The day, spoken of here, is judgment day, when we all stand before the Lord to be judged. Was Paul, or John Calvin, or Martin Luther, or John Wesley crucified for us? Paul was his Roman name even though it is taken from a Greek name Paulos, which means little. In our day, it is how Christian rock crept into our churches. Without this message, people cannot be saved, which means they cannot receive the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5), which means they cannot have the ability to discern truth, which means they do not have the mind and wisdom of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:9-16). The church at Corinth had been established on one of Paul’s missionary journeys. This is the way false doctrines come into the church. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” “For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen [it], repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”. All agree, who are not even Christians that He was the Anointed One. If we are believers in Christ, we are all born into Him. Paul is explaining to them that there is one message from God that saved them, and they must stick with that message. Bible Study, The fivefold ministry of the church was active here. Because a copy of that letter has never been discovered, it has been referred to as “the lost epistle”. (1) Whom the letter is from: Paul, a called apostle. What the world calls foolish is the source of power and wisdom to those who humble themselves and earnestly seek God’s truth (James 4:6-10). What was the most prominent of the false worship in Corinth? 1 Corinthians Greeting. 1 Corinthians 1:9 “God [is] faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”. The grace of God toward man is unexplainable. We are told that for those that are in Christ, or believers, the source of wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption is Christ Jesus. First Corinthians, Chapter 1 starts with Paul’s salutation. 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Albuquerque, NM: Selah Mountain Bible Institute. Notice, in the verse above that it was God’s will for Paul to be an apostle. As believers who are Biblically literate, it is astounding how some people have no clue even about the simplest teachings of the Bible. Finally we come to the heart of 1 Corinthians 1, the source of our wisdom. This was a thriving city with much evil. This perhaps, was the reason Paul had an easy time being heard at first. Matthew 21:31-32 “Whether of them twain did the will of [his] father? We see from this there are divisions in the church Paul had established in Corinth. Christ is not divided, then or now. Paul preached the gospel and set up churches where he went. I could have said that of all denominations, not just the Baptist. Having this common bond requires that each member of the fellowship thinks the same way. This confounds or confuses those who consider themselves to be of high education, intellect, and position because of their pride. Read more about Paul: Apostle Paul Biography and Profile. Ephesians 4:13 – There is a connection between maturity and unity. The fact that Paul calls him brother makes me believe that he converted to Christianity. The ultimate is when you know Him as your Lord. The most serious problem of the Corinthian church was worldliness, an unwillingness to divorce the culture around them. Lord Jesus Christ is the true name of Jesus on the earth. It is not known whether Chloe was a man or a woman. Philippians 2:2 – Make my joy complete by being of one mind and spirit and love. i. Why was it easy for Paul to be heard the first time here? God is faithful: Because of God’s sovereign and unchangeable promise, believers are assured of this grace; past, present and future, and will remain saved, assured of future glory at Christ’s appearing. Not the Day of the Lord which is a term referring to judgment on the ungodly. The word “apostle” means ambassador, messenger, or delegate. To have fellowship (2) with Christ and other believers means that the members have a common bond. 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Others who were given that responsibility did the baptizing. They have a wrong understanding of 1 Corinthians 13:8, which says that tongues will cease (explained in the notes on 1 Corinthians 13). Jesus means Savior and Christ means the Anointed One. 1 Corinthians 1 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 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 … The body starts out with the topic of divisions in the church, which apparently was becoming a problem in Corinth. EasyEnglish is a system of simple English designed by Wycliffe Associates (UK). From here the pride and foolishness of man is demonstrated to be the cause of false doctrine and teachings, which leads man astray and causes him to despise Christ and His followers. Paul zeros in on the focus of preaching the gospel, which is not baptizing people, but preaching the truth of salvation (1 Corinthians 1:17). Some will say I am a Baptist, others say I am a Methodist, others will say I am a Christian. Williams, Michael, (2013). He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. 1 Corinthians Chapter 1 We are beginning one of the most important letters that Paul wrote to the churches he had begun. This is not the prodigal son (of Luke 15:11), but the parable of the two sons, one who said he would work in the vineyard but didn’t and the other who at first said no but then repented and went. 1 When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, [] I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. That is the reason it is so important to study the Bible every day. Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Advertise. Christ is not divided and neither is His body, the church. All Rights Reserved. The self-righteous did not even know they needed to repent. How many prostitutes worked in this false religion at that time? It is in Christ Jesus. The purpose of First Corinthians, which contains 16 chapters, is to. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. What seaport city was a suburb of Corinth? The city of Corinth was believed to be a city of about 600,000 people when this was written to them. This lesson will serve as a 1 Corinthians 1 Bible study and commentary. 1 Corinthians Chapter 15 Second Continued. “Gift” in Greek is specifically “a gift of grace.” While the blessings of speech and knowledge were primarily for evangelizing the lost, the spiritual gifts (chapters 12-14), edify the church. 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,[ b] and Sosthenes our brother, 2 to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of … 1 Corinthians 1:10 Or brothers and sisters.In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 11, 26; 1 Corinthians 1:21 Or the folly of preaching; 1 Corinthians 1:26 Greek according to the flesh; 1 Corinthians 1:29 Greek no flesh This passage discusses the fellowship of believers with Jesus Christ through the faithfulness of God. What message for the churches today can we get out of verse 12, here? We, also, know that he was a Roman. When this happens, believers are despised and persecuted (1 Corinthians 4:10; James 2:1-6; 2 Timothy 3:12) until such time as God sets things right forever. They were not just sitting around waiting for the coming of the Lord, but were using the gifts of the Spirit that the Lord had given them to help them minister. 