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1Corinthians 1

Thursday Evening Bible Study

June 5, 2014

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Target 2900-4400 words

Corinth was a key city of ancient Greece, but was destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C.

Julius Caesar rebuilt the city in 46 B.C. as a Roman colony. Though the official language was Latin, everybody spoke Greek.

In Paul's day, Corinth was the capitol of the province of Achaia (southern Greece), and was the most important city in Greece.

Video: Corinth map clip

Corinth was located on the narrow strip of land that connected the northern and southern parts of Greece.

Because of its location, it was an important trade center. Trade going north and south through Greece had to pass through it. Ships in the Aegean and Ionian Seas would stop and either offload their cargo and have it transported over land to the other side of the isthmus, or some smaller ships were even dragged the 3 ½ miles across the land rather than go the 200 miles around the southern part of Greece.

Eventually a canal was cut through the isthmus in 1893, but it’s so narrow that on small ships can go through it.

There is a tall hill overlooking the city, where the Temple of Aphrodite stood.

Every night 1,000 temple prostitutes would come down into the city from Aphrodite’s temple and entice the men to worship Aphrodite through sexual immorality.

The drunkenness and immorality were so rampant that the Greeks coined a word, korinthiadzomai, to act like a “Corinthian”. When Greeks put on stage plays, the immoral character in every play was called “the Corinthian”.

In Paul’s day, the population was 700,000, two-thirds (460K) were slaves.

On Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-11), Paul was coming south from Athens when he stopped in Corinth.

He made tents with Aquila and Priscilla. He reasoned in the synagogue.

When Silas and Timothy brought a gift from Philippi and Paul began to preach full time.

After Paul got frustrated with the Jews, he started meeting in the house of a Gentile, Titius Justus.

Paul stayed for 18 months from A.D.51 to 52.

On Paul’s third journey (Acts 19), Paul was staying in Ephesus when a delegation of three men came from Corinth with bad news. There was immorality in the church and quarrels. They had questions on a lot of issues. Paul wrote back. It was A.D. 56.

This is that letter.

1:1-3 Introduction

:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

:1 Sosthenes – “savior of his nation”

During the 1 ½ years that Paul was in Corinth, the Jewish synagogue leader brought Paul before the magistrate accusing him of persuading people to worship God contrary to the Law of Moses (Acts 18:13). The synagogue leader was named Sosthenes.

The Roman magistrate didn’t want to have anything to do with this religious dispute, so when he backed out of hearing the case, the pagan Greeks were fed up with these Jewish problems and …

(Acts 18:17 NKJV) Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

It’s now been a couple of years since this incident, and it seems that this same Sosthenes has now become a believer and is in Ephesus with Paul.

:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

:2 those who are sanctified

sanctified – hagiazo – to dedicate, separate, set apart for God; to purify, make conformable in character to such dedication

Perfect passive participle

Paul uses a “perfect” tense in this word, meaning that the “sanctification” took place in the past, but the results of this sanctification continue on into the present.

This is the verb form of the word “holy”. “Sanctifying” something makes it “holy”. A “saint” is someone who is “holy”, someone who is “sanctified”

This word can be confusing because it carries several different ideas.

Initially

When you first accepted Christ, God put a “stamp” on you and declared you “holy”, or “separated for His use”.

It’s like that Tupperware container in the refrigerator at work that is filled with birthday cake, but it has someone’s name on it.

That cake has been “sanctified” for that person’s use only.

Process

There is also a process that we go through as believers where we are learning more and more what it means to walk in “holiness”.

It’s like we’re on the factory assembly line, and God is at work in us to change us as we cooperate with God’s work by learning to obey Him.

In this life we will never become “sinless”, but we sure ought to be learning to “sin less”.

This is something we work at every single day.

Finally

There will be a day when in heaven we will be completely “sanctified”, or completely delivered from the presence of sin.

That’s the day we receive new bodies, bodies that do not have a sin nature attached.

We will no longer be tempted by sin and we will be “sinless”.

Sanctification will be a major issue to the Corinthians because they live in a world that is totally immersed in immorality.

