1 Corinthians 1
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Chapter 1
Greeting and opening statements
1.
Paul,
called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother
Sosthenes,
2.
To
the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4.
I
give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given
you in Christ Jesus,
5.
that
in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-
6.
even
as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you –
7.
so
that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
8.
who
will sustain you to the end, guiltless 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.
If Paul is called
of God to be an apostle, meaning a “sent one”, and of course he is, in this
immensely vital mission, which concerns the dispensation of the eternal gospel,
then this letter is of utmost importance to us. The writing is inspired of the
Holy Spirit and infallible; it is true instruction, which is alive and ageless.
Paul joins with Sosthenes in his greeting, a combined effort to counsel the
church, because this Jew is well-known to the Corinthians. After Crispus, the
ruler of the synagogue, was converted to Christianity, he was replaced by
Sosthenes as the Jewish leader. When the Jews accused Paul before the Roman
proconsul of Achaia, Gallio, he ignored their complaint and the Corinthian
citizens took Sosthenes and beat him before the tribunal. Later, Sosthenes also
became a Christian, the second important Jewish convert.
The letter is
written to the church, meaning the “called-out ones” in Corinth. They are
saints, because they have been sanctified in Christ Jesus. Saints are not an
elite order of extraordinary Christians, who have done outstanding deeds, but
are only called so, because of the work of Christ on their behalf. They join
with this growing band of believers throughout the Middle East in the time of
the apostles, and hundreds of thousands more have called on the name of the
Lord, down through the centuries and throughout the world, up to modern times.
He is our same Lord in the 21st Century (2).
Paul and
Sosthenes give Paul’s standard greeting, which is meant to be more than a
formality, but an actual impartation of trinitarian blessing, “grace and peace”. It is from the Father, the Son, and also
the Holy Spirit, who is working through the agency of the human writers (3).
Grace is the favor of God upon unworthy men, women and children, and peace is
their standing with God, due to the work of reconciliation through Christ.
Paul is grateful,
whenever and wherever he observes God carrying out His work on the earth. His heart
is totally wrapped up in eternal purposes, motivated by the indwelling Spirit
of God. It is grace that is bestowed on the Corinthians and nothing besides;
God in mercy and abundant forgiveness, apart from efforts and righteousness
exercised by the believers, has obtained these people for Himself, through
Jesus Christ (4).
They are enjoying
spiritual prosperity, beyond any well-being offered by the world and that which
is attained through natural means. It is no wonder that Paul uses the Greek
word ploutizo, meaning to make very wealthy. It is manifested
through the powerful gifts of communication and experiential knowledge in the
realm of the heavenly and eternal things (5).
The testimony of
Christ is proclaimed by the anointed, spoken word, by the supernatural deeds of
the person, who carries the testimony, and by what he is, as a born-again believer, indwelt by the Spirit of God. The
Corinthians became living proof of that testimony (6). Spiritual gifts were
bestowed upon them and exercised by them, of which Paul will detail and
instruct in chapters 12-14. Their eyes, as well as the eyes of all Christianity,
are upon the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, when He returns for His
church (7): “We shall see him as he is” (1 Jn.3:2)
A Christian is
one who is sustained to the end by the keeping power of the Lord Jesus Christ
and now is and will be on that day, guiltless before a holy God: “I give
them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out
of my hand” (Jn.10:28) The perfect work of the cross has removed all guilt
(8): “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God” (2 Co.5:21).
The position
depends on the faithfulness of God: “The Lord is faithful. He will establish
you and guard you against the evil one” (2 Thess.3:3). He has called us
into an eternal relationship with Himself and His Son (9): “Indeed our
fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn.1:3).
Divisions and
baptism
10. I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions
among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
11. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s
people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
12. What I mean is that each one of you says,
“I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow
Christ.”
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. so that no one may say that you were
baptized in my name.
16. (I did baptize also the household of
Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
17. For Christ did not send me to baptize but
to preach the gospel and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of
Christ be emptied of its power.
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| Centuries-old signs of Christianity in Corinth |
The problem of division in the church is due to
disagreement. Christians must agree on the essentials of Christianity, in order
to have true fellowship: “Do two walk
together, unless they have agreed to meet?” (Am.3:3). The first duty is to
be in agreement with God and to be walking in harmony with Him. Brothers in
Christ must agree to meet on the absolute authority of the Bible, the doctrine
of the triune God, the total depravity of man, and salvation by grace through
faith alone. There can be no unity outside of a general knowledge and agreement
on essential truth. Every born-again Christian has the mind of Christ and by
it, every issue is decided (10).
A true appreciation for the vital work of Christ in His
incarnation, His supreme sacrifice and resurrection, and for the reality of His
intervention in the life of the individual, will eliminate any credit that can
be given to men and undue admiration for their ministries. When I hear
testimonies that give emphasis to the part played by human instruments and
their institutions, I have to doubt the reality of the encounter with Christ in
that witness.