1 Corinthians Author and Date. Commentary. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 1:4 “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;”. Sosthenes (of safe strength), had been the ruler of the synagogue at Corinth. 1 Corinthians 1:7 “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:”. The preaching of the cross of Christ is what saves people. This city had many false gods and goddesses. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail, Previous post: Bible Verses About Reliability: 20 Scripture Quotes, Next post: 5 Differences Between Walking in the Flesh and Walking in the Spirit, Copyright © 2010-2020 Telling Ministries LLC. Read them in the archive below. The grace of God toward man brings great peace because of God’s saving grace. 1 Corinthians 1:1 “Paul, called [to be] an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes [our] brother,”. It also touches upon the true gospel of Jesus Christ, which does not involve man-made works such as baptism. His authorship was attested by Clement of Rome as early as a.d. 96, and today practically all NT interpreters concur. Fellowship, in the verse above, means union. Such elevation of leaders leads only to contention, disputes, and a divided church. On his way on one of his many journeys to capture Christians and put them in jail, he encountered the Lord Jesus Christ, in a great and blinding Light. 1 Corinthians 1 Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Sosthenes the brother, To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, saints by the selection of God, with all those who in every place give h... Read verse in The Bible in Basic English Footnotes. There was a mixture of nationalities here. Dr. Mike holds under-graduate through post graduate degrees in Christian Education and formerly worked as a nurse. Paul refers to this in 2 Corinthians 11:2 where he says that he is afraid that the believers would be easily deceived about the simplicity of the gospel and adopt a legalistic works based message of salvation. 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.”. Paul was sought out of God to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Whose will was it for Paul to be an apostle? We are told that on the day of Pentecost, when the wind of the Spirit came, they are of one accord. First we need to ask, who is this Paul? Because these gifts are given to each believer (12:11-12), without regard for maturity or spirituality, the Corinthians, though sinful, had them in full. We have discussed how many times people will hang on to one or two of their habits sometimes when they come to Christianity, and will try to teach that along with Christianity. Salvation comes from believing Jesus in our heart and confessing this with our mouth. This was a very evil city. We are told that he was a student of Gamaliel. Now, they could come boldly before the throne of God, and they would be just as if they had never sinned. New Testament Survey: 1 Corinthians. 1 What did Paul not come with when he came to the Corinthians?--eloquence or superior wisdom 2 What did Paul resolve to know while he was with the Corinthians?--nothing (except Jesus Christ and him crucified) 3 In what did Paul come to the Corinthians?--weakness and fear and much trembling 4 What was Paul's message and preaching not with?--wise and persuasive words 5 Why were Paul's message and preaching not with wise and persuasive words?--so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom… Tongues are good, prophecy and knowledge and faith are good, sacrifice is good. Paul points out how God makes fools out of those who claim the wisdom of the world as truth. He mentions that, because of this, they are not lacking in Spiritual gifts while they wait for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will keep them in His hand (John 10:28-29). They must hear the message of God and be convicted in their heart. Chapter Overview First Corinthians 1 is the introduction to one of Paul's letter to the city of Corinth. This time on himself as if mimicking the attitude of the proud Corinthians toward him, Paul rebukes them. We will find in this book, as we do in many of Paul’s writings that he deals with them within the confines of their customs. Paul mentions that the people he baptized were so very few that he could list them by name. 1 Corinthians 1, Greeks and Romans made up the majority of the people. It is hard to unlearn some things. Chapter 1. They were thought of as being one of the wealthiest cities of the area. 1 Corinthians 1:2 “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:”. It then discusses the foundations for church fellowship and the causes of division. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. First of all, he explains that they must be together, that division is not what God would have. He will find us not guilty of any sin, if we are His. The most prominent of the false worship was of Aphrodite. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group. Dr Michael L has written 155 articles on What Christians Want To Know! His Hebrew name was Saul which means asked. 2. We must always remember that, we are first a follower of and a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and then join whatever denomination best takes care of our needs. It then discusses the foundations for church fellowship and the causes of division. I believe the important word in the Scripture above is fellowship. Had they been baptized by him; he is afraid some might confuse that with him being their Savior. These small group studies of 1 Corinthians contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications. However, God will destroy the wisdom of these people (1 Corinthians 1:19; Isaiah 29:14) and show that their wisdom is useless. It also means, he that is sent. We see a closeness here with the Lord Jesus. 2:4). Bible commentary, 1 Corinthians 2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. 1 Corinthians 1:5 “That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and [in] all knowledge;”. An immature person (such as a baby) doesn’t have the discernment to know what is good to eat and what isn’t. 1 Corinthians 1 – Jesus, the Wisdom of God A. Greeting and giving of thanks. 1:1 Paul, 1 called [to be] an 2 apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and 3 Sosthenes [our] brother, (1) The inscription of the epistle, in which he mainly tries to procure the good will of the Corinthians towards him, yet nonetheless in such a way that he always lets them know that he is the servant of God and not of men. 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. But the city was so corrupt that an idiom was coined “like a Corinthian,” which meant someone who was … What caused Paul to come to Christianity? It also touches upon the true gospel of Jesus Christ, which does not involve man-made works such as baptism. 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