1 Corinthians | Chapter 1 – Scripture Supply

1 Corinthians

“A Church in Need of Christ”

I. Introduction: 1:1-9

a. Vs. 1-3 Greetings in Grace

b. Vs. 4-9 Things to be Thankful For

II. Statement of Purpose: 1:10 “Mending a Broken Net”

III. Main Teaching: 1:11-16:12

a. A Rotten Report Card: 1:11-6:20

1. 1:11-4:21 A Church Divided

2. 5:1-6:20 A Church in Crisis

b. Answers to Questions: 7:1-16:12

1. 7:1-40 On Marriage

2. 8:1-10:33 On Liberty

3. 11:1-34 On Church

4. 12:1-14:40 On Spiritual Gifts

5. 15:1-58 On the Resurrection

6. 16:1-4 On Giving

7. 16:5-12 On Visiting Leaders

IV. Conclusion: 16:13-24

a. Vs. 13-18 Final Exhortation

b. Vs. 19-24 Final Greetings

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

A Church in Need of Christ

I. Introduction: Background to 1 Corinthians

I’ve taken a title to this series of studies that, the more I say it, the more strange it sounds—“A Church in Need of Christ.” In writing this, my hope is that, as we say it, we would immediately place a question mark at the end of the sentence. I mean, how can a Church, the body of Christ, be in need of Christ? I came up with the title by observing the first nine verses in the NKJ (they make up 174 words) and contrasting those 174 with the rest of the 16 chapters that make up this book. As I read them, I noticed how many times Paul used the words God, Father, Lord, Jesus, Christ, Son, and by Him. Thirty-two times in 174 words, or once every 5¼ words, Paul would use one of those words. It reminded me of when my children were younger, and we would talk to them and ask them questions about the Bible. They would blurt out the answer, always starting with one of these words, knowing that they had a 90% chance of being right.

To explain why this is a fitting title for this series of studies, we need to examine two things:

The location where this letter was sent
The people to whom it was sent

Corinth was located on a four-mile-wide isthmus that connects the southern part of Greece with the northern part of Greece. As such, it was a double port city between the Aegean Sea and Adriatic Sea, making it the safest, most economical way of getting goods from one part of the Roman kingdom to the other. The alternative was to attempt to sail 250 miles around the southern tip of Greece, which was so dangerous that a Greek historian said a sailor would never sail this way around the tip of Greece without first writing his will. So, most ship captains would choose to put their ships on skids or rollers and roll them across the land, gaining this area the name of “dialcos” or the place of dragging across. Corinth was also quite wealthy because of the trading that went on here and was also a famous sports town, as it had one of the most important athletic festivals (second only to the Olympian games) called the Isthmian games. Some 2,000 feet above the city was the Acrocorinth, which was large enough to hold the entire city and was dedicated to Aphrodite, the “goddess of love.” Over 1,000 temple prostitutes would come into the city at night to ply their trade among those that came to Corinth. The fact is, Corinth was famous for its moral corruption, so much so that to call a person a Corinthian meant that they behaved in total immorality. When looking at the ancient city of Corinth, many commentators have made the observation that Corinth looked a lot like California, and I would agree. If you ever travel and folks ask where you are from and you tell them California, they get a strange look on their faces, don’t they? When we were up visiting some friends in Idaho several years ago, we noticed that almost every car had a bumper sticker that said, “Welcome to Idaho Californians, now go home.” It was obvious that Californians had not made a favorable impression on the natives.

The Church: Yet, with all the carnality in Corinth, the Lord still called Paul to start a church here on his second missionary journey. Paul had been ministering in the Macedonian area, working his way from Philippi to Thessalonica, then on to Berea, and then Athens before finally coming to Corinth. Paul stayed longer in Corinth than in any of the other cities largely because of two separate reasons:

Success: He met Aquila and Priscilla, who were believers driven out of Rome and now working in their trade as leather workers or tentmakers. Paul worked and lived with them, preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbaths. This had a great impact, as many of the Greeks as well as the Jews began to trust in Jesus. In fact, it was here that Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, along with his household, received their Messiah. (In verse 1:14, Paul mentions him as one of the two that he personally baptized).
Victory: In Acts 18, we are told that the new leader of the synagogue, Sosthenes, brought charges against Paul for preaching the gospel to the judge, Gallio, who threw the case out of court, making Christianity a sect of Judaism, then legal to be proclaimed. Thus, this victory enabled Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, to remain longer in Corinth, after which he, Aquila, and Priscilla left and went to Ephesus, where he then left them and went back to Israel.

Now, while Paul was in Israel and Antioch, Aquila and Priscilla met Apollos, a Jewish man from Alexandria who was a gifted teacher. After hearing him speak, they explained to him the word more accurately, making up for some of his lack of knowledge. Apollos, we are told, desired to come to Achaia (Greece) and ended up being the second pastor of the church in Corinth. In the 20th chapter of Acts, we are told that Paul again visited Corinth for three months on his third missionary journey. Apparently, what Paul had observed caused him to write a letter to them, which he makes reference to in 5:1, where Paul says, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.” Apparently, the church in Corinth wrote back, asking a series of questions, which we will pick up with starting in chapter seven. The letter was delivered by those from Chloe’s household (1:11), who went on to tell Paul that there were still ongoing problems in this church, which was now some four years old. This letter, then, is Paul’s response to Chloe’s bad report card. In the first six chapters, Paul will address a church that has become divided and a church that has become far too much like the city in which they lived. I’m amazed that the response to Paul’s rebuke was a letter that wanted to know more about certain doctrinal positions while, practically, they were not living what they already knew. What had happened to a church that had so much? They were a church that had trusted Christ but had not left Corinth. They were called to be fishers of men, but their nets needed to be mended as no fish were being caught. As such, what this church needed was Christ!

II. Vs. 1-3 Greetings in Grace

Vs. 1 There was a form in which all ancient letters were written, and this one is no different. Ancient letters started with the writer identifying himself, then moved to who he was writing to, and then a greeting with a thanksgiving. This morning, we will get no further than verse 3, which happens to be the end of the thanksgiving.

Paul identifies himself with the phrase, “called an apostle” of Jesus Christ (the words “to be” are not in the Greek). The words “to be” make it sound as though this is what Paul called himself instead of what God had called him to. It was God’s will, not Paul’s, that had placed him in this position of authority. The reason for stating this is going to be abundantly clear as we get to the division spoken about in verses 11-13, but for now, the simple reason was to let them know that he was going to speak to them from a position of authority. But whose authority? The word “apostle” was not an unfamiliar term to those that would read this letter. You see, an apostle was a person sent out from a court or government with full authority of the sending party; they were the representatives, or ambassadors, of the party that sent them. The word literally means “sent out ones,” but, more than just being sent out, they are sent out with full authority representing the one that sent them. How did Paul come by this? Well, he tells us two things:

He was called: It was a calling, not a title or a career path.
It was God’s will: Second, this calling was not part of his plan, rather it was part of God’s plan.

So who sent Paul out with authority? Well, it was Jesus Christ by the will of the Father, that’s who!