Kind of like today.

1:4-9 Thankful for gifts

:4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

:4 the grace – charis – grace; that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness

The root idea of “grace” is that of a gift that is undeserved.

We often think of this word in relationship to our salvation by thinking of what God did for us, what God gave to us, through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

This word can also refer to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, referred to as charis-ma, or literally “works of grace”.

I think that might be a big part of what Paul is referring to here.

Note: the word “thank” is eucharisteo, literally “good + grace” or “good + gift”). Also note that “grace” was “given” (didomi), it was a “gift”.

:5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,

:6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,

:7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

:7 you come short in no gift

gift – charisma – a favor with which one receives without any merit of his own

When you add “ma” on the end of a Greek word, it’s like saying that this thing is a product or a working out of the main word, literally a “work of grace”

The Corinthians had all the spiritual gifts at work in them.

Paul said they were enriched with “utterance” and “all knowledge” (vs. 5).

There are speaking gifts (utterance) such as prophecy, teaching, or tongues.

There are knowledge gifts such as the “word of knowledge” and “word of wisdom”.

I find it interesting that 1Corinthians has the largest listing of spiritual gifts of all of Paul’s letters.

Paul has a list of spiritual gifts in Romans 12 with seven gifts.

1Corinthians 12:7-10, 28 contains 12 different gifts.

:8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

:8 will confirm – bebaioo – to make firm, establish, confirm, make sure

(1 Corinthians 1:8 NLT) He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

:9 God is faithful

God can be counted on.

He will do His part.

1:10-17 Divisions

:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by 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 perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

:10 divisions – schisma (“a work of tearing”) – metaph. a division, dissension

:10 perfectly joined together – katartizo – to render, i.e. to fit, sound, complete; to mend (what has been broken or rent), to repair

:11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

:11 Chloe – “a green herb”

Chloe had sent someone to inform Paul of what was going on in Corinth.

:12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

:11 there are contentions

contentions – eris – contention, strife, wrangling

Here is one of the big problems in Corinth.

There were divisions, schisms, or “cliques” in the church.

It seems that some of the divisions had to do with who their favorite preachers or leaders were.

Paul – some people were Paul followers, after all he was the one who started the church in Corinth.

Apollos – Apollos was a young preacher who had come from Alexandria (Acts 18:24-28)

Apollos was an exciting preacher and had been used in a mighty way.

Apollos had been in Ephesus while Paul was originally planting the church in Corinth. After Paul left Corinth to go to Ephesus, Apollos had gone from Ephesus to Corinth.

Apparently Apollos didn’t have all of his theology straight in the beginning.

It took Paul’s friends Priscilla and Aquila to take him aside and fill in the gaps of what this guy was preaching.

Cephas – this is Peter’s Hebrew name. There were some in Corinth who felt that true Christianity only came through the first pope … (according to Roman Catholicism)

We have no record of Peter being in Corinth.

Christ – these were the super spiritual people who didn’t follow after any of the preachers, but only followed Jesus.

Lesson

Divisive immaturity

Paul will tell the Corinthians that dividing into cliques like this is a sign of spiritual immaturity, or fleshly carnality.

(1 Corinthians 3:4 NKJV) For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

When you find yourself tempted to talk with others about how much better your favorite preachers are than their favorites, don’t. It’s immaturity.

Keep in mind that this is also the church that had “all” the spiritual gifts.

Spiritual gifts aren’t necessarily a mark of maturity.

:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

:15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

:14 except Crispus and Gaius

Paul can only think of two fellows that he baptized.

Crispus – he played center field for the Oakland Athletics (Coco Crispus).

Actually, Crispus was the ruler of the synagogue when Paul first got to Corinth (before Sosthenes). Crispus was one of the first ones to come to Christ. (Acts 18:8)

(Acts 18:8 NKJV) Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.

Gaius – this could be the fellow who was Paul’s host in Corinth when he wrote to the Romans from Corinth. (Rom. 16:23)

(Romans 16:23 NKJV) Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother.

