1 Corinthians 1:1-31
1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Handout
Handout
What does it look like to live in a community of believers?
What would it look like if I was all in on the things of God?
Background on Corinth
Background on Corinth
After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” And he drove them away from the judgment seat. And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
Right away we see some important details. Aquila and Priscilla join up with Paul.
Emperor Claudius kicks the Jews out of Rome which happened around 41 or 49 BC (This gives us a general idea of when the church was planted and points to the historicity of the document)
Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half planting the church and pleading with the people.
There was a large presence of both Jews and Greeks. (This is after the Jerusalem Council)
Jesus Christ encourages Paul in his mission. Something we don’t see often in Acts.
Sosthenes gets the crap kicked out of him by the Jews
Appeal to Unity
Appeal to Unity
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here we get the typical Pauline greeting. We see that he is writing with Sosthenes a name these people would have recognized. Paul is addressing specifically the church in Corinth.
Throughout the book of Corinthians we are going to see that this church was dysfunctional. It is divided and immoral in how it functions. There are several problems with the people and how they interact and yet here Paul describes them as sanctified in Christ Jesus and saints by calling and equal to all churches in all places that call on the name of the Lord.
What is a saint?
ἅγιος (hagios). adj. holy, set apart, consecrated, dedicated, saints. Refers to the quality of God who is transcendently distinctive, unique, majestic, perfect, and pure.
The word saint is a powerful adjective. It is the characteristic of a Christian that sets him or her apart from all other followers of religion.
How is sainthood achieved?
Heroic virtue: The Congregation for the Causes of Saints investigates the candidate's life to determine if they lived a virtuous life that included faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. The process can include calling witnesses and evaluating the candidate's writings. If the case is approved, it's passed to the Pope.
Venerable: The Pope recognizes the candidate as having lived a virtuous life or offered their life. A "devil's advocate" may also raise questions and objections to the candidate's sainthood to ensure the process is fair.
Blessed: The candidate is beatified and given limited liturgical veneration. To reach this step, the candidate must be responsible for a miracle after their death, such as one attributed to prayers made to them.
Saint: The candidate is canonized and granted the title of Saint by the Pope. To reach this step, the candidate must be responsible for a second miracle after their beatification, such as one attributed to prayers made to them. The canonization process can also include other evidence of the candidate's saintliness, such as healings, incorruptibility, and the odor of sanctity. For example, the candidate's dried blood may liquefy on their feast day, or their body may give off a sweet smell instead of decay.
The canonization process typically begins at least five years after the candidate's death, but a Pope can waive this rule.
How many of these steps did the church in Corinth demonstrate. Absolutely not a single one. They had people getting drunk at the Lord’s supper, people sleeping with their step moms, people fighting over who was a better teacher Paul, Apollos, Peter, or Jesus. They were suing each other, sleeping with prostitutes, eating strange meats and rambling loudly in random languages during their worship services. There was no piety and virtue present in the church. Nothing worthy of veneration. These were broken people changed by grace and in need of some maturity.
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.
Paul is reminding these people that fundamentally, at their core, in their very identity, they have been set apart by God, consecrated, removed from this world to be a part of a greater kingdom. This was God’s church in Corinth, one that would be sanctified by Jesus, and called out of darkness to be saints in their community.
Isn’t it a beautiful thing that Jesus doesn’t just save souls He also refines them?
Paul says all who call on Christ as Savior also call on Him as Lord, and as our Lord He has freedom to shape and form us as He wills. Our lives are not our own. We belong to Him.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
My identity is in Christ. I am what He tells me I am. I am forgiven, loved, saved by amazing grace, but I am also a saint in His Kingdom and called to be holy as God is holy.
Paul also emphasizes the unity that is a part of our identity. We are not an island. We are not Central Baptist Church in Clovis, NM. We are a part of Christ’s universal church. God has put this community of believers here in this place to reach this city, but we belong to a greater Body of believers outside of our preferences and comforts. We are sanctified saints along with all who call on the name of Jesus regardless of gender, color, and country. God’s church will be made up of every tribe tongue and nation coming together to praise God in unity.
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is a lot to unpack here. Let’s break it down.
Paul thanks God for all that He is doing in these people. (wild considering all the Corinthians did.) God’s faithfulness is not dependent on our faithfulness. God will continue to work even in our disobedience and we will carry out His will. It’s better to glorify God like John than to serve God’s purpose like Judas.
