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1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1

By Pastor Doug
The city of Corinth; disisions; worldly wisdom verses the wisdom of God.

If someone described the city of Corinth to you without disclosing the name or year, you might easily think they were talking about today.  The city was affluent and with money and affluency comes corruption and power struggles to control the money.  Our idols have different names than theirs.  Their value system was different than ours, but ours is no more holy or sanctified.  They sought knowledge or high understanding of philosophy while we shut our brains off and watch the boob tube.  They segregated into followers of different philosophies or politics while we segregate into many denominations and political sects and divisions within the denominations.  The newer Christians of Corinth were master of justifying their sin or their politics or their way – unwilling to change while claiming Christ.  With that said, we can see that mankind hasn't change all that much in 2000 years, as we continue to do the same.  Corinth was a horrible place to maintain a Christian walk.  It was not a place you wanted to raise your family.  Yet, much like our world, it was a place full of people that needed the gospel and the saving faith available from Jesus. 

If we were going to put a title or theme on this study of First Corinthians, it might be 'Called to be Saints'.  To be a saint is to be set aside for use by God.  We don't do good works to become saints.  Our position as a saint isn't from accomplishments.  Being a saint isn't like a badge we earn from God.  Our salvation comes from an understanding of dying to self; of surrender of our will, of putting our self in the service of the one who saved us.  He died for our sins; in response, we die in surrender to Him.  We become saints, set aside for Him.  J. Vernon McGee described it this way: 

All of mankind is divided between the saints and the ain'ts.  If you ain't in Christ, then you are an ain't.  If you are in Christ, then you are a saint.

That's a pretty good way of putting it. Because the difference between the two is Jesus Christ alone.

The epistle was written in AD55.  If you just finished the book of Romans, this was written 2 years prior to that, most likely from Ephesus while Paul was teaching there on his third missionary journey.  In Acts 19 we see Paul was in Ephesus for 2 years at the school of Tyrannus.   After leaving Ephesus, he made his way to Corinth where he wrote to the Romans.   As Paul wrote to address those in Rome, he was looking out the window at Corinth.

Corinth was a very old city dating back to 1000BC.  Roman forces crushed it 146BC as it opposed Rome.  It was completely destroyed, its building flattened and people sold into slavery.  It was unpopulated for around a hundred years.  Then, in 44BC, Julius Caesar resettled it with freedmen, military veterans and laborers.  Most of these people had the social status slightly above a slave.  Like all men, they sought a way of life, wealth, hope, pleasure and satisfaction.  This settlement started with many worldviews and opened the door to many more resulting in the city Paul walked into one day.

The city of Corinth was located on the 4-mile-wide strip of land that connected the southern part of the Roman province Achaia to the mainland.  We know Achaia as Greece.  This narrow strip of land became a main thoroughfare for land travel among Greece.  More importantly it became a crossroads for sea travel.  This narrow strip of land was all that was between the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea.  It was a significant shortcut to the Adriatic Sea, particularly in winter.  To get from one side to the other by ship meant hundreds of miles around the southern end of Achaia.   That was a long and dangerous trip.  The sea captains began to carry their ships on skids or roll them on rollers along the ground over land.  This made Corinth a major sea port.  It became a major trade city and was important to trade throughout the area at that time.

In AD54 there weren't many major sporting events.  One of the few was the Olympian Games, the forerunner of our Olympics and one of the others was called the Isthmian games.  The Olympic Games started in this area in 776 B.C. in Olympia.  Then a couple hundred years later the Isthmian came along and were held in Corinth.  Every two years Corinth was filled with this great crowd of athletes and fans of the Isthmian games.  This was an opportunity for those of low status to be elevated, seen as hero's and receive accolades from their peers.  In addition, due to Roman influence, Corinth also hosted gladiator games.  This was brutal life or death sport that separated the higher classes from those beneath them. The games displayed the deep rift between, what we might call, the 'haves' and 'have nots'.  For those who felt they had nothing to lose, the games offered a hope of a better life.

Corinth was a giant cultural melting pot of 200,000 free and 400,000 slaves.  As such, these many cultures brought a diversity of religions as well as moral standards.  Corinth was a very prosperous city because there was so much commerce.  As you can imagine by its prosperity it was also full of corruption of all kinds.  Things were so bad at that time that the worst thing you could call a person was a Corinthian.  The Corinthian name became synonymous with debauchery and moral depravity.  To be Corinthianized was to be identified with this moral denigration.  This was a place where 'anything goes' and no one cared.

