I Corinthians 1:1-18 (Click scripture reference for audio access)
"Heavenly Wisdom" • 8.26.12 •
Sunday Morning Service, Calvary Christian Fellowship
Intro.
- On the
surface, the books of Romans and I Corinthians seem to be twin epistles.
- They share
the same author, contain the same number of chapters, separated by only 14
verses, and are set back to back. That is where the similarities end.
- Unlike Romans, Paul had visited Corinth and
was indeed, the founding Pastor of the Church of God in Corinth.
- Unlike Romans, which had to be an unparalleled
joy to write for it's uniterrupted doctrine, I Corinthians was a letter that he did not want to write because of
the practical failings of the church!
- Romans, a letter of introduction, was
written two years after I Corinthians,
and I Corinthians is technically 2nd
Corinthians according to chapter 5!
- The Church of
God in Rome was just getting on it's way, while the Church of God in Cortinth
had lost her way!
- Corinth, at
this time, was at the about 3-5 years old. Paul, according to Acts 18, had spent a little over a year
and a half there. When he left, things went downhill fast!
- I find it
interesting that we are studying this letter as we enter our 3rd year of
ministry. May it be that God has providentially placed us here for preventative
and not corrective purposes!
- We will learn
all about Corinth's failures as we progress through the book, but I submit that
Paul gives us a microcosmic view of how to put a church back in order right
here in verses 1-18.
- I want to
break it up into 4 parts this morning and tie it all together at the end.
I. Paul's Greetings (v.1-3)
II. Paul's Gratitude (v.4-9)
III. Paul's Grievance (v.10-13)
IV. Paul's Great Message (v.14-18)
Text
I. Paul's Greetings (v.1-3)
• I Corinthians 1:1-3 : "Paul,
called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes
our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified
in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the
name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." : Paul clearly understood that he was an Apostle, a sent one, by
the will of God.
- It was Christ
Himself who sent Him as an emissary of the gospel.
- Paul's will
when God interrupted him was quite opposite, but God won and set him apart!
- The Apostle is
writing to the Corinthian church with Sosthenes who Paul calls "the
brother." Sosthenes did not begin this way. Like Saul to Christ, Sosthenes
was opposed to Paul!
- Sosthenes was
behind a plot against Paul to bring him before the local proconsul. When the
proconsul favored Paul, the Greek rulers ruled turned against Sosthenes and
beat him up!
- Sosthenes got
beat up and left for dead by the synagogue, but Paul dressed him up and
received a new brother in the faith.
- Sosthenes may
have been more than an amanuensis. He may have served as a witness in what will
become a very tenuous letter to the church of God in Corinth.
- The city of
Corinth is situated south of Greece, on what is known today as the Pelopennese
Peninsula. Corinth was the center of all culture, as all commerce led right to
it.
- Because of
the constant presence of sailors and it's great situation geographically,
Corinth was the center of business and pleasure! It was New York in business
and Las Vegas in pleasure!
- They worked
hard and played harder, the Corinthian being typecast as a drop down drunk in
most theatrical presentations!
- In that
bustling immoral city, there was a group of people who were set apart to
Christ, divinely selected by God to be saints, or "holy ones!"
- In both the
case of Paul and the Corinthians, they were not called to be what they were.
They were called of God and they were! With that in mind, both are to act
accordingly!
- Paul was sent
with a message and he is going to act with that authority. They were called to
be holy and were expected to act in that manner as well.
- The
Corinthians were not alone in this. They were joined with all the other saints
in holiness!
- Today, all
over the world, there are millions of people who are worshipping God, exalting
Christ and listening to the Holy Spirit speak through the Word! We are joining
with them locally!
- Grace and
peace to you from God and the Lord Jesus Christ! Such unity in the Trinity, as
God is the one who bestows both His grace and His peace to you and I, His
saints!
II. Paul's Gratitude (v.4-9)
• I Corinthians 1:4-8 : "I
thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you
by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance
and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so
that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless
in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
: Paul was perpetually and sincerely thankful to God for the Corinthians.
Remember that he says this.
- Paul's tone
will change dramatically as we go through this letter. This doesn't change his
feeling toward them, nor does it change their reality!
- God had done
a genuine work in their lives through Jesus Christ, bringing them the gift of
redemption. His presence in their lives caused them to be enriched in every
spiritual way.
- When you and
I come to Christ, that same thing becomes a reality. We have gone from
spiritual destitution to spiritual riches that the world cannot give or
understand!
- Their primary
gifting seemed to be in the area speaking. Listen to the NEB translation:
"You possess full knowledge and you
can give full expression to it!"
- They were an
eloquent church and Christ's presence in them was confirmed, as the Holy Spirit
gave them gifts fitting with their walk with the Lord. In fact, they came short
in no gift.