:16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

:16 the household of Stephanas

It’s like Paul adds this as an afterthought, “Oh yeah, I remember I actually did baptize one other batch of folks at the house of Stephanas…”

What if you were a part of the Corinthian church, and Paul forgot that he had baptized you?

Stephenas was apparently one of the first people in Achaia to come to Christ.

(1 Corinthians 16:15 NKJV) I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints—

:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

:17 Christ did not send me to baptize

Lesson

Baptism and salvation

There are churches that claim that you have to be baptized to be saved. There are other churches that claim that if you aren’t baptized by them, then you can’t be saved either.

They get this from verses like:

(Acts 2:37–38 NKJV) —37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It sounds like you have to be baptized to be saved. But Peter is just laying out a process for people, a process that’s all woven into the fabric of becoming born again.

We might forget that Peter has already told the crowd,

(Acts 2:21 NKJV) And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’

Peter has already told them that it’s simply a matter of calling on the Lord. It’s simply a matter of trusting that God is going to save you. It’s a matter of faith.

“Repenting” and being “baptized” are simply practical steps that follow a person’s decision to put their faith in Jesus.

When Paul was in prison in Philippi, an earthquake opened up the prison, and freaked out the jailer –

(Acts 16:29–31 NKJV) —29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

For this man, this was the first he’s heard anything from Paul, and so Paul starts at the starting point, which is believing.

Our salvation comes through our trust God’s grace, trusting Him to pay for our sins.

(Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV) —8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Baptism is important not because it brings the actual act of salvation, but because it is a physical way of demonstrating the kind of change that Jesus has made inside in your heart.

Baptism is also very important because it is something that Jesus commanded us to do:

(Matthew 28:19 NKJV) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Yet as important as baptism is, if baptism is so necessary for salvation, why does Paul make such a big point that he didn’t actually baptize that many folks in Corinth.

Jesus sent him to preach, not baptize.

:17 not with wisdom of words

When Paul preached the gospel, his focus wasn’t on winning the debate by convincing people through wisdom, but on simply talking about the cross of Christ.

That doesn’t mean that it’s not important to study things like apologetics, where we learn about answers to the questions that people are asking.

Paul is simply saying that his emphasis was on the cross of Christ.

1:18-31 The Wisdom of the Cross

:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

:18 the cross … the power of God

Lesson

Primary message: The Cross

To people heading to hell, the idea of the cross seems foolish.

In Paul’s day, a “cross” was a means of a slow, painful humiliating execution.

A cross meant that you were a condemned man, guilty of a crime punishable by death.

A cross was a shameful way to die as the criminal hung out in the open, usually naked, sometimes for days before dying.

Crucifixion was usually done in a public place where lots of people would be passing by to see the execution. It was an extreme reminder to people that you don’t want to be guilty of what this fellow was guilty.

Soooo, how could a cross be a good thing?

But for those of us who have found Jesus Christ, we have learned that the cross is at the heart of how we became saved.

Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins, not His.

He was not the guilty one – even Pontius Pilate knew it and said …

(John 19:4b NKJV) “…I find no fault in Him.”

Paul would write later in this letter …

(1 Corinthians 15:3 NKJV) For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

He paid a debt He didn’t owe, because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.

It’s at the cross that we learned that God indeed loves us:

(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

A few years ago, when asked if he would do anything different in his ministry, Billy Graham said he would preach more on the cross.

:19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

:19 it is written

Paul is quoting from,

(Isaiah 29:14–16 NKJV) —14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

In context, God is speaking about the hypocrites in Jerusalem who draw near to God with their words, but their hearts are far from Him. God goes on to say…

15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?” 16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, “He did not make me”? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

These “wise people” were people who were trying to hide from the fact that God is their Maker.

Video: Sourceflix – The Potter

God doesn’t want us to be trusting in “wise men” who talk about God, but who don’t really know Him.

God wants us to be learning to trust Him and His message.

His message was the cross.

:20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

The Jews look to “signs” and miracles as a way of proving things.

Greeks are impressed by wise words and logical arguments.

:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

:23 stumbling block … foolishness

The Jews stumbled over Jesus because they were expecting a political savior, not an eternal one.

The Greeks considered Jesus foolishness because only worthless people were crucified, not saviors.

:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

:24 the power … the wisdom

When you open your heart to Jesus Christ, you find that He’s actually what you’ve been looking for all along.

For the Jew looking for a sign, they find that there is power in Jesus.

His entire ministry was filled with signs.

He has the power to change even us.

For the Greeks looking for wisdom, they find that there is wisdom in Jesus way beyond anything we could ever think of.

:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

:25 the foolishness of God

The “stupidest” thought that God could ever have is way beyond anything that the smartest man on earth could think of.

The “weakest” thing God could ever do is stronger than anything man could ever do.

God is WAY beyond us.

:26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

:26 not many wise

I’m not sure Paul is complimenting the Corinthians here. He’s reminding them that they weren’t exactly the brightest light bulb on the Christmas tree…

I have a video made in ancient Corinth to prove the point.

Video: Homemade Gunpowder

Yet in a way, that’s okay because…

:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

:28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

:29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

:27 God has chosen the foolish things

Lesson

God can use me

Don’t think that you’re not good enough for God to use.

Sometimes we can be so impressed by someone who is pretty sharp with their facts, and we can think that we could never be like that.

But God loves to use ordinary, foolish people. People who will follow Jesus.

When Peter and John had been arrested at the beginning of the church, they were put on trial before the exalted Jewish religious leaders.

Peter and John were not exactly trained in the best schools. They were simple fishermen. Yet they blew away the Sanhedrin with their answers…

(Acts 4:13 NKJV) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Please do not misunderstand me.

I think that education is a good thing. I think it’s good to sharpen your own knowledge and understanding.

Paul himself was trained by Gamaliel, one of the most renowned theologians of the day.

Yet God’s whole goal in how He wants to use us is not to get people trusting in us, as if they have to come to us for all the answers.

God wants people to come to Him.

God will use men and women who have spent time with Him.

:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

:31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

:30 who became for us wisdom …

Lesson

What Jesus does for us

It is God’s doing that puts us “in Christ”.

When you accept Christ into your heart, God puts you into Christ.

When Paul is talking about the church being the “body of Christ”, he will write,

(1 Corinthians 12:13 NKJV) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

This is not talking about the “Baptism of the Spirit”, where Jesus immerses us into the Holy Spirit.

This is talking about the “baptism by the Spirit”, where the Holy Spirit immerses us into the body of Christ.

When we are “in Christ”, we will find these qualities growing in our lives –

Wisdom – learning how to apply God’s Word

Righteousness – we will be learning to do the “right thing”

Sanctification – we will let God purify our lives

Redemption – we will find that He has paid the price to free us from our slavery to sin.

We’ve looked at several things tonight. Did anything speak to you? Is there an area that you’d like to ask God to help you grow in?

Break into small groups and pray.

There are “benefits” for being “in Christ”. Paul lists four among many…

1. Wisdom

Wisdom – sophia – wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters

James wrote,

(James 1:5 NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

2. Righteousness

Righteousness – dikaiosune – the condition acceptable to God; integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting

Jesus gives us His own righteousness in exchange for our sin:

(2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

There is also a sense in which we begin to produce “righteousness” as we follow Jesus.

(Ephesians 5:9 NKJV) (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

3. Sanctification

Sanctification – hagiasmos – consecration; sanctification

We’ve already talked about sanctification (1Cor. 1:2), being set apart for God.

4. Redemption

Redemption – apolutrosis – a releasing effected by payment of ransom

There is a sense in which we already have “redemption”, a freedom from the consequences and the power of sin:

(Ephesians 1:7 NKJV) In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

There is also a future redemption, when we will be free from the very presence of sin:

(Romans 8:23 NKJV) —23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

In all these things, as we grow in the Lord and see these things develop in our lives, we will know we are doing it correctly when glory is given to God for these things growing in our lives (vs. 31).

These things only happen in our lives as Jesus is at work in us.