Idolatry was rampant Corinth.  The city had what was known as an Acrocorinth, a 'high place' that rose 2000 feet above the city.   The temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, dominated the top of this mountain.  This temple was a military place but also a place where worship was conducted.  This temple was an active place and some legends say there were over a 1000 temple prostitutes operating out it.  Every night they would come down from the temple into the city to offer themselves to the men of the city and to the visitors.  Corinth had such a reputation that prostitutes in other cities were being called "Corinthian girls".  In addition, there were many other temples to other gods:

  • Asclepius, god of healing.  The original Hippocratic oath taken by doctors was sworn before the gods, one of which was Asclepius.  People came to the temple to receive healing.  There were snakes in the temple, if a snake crawled over you, it was a sign the gods were going to heal you.  People brought statues of the ailing body part.  Archeological discovery of some of these body parts confirms that venereal disease was rampant in this immoral place.
  • Apollos
  • Hera, wife of Zeus.
  • Possibly Zeus, but not yet discovered.
  • Caesar, or imperial, worship
  • Athena
  • Demeter
  • Kore
  • Palaimon
  • Sisyphus
  • Isis (Egyptian)
  • Serapis (Egyptian)
  • Pausanias (a 2nd century Greek geographer) details at least 26 sacred places.  Some of these were temples while others were simply 'devoted' places to many gods (Greco-Roman pantheon) and "lords" (the mystery cults)

In addition to this, there was a Jewish Synagogue.  At this point you might be asking, "What was Paul doing there?"  Or, "Why would anyone start a church there?"  What an awful place.  How could a church ever make it there?  Paul saw it as a place where people in need gathered.  It was a crossroads for trade but it could be a crossroads for the gospel.

Paul brought the people of Corinth something they hadn't heard of; forgiveness of sins and life eternal.  That's why Paul started a church in Corinth.  It was to bring light to a society that was completely immersed in the darkness.  The church was founded there on the Paul's second missionary journey.  You can read about this in Acts 18.

Paul wrote this letter to the church because he is deeply concerned with the condition of the church.  Things had gone wrong.  The church wasn't a total loss but it was headed in the wrong direction.  This was mostly a letter of correction.  The problem with the church of Corinth was worldliness.  These Christians were so steeped in this pagan culture that they didn't know how to operate outside of it.  All they know was immorality and perversion so they struggled to separate themselves from it.  No church caused Paul as many headaches as the church of Corinth.

Paul wrote this letter in hopes of straightening them out.  The church didn't look any different than the world around it.  The Christians didn't live and act any different than the pagans.  That's a problem.  They lacked holiness and righteousness.  The Church of Corinth had been infected by the perverse and sinful world around them.  The church of Corinth had not set aside the worldly things.  They had not put aside the paganism in pursuit of holiness.  Paul writes in hopes of saving them.

Paul was in Ephesus and he had written a letter before this letter.  He refers to this previous letter in chapter 5.  That first letter had caused some disturbances in the church.  Paul got a report from Chloe's house about some concerns.  Now this delegation ended up coming to Paul from Corinth bringing him a list of questions or concerns.  So Paul wrote the letter we know as First Corinthians in response to their list of concerns.

 

 

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

In this day & time you started a letter by stating who you were.  This church knew Paul well and he knew many of them.  However, they didn't all respect or recognize his authority.  That's why Paul started by reminding them he was Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ.  They needed to remember his authority came to him by Jesus in God's will.  To fight against him was to take a stand against God.  An apostle was an envoy or ambassador with a message.  This calling in which he worked didn't come by man's will.  Had Paul worked in his will, he'd still been a Pharisee persecuting Christians.  Paul wasn't voted to be an apostle in a popular vote; nor was he seeking men's approval. 

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

The Corinthians needed to establish in their mind that God had called Paul and to respect him accordingly.  Paul was operating in God's will, this is evidenced by the fruit.  This was the basis for the authority under which Paul operated. 

