It is Monday and we are continuing our reading thru the New Testament in a year. We have come to a new book and will be reading thru 1 Corinthians over the next couple of weeks or so. This morning we begin by reading 1 Corinthians 1:1 - 31. Read it carefully and think about what Paul is dealing with in writing to this church he founded. When you are finished reading, I’d invite you back here to get an introduction to the Corinthian church and to walk through this first chapter with me.
Paul had founded the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey. You’ll recall, he had traveled from the north (beginning in Philippi) down to the south, ending in Corinth - where he then stayed for eighteen months (Acts 18:1-18). It was the leading of the Holy Spirit that had brought him from Asia to Greece (Europe). It had been a difficult journey. He was mistreated and severely opposed in his preaching of the Gospel in every city - beaten, arrested, jailed, and assaulted, he often was forced to leave a city in a hurry. Still, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens had all seen churches planted, but at a great cost to Paul’s physical and emotional health. Paul states this immediately in writing to the Corinthians - “...when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom... I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling... (1 Cor. 2:1,3). Was it just the past experiences that caused Paul to enter Corinth this way? I do not believe that alone did it, and to understand why we need to revisit what kind of city Corinth was.
Corinth sat as an island off the main section of Greece. An isthmus about four miles wide separated it from the mainland. It was a city of about 500,000 (estimate) when Paul arrived in 50 a.d. He was alone, having left Athens, and his traveling companions (Silas and Timothy) behind to settle the church in Berea and Athens. Corinth was a strategic and prosperous seaport. The Romans had rebuilt it to be a commercial center for shipping. Along with that came Roman entrepreneurs and Roman morals. Corinth’s most remarkable landmark was a temple for the goddess Aphrodite (the goddess of love, i.e., sex). It stood some 1850 feet above the seaport on a rock structure named the Acrocorinth. In the temple were a thousand priestesses who came down to the city in the evening to have sexual encounters in the name of Aprophidite. They were a religious cult built on the idea of sexual pleasure. A popular term used in the Roman world for Corinth’s sexual culture was to “Korinthiazein”. The temple fostered other forms of immorality. The city was known for its homosexuality, especially men with boys, and for its unbounded wealth. Slaves were everywhere and served the household of the rich Romans and Greeks, as well as serving the sexual needs of their owners.
Paul walked into this city and knew that this was a tough place. It was the only time in his missionary journeys that God appeared to him to tell him to be steadfast, patient, persevering, “for I have many believers in this city” (Acts 18:10). He got an immediate source of comfort in meeting Aquila and Priscilla who had only recently been forced to leave Rome - Emperor Claudius had kicked out the Jews in Rome in 49 a.d.. because of the uproar caused by “Christus” - the proclamation of Jesus that had won over many Jews in Rome. They were tentmakers and Christians. Paul moved in with them and worked alongside of them. After Timothy and Silas arrived there was more time for Paul to proclaim the Gospel both in the Synagogue and the city market. Soon a church developed winning both Jewish and Gentile converts. Paul stayed there for eighteen months, leaving in late 51 a.d. to Asia and Ephesus.
It was while Paul was in Ephesus that word came to him of trouble in the Corinthian church. Who brought the news? It may have been Sosthenes (1:1) who came with troubling news of immoral sexual behavior. Paul wrote a letter to the church - a letter we do not have as Scripture, but we know the theme of what it said - 1 Cor. 5:9 - “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people”. We do not have that first correspondence, but based on what Paul writes to them about it was to address the issue of their lives as Christians and their sexual behavior. A period of time passes and Paul gets wind of more problems. Some people from the household of Chloe (1:11) come bearing news of divisions within the church. Paul sits down to address that and other issues the leaders of the church needed help to clarify what they should do according to Paul. Now Paul writes this letter we call First Corinthians. The letter is filled with practical theology - i.e., now that you are a Christian this is how we address this and that in life.
The beginning of the letter is of great worth in understanding. Look again at how Paul introduces them to his writing:
> " Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, (1:1).
Paul is “Called” to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ because of God’s call on his life. He addresses them with Apostolic authority, and even though a Pastor and friend, he makes it clear that his words carry the authority of God’s revelation to him. That is crucial as Paul makes bold statements that are meant to correct their behavior and beliefs.
> " To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints...(1:2).
The Church in Corinth is made up of “saints” - from the Greek word, “hagios”, “holy ones”, and they are “Called” by God to be holy people. To be holy means to be “set apart” for a special purpose. Paul often uses the words "sanctified, saints" to remind believers (and us today) that we ARE this in God's eye. This is their identity. They don't have to try to be saints or sanctified, they "are" sanctified, consequently, they are saints. The church is called by God and the church is to set an example before the world concerning life, values, morals, behavior, and priorities.
