The Book of First Corinthians

The Church in the World

There has been a growing trend over the last several decades in church life. Some church leaders have urged that the church should look more like the world. Our music should sound like the world’s music. Our speech should sound like the world’s speech. Our clothing, actions, aesthetics, relationships - and the list goes on - should in some way reflect the world.

Unfortunately, many have bought into that idea and so today - so much of the church here in North America is shaped by the world around us.

American consumerism has permeated the church in America so much that people look to attend the church that fits their preferences. The preacher speaks with the right balance of humor and seriousness and challenge. The music has the right blend of the sounds. Some people want to leave church after the service having been challenged a little, coddled a lot, and emotionally touched. The corporate Sunday experience should help us be better people without making us change too much. Any talk of sin should be couched as a lack of peace within the individual. I am the only standard that I need to be compared to.

Is that why you participate in church? Is that what you see at PBC? Is the church supposed to be influenced by culture or culture by the church?

In reality though - that’s not what the church is all about.

Introducing First Corinthians

Today, as we consider the book of 1 Corinthians, we get to consider a church that could be almost anywhere in America.

The city of Corinth was situated on “the isthmus (or narrow strip of land) between Greece and the Peloponnesian Peninsula.” Its dual ports and strategic position between two sections of Greece made it a prosperous city with influences from a variety of places.

With prosperity came greed. The wealthy in society looked down on the poor.

The influences from various traders made it a city that was plagued by pleasures.

It was in this environment that the church of Corinth was established. It was in this environment in which they sought to live. It was this environment that influenced their behavior - which is what prompted Paul’s writing of 1 Corinthians.

Scholars surmise that Paul wrote the book from Ephesus in the early to mid 50s AD. He wrote the book as a response to a report he received from some in the community and as a way to answer some questions submitted from the church.

Last week I mentioned that many of Paul’s letters follow a simple format of indicatives (teach of truths about God, Christ, us and the church) followed by imperatives (actions we should take in light of those indicatives. While at a broad level, 1 Corinthians does have a simple structure - Paul does not follow his normal pattern here. Instead, we could look at the book in this way:

Responding to reported problems in the church (1 Cor. 1-6) - the people who delivered the questions also shared what they were observing - unhealthy behaviors that dishonored Christ - we could even say places in the church where the culture had influenced them a bit too much.

Responding to questions from the church (1 Cor. 7-16) - These are specific questions that they raised - seeking a response from Paul. In fact, in your reading, you may notice a few places where Paul says “now concerning...” - it appears that in these sections, Paul is responding to their specific questions.

The guys at the Bible Project have a helpful outline and analysis of the book. They notice that Paul seems to define the problems and then respond with the Gospel along these sections in the book.

Divisions in the Church - 1 Cor. 1-4

Sexuality - 1 Cor. 5-7

Food - 1 Cor. 8-10

The Gathering - 1 Cor. 11-14

The Resurrection - 1 Cor. 15

Final Greetings - 1 Cor. 16

Today, rather than considering the book along the lines of its structure, we are going to think about it from a more foundational perspective - looking at the broad characteristics that should mark the church - making it distinct from the world around us - namely holiness, unity, and love (Dever).

The church should be marked by holiness

From the opening verses of the book, Paul calls the people of Corinth - and us - back to consider our calling and what we are called to.

1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV

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:

There is a two-fold process here. As believers in Christ, we are sanctified - or more accurately - “we have been made holy.” This is an action that Jesus accomplished in the past in order to positionally make us holy or sanctified in the present and for eternity. Because we are in Christ - it’s his doing - we have already been sanctified.

But in addition to the truth of what Christ did for us, we get to be holy together - “called to be saints.” That word saints could also be translated “holy.”

Think about it like this - when I became a Christian, that was a permanent seal or position that God placed on me. It’s unchanging. Now, as a Christian - I get to act like it. I get to live it out. I get to be holy as one who has already been made holy.

But what does it mean to be holy?

Mark Dever notes that holiness here in 1 Corinthians seems to point out the Christians are...

“Strange to the world”

“Special to God” and

“Pure”

Let’s consider these briefly...