Paul mentioned Sosthenes but carefully words the greeting so it's clear Sosthenes is not an apostle.  This is likely the same man mentioned in Acts 18:17 as the leader of the synagogue in Corinth.  When Paul first went to Corinth there was a man named Crispus as ruler of the synagogue.  He became a believer in Jesus Christ and probably left because of it.  That's when Sosthenes became the ruler of the synagogue.  He subsequently took a beating from the Greeks because of Paul.  Now it appears he too was saved and was with Paul.  Sosthenes was probably a scribe and was the one doing the actual writing.

Paul was writing to the church of God.  The word for church is 'ekklesia,' which is not a religious word, it simply means an assembly or gathering of the people.  Paul says he is writing to the 'ekklesia' of God - the assembly of God.  For the most part, this was a gathering of the saints in Corinth.  It did not necessarily mean everyone in fellowship there was a saint.  Paul reminded this gathering of those who bore the name of Christ that they were called to be saints.   This became the foundations for Paul's corrections; it's as if Paul were saying, "You are the saints of God, so why is this going on in your gathering?" 

 

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

There is much to be thankful for.  With all the problems we'll see, the church was still alive, people were still engaged in it and seeking the Lord on some level.  Mostly Paul is thankful for the grace given them which is saying a lot when you become aware of all that was going on there.  It would easy to look at this group of messed up folks and wonder why God would save them. 

  • They were divided and quarreling
  • They perverted the Lord's Supper
  • They suffered from unrestrained passion and unbridled lust
  • Some engaged in things "not even tolerated among the pagans"

Yet, that same question could be asked of us and our fellowship.  None are deserving.  It is grace, in this case extended to the immoral, superficial, affluent, selfish and controlling.  Paul was trying to say something nice before getting started in his correction.  They had problems but they were still a church.  They were still a fellowship of believers.

He starts the process of correction almost immediately.  It is a strange and difficult undertaking.  He has to assert his authority and bring the church in alignment with the things of Christ.  Yet, he is speaking against divisions and those who are calling the church to align under other ideas, thoughts and philosophies.  It was God's grace they were enriched in 'all utterance and all knowledge.'  The word utterance is the word 'logos' meaning spoken word and it is paired with 'gnosis'.   In the Greco-Roman culture speech and knowledge were power.  This was the experience and understanding within the culture.  The inclination was to follow after others they saw as having fine oratory skills or those of great knowledge and understanding.  Paul established that the God of all wisdom and knowledge would enrich them with His knowledge, which stood apart from the world.   The culture sought after philosophy and 'sophia' which is a worldly wisdom; an understanding of the world, both natural and supernatural, but attained by human endeavor.  The church had been provided with all utterance (logos) and knowledge (gnosis) making them rich in God and His ways, confirming the testimony of Christ.  Likewise, the lack thereof of logos and gnosis, presented a problem.

This grace was confirmed in the spiritual gifts among them.  Every true believer knows of God's grace, but we need reminded once in a while.  While reminding believers, it also provided a time of examination to those who have not known His grace.  Sometimes others bring a fresh appreciation or understanding of God's grace that drives us to worship.  The Corinthians were identified as a gathering that spoke of Jesus, learned about Jesus through the operating in their gifts and they eagerly longed for the return of Jesus.  These were all good things and Paul thanks God for that. 

Nothing going on in the church of Corinth endangered the salvation of the Saints there because he said these people would be confirmed by Jesus in the end.  He encouraged them that they would be found blameless in the Day of the Lord and that God could be counted on in being faithful in that way.  It's fascinating that Paul speaks to them of being blameless when Christ comes, yet he is appalled at their actions.

Paul is going to call them to correction, but he doesn't want them to think they weren't true disciples.  He doesn't want to damage them or make them think their standing in Christ would change.  In fact, being a true disciple is an argument for these corrections.  The word of caution here should be that every individual know they are a saint.  One of the signs of being a Christian is the correction the Lord brings in your life as He sanctifies you. 

"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6           For whom the Lord loves He chastens,

And scourges every son whom He receives." (Hebrews 12:5-6)

 

Paul's assurance of being confirmed in Jesus was for a body of believers; made of individuals.  Far too many are hiding in our churches as false converts or those who somehow feel they were absorbed into Jesus by hanging around.  Make sure you have had a personal encounter with Christ.  It would awful to ever hear the Lord utter, "I never knew you!"