Now, I recognize that some churches or religions use the word “apostle” to designate their leaders, and so some want to know whether or not there are “apostles” today. In one sense, all who have received Jesus are sent out with full authority representing the one who sent them; but, as far as leadership goes in the church, there were three things necessary for a person to be considered to be an apostle:

Acts 1:21-22: “Of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” Simply put, someone who was an eyewitness of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Hold on there. Paul was not part of the original 12, so how could he be a disciple? Well, in the 15th chapter of this book, Paul is answering their question on the resurrection, and in verse 8 he says, “last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” So clearly, Paul did fit this as Jesus appeared to him much later.
Acts 6:4: They had to be devoted to prayer and teaching the Word of God, equipping the church for the work of the Lord. As such, Paul says in Galatians 2:7-8 that those in leadership “saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles).”
2 Corinthians 12:12: Here, Paul defends his apostleship by saying that “the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.” So miraculous signs accompanied an apostle!

Paul also mentions Sosthenes as being with him while he wrote this letter. Sosthenes was the Rabbi that succeeded Crispus in the synagogue after he got saved. You will remember that Sosthenes is the guy that brought charges against Paul and was beaten after Gallio dismissed them. Is that not great that Sosthenes has become a “brother” in the Lord? We are not told how it happened, but it would not surprise me to find out that it was Paul and the believers that attended to his wounds after he was beaten. These Corinthians would be well aware of Sosthenes’ conversion and the power of a changed life.

Vs. 2: Paul now addresses to whom he writes, and it is here that we have the answer to the problems of the church at Corinth. Look carefully at how Paul addresses them, “To the church of God which is at Corinth.” Paul does not merely give their location to describe their identity. He doesn’t say “to the Church of the Corinthians.” No, it is the “Church of God.” The word “church” is the Greek word “ecclesia,” which was a common Greek word that meant “called out ones,” and, like the word apostle, it represented someone called out to lead, sort of like a person elected to a “town council.” The people that would make up the “ecclesia” were men who were free citizens of Rome. It was their responsibility to oversee the needs of the city. Here is my point:

The problems in the church located at Corinth were that they had forgotten they were first and foremost the Church of God and, because of this, they began to look more like the Church of Corinth!

Paul goes on to tell them what it meant to be called out:

“To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus”: This qualifies the called-out ones by telling us that they are set apart in Christ. The word “sanctified,” or set apart, is a term that was used to describe the things in the temple. In other words, they weren’t just set apart; they were set apart for a holy purpose. These Corinthians had forgotten their original purpose; they were set apart to be holy in Christ Jesus. They had started to live life as if it belonged to them; it was their church and no longer God’s church and, as such, their identity became in who their specific teacher was.
“Called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours”: Again, you will notice that the words “to be” are italicized and, as such, are not in the Greek. Again, I remind you that this church was carnal; they were a mess, yet Paul calls them saints. They didn’t claim sainthood; they were saints. “Saints” is a word that Paul will use 40 times in his letters, and each and every time he uses it, he does so in the same way. In the Catholic Church, there are specific requirements to becoming a saint:
1. You must have lived an extraordinary life, self-sacrificing, and especially pious.
2. After you have died, you need to be able to perform miracles for people who pray to you, and there have to be enough folks who pray to you that can say that you have done enough miracles so that the cardinals and pope will vote you in.

Now, I’ve got a few problems with these requirements as seen here in 1 Corinthians:

First, based on these 16 chapters, these folks weren’t living an extraordinary life; it wasn’t self-sacrificing, and it was anything but pious. That is why Paul is writing to them that their life was not even ordinary.
Second, Paul is a very bright guy, and I don’t think that he was writing to dead people expecting them to start living as the Church of God.
Finally, I’m pretty sure that no one was praying to a live carnal Christian living in Corinth and having miracles done, and there were no cardinals or a pope to even vote.

So, what are you saying, Pastor? Well, the Bible is saying that “saints,” as the Catholic Church practices, are really “aints”! So who are “saints”? Well, Paul tells us, “all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” In other words, “all saints are saved and all saved are saints!” Now, it is equally clear that this may have been their position in Christ, but it was far from their practice. The problem was not in their calling as saints, rather it was in the fact that they were not living as those who have called on the name of Jesus Christ, thus becoming the Church of God. How glorious is this: that Paul can call these folks “set apart” in Jesus Christ our Lord when they were not living as if they were. I cannot overstate how important these nine verses are to understanding what went wrong with the church in Corinth. The problem with the church in Corinth was that they had forgotten who they belonged to and, as such, they had forgotten they had been set apart to Jesus. Simply put, we must never forget Who our Father is! I heard a father tell his son one time, “Son, I’ve had this name given to me by my father and my father had it given him by his father. It’s your name now as well, so remember that as I have tried to do nothing that would cause people to think ill of it and expect you to do the same at least as long as I’m alive!” God is the one that has given us our name, the Church of God!

Vs. 3: I can’t think of a better time to have the words in verse three before us, “Grace and peace.” Though these were common greetings, they were from the Greek culture as well as the Hebrew. The order of them is always grace before peace because peace is always a result of grace. The word “grace” in Greek simply meant “all that is beautiful,” but with reference to Christians came to mean “all that is beautiful which is freely given to you.” The word “from” shows us the only means by which humans can ever experience grace and peace: “From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” So, God the Father is the source of grace and peace, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the channel by which we experience it.

1 Corinthians 1:1-10

Five Things Needed to Mend a Broken Net

I. Intro

By way of review, we have already seen that this church in Corinth had some difficulties that went beyond the fact of it being only four years old and situated in one of the most carnal areas in the known world. Paul had written them a letter, according to Acts 19 while in Ephesus, which he mentions in passing here in this letter (5:9), saying that they should “not to keep company with sexually immoral people.” Paul went on to explain whom he meant by sexually immoral people in 5:10-11. It is clear that he was not speaking of those who were non-Christians, as they would have to leave the planet. Instead, Paul makes it plain by saying he was speaking of “anyone named a brother” who was involved “in sexual sin, greed, worshiping idols, abusive, a drunkard, or a swindler.” Making matters worse for the Church, they were doing “evil that even the pagans didn’t do.” In reply to Paul’s rebuke of their Christian life, all they wanted to know was certain doctrinal questions. Apparently, the Church equated love with tolerance in dealing with carnality. They would have had no problem using what one local church uses as their motto, “Meeting people where they were at and loving them to where Christ wants them to be!” Fortunately, we don’t have to guess at what Paul’s words would have been concerning their attitude as he says, “you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.”

Furthermore, he reminds them of three things concerning who they are:

They are the Church of God and not the Church of Corinth: Paul saw their problem as one of identity in God, which they had forgotten. They had slipped into an attitude of self-importance; thus, they began to center their importance upon who their pastor was, “Paul, Apollos, or Peter”. Thus, they were not the Church of Corinth, neither were they the Church of Paul, Apollos, or Peter. No, they were the Church of God!
Secondly, he reminded them that in being the Church of God they were “sanctified” or dedicated specifically in Christ Jesus. These Christians had forgotten that which Paul had written to the Church of God in Galatia; namely that “We have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us; and the life which we now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.” They were not living a “separated life” dedicated to serving the Lord; instead, they were serving themselves.
Thirdly, Paul reminds them of their calling as saints or “holy ones” because they had trusted in Jesus. Instead of looking more and more like Jesus, they were looking more like the Corinthians from whom they had been called out.

