1 Corinthians 1
From 2Timothy2.org
Contents
Introduction
- What is something you own? How does your interest in something change if you own it?
- Ownership tends to be a big deal, people treat what they own with a lot of respect. People have a vested interest in what they own. Similarly, God has a vested interest in His church.
Lesson
Greetings
Paul: God’s man (V1)
- What aspects of his own life does Paul choose to highlight in his greeting?
- An apostle was an eye-witness to the risen Lord and the word αποστολος carries the idea of a messenger. The idea here is that Paul was an eye-witness to the risen Lord and specifically commissioned for service to the gentiles. A natural question is when did Paul actually see Jesus? The answer comes from Acts 9:1-7, 1 Cor. 9:1, and Gal 1:12.
- Paul was called to be an Apostle. It is significant that Paul did not choose to be an Apostle. The call to serve Christ in this role was impossible to refuse.
Overall Message
- God was the one who owned Paul and as property of God, Paul was doing God's bidding. The life of a Christ-follower should be marked by living as property of another, property of God.
The Corinthians: God’s church (V2)
- What characteristics of the church does Paul highlight in his introduction?
- Of God
- The genitive of possession is a strong reminder that the church in Corinth did not belong to its leaders, its congregation, or its city. The church was the property of God and as such was to be submissive to God.
- Sanctified in Christ
- The word for sanctified carries a bunch of grammatical weight. It is a perfect passive participle which serves as a noun. In other words, these are individuals who had been sanctified with ongoing effects (present effects of past action). These people were to live a life in light of their positional sanctification.
- Called saints
- Just as Paul was called to be an apostle so these individuals were called to live a holy life.
- Part of a larger body
- The church at Corinth is just a small piece of the puzzle and they need to recognize that they are part of something much bigger than themselves.
- Of God
Overall Message
- God's Church should be marked by individuals submitting to God's authority as part of a corporate body who together are pursuing mutual edification toward the glory of God.
Application Question: What does God's ownership mean for you? What does God's ownership mean for our church?
Thanksgiving
- The object of thanks: God (V4-8)
- Specifically, God’s abundant grace. In a typical letter from this period of time a writer would make some sort of polite greeting but instead of praising the Corinthians, Paul praises God. No matter what has happened in the church, Paul realized that God's grace was an object worthy of thanksgiving.
Application Question: How can you apply Paul's thankfulness in your life?
Paul’s Response to Reports
A Church Divided
The Plea (V10)
- What plea does Paul make in verse 10?
- Paul makes a plea for unity. His plea is in the name of Jesus, the idea of name here is that of authority and representation. In ancient cultures a name carried the idea of bearing representation of all that a person was and stood for.
The problem (V11-13)
- What problem does Paul describe in verse 11?
- There was apparently conflict, division springing up in the church.
- What specific problem is brought up in verse 12?
- It seems that there were people who had begun identifying themselves by a leader's name.
The Solution: the gospel
- What general argument is outlined in verse 13?
- Christ is not divided - You are of Christ => You should not be divided!
- What does verse 16 tell us about Paul's view of himself?
- He is not keeping score
- How does Paul contrast the wisdom of the gospel and the world in verse 17?
- The gospel contradicts worldly wisdom because of the foolishness of the cross.
- How is the gospel described in verses 18-25?
- “The message of the Cross” is the message of self-renunciation, of obedience to God which may lead as it did in Jesus’ case to humiliation and death, but which ultimately leads not to self-destruction but to preservation (Mark 8:34–35) and exaltation (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 22:5).[1]
- The gospel contradicts world wisdom because of the foolish followers. (V26-31)
- Why do you suppose God chooses to work through the foolish and weak?
- The gospel contracts worldly wisdom because of its foolish preaching (2:1-5)
Application Question: Why is it important that we recognize the human imperfections of our spiritual leaders?
Application
How would we score in each of the following?
- The church is all about God, not about us.
- The message must be about the Cross, not about us.
- Out boasting must be in the Lord, not in us.