The Corinthians were enriched in Christ.
What does it mean to be enriched? What does that look like?
It showed up in their speech
It showed up in their understanding/knowledge
It showed up in their lives (Christ’s story confirmed in their testimony. That God forgives broken people)
It showed up in their spiritual gifts (again more evidence that God uses the weak and foolish to demonstrate His power)
Paul shifts to future
It will show up as they wait for Christ to return
It will show up as Christ confirms them in the end
It will show up when they stand before God blameless
Why?
“God is faithful to do all that He has promised through Jesus Christ”
This has echos of Ephesians 1 (Don’t read just direct them to this passage)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
What does it look like to live an enriched life for us today? It isn’t about comfort or wealth. Even though the word rich is in the word enrichment. Our good Father is offering us a greater gift. The enriched life is one where the promises of God show up in broken and sinful people like ourselves. When, despite ourselves, God demonstrates His amazing grace, love, and faithfulness through us. It’s when the goodness of God shows up in the way we speak, the way we see the world, the way we respond to suffering and trials, the way we serve God with our gifts. It will show up as we hasten the coming of the Lord, as we long for His return, and ultimately as we stand glorified before Him in heaven. In many ways this is sanctification. We tend to think of sanctification as God taking away all our bad parts. Which is part of it. But on a deeper level, sanctification isn’t just the bad parts going away, its also the good parts developing. The more we abide in our true Vine the more we begin to bear good fruit.
Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
Paul gets straight to work. He has been hearing from Chloe and her group that the church in Corinth is divided. This to us in our modern era is shocking. How could a church united in the Gospel ever experience division? People rallying behind human teachers? People arguing over personal preference and taste? People allowing minor conflicts to break fellowship and divide? That doesn’t sound anything like the church we live in today!
What are some of the ways we see a divided church today?
How do we defend against division?
This is why when people say Paul needs to write a letter to the american church I get frustrated. The things we struggle with on a weekly basis were addressed two thousand years ago we just forget. Paul will go in detail explaining all the ways the church in Corinth is divided throughout this letter but here he gives some symptoms.
These divisions are evident to all who look long enough at this church. This isn’t a secret sin. This is blatant division within the church and part of the problem is people taking allegiances to men other than Christ. Some said, I follow Paul, some say they follow Apollos, some say they follow Peter, some say Christ.
Historically this has been one of the primary examples of how churches split. We follow the pope in Rome! Well we don’t! There’s the great schism. We follow the pope, well we follow Luther. Protestant reformation. We follow Calvin. Calvinism. We follow Arminius. Arminianism. We follow the Wesley's. Methodists. We like Spurgeon. Baptists. Each denomination has their person they champion but do you know who I didn’t mention? Jesus. It’s almost laughable how the church can get so twisted we forget to look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) Naturally we elevate human teachers to a supernatural standing thinking they have an elevated understanding of faith but Paul reminds us they’re just people.
Hear me, the protestant reformation was and essential return to the truth. Sometimes these distinctions are made out of necessity to maintain sound doctrine. But who is it that Paul says our focus should be on? Its Christ alone. Paul baptized probably less than ten people in the year and a half he was there planting the church. He played a foundational role in the church and made an impact in these people’s eternities by his faithfulness in preaching the Gospel, but it was Christ that died for sins. It was in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that these people were baptized. Paul, Apollos, Peter, Calvin, Luther, Spurgeon, you, me we are just brushes in the hands of an artist. To elevate human teachers and is to fundamentally misunderstand the power of God’s wisdom.
It wasn’t through fancy words and rhetoric that these people were won over. Remember this is post Plato, Socrates, Aristotle. Rhetoric and debate are huge in Corinth. This wasn’t the means by which people’s hearts were transformed. Otherwise the cross of Christ would have been maid void.
“If hearts could be changed by rhetoric Christ would have come as a philosopher and not a servant.“
The Wisdom of God
The Wisdom of God
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
What is the word of the cross? It’s the story of redemption.