So, to this carnal Church, Paul tells them that they are God’s ambassadors on earth, called to be set apart and holy specifically for this purpose. So they:

Belonged to God
Had a specific purpose
And a unique look

Oh, the balance of Paul! It has been well said that “Love without truth is sentimentality, but truth without love is brutality!” It is a difficult thing for a Church to be a balanced Church and not to be either a “sentimental” or a “brutal” Church.

Paul now moves onto five things for which he was thankful on their behalf as it related to the above three things. Finally, he addresses the problem that had come about because they did not recognize the above truths.

II. Vs. 4-9 Five Things to Be Thankful For

Amazingly, even in this Church in Corinth, Paul found things to be thankful for. In Paul’s thanksgiving to the:

Philippians: He thanks them for their support of his ministry even while he was in chains.
Colossians: Paul gave thanks for the evidence that the gospel had taken root in their lives as seen in their love for the saints.
Thessalonians: He thanked God for their work of faith, labor of love, and patient hope.

There is a startling contrast in what Paul thanks God for in these three Churches and what he thanks God for in the Church of God at Corinth. Paul is not thankful for the evidence of the gospel; instead, he thanks God for the gospel. The Church of God at Corinth was a Church that had grown out but had not grown up! Wow, did you get that? In today’s scheme of things, we put far too much importance upon how large the Church is instead of how mature and Christ-like it is! Man, have we ever lowered our standards! Here, then, are the five things Paul was thankful for on their behalf:

Vs. 4 Elected by grace: Their salvation was not based upon works but “grace”. You can read this letter through, and you will not find any hint of a struggle with legalism. These Corinthians had the right gospel to begin with; the problem with these folks was not legalism but, rather, license in as much as they thought that being saved by grace and not works meant that it didn’t matter how they behaved now that they were saved. Again, I’m taken aback by the fact that Paul does not correct doctrinal error in this carnal Church. It proves that a Church can have right teaching and still behave wrongly. The word “grace” is the word that means “favor”, and these Christians in Corinth understood that God’s favor was given to them by, or in, (the word by or in gives the limitations as far as the favor is concerned) Christ Jesus! It was “favor that was gifted them by the sacrifice of another!” So that means that their favor was:

Unattainable by effort
Undeserving by merit
Unrepayable by works

Simply put, these Corinthians owed God everything out of gratitude but nothing out of obligation. It appears that they had understood not owing God anything out of obligation, but did not comprehend owing Him everything out of gratitude and, so, like many of us, they had taken the gift of grace for granted! Peter wrote of this in his second epistle (NLT): “Paul wrote with the wisdom God gave him–speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to mean something quite different from what he meant.” Jude wrote (NIV 1:4) that “godless men change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”

Vs. 5-6 Enriched by the Word: The word “enriched” is the Greek word for “plutocrat”, which describes an extremely wealthy person. Again, notice that this enrichment is qualified as being in everything in Him. The words “utterance” and all “knowledge” further help understand the wealth in Christ that Paul is speaking of. “Utterance” is the Greek word “logos” which is translated in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “Knowledge” is the Greek word “gnosis” which describes practical understanding. So, Paul is saying that these Corinthians had the right doctrine and proper insight of the Word of God. In fact, he says they were wealthy in the Word. Theirs was not a problem of being part of a poorly taught Church, nor of one that did not understand that which they were taught, as we are told in verse 6 that the “testimony of Christ was confirmed in them”. The wealth of the Word of God was seen in the “Life of Christ” (testimony is the word martyr) which was confirmed or literally “settled or stable” in them. Paul wants them to know that he does not doubt their salvation; he knows that they had the Word of God and they responded to it and did not give mere lip service to it. Furthermore, we know that in chapters 7-16 they were hungering after even more truth. The question comes to mind, “How did those so wealthy in the Word become so carnal in practice, so that in chapter 3:1 Paul says that he could not speak to them as spiritual people but instead as carnal babes in Christ?” The answer seems to be found in pride. Their pride became founded in who taught them and what they knew, so much so that Paul said in 2:1 that he “determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Oh, dear Christian, being wealthy in the Word does us no good if we are not “poor in spirit!” Paul will tell us in 1:29 “that no flesh should glory in His presence”, and in 1:31 “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Vs. 7a Equipped with every gift of the Spirit: So far, you will note that Paul was reflecting upon what they had in the past-tense (was given, were enriched). He now looked at their present situation as coming short in no gift. The word “gift” in the Greek is the word “charisma” and comes from the root word for “grace”. Thus, Paul says that these Corinthians had been blessed with every special grace. In fact, Paul will devote three chapters (12-14) to setting in order the misuse of the gifts of the Spirit. It is interesting to me that Paul ties the use of the gifts of the Spirit with that of the second coming of Christ. It seems as though Paul was saying that they had all the gifts of the Spirit, and, because they were convinced that the Lord was coming soon, they weren’t afraid to use them. They had everything necessary for fulfilling their function as a Church: wealthy in the Word and empowered by the Spirit with the gifts, yet Corinth was having a greater impact on them than they were upon Corinth. Simply put, this was a “Spirit-filled Church”, and the gifts that Paul will list in chapters 12-14 they had and were using. Yet, Paul would write to them in chapter 13:1-2, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” They had seen themselves in what God did through them rather than what God had done for them, and it made them bask in self-importance!
Vs. 7b Expectantly waiting for the Lord’s return: They were wealthy in the Word, equipped in the Spirit, and here we see that they had the right perspective: “eagerly waiting for the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ”. The Greek words for “eagerly awaiting” mean anticipation with activity. They were not just sitting at a bus stop twiddling their thumbs. Neither were they anxious as one waits with dwindling hope. No, they were waiting for the Lord’s return, and they showed their waiting by being busy. Here we can see that Paul’s perspective is that of how they were occupying the present while waiting for the future. It is interesting to me that these Corinthians did not think that the gifts of the Spirit would somehow cease before the coming of the Lord. This Church had the anticipation of the soon return (imminent return) of Jesus and His setting up His righteous kingdom. Yet, Paul will write to them in the 15th chapter and say (NIV) “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God–I say this to your shame.”
Vs. 8 Established in the work of Christ: Paul concludes the fifth thing he was thanking God for on their behalf, that God would one day establish or confirm them blameless. The word here “blameless” is a word that means “unimpeachable”. Wow, what a glorious truth to a carnal Church that Christ was able to finish what He had started. God is faithful even though they were not. This is Paul’s way of saying that he had tremendous confidence in the outcome, not based upon them, but rather based upon Christ. He knew they would pass the test, if for no other reason than Christ would see to it. So how much better would it be for them to see what he will tell them in 1:30, that “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

Vs. 9: Finally, Paul reminds them that all of the above five things he was thankful for on their behalf were based upon God’s faithfulness. Now, I specifically want to call your attention to the fact that Paul reminds them that they were “called into fellowship with Jesus”. The word “fellowship” is the word “Koinonia” which means intimate partnership. In other words, Paul wants them to know, that not only are we saved because God wanted to save us, we stay saved because God doesn’t change His mind, but we must not forget that we are called into a partnership with Jesus. Paul would ask them in 2 Corinthians 6:14 “what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

III. Vs. 10 A Call to Mend Our Nets

Vs. 10: Now, based upon the five things that Paul thanked God for on their behalf and the fact that they are God’s Church, set apart and holy, he pleads with them by the Name by which they are blessed and called, Jesus Christ.