 

1 Corinthians 1:10-17
With all their problems and all the frustration they must have caused Paul, he still called them 'brothers and sisters.'  Paul begins, not by demanding they improve, which he had the authority to do, but by pleading with his brethren.  He didn't want to demand they be obedient to him as much as encourage them to be obedient to the Lord.  Paul mentioned Jesus 10 times in the first 10 verses.  I think we know from the beginning that Paul intended to build this church up with Christ at the center.

So many times, in scripture we see the disunity creep into the church or we see the apostles warning about its inevitability.  The Christians were in disagreement about what it meant to be in Christ, how they should act and the role of Christ in their life.  This was at the core of the divisions.  They simply weren't getting along.  In those days, social status was important in determining your place and role in a community.  Those of wealth and power preferred religious, philosophical and political ideas and agendas that supported their base of power.  (Hasn't changed much, has it?)   Since believers all originated at the cross and empty tomb, we ought to be united at the highest level.  From there, all things flow.  Paul begins to gently point this out to bring them to be in agreement.  The idea was they would be consistent in their belief and language and 'keep on speaking the same thing.'  They started as one church, one body and one voice all speaking of a common grace through which they received salvation through Jesus Christ.  And if they kept speaking the same thing as one body they would speak in a unified message with no divisions.  Paul's appeal was to move them from division to a perfect unity in mind and thought (attitude and opinion).

Paul became aware of divisions among them by someone from Chloe's house.  Was Chloe gossiping?  Did Chloe rat out someone?  No, in fact, Chloe came in deep concern for the brethren.  We need more folks like this in the church; people who see a problem and are willing to do something about it.  These folks were willing to go to Paul and ask his help in this matter.  They were concerned for the health of the body of Christ.  Were there reprisals against this household?  We don't know for sure but we know there shouldn't have been. 

It was time for this church to examine its health and Paul was the examining physician.  Often the health of our churches is assessed by how entertaining the preacher is, how good the coffee is and if the music suited you.  What about spiritual growth?  What about Sanctification?  Growing in holiness and righteousness?  What about personal responsibility and accountability for each person to walk in the spirit, operate in their gifts?  We often look around the church and are filled with advice of what others should do.  Do you use that same critical eye to analyze our own place in the body?

This Greek word for the 'divisions' of which Chloe spoke is the word schisma.  We get our word "schism" from this word.  We might think of this as a "party" or a "faction."   It meant "tear, or rend."  Paul was begging these saints to stop ripping each other apart.  He wanted them to stop tearing up the body of Christ.  The body is meant to be one.  Imagine a body being torn apart.  Instead, he wanted them to be 'perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.'  The words used for joined together are also used in speaking of mending torn nets.  Or in other places it was a medical word used of knitting together bones that have been fractured or maybe the joining together a joint that has been dislocated. 

These folks needed to stop tearing each other apart and start the mending process.  They needed to remember they were all saved by grace.  They started at a common point where they were saved by grace alone; completely and utterly unworthy of anything to do with Christ.  Since that humbling and receiving Christ they had grown.  However, they grew incorrectly.  They had grown into divisions and schisms.  They were all splintered into smaller groups. 

  • I am of Paul – Gentiles, lovers of Grace.  Maybe those who thought they were free to sin, instead of free from sin.
  • I follow Apollos – From Alexandria, known to be full of knowledge, well educated, well spoken.
  • I am of Cephas – (Peter) Possibly Jews who held to the laws.
  • I follow Christ – Could be those who claimed to be the only true believers, making them as bad as any of the other sects.

None of these men would promote such things.  All, like Paul, would be appalled that people would divide to follow them.  They would only say, follow me as I follow Jesus, together with others.  The Saints of Corinth were relying on their understandings and worldly wisdom and lining up behind men, personalities or characteristic.  The real factions may have been centered on other men within the fellowship.  However, Paul uses himself, Apollos, Cephas and Christ as examples.  Who would think that these four would be leaders of factions or tears in the body of Christ?  That's probably Paul's point.  And the point is made with this preposterous comparison while the identities of the guilty parties were protected.

The quarrels among them were bitter.  Paul asked the rhetorical questions:

  • "Is Christ divided?" 
  • Was someone else crucified for you? 
  • Were you baptized into someone else's name? 