Paul is going to make much of this idea that they, and we also, are “called” by God - sanctified, or set apart for His purposes, i.e. to be Kingdom people in a world that is falling apart.
Immediately it is clear, Paul loved these people, because he saw the "grace of God" (1:4) in their lives.
While the Corinthians had received God’s grace they also had received their gifts (1:6,7). The purpose behind their giftedness is to serve God who will use them to make a difference and who will “keep them” (1:8) to be “blameless” at his coming. There is a beautiful summary that Paul gives to them, and by extension, to us in 1:9: "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord".
Our confidence is not in ourselves, but in the faithfulness of God, the faithfulness of Christ at work in us and through us for His purposes to be fulfilled. We could say, our “Call” in life is to live in fellowship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and to live in fellowship with each other as the people of God.
The problem is that while they are brothers and sisters in Christ, a fellowship united by Christ, they are not living it out in practice. "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" (1:10).
That was the general issue, the specifics now follow. God has called them to be one, unified in Jesus, but they have created division by arguing and separating themselves into personality cliques. They had divided along lines of preferences for God’s various messengers they had heard. In vss 10 - 13, Paul points out four factions:
Some argued for Apollos who was a philosopher preacher, a very wise, intelligent, and eloquent man (see Acts 18:27-28) who had followed Paul in Corinth, leading the church for years.
Another clique argued that Peter (Cephas) was to be followed. That appeal most certainly came from Judaizers, the Jewish believers who wanted to make the church into a law-oriented church, which often led to legalistic Christianity.
Those who sided with Paul probably appealed that He was the reason the church even began and therefore deserved the first place in their hearts. Paul had taught them about grace and how the Law could not redeem anyone. Had they chosen Paul so that they could have the freedom to do what they wanted to? It might be.
The last clique appealed to Jesus. It sounds like they have their act together, but their "Jesus only" was based on rejecting these other messengers as having any pastoral authority - i.e., “we have Jesus alone as our leader”. They had a view that argued for a church without pastoral authority and without doctrinal truth. The result was divisions that were nothing more than “cults of personality” - human idolatry of persons that has its source in sinful pride.
Paul makes it clear, he will have nothing to do with it and rebukes their potential congregational divorce. “Is Christ divided?” (1:13), begins a series of rhetorical questions, all of which have negative connotations. He asks again, “Was who baptized you the issue?” It seems that they had devolved into factions based on who baptized them. Paul makes it clear, as important as baptism is in the life of the believer, he did not have any pride associated with his pastoral responsibility to baptize a believer. it is the Gospel that is the message and foundation of all the church (1:17). Paul didn't go to Corinth to create a "Paul" cult, and didn't leave it in the hands of Apollos to create an "Apollos" clique. The Church is redeemed by God through Christ and belongs to Jesus Christ.
The reason why dissension, disunity, factions in the church are not only wrong but foolish is because the focus is on the wrong thing. The message of the Gospel is Jesus Christ and the message of the cross - Jesus Christ died for our sins because we are sinners (1:18). The death of Christ on the cross is the central doctrinal issue for the church. The cross defines our past, our present, and our future. Jesus had told his disciples and they passed it on to the church: "...If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). Rather than elevating our pride, the Cross attacks it, kills it, and tells us that we must daily yield our will and desires to put Christ first. To be consecrated, saints is to be people who live with a God-framed consciousness and a Spirit-yielded will.
This is not the way of the world that does not know Christ. Paul reminds them and us: " 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?" (1:20).
The wise of the world are actually fools. They miss the great need of Christ to redeem because they cling to their foolish belief that it is their own wisdom that will save them when it is Christ Jesus’ death on the cross alone that saves (1:18-25).
Once again Paul comes back to the fundamental truth of what it means to be a Christian - “For consider your calling, brothers..". We are called by Christ to the body of Christ and it has nothing to do with our status, position, social standing, education, or anything else.
“Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth...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” (1:26-29). Over and over the revelation is clear - it is God who "chose" - so stop thinking you did it! The world brags of its status, beliefs, choices, etc..but a believer knows better - Salvation comes from God as a gift of grace.
He chose us in Christ from the foundation of the world (1:30).
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It is God alone, not we, who created the church. Why would we think it is by our arguments and decision-making that the church will survive. Paul reminds them - and us - the consequences of a right belief in God is humility that is due to Christ who is the object of our faith and the person who brought life to us:
“...because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption... (1:30). Four beautiful words that sum up all that Christ Jesus has done in bringing about the church - his body of Christ’s people.
Peace
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