Paul is hearing reports of “personality cults” from a
Corinthian family, headed by Cloe, who is to be commended for recognizing the
damage of these arguments and reporting them to Paul. He gives the household
public recognition, showing that proper behavior needs to be given as a public
example. As a result, Paul addresses the believers, concerning this issue, and
refers to them as members of the same family of God; they are brothers (11).
Even when the name of Christ is used to promote division
it is due to a lack of understanding of His person and purpose. Paul’s
assessment of disunity in the first century, extends to the present condition
of the church, torn to shreds by denominational differences. A feeling of
exclusiveness and superiority is due to carnal arrogance and nullifies whatever
scriptural or practical advantage its members might claim. Whoever subtitles
himself by any leader, be it Paul, Apollos, Cephas or Luther, Wesley, Calvin, Arminius
or Menno, he comes under the condemnation of the apostle. Adopting the name of
a movement rather than a man, Brethren, Baptist, Pentecostal or any number of
smaller groups, does not exonerate him (12). The same questions that Paul
asked, must be asked the one, who carries a sectarian spirit: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for
you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (13. It would be just as
proper to insert Apollos and Cephas into these questions, so feel free to
substitute any name from church history.)
Many divisions among believers are due to the
interpretation and manner of baptism. Interestingly, Paul did not commonly
baptize. I am thankful to God, as Paul was, that this was so, due to
present-day doctrines that raise baptism to a level that is beyond something
symbolic. His statement here particularly debunks baptismal regeneration – the teaching
that baptism in water is an essential part of the new birth. No physical
element, such as water, can fulfill any spiritual purpose. It is totally
symbolic and is done as in obedience to Christ, a public, physical testimony to
the world of an already accomplished internal, spiritual work of God: “To all who did receive him, who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of
blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn.1:12,13).
I do not intend to take anything away from the importance
of water baptism, as the public act intended to separate the convert from his
family and former friends. I am simply trying to put it in its proper
perspective, due to the doctrines concerning it, which give it excessive
importance. Paul baptized Crispus (Ac.18:8), already mentioned as a converted
Jewish leader, and Gaius (Ro.16:23; 3 Jn.1:1-4), important, original members of
the church in Corinth. It can easily be assumed that they took over the duty of
baptizing new converts (14). Christian baptism is performed in the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and no other name can be added. The baptized
believer belongs to God and to no one else (15). It is wrong for him to insist on being
baptized by a certain prominent leader. Paul also remembers that he baptized
Stephanas’ family (see 1 Co.16:15-18), but doesn’t remember baptizing anyone
else in Corinth (16). Although members of a family often followed their head in
believing, there is no New Testament account of infants or non-believing
members being baptized. Such a position is based on pure speculation.
Verse 17 confirms that, as important as baptism is, it is
not an essential part of the
preaching of the gospel. Paul’s ministry as an apostle was to preach the
gospel, but that calling did not include baptizing. He baptized when necessary,
but then, as Jesus (Jn.4:2), he left the baptizing to others. What follows in
this verse is an essential part of
the gospel, the preaching of the cross of Christ and this will now become Paul’s
subject. Eloquent wisdom is also not essential to preaching the gospel, in
fact, it can detract from its power.
I refer to the following portion of this chapter
countless times, because of the central theme of the cross of Christ in the
gospel, as well as the divine principle, which is portrayed, as to the
difference between the world view and the ways of God, regarding wisdom and
power. It also depicts, in large part, the kind of people, whom He is calling.
Let us pay strict and careful attention, because it seems, although the apostle
has made his point with clarity and strength, much of the church seems to
ignore or give less than deserving attention to these inerrant teachings.
God’s ways bring glory to Him
18. 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.
19. For it is written, “I will destroy the
wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom
of the world?
21. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world
did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we
preach to save those who believe.
22. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek
wisdom,
23. but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling
block, to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24. but to those who are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25. For the foolishness of God is wiser than
men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26. 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.
27. 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;
28. God chose what is low and despised in the
world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29. so that no human being might boast in the
presence of God.
30. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus,
who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and
redemption,
31. so that, as it is written, “Let the one who
boasts, boast in the Lord.”
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| Ruins of the temple of Apollos |
The preaching of the cross is not attractive, in fact it
is repulsive, to an unbelieving, lost world, yet it is the heart of the gospel
message. This is the argument that Paul raises. The Christian view and the
world view are diametrically opposed; one sees the message as foolishness, the
other sees it as the power of God (18). We must capture this point, if we are
to have any eternal success in advancing the cause of Christ. If we do not, all
our efforts will fall short of heavenly purposes.