No, Christ isn't divided, there is one body.  No, no one else was crucified for you, Jesus Christ was the only one who could be crucified for you. No, you weren't baptized into anyone else's name.

The division may well have come about by some saying they were baptized by one man and another group saying they were baptized under another.  That's why Paul said he was glad he didn't baptize any of them.  He didn't want anyone saying they were baptized into his name.  Paul downplays the importance of baptism in light of it causing division.  That isn't even remotely close to what baptism was about.

All this division over baptism were ridiculous.  Christ didn't send Paul to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.  Paul preached the gospel simply.  Not with great and eloquent words of wisdom because the power to save wasn't in the words or the delivery or the man, or the baptism.  If any of those things were elevated then the cross of Christ would be made of no effect.  A man preaching the gospel but doing it in such a way as to elevate himself or his belief to add his wisdom or purpose to give anything or anyone glory but Jesus Christ is preaching the gospel with no effect.

It is the way of the world to esteem worldly wisdom.  This worldliness was causing problems in the church of Corinth.  It still causes lots of problems in lots of churches today.  If worldly wisdom enters the equation, then the gospel has no affect.  This is something we must guard against; the gospel delivered the wrong way or with the wrong intent has no effect and can cause lasting harm.

 

1 Corinthians 1:18

In the Roman culture at that time the cross was a brutal instrument of death.  To say you find hope in the cross is equivalent to us saying we find hope in the electric chair.  The cross was a means of execution, but also shame, of the worst criminals.  The Jews regarded anyone hanged on a tree as be cursed (Deuteronomy 21:23); to think that their messiah would do such a thing was utterly ridiculous to them.

The message of the cross is the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  It's a messaged that salvation is possible because of the brutal and horrible death that Jesus died on the cross.  How do we know this is true?  The resurrection is the evidence.  This gospel message doesn't make any sense to the unregenerate heart.  In fact, for the heart that hasn't been born again all that talk about a cross is just crazy.  However, when our eyes are opened, when God brought us to that place in our life where we were at the end of our self and we realized we were at odds with God; and we discovered our desperate need of salvation; and suddenly, by grace the gift of forgiveness and eternal life becomes so obvious.  Its then we can repent of our sins and trust in that work that was done on the cross.  Suddenly the cross that seemed so ridiculous, this instrument of death, become sa source of hope to everyone who believes.  Suddenly that cross represents the power of God because the cross was vacant, the grave is empty and death was defeated.

 

1 Corinthians 1:19-21

Paul wasn't seeking unity regardless of cost; he could not concede truth simply to unify.  Men would argue for unity as long as others move to their way of thinking.  However, as Christians, our way of thinking ought to be formed by a unifying point of reference.  Is all that we need in and from life available from the wisdom of the world?  If you attend school long enough, get enough degrees, read enough books, can you attain the wisdom of the world?   Can you study under all the great scholars of the world and read of all the great scholars of the past and discover the keys to life and death?  If you had all the wisdom of the world, would you find God there?  God is not found in man's wisdom, yet evidence of him exists through and through.  All of creation attests to a creator, all of science points to a single designer.  Meanwhile, man scurries around attempting to explain everything without God.  The harder the try, the closer they get to giving the testimony they despise. 

 

"The more I study science, the more I believe in God."

–Albert Einstein

 

"It was the evidence from science and history that prompted me to abandon my atheism and become a Christian."

Lee Strobel

 

"Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning." 

CS Lewis

 

The Corinthians, and maybe more generally the Greeks, were obsessed with wisdom and rhetoric.  The Jews had their own flavor of wisdom apart from God.

  • Where is the wise?  This speaks of the Greek Philosopher whose effects lead through many thoughts, none of which brought him to the cross.  His revealed as a fool.
  • Where is the scribe?  This is the expert in the Mosaic law.  They were like the walking commentaries to teach and answer questions about the scriptures.  However, all their knowledge and wisdom didn't lead them to the cross. 
  • Where is the disputer of this age?  This speaks of the rhetorician.  This person was simply a debater; one who could argue persuasively for or against nearly anything.  They were just good speakers with the art of persuasion.  Did their wisdom bring them to the cross?  No, they were also displayed as foolish.
  • The wisdom of this world.  This wisdom speaks of the Sophia, a wisdom acquired in and through the world and its systems that draws both natural and supernatural conclusions.  The world's wisdom looks down at the cross from its lofty perch.  It sees the cross as foolish.  In this, the wisdom is exposed as foolishness.

