Christ is Our Head

Sunday, February 9, 2025

INTRO

We are going verse-by-verse, in a topical study through I & II Corinthians (see footnotes for background info)

Current Topic in this Series: Christ Alone - Exploring what it really means to be Christian.

READ

1 Corinthians 1 CSB

1 Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother: 2 To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours. 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in him in every way, in all speech and all knowledge. 6 In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, 7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry among you. 12 What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect. 18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent. 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? 21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. 22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. 24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, 25 because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. 26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one may boast in his presence. 30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption 31 —in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

EXAMINE

#1 | The Church exists only in Christ

Jesus builds the Church and unites it together

1 Cor 1:2 “To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.”

Jesus is the one who redeemed each person and united them together as one family - His Body.

We aren’t united by common goals or mutual advantage, like other human organizations. We are united by Christ and held together by Him.

Jesus sustains the Church

1 Cor 1:5, 7 “...you were enriched in him in every way, in all speech and all knowledge… so that you do not lack any spiritual gift...”

All of the Church’s power flows from being “in Christ”.

Knowledge, understanding, and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are gifts given to the Church by Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 1:8 “He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Even our own ability to remain faithful to Jesus is something He empowers us to do.

#2 | Losing sight of Christ is what creates division in the Church

There is only one Jesus and so there is only one Body of Christ

1 Cor 1:10 “...I urge you... in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ... that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.”

The call to Unity in the Church is not optional - Paul gives this command by the authority of Jesus Himself.

All division in the church is ultimately caused by a failure to follow Christ (Rom 16:17-18)

1 Cor 1:11–12 “...it has been reported... that there is rivalry among you… One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.””

In this case, following their favorite Church leader was the very thing causing division.

Fellow believers and even faithful Godly leaders are not a substitute for Jesus.

1 Cor 1:13 “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?”

Our faith must be anchored to Jesus, not to one of His followers.

We follow Godly leaders as an act of obedience to Jesus and the calling He gave them. (Col 3:23; Acts 20:28)

#3 | No one compares or competes with Christ

Jesus easily beats the best the world can offer.

1 Cor 1:25 “...God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”

Jesus came to the earth in a limited human body, lived a life of poverty, allowed Himself to be executed and still defeated sin, death, and every other authority human and demonic authority.

Just think of what He could have done if Jesus had come in all His glory and power. This is what we will see when He returns!

If there is anything good or praiseworthy in any of us, it is from Jesus.

1 Cor 1:30–31 “...you are in Christ Jesus… our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption… as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

So we must look to the source (Jesus) and not the vessel (Other believers, leaders, teachers, etc.)

Furthermore, by doing this we are better able to honor our Church leaders and love them well. (Heb 13:17)

REFLECT

Let’s take a moment to pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight and draw our attention to what He wants us to see and understand today.

APPLY

Process the passage together with these questions:

[Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want people to feel the liberty to explore the topics of the passage that stand out to them. Select the questions from below that you think are right for the conversation, or add your own. Questions should be focused, yet open-ended. Wherever the conversation goes, help your group “land the plane” on the core idea of the lesson when you wrap up.]

What do you think Paul meant when he said that preaching the gospel with “eloquent wisdom” would cause the “cross of Christ” to be “emptied of its effect”? (1 Cor 1:17)

The Corinthians were identifying more with their favorite leader than with Christ, and this was causing arguments and division in the Church. How does this kind of thing happen in the Church today?

What have you noticed happens in your own life when you start identifying with anyone or anything other than Christ?

How does identifying with Christ affect your relationships with other people?

Where we want to “land the plane”

Christ alone is the foundation of the Church, and He alone must be the source of identity and purpose in the life of a Christian. When we lose sight of Christ, replace Him or add to Him, we lose our connection to His sustaining power and we lose connection to one another in the Church. But when we submit first to Christ and identify together with Him, we can build a healthy Church family that accomplishes God’s purpose, in each of us personally and in all of us corporately.

Exhortation for the Week

Identify that person or thing which is competing for your devotion, and submit it to Jesus, placing it under His feet.

FOOTNOTES

Corinth: An influential Graeco-Roman city in the Peloponnesus region where Paul spent 18 months on his second missionary journey. The church at Corinth was the recipient of the First and Second Letter to the Corinthians. The First Letter to the Corinthians was written from Ephesus probably around AD 53 to 55. Archaeological and literary evidence about Corinth paints a rich picture of the city that Paul knew and provides an indispensable backdrop for understanding his writings to the Corinthians. Corinth’s population has been variously estimated anywhere from 150,000 to over 300,000, “plus 460,000 slaves.” First-century Corinth was a city rich in both history and wealth due to its geographic advantages. It was a city of cultural diversity, a hub of Roman paganism, and a hotbed for immorality. As an astute missionary, Paul likely chose Corinth for its importance as a busy center of culture and commerce and its ability to receive large crowds, which would serve as audience to the gospel before returning to their diverse homelands. Thus, Corinth became a city of Christian witness, and the study of Corinth in its historical-cultural setting provides a vital background for New Testament interpretation. Matthew S. Beal, “Corinth,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

Verse 1 The legitimacy of Paul’s apostleship and its denial by some is hinted at in this letter (chap. 9), but receives explicit defense in 2 Corinthians. In the first words in 1 Corinthians Paul affirmed his appointment to this position by the will of God to represent not his own interests but those of Christ. Sosthenes was probably Paul’s writing assistant (secretary/scribe) and may have been the synagogue ruler publicly thrashed by the Jews (Acts 18:17). If so, he illustrates how God can turn the worst circumstances to a believer’s ultimate advantage. David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 507.