I notice that Paul makes an appeal and not a command, even though their situation coupled with his position would warrant it. Why the appeal instead of a command? Well, an appeal is based upon the grace that they needed. A command could be misconstrued into a form of works, which would play into their problem with pride. In fact, the word “plead” comes from the same Greek word as “parakletos” meaning helper and is a name for the Holy Spirit. The idea is that of coming alongside to help another, so Paul offers to come alongside to help them back to that which they were called, Jesus Christ. Now it is important to understand that the ground of unity to which Paul was coming alongside them was “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. It is our relationship with Jesus Christ that unifies us and, if we cannot agree on Him and His work, then we can have no unity. Now Paul magnifies this into three specific things we all ought to agree upon concerning Jesus:

“That you all speak the same thing”: The idea here is not that of some sort of robotic chant where we have no mind. It doesn’t mean that we all think alike, but rather that we all possess the mind of Christ. That is to say, concerning the fundamentals of the faith, we would all say the same thing. We ought to all agree on the person and work of God, on how we are saved. The lack of harmony was generated in that they had identified with the messenger more than the message as Paul, Peter, and Apollos were all in agreement doctrinally. I had one pastor tell me that he didn’t want to teach the Bible at his Church because it divides. I couldn’t disagree more. It is interesting that he is now divorced and no longer teaching at that Church. The Bible is not set up so that I can pick and choose certain sections and avoid others. I believe nothing has weakened the Church of God and caused more divisions than the lack of verse by verse teaching.
“That there be no divisions among you”: The word “divisions” is where we get our word “schisms” and means to tear or rip. The Church at Corinth had become little more than a popularity contest as far as agreement to the Word of God. “Hey, I follow Peter and not Paul so I’m not going to listen to what he says!” That is how most of the denominations have been formed in Christianity; people tearing away from the body of Christ because they wanted old hymns or a different color of carpet. There was far too much self-interest and self-centeredness in the Church in Corinth and this had led to schisms!
“That you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”: Finally, Paul says they need to be perfectly joined together. The word in Greek means to be put back together and was used to mend fishing nets or medically to set a bone. They were broken as a Church body and needed to be put back together. Notice how this was to take place:
- “In the same mind”: Internally
- “In the same judgment”: Externally
We will never be carbon copies of each other, however, we all ought to be of the “Mind of Christ” and seek to imitate Him. The purpose of this is because we are one body, and, in so living, we will glorify Him and reach an unbelieving world for Him.

1 Corinthians 1:11-17

No Stinking Badges: Part A

I. Intro

Last week, we heard the words of Paul as he thanked God for the upbringing that this Church in Corinth had four years earlier:

Vs. 4 Elected by grace
Vs. 5-6 Enriched by the Word
Vs. 7a Equipped with every gift of the Spirit
Vs. 7b Expectantly waiting the Lord’s return
Vs. 8 Established in the work of Christ

Yet, this very foundation led them to take pride in themselves, and a prideful church led to a divided church, and a divided church led to a carnal church, and a carnal church led to an ineffective church. Here we are, Christians living in the Church age of enlightenment. Why, we have technology like never before, communication has advanced to a place that equals man’s ability to communicate globally as in the days before the tower of Babel. We are better educated and wealthier than at any other time in human history. With all of that being true, we still are facing the same problems as ancient societies. As the Church of God, we, too, well fit this picture of the Church of God in Corinth: Divided, Carnal, and Ineffective in reaching the communities in which He has placed us. With that said, I take us back to the title of this series of verse by verse teaching through Corinthians, “A Church in Need of Christ.” That is Paul’s antidote for pride, to get them back to Jesus. Ah, but where do they start their search? It is simple. It is where we will always find Him: “at the Cross”!

II. Vs. 11-17 One Word that Ends Divisions

Vs. 11: Paul states that the information concerning them came from Chloe’s household. She was a prominent Christian businesswoman whom the Corinthians knew. Her name means “green vegetation” and was thought of as the benefit of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. The name came to symbolize a condition of health and vigor, which is clearly seen in their concern for the health and vigor of the Church in Corinth. What is impressive is that this house Church was not afraid to mention to Paul the need for health in the Church, especially since they obviously knew them.

Paul says the report came to him that there were “contentions” among them. The word means a “persistent angry argument” which had led to them taking sides and forming separate camps or schisms. In light of this, notice how Paul reminds them that they are all “brethren”. What this tells me is that none of their division was based upon the essentials of the faith. How do we know this? Well, two ways:

First, Paul calls them all brothers & urges them to unite.
Second, in scripture where there were those that had faulty teaching, Paul and others encouraged the correction and, if need be, separation.

In other words, they all had the same blood running through their veins, “the blood of Jesus”.

Vs. 12: Paul lists four splinter groups that had developed in the Church at Corinth because they all tried to identify with a man, each saying that their man made them superior to the other groups:

“I am of Paul”: These were the loyalists who gathered around the one that had led them to the Lord. Perhaps they identified with the message of grace that Paul preached. Perhaps today we would call this group the “full gospel” people, as Paul clearly gave to them everything that pertained to the faith.
“I am of Apollos”: Apollos came from Alexandria, Egypt, and was well educated and a great speaker. He had a way with words and, when he spoke, people would gather to listen. Perhaps today we might call them the “Baptists”, as they have such a great history of gifted speakers.
“I am of Cephas”: These were the traditionalists who could trace their roots way back to Jerusalem and the ministry of Peter at Pentecost. Their argument was, no doubt, to say, “Hey, we just follow the guy that was before Paul and Apollos!” Perhaps today we would call these folks the mainline Churches of “Presbyterian, Lutheran & Methodists”, all of which have such a rich history of those who served the Lord in Word and deed.
“I am of Christ”: Finally, there was this last group that took it to yet another extreme of elitism saying that, “We don’t recognize anything your guys have to say; we only recognize who they speak about.” Now, at first glance, this would appear to be the best group in Corinth, until we recognize that Paul had placed them in with the bickering schisms of the other three. This group was probably the worst of the bunch, as they were the most smug and prideful and, no doubt, thought of themselves as the only true Church in Corinth. Perhaps we would recognize them as “Seventh-day Adventists or King James only” folks that will not speak to anyone other than their little group.