To be holy is strange to the world

There is so much about our faith that seems backwards to the world around us. How is it that this great God of the universe would even pay attention to us? How is it that he would consider our sinfulness at all? Why would he care about what we do or how we live?

Why would he give his only son to pay the price that our sinfulness deserves? It just doesn’t seem fair or logical to so many. In fact Paul even addresses that...

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:20-31 that God chose things that seem foolish to the world and weak to the world to shame the wise and strong. He did that...

1 Corinthians 1:29 ESV

so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

The world’s system is based completely on me getting what I deserve or at least getting what I can achieve or take. It depends on strength and power and intellect. The world’s system is all about getting all I can for me. This is what Corinth was dealing with. This is what America is dealing with.

And yet, Christianity is about giving. It’s about God giving of himself so that we do don’t deserve forgiveness or life might have it. It’s about us in gratitude for what we’ve received, giving - sharing our very lives with one another.

Elliott Clark, in his book Evangelism as Exiles, talks about the fact that as people who are exiles from culture because of the strangeness of our faith, are essentially inviting others to be strange with us. We’re inviting others into exile.

But not only is holiness strangeness to the world, Dever notes that

To be holy is to be special to God

Because we’ve been sanctified by Jesus, set apart as holy, that holiness, while strange to the world around us is special to God and has value to Him.

Paul says that as God’s people, we are together - His Temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17.)

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 ESV

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Notice, that word “you” in verse 16 is plural. In Louisiana they might say “y’all” or “all y’all.” I believe that he is referring to the church. Paul is commending the church at Corinth in this way.

We may be strange to the world, but we are special to God.

Thirdly, Dever notes that

To be holy is to be pure

Paul argues that our holiness (strangeness to the world and specialness to God) should result in purity. There should be an awareness of sin and a mindfulness to root it out.

In chapter 5, Paul has some sharp things to say to the church regarding a man who is sleeping with his step-mom. The church seemed to be celebrating that as an example of freedom in Christ. Now, sexual perversions were rampant in Corinth, but even this kind of sin was not accepted.

Dever writes that, “Ultimately, Paul is concerned that the gospel itself will be subverted by the spreading contagion of sin.” (p. 174). Because of this, he essentially scolds the church for not holding this man accountable. He tells them to kick him out and treat him like an unbeliever. He tells them not to tolerate any sort of blatant sin and to remove the man from fellowship (1 Cor. 5:3-5).

Now, in this conversation, he tells them not to associate with sexually immoral (5:9). But he is referring to the sexually immoral in the church. He says that the world is so filled with sin that we’d have to be removed from the world in order to avoid it.

Here is where we have a tenuous line to walk as a church.

The world is in sin - trapped by all sorts of sinful behaviors. Our tendency in the church is to yell at the world and expect them to live like we should, but this is where grace and mercy should abound. The world is not accountable to us right now. So, like Jesus, we should go to where the sexually immoral, greedy, swindlers, and idolaters are (5:10) to show them grace and call them out of darkness and sin. Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, but told her to go and sin no more.

The other side of this tenuous line is inside the church. As members of one another, we are accountable to each other. We are called to spur one another on toward holiness - to purity. We don’t like the idea of church discipline because we think that we should be able to do whatever we want - and the church should be okay with that. But that’s exactly where the church at Corinth was - and they were way out of line.

Church discipline is present to help us walk toward purity together. Once sin gets rooted in a church, it compromises the integrity of the church and undermines the gospel.

Why would someone want to join a church if everybody inside acts exactly like everybody outside?

Paul urged them to remove the man from fellowship - and they did. In fact, it appears their act of discipline prompted the man to repent and so Paul urges them to restore him to fellowship (2 Cor. 2:5-11).

This idea of accountability and discipline is not a matter of power or control or fundamentalism. It’s a matter of holiness. We should be different than the world - in a good way.

Dever again writes (p. 175),

“Holiness is essential to the church’s existence. it is an attribute. it is a trademark. It should be common. It should be typical.”

So the church should be marked by holiness. We see this really throughout 1 Corinthians as Paul addresses a variety of sinful matters.

