November 29: 1 Corinthians 1-4

November 29, 1 Corinthians 1-4

Paul writes Corinthians while he was in Ephesus. To paint a picture for you about this letter, I lean on Bakers Commentary for a few very interesting points:

• A little history: “The city of Corinth appears in Homer’s Iliad and thus dates back to the second millennium before Christ. It influenced the entire peninsula, the isthmus, and parts of central Greece. In the seventh century b.c., Corinth reached the height of its power because of its commercial appeal. Periander boosted Corinth’s commercial influence by providing the needed equipment to roll smaller ships across the isthmus. But during the next two centuries, Corinth had to face the rival power of Athens.”
• Religion & Culture: “Greek and Roman authors in the centuries before the rise of Christianity often referred to Corinth as the city of fornication and prostitution. The Greeks had coined the term corinthiazesthai (literally, “to live a Corinthian life”) to describe the city’s immorality. Corinth had a dozen or more temples, of which the one dedicated to the goddess of love, Aphrodite, was known in antiquity for its immorality…”
• The Message: “The epistle was occasioned by a report brought to Paul by members of Chloe’s household (1:11), by a letter from the Corinthians (7:1), and by the arrival of a delegation from the church in Corinth (16:17). The report from Chloe’s household concerned the factions that had sprung up in Corinth and were undermining the unity of the church. Paul also had heard about incest (5:1), lawsuits (6:1–8), and immorality (6:9–20). The letter he received from Corinth asked questions about marriage (7:1), virgins (7:25), food sacrificed to idols (8:1), spiritual gifts (12:1), the collection for the saints in Jerusalem (16:1), and Apollos (16:12). The three-man delegation from the Corinthian church filled in a number of details (16:17).”
• Purpose: “Summarizing the content of the epistle, we can be brief in stating the purpose of I Corinthians. First, Paul sought to develop and promote a spirit of unity in the local church and at the same time to show the readers that they were part of the universal church. Next, the apostle tried to correct a number of erroneous tendencies in the Corinthian community. One of them was the apathy toward exercising discipline with respect to the incestuous man. Third, Paul answered questions that were submitted to him by letter (7:1) and delegation (16:17). And finally, Paul’s epistle instructs the believers in Corinth to collect funds to aid the needy saints in Jerusalem.”

With that, we will get started… Obviously, Corinth was a thriving place, but thriving on the things of the world and not of God.

1 Corinthians 1  Paul starts the letter by letting us know that he wrote this letter for the people of Corinth by God’s will as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving. Paul is grateful to God for them and the grace that God gave to them. Jesus was working in their lives in many ways and giving them many spiritual gifts.

Divisions in the Church. Paul firmly challenged the church of Corinth to stop with their divisions and to be united in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. They are to agree with each other not divide over differences. There was a report given to Paul from Chloe’s household. We don't know much about Chloe, except that the report came from her and her household. Some of the Corinthians are arguing over who they follow… whether that be Paul, Apollos, Peter or Christ. Paul’s point is that they are all to follow Christ. Paul didn't save them, Jesus did. Paul only baptized a couple of them, which was not his calling - he was called to preach the gospel of Jesus by the power of the Spirit and not himself. 

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”” This is so true. Many people argue over the semantics of Christianity but it is nothing but hog wash to those that do not believe… it is folly to them because they don't see it for what it is. Bakers Commentary puts it this way, “In a discourse on the folly of the cross, Paul contrasts the wisdom of the world with the power of God. He asserts that God saves his people through the folly of preaching the gospel, which is a stumbling-block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. He observes that God’s foolishness surpasses human wisdom and God’s weakness excels human strength.” 

The Corinthians needed to remember their calling - God called them. Not because they were strong, or wise, or high and mighty. Paul said it best, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” God is the one who Redeems. He is all powerful and all knowing and He does what is best for all. I like that a lot about God. He doesn't go for the prominent and powerful, but the sick and the weak - and in that, shows His mighty power.

1 Corinthians 2  Bakers Commentary for the summary and then my thoughts: “Paul reminds the Corinthians that he had not come to them as an eloquent speaker or as a philosopher. Instead he proclaimed the testimony of God, that is, the gospel of Christ which he brought not with human insight but in the power of God’s Spirit. Paul declares that he preaches a message of wisdom that originates with God but which the rulers of this age had been unable to understand. He proves his teaching by quoting from a passage in the prophecy of Isaiah.

In a segment on the Spirit of God, Paul reveals that believers have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God. With the wisdom which the Spirit has given the believers, spiritual persons are able to judge all things spiritually.”

Paul came with humility to show the power of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit - not because Paul was so great, but because God is so great!

1 Corinthians 3  Divisions in the Church. The Corinthians have become worldly and they have not matured in their faith and they are acting like babies and still arguing over who they follow (Paul or Apollos). Check this out, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” We are all God’s workers and we should not be doing things to get earthly credit for it. This just happened to me 2 weeks ago. I had the opportunity to meet with a friend of mine who was at a low point in his life and I brought out the Scriptures and talked with him about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We talked for quite a while and he was not ready to accept Christ as his Savior. The spiritual battle was fierce when we were talking and I knew that Jesus would save him. The next night, he went to a local church and gave his life to Christ! I was part of the planting and the pastor was part of the watering, but it was Jesus who saved my buddy, not either me or the pastor. We are all God’s workers. We all build God’s Kingdom and we all have our parts - the foundation is that of Jesus Christ and we build on that, what an incredible opportunity for us to be a part of!

Paul finishes off the chapter by reminding them to not be deceived in their own wisdom. “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”  and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men.” Don’t bother trying to think you are smarter than the God of the universe… as my 5 year old niece would say, that is just silly!

1 Corinthians 4  The Ministry of Apostles. How were people to regard the apostles of Jesus Christ? “…As servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” They had their roles and they would be judged by God, just as you have your roles and will be judged by God. We are all workers in this together. God judges our works and our lives… 

Paul urged the Corinthians to walk in humility. Bakers Commentary puts it this way, “Paul admonishes the Corinthians not to go beyond what is written and not to be arrogant toward one another. He tells them that all their possessions have been given to them, so that they cannot boast as if they always owned them. To bring the Corinthians to their senses, Paul uses irony by asking whether they are rich and are ruling like kings. Then he reveals how apostles live in the interest of Christ and his gospel. They are weak, yet strong; they are hungry and thirsty; they lack clothing and shelter; they perform manual labor for their own support. They are abused physically and verbally, but show endurance and kindness.” Everything we have is from God and I find it ironic that we brag about what we have and what we have done - it is ALL a gift from God. We are not that good… This is truth.

just to give you an idea of the locations and times... helpful map

To sum it all up: 

• We are saved by Christ, not a pastor or friend or family member. God may have used them or you to bring people to Himself, but, ultimately - it is Jesus who saves. 
• God is all powerful and all knowing and He does what is best for all. I like that a lot about God. He doesn't go for the prominent and powerful, but the sick and the weak - and in that, shows His mighty power. 
• We are all God’s workers. We all build God’s Kingdom and we all have our parts - the foundation is that of Jesus Christ and we build on that, what an incredible opportunity for us to be a part of! Get building:)
• Everything that we have is literally a gift from God - everything. We are to be stewards of everything that He has given us. From our spouses, kids, jobs, money, time, energy and everything in between - they are gifts from God