In the case in Corinth, remember that the problem was not doctrinal; rather, it was a case of forgotten identity. It is interesting to me that most denominations have started with their identification with a person. A long time ago, I remember reading something that said oftentimes the work of God that starts with a “Man, moves then to a Mission which, in turn, becomes a Movement which will often lead to a Monument!” Live long enough and that which started with a man will turn into a monument. That is not always a bad thing, but what will happen is those that are part of it will begin to act superior to those of other movements. This will lead to separation based upon how someone sees a particular verse or doctrinal position. A lot of the creeds of the Church that came about to help the Church relate to each other now have become lightning rods of division. That is why I often say that I’m a “Bapticostal Calminist”. If I live long enough, that will probably become a denomination.

Vs. 13: How does Paul handle the reported angry separation? Well, he puts the importance right back on what they were to identify with. First, Paul asks a three-fold rhetorical question in which the answer is NO!

Is Christ divided? How many Jesus Christ’s are there, Paul asks? There is only one Jesus, the Christ, and He formed only one Church to which all who trust Him alone are a part. Thus, Paul says we are all one body in Christ irrespective of the individual fellowships we attend throughout the week. There are Churches that won’t allow you to take part in communion unless you join their denomination. The picture Paul paints with these words is that each of these groups was claiming that Jesus was exclusively theirs and not a part of the other schisms, kind of like little children who tell you that you can’t be someone else’s friend if you are their friend.
Was Paul crucified for you? Next, Paul says, “To which of you did I die for?” In other words, salvation is not in the messenger but rather the person of the message in which Paul, Apollos, and Peter all preached the same. This is what Peter said in Acts 4, “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” So today, we have Churches that don’t recognize your salvation unless you said it their way or speak in tongues according to their formula; you see their bumper stickers out there – “Obey Acts 2:38” -. The ground of all believers’ salvation is in the work of Christ, as seen in His crucifixion and resurrection and not in baptizing in some formula.
Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Notice that Paul asks if they were baptized in the “name of Paul”. The fact that Paul says “name” gives away what he is speaking of. He is not speaking of the ordination of baptism but rather the symbol of it. We know that baptism was the symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. So Paul is speaking of that which a person identifies with, or has allegiance towards, and says that it was not in him, or Apollos or Peter that they identified at their baptism. That is what makes the above phrase so ridiculous, “I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas”. When you were baptized here at Calvary Chapel, we did not do so in my name or Pastor Chuck’s. No, we did so in the finished work of Christ.

The problem in the Church at Corinth did not come from the leaders these schisms centered around, but rather it came from pride in their affiliations with leaders which led to self-centeredness and exclusiveness, which all of the leaders condemned. True spirituality produces humility and dependence upon Jesus and not pride and self-esteem!

Vs. 14-16: As their identity ought to have been in the message preached instead of the messenger, Paul goes on to say that he had not come to baptize. He did not try to create a sect out of only Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas. Crispus was the leader in the synagogue in Corinth when Paul first started teaching there. Gaius’ was most likely the house where he stayed at while in Corinth, as he mentions this in Rom. 16:23. Stephanas and his household, according to 16:15-17, were the first to come to Christ in Corinth. It is interesting that Paul says that he “did not know whether he baptized any other.” As a writer of scripture, Paul’s pen was without error yet, in dealing with things of this life, he struggled like the rest of us having “senior moments”.

Vs. 17: To make sure that these Corinthians do not miss the point, Paul speaks of what his calling truly was, “to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.” Paul was not in Corinth to create a following after himself or his denomination. No, Jesus told him in Acts 26:16-18, “I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” Paul’s calling had everything to do with bringing people to the oneness in Christ and not in causing them to follow after himself.

These Corinthians had placed themselves at odds with each other based upon which leader they took after. Their badge of identification was “Paul, Apollos or Peter”, so Paul says there ought to be only one badge that we identify with, “The Cross of Christ”. Notice that before he says those words, he makes sure that he says “not with wisdom of words”. Why is that important? Well, Paul wants them to know that it was not how he said it, rather it was in the acceptance of the truth of what he said. The word “wisdom” is where we get our word “philosophy”. Paul is offering something different to these Christians, as he is telling them that the Word of God was not merely a new “philosophy of words (logos)”. The division of these believers looks very much like the Greek philosophies where groups argued all the time and didn’t hang out with each other. No, the truth of God’s word is not just another “philosophy” of man-made wisdom, a “Confucius says” thing. Paul wanted everything he said to point to the person and work of Christ and not to fancy words of man’s wisdom. Simply put, the content was more important than how it was said. In the Greek culture, as well as our own, they liked to listen to those that entertained them, and Paul says, “Hey, I’m not an entertainer but a proclaimer of that which is true!” Dear saints, I’m afraid that we have forgotten this in the Church today, as we often elevate Pastors to superstar status identifying more with how well they spoke instead of what truth they proclaimed. Look again at the difference between the two things here:

Philosophy of words: Just more platitude among many others that we can follow.
Cross of Christ: Which Paul says is the power of God (Vs. 18). The word “power” is the Greek word from which we get our word dynamite or dynamic.

Do you see Paul’s point? He brought them back to the one thing that will bring them back to unity. The one thing that goes beyond simple “human wisdom” is the cross. Why? Because only the cross of Jesus can change a human life. To a Church proud of its teachers, Paul says, “You have become more concerned with the dynamics of the speaker instead of the dynamic of the cross”. The speaker does not save you. No, the “cross of Christ” does. Now, I’m not advocating boring monotone Bible reading, but what I am saying is to never get more caught up in the dynamics of preaching above the dynamics of the message of Jesus upon the cross.

Here is another thing that the cross of Christ will do to those who are proud because of those they follow. “It will take you right back to the truth that we are all sinners!” The Cross of Christ reminds us that no matter what our upbringing, culture, education, or anything else, we are sinners that only the cross of Christ has power to change! So forget all about those identification badges; the only one that matters is the cross. Now, in saying this, most folks I know wear crosses but have forgotten what it means to do so. I always like to ask a person wearing a cross, “Is that for show or to go?” The cross was a horrible instrument of torture in death. In fact, it was against Roman law for a Roman citizen to be crucified. I mean, what would you think if you saw someone wearing an ugly electric chair around their neck? Why, you would think they are morbid. Why would anyone wear a symbol of death and torture around their neck? Well, it is because of the death of Jesus that our life has been transformed. We wear it to say, “We only have life because God’s only Son died for us.” Where, then, are the bragging rights in the cross of Christ? Well, there are none because, if there had been any way for God to take away our sin, any other “Philosophy of words”, then the cross of Christ would be of no effect!

As we close now, realize these truths:

We are all one because there is no other name that we identify with other than Jesus.
We are all sinners saved by the work of Jesus on the Cross, thus we have nothing to be proud about.

So what do we have if we can’t take pride in our badges or denominations? Well, what we have is a great reason to praise God who saved sinners like us!