Secondly,

The church should be marked by unity

In the opening chapter, we learn that there are people who are taking sides as a matter of pride. Some see themselves on Paul’s team, others on Apollo’s team, others with Peter and still others with Christ.

Beyond that, later in the book Paul is discussing these divisions and others as people are not waiting for and sharing with one another as they gathered. When the church would gather, each would bring food. The wealthy would have theirs and the poor would sometimes go without. As a result there was a natural division - the haves and have nots. Essentially, Paul was telling them that this should not be.

You see, we are all saved by grace. This gets back to be strange to the world - our money, position, power, or prestige in the world does not equate to any of that in the church. We are all equal before Jesus - fallen in sin, saved by His grace and mercy. We are all equally and yet differently gifted by His Spirit for service in the church.

We work together as a body. Each member is needed to make the body work properly.

Paul, as he talks about the different ways that God has gifted each of us, beautifully illustrates this unity and diversity. This is a bit of a longer passage...

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 NLT

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

The church should be marked by holiness. It should be marked by unity. Finally,...

The church should be marked by love

If I were to ask you “what is the love chapter?” What would you say? Most likely, 1 Cor. 13. It’s a common chapter to hear read at weddings. But I think if we were to look at that chapter in the broader context of the book of 1 Corinthians, we would find a greater value and profoundness to this love chapter.

Let’s go back a bit.

In 1 Cor. 8, Paul begins a discussion regarding food. He is answering a question pertaining to food that had been sacrificed to idols - a common practice in Corinth at that time.

1 Corinthians 8:1–3 ESV

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

He goes into a great deal of discussion surrounding a right to eat or not eat certain foods.

Part of what he addresses is the idea that since we believe that an idol is really nothing at all - it’s not a god or a deity - it’s a piece of wood or metal - therefore, it’s generally okay to eat it. Unless you’re there with someone who will think that it’s a big deal - he would argue - out of love for that person - refrain.

When he moves on to the discussion about being united around the Lord’s supper and waiting for each other - he seems to be saying that out of love we should be mindful of each other.

When it comes to the way our gifts are used in church, it seems like he saying that out of love for each other and out of love for God, we should be orderly and considerate.

Love is a marker of the church. Love impacts every part of the body. Love touches each person.

Let’s consider this familiar love chapter in light of the divisions that we’ve seen in Corinth. In light of the sin. In light of the conflicts about gifts and food and gathering. (possibly go the cymbal and illustrate the noise of a loveless act).

1 Corinthians 13:1–8 ESV

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Closing thoughts

Beloved, like the church in Corinth, we need to be marked by these attributes of holiness, unity, and love. For God’s glory we need to do this. For the edification of the body we need to walk with holiness, unity, and love. For a witness to the world we need to walk in holiness, unity, and love.

Friend, if you are a fellow Christian and are not covenanted with a community of believers, would you consider joining as a member here? If we are aligned biblically, then we need one another for holiness, unity, and love. We were not saved to be lone-star Christians. We were saved into a body of believers. If you’re interested in looking at what it means to be a part of the body here, send me an email - [e-mail] or give me a call. We’ll set up a time to walk through the membership process.

If you are not a Christian yet, I hope you can see the beauty of what God is doing here. Calling us out of our sinful tendencies and into a community marked by holiness, unity and love. I hope you will join us.

Fellow members of PBC, I appreciate the way that you seek to promote holiness, unity and love here. I appreciate the way that we get to demonstrate that each week. I am looking forward to experiencing that more this evening as we gather for our quarterly Family Meeting at 6PM - on Zoom (If you don’t have the link - send me an email or call me - or if you don’t have a means of reaching out by computer or phone, let me know and we can see about having a few people together. I hope you’ll join us as we look at all of the different ways that God is at work among us and all of the things that we believe he is calling us to in the coming years.

Let’s pray

Memory Verse:

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

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.

Benediction:

1 Corinthians 1:3 ESV

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

References:

Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.

deSilva, David Arthur. An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods and Ministry Formation. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

Dever, Mark, The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept, Crossway, Wheaton, 2005

Gromacki, Robert G. New Testament Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1974.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/1-corinthians