- They did not
lack or fall behind in any area of the gifts. The church in Corinth had it all!
- What were the
gifts meant to do? They were meant to confirm God's presence with them and
cause them to yearn for the fulfillment that the gifts pointed toward!
- They were
eagerly waiting for the return of Christ in His glory, something that should be
said for us as well!
- The sense is
that God has given us a taste of heaven through the gifts, that will one day
give way to the perfect of Christ's revelation, when He will represent Himself
in full!
- When Christ
comes, He will confirm what the Holy Spirit marks and present us blameless,
literally without legal charge before God in that day of our Lord.
- The RSV
renders this verse, "who will
sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
- Notice how
God has it all covered: They were enriched, past, they are confirmed, present
and they will be brought blameless before God, future!
- What God
begins in grace, he grows in the Spirit and sustains until the end, to the day
of Jesus Christ, that is, the day of His revelation!
• I Corinthians 1:9 : "God
is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord." : How is it
possible that God will sustain? Because you are faithful? Because you are
gifted? No! It's because He is faithful! Trustworthy!
- He is
trustworthy who has invited you into the fellowship of His Son. He has brought
you into a relationship with Himself through His only divine Son Jesus Christ
our Lord.
- God is the
initiator. He has brought you into fellowship with Jesus! What does that mean?
- Fellowship
refers to common interest and common resources, mine available to Jesus and His
available to me!
- Is our
fellowship toward the Lord one that is fruitful or are we holding back on our
part?
- Before we
move on, let us understand something right here: Whatever comes next does not
negate the truth of what Paul has said!
- They were
saints. They were joined with other believers. They were sanctified and gifted!
These things are true, despite what we are about to see, which bears little
resemblance!
- It's a
stirring warning right from the start, that a Christian or a Christian church
can be positionally fixed in Christ, but perpetually off course!
- In Paul's
attitude, we are challenged to praise the good before we expose the bad! It
might have been a temptation to leave this part out. Thankfully, Paul did not
leave it out!
III. Paul's Grievance (v.10-13)
• I Corinthians 1:10,11 : "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be
no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same
mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning
you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions
among you." : I am pleading
with you all, by the authority of our Lord. Paul is on his proverbial knees,
begging!
- He is begging
on behalf of Christ! There is no higher authority in the church!
- To plead with
them invoking the name of the head of the church was to say that this mandate
had come from the highest office!
- This is their
order from their Lord: Speak the same thing, agree with each other, that there
be no divisions among you!
- For all their
gifting and grace, Corinth Christian Fellowship had allowed division to sprout
up among them, no doubt limiting their effectiveness. They had a schismatic
spirit about them.
- The same word
is used of a torn piece of cloth or a broken bone.
- God wants his
people to be perfectly joined together in mind and judgment. The word is
medical in nature of a bone that is set back in order from it's previous break.
- The
Corinthians had torn themselves to pieces and were walking around broken! They
were to set themselves in order, to take these factions and make them one as
they should be.
- This was not
known to Paul, except for the fact that Chloe's household had told him about
the contentions that had been happening in their midst.
- It's likely
that Chloe was a business woman, like Lydia in Phillipi and Phoebe in Rome.
- Her business
partners came into contact with Paul and let him know what was going on!
- Notice that
Paul mentions Chloe's name. He did not receive an anonymous report and he did
not rebuke without naming a source! This was not a case of sanctified gossip!
- Gossip
depends on people telling without willingness to assign themselves as the
source. Paul brings it out in the open! Here is what he was told and by whom!
• I Corinthians 1:12,13 : "Now I say this, that each of you says, 'I am
of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas,' or 'I am of Christ.' Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" : In these two verses, Paul sets up a scenario
that is going to be used in the next several chapters.
- According to
chapter 6, his scenario is an illustration of what was happening in their
church.
- Notice that
each of them were a part of this. The problem in Corinth was with the whole
church, not just a segment of it. Each of them said this, attributing their
loyalty to someone.
- One group
would call themselves a follower of Paul's, while others chose Apollos or
Cephas.
- The problem
is making gods of men, raising them up to a level that they do not belong, and
following them exclusively.
- Barring Jesus
from the conversation for a moment, each of these other guys were stellar
examples to the early church.
- Paul was a
mighty adventurer, a pioneer church planter and a brilliant thinker! What else
could a person want? How about a great speaker? That, it seems, Paul was not!
- That leaves
us with Apollos, who was a firestorm in the pulpit! Here are some words that
described Apollos in Acts 18:
Eloquent, fervent in spirit, vigorous!
- The man was
passion incarnate and likely a young man. "Ah, youth and exuberance are
one thing. What we want is a man with a mantle of authority and experience!"
Enter Cephas!