In these things, Corinthians thought they could attain the answers to life and a means to increase their merit in society, a path to a better life.  There were many gods, many philosophies, they desired to discover which one offered the best deal for man.  They were elevating the wise men in their culture and putting trust in what they said.  But they only knew worldly wisdom.  They knew nothing of the cross and of God.  In embracing human wisdom, they revealed themselves as fools.

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." (Psalm 53)

***

Nimrod led the people to come together and act against God's commands, despising God and His wisdom for the wisdom of man:

Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." (Gen 10:7)

As in our day, leaders desire to bring man together again, against the commands and wisdom of God.  Their cry is to 'Build Back Better'.  Man, apart from God, has no other choice or option than to find sufficiency in his own wisdom.  Even though, every indication is, that it won't end well.  Yet, men and women will follow because choosing God is not a choice to many. 

Paul quoted Isaiah 29:14 to support his point regarding the message of the cross.  The world stood in the midst of all its worldly wisdom, gazed upon the cross and concluded it was foolishness.  It did not fit their narrative, their worldview or way of life.  The humanists shaded lenses from which they looked could not see the wisdom of God.   It was not logical.  God spoke through Isaiah, detailing the blindness of the disobedient.  They were as those who stagger and act drunk but it wasn't from wine.  They were in a spirit of stupor, as if deeply asleep.  The prophets and religious leaders were like those holding a book but not knowing how to read.  Or given a book to read but it was sealed up.  They spoke religious words but their hearts were far from God.  They claimed a spiritual wisdom they did not possess.  God then proclaims to do a marvelous work among His people.  The prophets and seers who spoke to the people would be exposed.  They spoke peace and safety when there was none.  God's marvelous work would begin:

"For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,

And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden." (Isaiah 29:14)

God can't be found through human wisdom.  The wisdom of the wise will not deliver, in fact it will bring a false hope and cause many to stumble.  If you pursue human wisdom, it may bring about an earthly contentment or happiness for a season.  But human wisdom itself can never bring the true knowledge of the true God.  He can only be found through the message of the cross and through Jesus Christ.

Paul asks where the wise men, the Greek Philosophers they held in high esteem?  And where are the scribes, these experts in Mosaic law?  Where are these men that want to debate everything all the time?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  The wisest and most knowledgeable man could never compete with what Jesus did on the cross.  The Prophets and seers of the world could not see.  Luke recorded Jesus words:

For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (Luke 7:28)

John the Baptist exceeded all other prophets across all time.  His was the last Old Testament call on that side of the cross.  He saw the messiah.  Jesus called him great, but he was no philosopher, not highly educated.  He was not respected by the powers of the world.  Even more amazing, Jesus said the least in the Kingdom of God would be greater than John.  Was John not a foolish one of the world?  Was Paul not a walking, talking example of having his old wisdom destroyed and replaced by the wisdom of God through the message of the cross?  Are we not the same?  If we are in Christ, we have this wisdom of God that will exceed and outlast the wisdom of the world.  This is important to us in these days where we those who hold fast to the wisdom of the world becoming more arrogant and convinced of their power.

God went to great lengths to accomplish our salvation.  Isn't it amazing?  And he takes pleasure saving those who believe in the message of the cross.

 

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Signs

The Jews were looking for a great sign.  They watched for their messiah.  They believed He would come in great power.  He would crush the rulers of this world and save His people, the Jews, and he would set up His kingdom on earth where he would rule.

  • In ad 45, a man called Theudas appeared.  He persuaded thousands of people to follow after him, leaving their homes. abandon their homes and lives.  They followed him out to the Jordan where they would witness him part the waters, after which he would lead them across without getting their feet wet. 
  • In ad 54, a man from Egypt appeared in Jerusalem with the claim that he was a prophet.  He was going to the Mount of Olives where he was give a command and the walls of Jerusalem would fall down.  He convinced 30,000 people to follow him. 