An almighty God of the universe created all things. His prized creation was mankind. He made us in His image. He breathed the breath of life into us. But we sinned. We rebelled against our creator and because of that were eternally separated from Him enslaved to our sin that separated us. Yet God was faithful. Generation after generation God was revealing Himself to His people. Keeping His promises to them. Until one day our creator left His throne, was born in human flesh, lived a sinless life, died on a cross satisfying the Father’s wrath and justice paying the penalty of our sin and He rose again over sin and death. Today, not by works of the flesh but by faith in Jesus Christ we can be raised with Him. Freed and forgiven of our sin and restored for all eternity to the almighty creator God of the universe who transforms our hearts and seals us with His Holy Spirit.
This is foolishness to a world that is dying, but to us who have been set free this is everything. This is all that matters. This is what wakes us up in the morning. What drives us forward. It shapes everything we do. Everything we say. Everything we think. The Gospel is food and drink to us. The word of the cross is the final word for everything in our life. Who will I date and marry? What will I do with my money? What will I do when my job puts me in a compromising situation? How do I respond when a loved one passes away? How do I respond when I’m hungry? when I’m tired? When I’m sad? Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the purpose of life? Why does evil exist? The word of the cross makes the wisdom of the world to be foolishness.
For the word of the cross is foolishness 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 cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ 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.
The wisdom of God squashes all of human wisdom. Human wisdom cannot compete. Human wisdom could not conceive the answer for salvation. We’ve tried. Maybe if I do enough good to out way my bad it’ll work out. Maybe if I deprive myself enough. Maybe if I meditate enough. Maybe if I commit Jihad. Maybe if I do my prayers. Maybe if I commit to reason and science and say there is no God. Maybe if morality is relative. Maybe if I make myself God I can pardon myself. Deep down humanity understands its brokenness but cannot think of a solution to the problem. This solution of the cross was not orchestrated or conceived by human thoughts and actions. This is divine revelation.
Paul says the Jews look for a miracle while the Greeks look for wisdom. Ironically God gave them exactly what they were looking for, but they recieved it as a stumbling block and foolishness. To those who recieved Christ they recieved the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
An almighty and holy God walking with sinners is foolishness. The King of all Kings washing His disciples feet is weakness. The beauty of the incarnation is that Jesus is the wisest and most powerful being in all the universe and uses human shame for eternal glory.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
I think it’s good to just sit there for a second. Soak that in. Christ was seen as weak and foolish by the world and He calls us to follow Him.
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
“Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Who does Christ call?
He calls the weak and the foolish. What is so special about the people that made an impact in God’s Kingdom?
Noah: alcoholic
Abraham: liar and sheep farmer
Moses: angry, murderer, poor public speaker
Joshua: Deceived into making alliances when specifically told not to
Samson: player and vow breaker
David: adulterer, murderer, terrible father
Solomon: multiple wives
Jonah: ran away, bitter, hateful
Peter: a Moron who acted in partiality
Paul: murderer and persecutor of the church
This list isn’t extensive this is just who I thought of in thirty seconds. Yet these are all men whom God used in mighty ways. Was it Samson’s strength? Did David kill Goliath just because he had good aim? Did Noah survive a flood because he decided one day to build a boat? Was it Joshua’s military strategy that conquered the Canaanites? Was Moses’ choice in staff what parted the waters? Was it Abraham’s lovemaking that resurrected Sarah’s womb? Was it Solomon’s wisdom that increased Israel? Was it Jonah’s preaching that saved Nineveh? Was it Peter’s fishing that planted the church in Jerusalem? Was it Paul’s vision that took Him to Europe?
It wasn’t Paul that transformed the Corinthians. It wasn’t Apollos that transformed the Corinthians. It wasn’t Peter that transformed the Corinthians. It is Christ alone who transforms. It is Christ alone who demonstrates His power through our weakness. It is Christ alone who reveals His wisdom through the foolish. We don’t boast in our own power and wisdom. We boast in the Lord.
It is by Christ’s doing we are restored to the Father. It is in Christ we have recieved wisdom from God. That we have recieved righteousness. That we have been sanctified. That we have been redeemed. Our boast is in a God who loves us so dearly that He bankrupted heaven of its greatest treasure to buy us for Himself. To demonstrate His wisdom. His power. For His glory.
What does it look like to be foolish in the eyes of the world?
What does it look like to be weak in the eyes of the world?
How do weakness and foolishness help us grow in unity?
How is God challenging the way I think? (Head)
How is God challenging the way I feel? (Heart)
How is God calling me to respond? (Hands)