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

No Stinking Badges: Part B

I. Intro

Paul’s mention of the cross in verse 17 serves as an introduction to his discussion on what man considers as wisdom compared to what God thinks of as wisdom. Eight times in this section Paul is going to use the word wisdom and five times he is going to use the word foolishness. These Corinthian believers were prideful upon what they knew, and it was tearing them apart. In chapter 8:1-3, Paul will spell it out more bluntly when he tells them, “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet, as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.” In verses 18-25, Paul emphasizes the message of the Cross-of Christ and answers why people don’t receive it, PRIDE! Then, in verses 26-31, Paul looks at those that do receive the message, as they have come to realize that they are nothings.

I was reading a newsletter I get monthly, and one of the readers wrote an angry letter which so illustrates the pride we can have as we follow a monument instead of the Savior. “Gentlemen, I’m a very devout _______ and treasure my faith. Your blasphemies against our Church are outrageous, and Mr. ______ will be punished in due time for his lies against _____. Let’s face it, the whole truth is that if everyone followed our spiritual leader, the _______, who is very holy indeed, God would not have any of these problems of today.” Now, reading this, it is clear how pride has blinded this person concerning what they call Holy, devout, and spiritual. Yet, I say this in love, pride can produce the same fruit in what we call holy, devout, and spiritual.

II. Vs. 18-25 A Foolish Message (God’s Tools)

In verse 17, as I said, Paul introduced to us the antidote for pride, the “cross of Christ” which he proclaimed he delivered to them not in “wisdom of words” lest it should be of no effect. The Corinthians, like those of us today, became more impressed with the way something was communicated instead of what was communicated. The word “wisdom” in the Greek is “sophia” from where we get our English word “philosophy” which means the “love of wisdom”.

In verse 18, notice here Paul tells us what the gospel is and is not:

Vs. 17 It is not “wisdom of words”: It is not just mere clever speech or man’s opinions. Notice here that “words” is plural signifying many and varying.
Vs. 18 It is “Word of the cross”: Notice here that “Word” is singular suggesting unity and completeness. In other words, it is the apex of God’s revealed Word and work for man’s redemption with no varying opinions. The author of Hebrews started his letter by stating; “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” The Word of the cross is not just man’s opinions or some “good rules” to live your life by. No, without it there is no salvation for mankind.

Paul moves our attention to two different groups of listeners to the “Word of the cross” but, before we look at them, he uses a Greek present verb tense “ARE”. So? Well, Paul did not say that either of these two groups HAVE “perished” or HAVE “been saved” rather they are on their way, or are headed on the path, based upon their responses to the “Word of the cross”. In other words, they are moving in one of two directions (towards perishing or towards being saved).

“To those who are perishing”: For those that are heading down the path of destruction, the word of Christ is “foolishness”. This is an interesting Greek word from which we get our English word “moron” meaning total absurdity. Perhaps you have even heard someone tell you as you are witnessing to them, “You have to be a complete moron to believe that nonsense!” To those who rely upon their own understanding, the idea that a man 2,000 years ago would die upon a piece of wood on some forgotten hill in a land that you have never seen has any ability to determine our fate in life apart from our merit is total nonsense.
“To us who are being saved”: Yet to those headed down the path of being saved whether Jew or Greek, it is the “power of God”. Wow, what a contrast in these two groups, “a moron to believe such nonsense to the power of God”. It all centers upon a person’s view of the cross, Paul says.

Vs. 19: Now as I hear this, I immediately think what causes such a difference between these two groups? Well, Paul quotes a passage out of Isaiah 29:14 to explain the difference. This prophecy spoken by Isaiah centered around a time in Judah’s history when Assyria would invade them led by Sennacherib and his army of 185,000 men. The Lord spoke to Isaiah and King Hezekiah not to fear because Judah would prevail against the Assyrians, but it would not be because of their plans, advisors, or help from other nations. Instead, it would be solely by God’s hand and power. Sennacherib and his army of 185,000 men had Judah held up in Jerusalem without hope of deliverance, and every day Sennacherib would come up and tell them to surrender recalling how better off they would be and how they had destroyed other nations who trusted in their gods. Sure enough, in one night by the hand of one angel, 185,000 men were destroyed. So what’s Paul’s point? Well, their salvation wasn’t based upon their understanding of God’s method or their own plans or ingenuity, instead, it was based upon their simple trust in God to keep His word.

Here’s how this relates to these two groups as well as to the Corinthians: “Pride would keep someone from being delivered simply because they could not understand how it all was going to work”. And to the Corinthian believers who had trusted the word of the cross why were they now behaving as if they had anything to do with it except trusting in God? Man, does that ever cut to our prideful hearts! Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” To the Romans, Paul wrote, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.”

Vs. 20: So, based upon that, Paul continues by asking, “Where is the wise”? They had taken pride in certain leaders and forsaken the brokenness that trusting in the work of the Word of the cross had produced, so Paul brings them back. Now it is interesting to me that Paul uses the two different forms of thought or wisdom of the day that people used to understand things.

“Where is the scribe?” This would be the Jewish person who gave their understanding to the wisdom of the past in ancient writings of wise and learned men. They would study those writings to try to derive at practical applications for their day.
“Where is the disputer of this age?” This was the Greek person Luke describes in Acts 17:21 who “spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.” They debated each other arguing certain philosophies with clever rhetoric to determine which was true. The one with the better speech won the argument.

Folks, Paul is making a powerful truth here that we all ought to praise God for. You can study history and read all the books in the world to where you become a great thinker. Or you can be a great debater discussing the finer points of wisdom and neither of these will lead you to the cross of Christ. Why is that great news? Well, simply put, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to become a believer. You don’t have to be the best-educated or trained person to be able to receive Jesus! Now that’s not to say that God would not have us use our heads as we trust Him but that our salvation is based upon trusting Him, not complete understanding of His method of salvation. Hey, when I received Jesus at 22 years old, I had maybe a 6th-grade reading level. I pronounced Job as “job” and Psalms as “P-slams”, yet that had nothing to do with my salvation.

Think of this phrase for a minute, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” We are better educated, better economically, have better communication, and we understand the human body and human mind better than at any other time in human history. In fact, we have as a world society devoted ourselves to understanding and peace but, with all of man’s wisdom and learning, we have not improved upon our behavior towards each other since time has been recorded. What have we done? Well, we have just come up with more excuses for our inhumanity toward each other. The fact is, we have increased in our immorality and wicked behavior with the increase of our knowledge. Am I saying that knowledge is bad and that we are better off being stupid? No, what I am saying is what the Psalmist said in 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.” WHERE IS THE WISE? Let us agree where it is not, in human wisdom!

Vs. 21: Here is where Paul is going with this, “Mankind cannot solve their problems because they refuse to accept their source, SIN!” Mankind has long tried to treat the symptoms of their bad behavior. They have even tried to change their behavior but have been unable to do so. With all our wisdom and intelligence, most of the time we refuse to recognize our problem and, even when we do as in the case of religion, we have no power to change our behavior.