In verse 19, Paul cites Isaiah 29:14: “I will again do wonderful things with this
people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” In the Old
Testament or in the New, God does not cater to worldly wisdom, in fact, He
opposes it. He compels the Corinthian to look around him and observe: “Where is
the wise, the scribe and the debater?” he asks, concerning those that the Lord
has called out of the world. The actual fact proves the principle that the
world does not respond to true heavenly wisdom. Therefore, in God’s eyes, the
wisdom, which leads the populace of the world, is irrational and even insane.
It does not play a part in the unfolding of the gospel message (20).
Because the supreme omniscience of God was rejected by
the world, God offered salvation through a declaration, which they consider
foolish. I maintain that, not only is the content of the report considered
foolish, but also the means, by which it is projected, that is by public
preaching. It is not decorated or refined; it is not cleverly presented in
technicolor, by stage lights or backdrop. It is not orchestrated in a
sophisticated production or promoted by publicity agents. It is portrayed in
simple words through the mouth of a preacher, and its crude message is
delivered, concerning an unvarnished, rugged cross (21). By believing in it
alone, people are saved. Paul has already said that the power of an eloquent
oration will empty the gospel of its power. The power of the world’s means and
wisdom will nullify the power of the Holy Spirit (see verse 17 again).
He presents the demands of two dominating forces in his
day, the Jews and the Greeks. In order to attract the Jews, the use of
spectacular signs are needed and the Greeks, the culture of the philosophers,
must be reached through wisdom (22). Add, if you like, the attractions of the
21st Century, to form a list of requirements, which might bring the
world to the doorsteps of the church. Paul outlaws them!
He does not bring the matter up to members of his team,
in order to form a committee to explore ways to attract the public. He is
already committed to present a message, which is a stumbling block to the Jews
and folly to the Greeks (23)! Why? Because that message requires the agency of
the Holy Spirit, rather than the clever abilities of men, to make the humanly
repulsive message of the cross an irresistible magnet to draw the human heart
to Christ. He refuses to substitute with anything less, in order to observe the
beauty of the Holy Spirit’s work. Paul knows that what is induced by men, will fail
to come up to the quality that heaven demands at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
I place before you the words of the Lord through His
prophet Isaiah, which Paul knew to be unalterable truth. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is.55:8,9).
Regardless of all the electronic, digital means available today, only God’s
Spirit can do His work effectively in the human heart and beautify a people,
which can be part of a bride, worthy of the Lamb. Have you been deceived by the
prince of this world, so that you will settle for less?
Once you become a part of those who are genuinely called
of God, your heart will be opened to the supreme power and infinite wisdom in
Christ (24). You will find that the things deemed foolish and weak in the eyes
of the citizens of this earth are far wiser and stronger than the best that man
offers (25). Those called of God, both then and now, are not those, who are the
finest that men’s institutions have produced. They were not and are not among
the nobility, nor do they participate in the Olympics. There are exceptions,
but this is the common rule of heaven (26).
It is the history found in the Bible, that God has always
called the inadequate and empowered them with heaven’s qualifications. Start
with Abraham, who has no offspring, called of God to bring forth a nation.
Observe stammering Moses and Gideon’s 300 soldiers, the infertility of Samson
and Samuel’s mothers. See how the eighth son of Jesse inherits the kingdom and
how a prostitute and a Moabite enter the eternal purposes of God. John the
Baptist is another product of an infertile womb and Jesus, the Carpenter from
lowly Nazareth is proven to be the Lord’s Christ. The Jews from the little
nation of Israel are chosen to be the people of God. The Corinthians are called
to join these ranks and nothing that has ever happened over the centuries has
changed God’s ways (26-28). After all this, tell me why the church has not
learned the lesson. Why are they continually looking for a better way to relate
to the spiritually impotent mind of mankind?
All that is sought out from the abilities, strengths and
knowledge of men are to bring glory to men. And it is legitimate that, what
they have done with the power of human wisdom and capabilities, should give
them glory! That is the prominent sin evident among God’s people today. Only
the Almighty, wonderful in wisdom and strength, is worthy of glory and the
gospel and the church are designed for that purpose. Above all else that exists
on this planet, let the gospel and the church be separated and devoted to His
glory! (29).
No one can glean any credit for his position before God.
We have nothing to offer Him and nothing, with which we can buy a place in His
presence. It is through the merits of Christ and His perfect work, by which we
stand. We come in Christ and the Father accepts us, for He alone is our
righteousness, sanctification and redemption. By faith, that is, by trusting
Him, we are righteous in His perfect righteousness. By our practical attainment
of holiness, we can never enter the Holy of Holies. It is only in His perfect
sanctification, by which we approach the throne of God. No price can purchase
our redemption. Christ bought us from our slavery to sin through His precious
blood (30). All glory belongs to the Lamb. Please do not insult God by a doctrine
that demands man’s faithfulness (go back to verse 8). If salvation is due to
our ability to keep ourselves saved, then we have something in which to boast.
However, here is the gospel maxim: “Let
the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (31. Jer.9:23-24)
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