- These people
were so enamored with Peter and his age that they called him by his old name!
- "Oh his
Grandfatherly stories and the glory of the original Jesus movement get me every
time! I love hearing about Pentecost and the explosion of the church!"
- Still others
rejected any leadership at all, noting the silliness of those who follow men!
- Paul's
question to the Corinthians and to us as well is this: "Is Christ
divided?" Is he separated into parts? Did your favorite celebrity Pastor
die for you?
- Were you
baptized in their name? This sort of thing is not an isolated incident in
history.
- That has been
the unintended consequence of the widespread coverage of the gospel from such
wonderful Pastors.
- With the
proliferation of available media, a celebrity environment has ensued!
- Today, men
and women find themselves more loyal to what Pastor So and So says than what
the Bible says! That is a very dangerous position for each of us!
- Jesus is the
One that we all have loyalty toward. He is the Senior Pastor of His church and
the center of their affections!
IV. Paul's Great Message (v.14-18)
• I Corinthians 1:14-17 : "I thank God that I baptized none of you
except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in
my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do
not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to
preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be
made of no effect." : Part
of the Corinthian loyalty was based on their experience at baptism.
- Paul had
baptized Crispus, Gaius and the house of Stephanas. Paul watched Crispus come
to the Lord. He had been a ruler in the synagogue.
- Gaius was the
person who opened his house to Paul while he stayed in Corinth. Stephanas we
know little about, save for what comes at the end of I Corinthians 16.
- Paul speaks
regarding Stephanas' coming to him and that he was of the firstfruits of those
who came to Christ in Achaia!
- Each of these
men were near Paul when they first came to believe in Christ, so naturally Paul
did their baptisms.
- Otherwise,
Paul could not remember if he had or not, as that was not of first importance.
He was not sent to baptize, he was sent to preach and when he did, it was
straight stuff!
- He did not
want to preach in a way that took away from the power of the cross. He wanted
to preach in a way that the Cross of Christ would be able to speak for itself!
- When Paul
says "not with wisdom of words," he is not speaking about unorganized
and unintelligent speech. He is saying that he did not employ the methods of
popular rhetoric.
- Rhetoric and
public speaking had become a fascination in the Greco Roman world.
˚ "It came to mean a man with a clever mind and cunning tongue, a
mental acrobat, a man who with glittering and persuasive rhetoric could make
the worse appear the better reason. It meant a man who would spend endless
hours discussing hair splitting trifles, a man who had no real interest in
solutions but who simply gloried in the stimulus of the 'mental hike.'" William Barlclay
- Paul came
with a straightforward message that he did not want to remove the force from!
When you and I hear the message of the cross, it should make an impact on our
souls!
- That was why
Paul wanted the message to speak for itself and for them to receive it as it
was intended to be heard. He didn't want it to ring hollow or seem vain.
- This is a
fascinating comment, especially in the time that we are living in, where
preachers are seeking new ways to present the truth.
- Paul thought,
"If I employ worldly wisdom, I might detract from the message."
- People
hearing a person making a slick car salesman presentation might mistake the
gospel for just another idea in the market place of ideas! The message of the
Cross is not that!
• I Corinthians 1:18 : "For
the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us
who are being saved it is the power of God." : The message of the Cross is greater than baptism, as baptism is
a sign that salvation has taken place.
- The message of
the Cross is how salvation takes place! God effects salvation through the cross
of Christ!
- The cross is not an isolated event in time.
It is a message to men and women of all time!
- It's message
toward God is that He hates our sin so much that He allowed His Son to suffer
the most undignified death in the history of mankind!
- The message
of the Cross is one of wrath, anger, propitiation, redemption and love!
- The message
of the Cross toward man is that God condescended in great humility to love others
that hated him. Jesus served men to the point of death, that they might live.
- The message
of the Cross is foolishness to the perishing. Most who do no believe, do not
believe because they believe that they can live worthy of God's approval.
- However, to
those who are being saved right now, the message of the cross is the power of
God! It is the power to receive Sonship, forgiveness and peace with God!
Conclusion
- The
Corinthians, we will learn, were divided in their loyalty, proud of their gifting,
tolerant of what they should have rejected and beginning to lean in a liberal
direction. Does that sound familiar?
- What is the
answer? Paul lays it out like this: God called us into holiness, to
brotherhood, enriching us with His gifts, that we might partner with Him in
preaching our one central message!
- How has He
done this? In Jesus Christ! Go back and visually survey that section. Jesus is
mentioned by name 13 times! How are we holy? By Jesus! How are we brothers,
sisters? By Jesus!
- How is any of
our life possible? It's because Jesus went to a Cross, out of loyalty to the
plan of God and love for the body of Christ! He is the center of our Church,
now and forever!