul reminds the Corinthians the church is not composed of the wise, the mighty, or the noble. Instead, God has chosen to save the foolish, the weak, and the base and despised, the "nobodies." The word "chosen" in verse twenty-seven is very significant, because it underscores that God chose those on the lowest rung of the social ladder.

Following the principle set down in verse nineteen, Paul explains why God selected the undesirables of this world for salvation. God has purposed to nullify the wisdom of the wise and to humble the proud. He has chosen to do so by employing the people that the world rejects as weak, foolish, and worthless. God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise, the weak things of this world to shame the strong, the base and despised things to humble that which is highly esteemed (vv 27-28).

Why did God do this? "That no flesh should boast before God. But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord" (vv. 29-31).

Jesus addressed the problem of division in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, "But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna. If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him in the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny" (Matthew 5:22-24).

Division is one of Satan's weapons. Confession is the weapon used to overcome Satan's weapon. You will note Jesus did not say if you have something against your brother, He said if you remember your brother has something against you go and be reconciled to your brother. What would keep a person from doing this? The answer is a one-word answer, "pride" and this was a problem in the church in Corinth and in the twenty-first century church. The Corinthians were letting pride rob them of the gift of peace and the members in the twenty-first church are letting pride rob them of the gift of peace.

The church at Corinth has come to a point that will determine the future of the church. What they decide will have an impact on their society and their relationship with the Lord. They know where they stand. The Lord is calling them through Paul to repent from their evil ways and return to Him, so that He can return to them.

The sad news is the first century church did not learn the lesson taught by the apostles. The twenty-first century is ignoring the lessons taught in the Epistles of Paul, Peter, and James. There are just as many divisions in the church today as there were in Paul's day. Some of us might argue that there are more. The amazing thing is the difference in the way we deal with those divisions and strife. In the church and in Christianity in general, we deal psychologically with the divisions in the church and in Christianity, turning to God and His Word is the last resort.

In the church today the root of divisions and the evil in the secular world is poor self-esteem. It should come as no surprise that Paul identifies pride as the source of divisions in the church. The problem is not professing believers thinking too little of themselves; they think too much of themselves. The root of the problem is not poor self-esteem but inflated self-esteem.

Why is the church embracing secular cures for the sickness in the church? Why when we seek to heal conflicts and strife, we turn to a psychology book rather than to the Word of God? When Paul deals with strife in the church, he begins at the beginning, the gospel of Jesus Christ and His sufficient provisions for salvation and godly living.

In his letter to the Corinthians Paul sets a standard of Christian unity rejected in the majority of the twenty-first century churches. If we are a Christ-centered people and not a man-centered people, why do we let Satan plant the seeds of pride in the church. Paul seeks to correct the ungodly divisions in the church by turning immediately to the gospel.
The Bible teaches us many truths, but the one truth that overshadows all truths is the message of the cross. If any other truth begins to overshadow the gospel, something is wrong.

Paul identified pride as the root problem among the Corinthians. He does not advocate months or years of therapy. He does not see the need to know the childhood, the background, or the individual struggles of each Christian. All they need to know is that God removes the conflict, the enmity, between sinners and Himself. When Christians strive with other Christians out of pride, the cure is not to enhance their pride, to improve their self-esteem; it is to crucify pride. Do you wonder why our Lord instructed His church to remember His suffering and death by the observance of the Lord's Table? Communion is the commemoration of the work of Christ. Communion is not simply a remembrance of an act that our Lord accomplished in the past; it is a way of life that we are to embrace every day of our lives.

The gospel that saves is the gospel that humbles, and that humbling gospel is the basis for Christian unity and harmony. If you have never accepted the gospel message, and the gift of salvation in Christ of which the gospel speaks, I urge you to do so this very moment.

Retired pastor,Church of the Nazarene

Author of web site Exploring God's Word

www.thewordofgodonline.net

New American Standard Bible

King James Version

The World English Bible

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