These false messiahs weren't at all uncommon.  But this was exactly the kinds of signs the Jews were looking for.  They were not looking for their messiah on a cross, or suffering, or humbled in any way.  They couldn't comprehend a messiah that appeared weak, or meek.  That didn't fit into their plan or the way they had things figured out.  The Jews were looking for a sign that was like a piece fitting their puzzle.  They rejected the fulfillment of many prophecies, they rejected Jesus and the cross and they were still waiting, looking for their sign.

Wisdom (Sophia)

Judaism believed wisdom existed before the creation and that God created through this wisdom.  Proverbs tells us much about wisdom and the contrast of worldly wisdom and God's wisdom becomes evident.  Solomon becomes the epitome of wisdom, proving wisdom in and of itself serves sin, vanity and frustration.  Jesus displays God's wisdom when he speaks of the first becoming last and the last first (Matthew 19:27).

The Greeks put their faith in academics and philosophy.  No amount of education will cause a person to look at the cross and say,"Mmm, now I understand."  No philosophy will cause men to look to the cross and say that it makes sense. 

No man will arrive at the cross because of his Jewish heritage, his education or philosophy of life.  The preaching of the crucified Christ was a stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks.  For those who are called, the cross represents the power and wisdom of God.  A man nailed to a cross appeared weak to the world.  It was a thing of shame; to be stripped naked, beat, spit on and nailed to a cross.  These things weren't even spoken of in polite conversation.  On the cross Jesus appeared to be at the mercy of men and without any will of his own.  But he was obediently fulfilling the perfect will of God.  The weak appearance would become a show of power over death.  And what appeared to be unwise would turn out to be a supreme act of love for all men.

Paul says, "Foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.   There is no foolishness of God only what men understand as foolishness of God.  This thing that appeared to be foolish by man's standard, the crucifixion of Christ, was beyond any wisdom of men.  And this appearance of weakness of a messiah nailed to a cross was nothing like it appeared.  He did something no man could do in all of history past, in the present or the future.  He became the perfect sacrifice and paid the price for sins of men. 

 

1 Corinthians 1:26

Several years ago, I went to my first Calvary Chapel Senior Pastor Conference.  I went along and didn't know anyone there.  I felt out of place and being a fairly new pastor, I was insecure, still trying to find a comfort in my calling.  I was determined to go and learn as much as I could.  Its sad to say, but there are always those among larger churches that look down on the small fellowships as failures.  I knew this, but it was still difficult.  At one point I spotted another man who appeared to know no one and I decided to sit by him, introduce myself.  We had lanyards we wore with our name, church name and location on them.  This man I just met saw my lanyard and asked me where Sweatwater Tennessee was.  I laughed and corrected him, "It's Sweetwater, not Sweatwater."  At which point he pointed to my lanyard.  I was already humbled, insecure, feeling inadequate.  Yet, I became aware of that ever-present pride when I discovered I'd been walking around identifying with town named after a puddle of sweat.  God uses the foolish, weak and humble.

The Corinthians were in line with the belief system of their culture.  It was a paradigm of seeking wisdom as a means of achieving power.  The culture of Corinth was a meritocracy; where power, status, and position were not something you inherited.  If you wanted to be someone in Corinth, you had to rise on merit.  However, the elite, those with power, status and position maintained their place by elevating themself and oppressing even those who followed them.

There was, and is, no merit system at the cross.  No one is called because of their wisdom.  God doesn't need the wisdom of men.  No one is called because they are mighty.  God isn't interested in us because of our physical strength, wealth or influence.  No one is called because they are noble.  Being born into the right family has nothing to do with your calling.  God doesn't care who your daddy is or what your last name is or what you were when you were called? 

Your calling is from the God of Grace and mercy calling out to His creation to come back to Him.  God doesn't call us because of what we are, who we are or any other qualifier.  In fact, He calls us in spite of what we are and what we deserve and gives us a precious and free gift.  He has gone to great lengths to call us.  Man has gone to greater lengths to ignore that call. 

The great speakers in Corinth would openly mock the poor, week and average.  They shamed them because they had not attained wisdom, power and wealth.  They declared themselves greater than others because of their wisdom and ability to speak well.  They essentially qualified themselves to speak down to everyone else. 

The world without God has always made its judgments based on wisdom, strength, and nobility.  Men and women that measure high in these categories will be elevated in the eyes of the world.  These are measurements of strength of the flesh in a fallen world.  But these worldly aspects will burn away and they will become meaningless.