Folks, I’ve got to tell you that for years before I was a Christian this very truth kept me from believing in God. I mean, what kind of cruel creator would give man intelligence and understanding but no power to change? But, follow me on this, “What if God in His wisdom held the key to change? And that only those who came to understand they were broken that only He could fix them?” You mean to tell me it’s that simple? Yep, that simple. Why, so simple that even I can understand it! Think of this, “The world says, you have to be a moron to believe this nonsense!” And we can say with a smile, “Yep, praise God!” Only when human wisdom recognizes its own bankruptcy can we turn to Jesus as the answer! Paul said here that, “it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” Notice that it’s not the proclamation that is foolish but rather the content, the word of the cross. God’s wisdom is not mankind’s wisdom just multiplied a thousand times; it’s completely different. Jesus said in Matt. 18:3-4, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Spurgeon quaintly said in regards to this verse, “It is certain that a blind man is no judge of colors, neither is an unregenerate man a judge of spiritual truth!”

Vs. 22-24: Paul speaks of how human wisdom is not only not an asset but rather a hindrance and liability to the word of the cross by again looking at the two different types of human wisdom of those that made up the Church in Corinth.

“Jews request a sign”: In verse 23, Paul says that “Christ crucified” to the Jews was a stumbling block. With all of the Jewish emphasis upon history and studying the writings of old, they sought a sign or “Supernatural evidence”. So when they read about the Messiah coming and performing all these signs and wonders, they sought the same from Jesus. So Jesus explained to them in Matt. 12:39-40, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Their problem in studying the scriptures (Isa. 53 & Ps 22) where the Messiah was clearly seen as suffering and killed was, “How could victory be won by defeat?” So they just spiritualized those passages to speak of the nation or something else. Now here is what amazes me, “They wanted to see a sign of power demonstrating the fact that Jesus was God and because they could not see how victory could be won by defeat, they missed their sign of Jesus’ victory over death!” So, instead, the cross of Christ became a “stumbling block” literally a scandal.
“Greeks seek after wisdom”: And again Paul says in verse 23 that “Christ crucified” was a foolishness to the Greeks. Now the Jews wanted “Rational evidence”. Their problem was, “How could the death of someone else change anything to do with me?” It was nonsense to them that the death of Jesus could impact their lives and take away guilt or alter behavior. Now they missed out on the rational truth that God became man and all their sin was placed upon him; it’s rational and simple. Yet, pride kept them from understanding the incarnation and to them it was just silly, just as it was in Athens as we are told that when they heard of the “resurrection of a person who had been dead, some laughed”.

But the fact remains that God’s nonsense is wiser than mankind’s wisdom, and His weakness stronger than mankind’s strength. Why? Because to “those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Do you see Paul’s words here, “power of God and the wisdom of God”? It’s not just a brilliant idea, it actually works! I’m here today because of receiving the word of the cross; I was once dead and now I’m alive!

Now Paul is going to switch gears next week and deal with yet another reason why we Christians can’t take pride in anything because God calls the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. How great is our Lord who makes sure that the only thing we can glory in is Christ?

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

“No Stinking Badges (Part C)”

I. Introduction

The Corinthian believers had become proud in their “higher education” in spiritual matters, and this had led them away from their humble beginnings at the foot of the cross. Paul reminds them of how they at one time viewed the preaching of the cross of Christ “as either a scandal or nonsense” but, when they received the Person on the cross, it became dynamite! Last week, Paul’s focus was on God’s method or His tool (the cross of Christ) to reach through man’s pride by reminding them that it was not their intellect that caused them to figure out the way of salvation. In fact, it was when they became humble that the truth of the word of the cross became the “power of God and wisdom of God”. T.S. Eliot said, “All our knowledge only brings us closer to our ignorance, and all our ignorance closer to death. Closer to death, yet no nearer to God. So it is with all sciences, and even the science of Bible study, knowledge just puffs up!”

In the 60’s and 70’s, there was a phrase among college students and professors that said, “Challenge Authority”. It was an anti-establishment saying that went along with the statement admonishing them to not “trust anyone over 30”. The idea behind it was meant to elevate personal thinking and intellect. However, pride is always a hindrance to true learning, as it is only when we admit that we don’t know something that we can truly learn. So perhaps we ought to change the phrase “Challenge Authority” to “Question Our Assumptions”! Think of how much better off we all would be if we continually “questioned our assumptions”. Paul says as much when in 1 Corinthians 2:2 he says, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” This week, Paul’s focus is not on God’s tool for reaching mankind but just who it is that is reached by a message we once all thought was foolish.

II. Vs. 26-31 For Foolish People (For God’s Fools)

Vs. 26: Notice the words, “For you see your calling, brethren”. Paul is speaking of the makeup of the Church of God in Corinth as God had called them to faith in Christ. The normal things that we humans tend to elevate about ourselves, Paul reveals to us, become weights that keep us from the truth that can transform our lives! The truth of the matter is that God’s call towards them was not “because” of who they were rather it was “in spite” of who they were. Simply put, “What was it they had to boast of, or take pride in, about themselves prior to their conversion?” Paul will later say to them in 1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT, “What makes you better than anyone else? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?” God is not impressed with our looks, social positions, personal achievements, ancestral heritages or income potential. How do we know that God is not impressed with the things that man is impressed with as far as salvation is concerned? Well, Paul says, “Take a look around, there weren’t many of you in those categories.” The Church of God at Corinth was comprised of ordinary people who were only good at being sinners before the transforming power of the message of the cross! So what could they brag about? “Hey, man, you think you were a bad dude, why I once…!”

Paul lists three categories of people that not “many” of them fit into. Now, he did not say “any” but rather “many”. A noble English lady who became a believer once commented upon the fact that she was saved by the “M” of “many”, because if it had read “any”, she could not have been saved! I suppose in looking at these three categories we could say that these three areas tend to cause folks to stumble or think the word of the cross is nonsense. The words “according to the flesh” in the Greek are meant to be placed before each of the three categories and, by them, Paul means to say that, based upon the standards of mankind, you won’t find many of these folks in the body of Christ.