The chosen of God are described this way:   

  • Foolish things – dull, stupid, devoid of any wisdom.  One definition uses the word 'blockhead'. 
    • God will use these folks to shame the wise.
  • Weak things – those lacking any moral strength, courage or will.  They are feeble and impotent to accomplish by themselves.
    • God will use these folks to shame the mighty.
  • Base, despised and things which are not
    • Base– the lowborn, humble, without connection
    • Despised – looked upon with utter disdain, worthless, despicable
    • Things which are not – Utterly disdained and worthless, might as well not exist.  The Greek might read 'God chose the non-existent'.
      • God will use them to bring to nothing the things which are.
      • This could be a direct reference to Jesus.

Within this, do we not see Christ, born in a barn, laid in a feed trough; who later came from Nazareth from which no good thing comes.  Do we not see 12 weak things of the disciples? 

  • Course, crude and uneducated fishermen who knew nothing but life on a sea. 
  • A tax collector who was wealthy and had anything money could buy, yet knew something was missing. 
  • A zealot, the underdog, with no resources to accomplish his cause, to war against the oppressors and rulers.  To the world he was a failure, a man with a cause and no way to attain it.

No flesh would glory in God's presence.  Nothing man can attain would bring them closer to God.  No one will stand before God with the testimony of their accomplishments or goodness.  Those who come to realize we are all the low born, foolish, poor, unimportant, un-noticed, no name, weak, un-educated, humbled, and broken men and women are ready to hear the message of the cross.  We then become children of God Most High, filled with the Holy Spirit and enriched by Him in all utterance and knowledge (1 Cor 1:5) (Consider the old Peter verses the Peter who preached at Pentecost). 

In Corinth the values of the world were being applied to the spiritual.  These folks were trying to determine standing with God and standing in the body of Christ according to these worldly measurements.  Paul said God uses the things that are despised and weak.  He takes the people and things in which the world places no value and exalts them, empowers them and works in their lives.  If you are a Christian, you are nothing in the eyes of the world.  If the single identity of your life was your identification with Christ, the world would find you useless because you have yielded who you are to what He is.  You no longer receive any praise and glory for your accomplishments or achievements.  You give all glory to Jesus Christ and that goes against the rules of the world.

God has chosen the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.  The greatest example of this is Christ himself.  He was born among the animals to a humble family with no money and no standing in the world.  In the world's eyes He was nothing and had nothing to offer.  Because of that he was dismissed early on and when he didn't go away, he was mocked, scoffed at, spit on and nailed to a cross.   Yet, they couldn't keep Him in the grave; He ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  When He returns, the world will look on Him and every knee will bow to Him.  He will come to judge the world and in the end He will bring to nothing the things that are.

When we are in Christ Jesus, we are in good standing with God.  We have been given our salvation by the wisdom of God, that is Jesus Christ.  In Christ we are imputed His righteousness and we are sanctified from sin and being set apart and purified for His use.  In Christ we are redeemed.  That is being bought and paid for, we are bought out of our slavery and bondage of sin and all the glory of that goes to Jesus Christ.  Wiersbe points out that in the wisdom of God we find the three tenses of salvation:

We have been saved from the penalty of sin (righteousness); we are being saved from the power of sin (sanctification); and we shall be saved from the presence of sin (redemption). And every believer has all of these blessings in Jesus Christ! (Wiersbe)

The wisdom of the world is continually shown to be foolish.  Worldly wisdom is fickle and ever changing.  In the end the worldly wisdom you possess will be found useless.  Not only by the world but we will each find it has no value in the kingdom of God. 

The wisdom we all need is the wisdom of God in Jesus Christ.  The salvation story is so simple, too simple for us to comprehend.  Deep down we know we are sinners and deserve death.  We know we deserve the shame and guilt we feel.  And in that state of bearing our burden of sin it is hard to accept something as simple as a free gift.  The message of the cross and resurrection is foolishness to man and doesn't appeal to our sensibilities.  Yet it is the most basic foundation of God's love for us.  That's Paul's message to the church of Corinth and to us.  Set aside the worldliness and grasp the knowledge of God.

©2006, 2010, 2016, 2022 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater 

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 572). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.