“Not many wise”: The word “wise” is the Greek word sophia from where we again get our English word philosophy. So Paul says that God did not receive them as His child because they were brilliant. The remedy for mankind’s salvation does not lie upon our intellect; if it did, many of us would be in big trouble. In the early 1900’s, the Church thought it needed more of these “wise” folks, the university professors and the like, but they weren’t attending because they had all read Darwin’s book “Origin of Species” and rejected their faith choosing rather to trust in another man’s theory. So to get them back into the Church, they decided to scrap a literal reading of the first 10 chapters of Genesis and instead made it an allegory. Well, the professors came back into the Church. In fact, they took over the Christian seminaries and the birth of liberalism came upon the Church. Paul would write to the Romans concerning these kinds of folks when he said, “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man; and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” Again, I remind you that it says “not many” and not “any”. There are some of the C.S. Lewis types, but they have to come the same way as the rest of us- by faith.
“Not many mighty”: The word “mighty” comes from the same root word as verse 24 rendered “power”. In fact, in this verse we are told that “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” The word wisdom is the same word as well. So? Is it not interesting that those who think themselves wise and powerful do not receive that Christ is the only wise and powerful? Anyway, the word here means “men of dignity”. Those that are powerful and authorities in the world’s eyes are not very inclined to see Jesus as the “all and only powerful”. There weren’t a whole lot of the “movers and shakers” that were a part of the Church of God in Corinth. And so, too, today there are not many influential people interested in the Church of God. Today we have underway “Church growth” methods to try to get these folks back into the Church. But the thing is they don’t much care for the Bible, and they don’t like the teaching of the cross. What they want to know is how to have better time management and how to have better relationships. They want this information in a way that entertains them, so it has to be a quality level that rivals Hollywood. You know what, it has worked and they are coming back to Church in droves, but the sad thing is the Church is looking more and more like the world they supposedly came out of!
“Not many noble”: Finally, Paul says that there were not many in the Church that were “well born” or of “distinguished ancestry”. Now some versions use the word “wealthy” as that carries part of the idea, but it goes beyond this. Perhaps we would say that there were not many that were of “old money”. You could go up to the Church parking lot in Corinth and not see too many “Bentley chariots” parked there. No, most folks just walked. Again, today Churches plan new developments where the money is not where the need is. They want to make sure that their facility spares no amount of money so that money will come. “We have no problem that a huge offering won’t cure!” And you know what, where the Church has moved to a wealthy neighborhood and built a fancy expensive building, the wealthy and those of “high standing” have come, but at the cost of those who have not, for they are not welcome!

Amazingly though, this Church of Corinth did not have those things to boast of, they were not of the “upper ten percent” of society made up of the “intellectuals, movers and shakers and the wealthy”. Now you would think that would keep them humble and broken, but such is not the way of the flesh. No, they were lifted up in PRIDE!

Vs. 27-28: Now in contrast to the three things the world admires, Paul lists the three qualities that God looked for in calling them to faith in His Son.

Vs. 27a “foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise”: Notice the contrast from what the world admires: the “intellectuals”. The word “foolish” comes from a root word meaning “to be considered nothing”. What, did we read that right? God calls the nobodies and nothings in the world’s eyes to nullify those that think they are smarter than everybody else. In God’s eyes, the world’s nobodies are His somebody’s. The truth of the matter is we, like these Corinthians, have benefited from the fact that God starts His saving work from the bottom and works upward. In 178 A.D., the philosopher Celsus wrote of Christians that “No cultured person…. none wise or sensible but all that we count as evil and ignorant wanting of sense and culture all those that are fools let them become Christians!” Jesus said in Matt. 11:25 NLT, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike.” In Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians, he would say (12:9), “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Oh dear Christian, the power of God rests upon the broken and contrite of heart.
Vs. 27b “God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty”: Here, the contrast is from the powerful “movers and shakers” to that of the insignificant or, if you will, the “file clerks and burger flippers”. These Corinthians were primarily made up of those who had no power or authority in the community, no they were at best just working-class folks. Man, can we ever see how dangerous the “self-esteem” teaching is within the Church. In the 6th chapter, Paul speaks of those who “will not inherit the kingdom of God” as being “nor fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners”. He then goes on to say a most remarkable thing concerning the Church of God in Corinth, “And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Thank God it’s not what we now “are” but rather what we once “were”!
Vs. 28 “Base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen”: Here is the final contrast with God’s choice versus that of the world. The word “base” means “those without a family”. The world chose those that came from an “important family”; God chose those who had no family to be a part of His family. Lots of folks are very proud of their family pedigree, but, thanks be to God, it is not what allows you and I entrance into the kingdom of God.

Finally, to sum it all up, Paul says, “the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are”. Now this phrase, “the things which are not” to the Greek mind was one of the worst things you could ever say to another human being. Today, we would say “a waste of space”, the nothings.

Vs. 29: I don’t know about you, but reading these verses has humbled me, as I see that I fit the “such were some of you crowd” much more than I fit the “not many” group. Yet I also read this and I wonder why? Why, Lord, don’t you pick a better team to call the Church than us bunch of nothings? Well, here then is the answer: “that no flesh should glory in His presence.” Do you not understand? God has deliberately chosen a message that people either regard as a “scandal or as nonsense” so that when they receive it as the “dynamic of God”, they will do so without any claim or reason why He loved them on their own merit! I am convinced when in heaven we will not be asking each other, “what school did you go to, how successful were you or who were your parents?” The answer will always be the same, “I am here by the unmerited favor of God which saved a sinner like me.”

Vs. 30-31: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus”! As I wrote these words in light of what we have just studied, tears ran down my face. Oh, the wonder of these words, “from nothings and nobodies to YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS”. We cannot boast of anything worthy ever of saving. It is purely by His grace. I know of nothing more horrible in my heart than my pride and self-importance; it is the greatest blasphemy I know of!

Next, Paul speaks of the transforming power of Christ who becomes for us wisdom from God. Human intellect, movers and shakers, and the wealthy had nothing to do with our salvation, yet look now at what Jesus has transformed you and I into.

“Righteousness”: This is “imputed wisdom”, as it is Jesus’ rightness over my wrongness. He takes my broken worthless life and makes it whole. My corruption has put on His incorruption! Jesus on the cross has paid my debt completely. Paul writes to the Ephesians, “He has made us accepted in the Beloved.” Say those words, Christians, as that is what it means: Jesus became for us our righteousness!
“Sanctification”: This is “imparted wisdom” and is seen not in what we know but rather what we practice. In Jesus, we have been set apart as holy, so as we put on Christ Jesus we will:
- Look at life with the eyes of Jesus
- Love with the heart of Jesus
- Think with the mind of Jesus
Gone are the excuses, as Jesus’ work on the cross not only took away the penalty of our sin, but it broke the power that sin has over the flesh so that now we have a choice. Two Christian men were talking one day recognizing their failures and sins when one of the brothers said, “I’m so glad that God knows our frame and that He remembers that it is dust!” The other fellow replied, “Yes, but do you really think we ought to be as dusty as we are?”
“Redemption”: This speaks of “implanted wisdom”. The word “redemption” is only used 11 times in the N.T., and each time it speaks of a day when we will be in the presence of the Lord for eternity. Though we are “redeemed” positionally, now we are waiting for that time when in the presence of the Lord there will be no more sorrow. Man, I can’t wait to be fully redeemed, free from this old tent with all of its limitations. All the purposes of God will be fulfilled!

The righteousness that is in Christ put you and I back into the center of the Will of God.

The sanctification that is in Christ causes us to grow day by day into His likeness.

The redemption that is in Christ will bring us into His very presence for eternity.

Therefore, Paul concludes, “as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” There is only one area in which we can boast, that we are in Christ and we have no other grounds for confidence than this, my friends. So, we have trusted only in the Word of the Cross and have nothing else to say!

Where God can find a little group of “crucified people”, He will always:

Enlighten them with His wisdom
Empower them with His Spirit
Engulf them with His love

And in so doing, they will reach the world with the message of the cross of Christ, the power of God for those who will be saved!