Commentary: 1 Corinthians 1

Being a teaching pastor gives me (at least in my understanding) a responsibility to "open the Word" more than just on Sunday mornings. And with cyberspace that gives me opportunities to "teach" online.

Today, I spent time in 1 Corinthians. Basically just me and the Word (I used mostly the HCSB today). Why 1 Cor? Well, one reason is because it is a letter to a church, and the church is my passion. Secondly, it covers a lot of ground in dealing with real, practical struggles churches throughout the centuries have experienced.

So what I've done is written out a simple commentary on chapter one. It's non-technical in nature, meaning I haven't spent time with each Greek word or done any cross-referencing or even gone into historical/geographical analysis of the Corinthian church or demographic.

I started out writing down these thoughts for my own reflection, but thought, "Why not put it out there. If anyone in the church wants to read it, there it is." So, thus it becomes and extension of my teaching ministry.

And here's the deal. There's no reason why you can't do the very same thing as you read the Scripture. Commentary follows below. Read it along with the Scripture or you won't get it at all. Try to sense Paul's passion for these people. And feel free to comment on the commentary.

Notes on 1 Corinthians

Chapter 1

Vs. 2 Everyone everywhere who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ are equally saints.

Vs. 5 Our spiritual richness isn’t something we earn or progress into. It is something given us in the past tense. It’s like having a bank account at our disposal of God’s heavenly stuff. That richness includes any spiritual gifts we need to live life for Christ. They’re not something we have to wait for. They are in our possession as a church. Obviously no one individually possesses all the gifts. That’s why we can only function in Christ’s will as a part of a local church family, ie. “God’s church at Corinth”.

Vs. 7 At least part of our purpose here is in waiting on Christ’s return. That time of waiting is also a time of Christ confirming (keeping) us blameless until His return. So it seems clear God’s plan and desire for us is to keep us holy. (Vs. 8) That’s what He wants to do within us. Of course, the question begging to be answered is, “So if I’m not blameless, what’s the deal?”. What’s my personal responsibility in all this?

And Vs. 9 can’t be divorced from 8. God is faithful. Faithful to do whatever He wills. So if the ball has been dropped it hasn’t been by God’s fingers.

Then Paul launches into the things that show this church they are not blameless at the present time, which means they aren’t cooperating with God and are not living out His will either individually or collectively.

Vs. 10 Now (that’s he’s through with the greetings) he needs to move into the business at hand. Unity in the church is at the top of his list of things he’ll cover in this letter. Is that because it is foundational to anything the church is or does? Not getting along. Taking sides on issues. Cliques. None of them have any business in the church. And don't confuse "the church" with four walls and stained glass. So then, why do churches insist on having votes to decide things? A vote only forces me to choose sides. That seems counter to what Paul is writing. So, why, in the church, can’t we all just get along? The answer is easy.

Vs. 11 Within the structure of the local church there must be accountability. Someone in “Chloe’s family” got word to Paul about the divisions that were taking place in the church. Some in the church don’t want accountability or to recognize that there must be authority within the leadership to handle such things. Paul does not give a rebuke for the one who reported this to him. And I love how Paul doesn't say, "A lot of people are saying...". He gives this charge authenticity by saying, "Here's where it came from".

In our church’s small groups we have a saying that, “What’s said in the group stays in the group”. That refers to personal prayer needs and concerns, or when someone opens up details of his/her life for the others to better know him/her. It is not a blanket policy that means, “I can gossip or say malicious things or cause division and expect the church leaders to let it go because there is group immunity”.

It is akin to a legal requirement for a pastor who hears of child abuse, for example, to report such to the authorities. There is no immunity or “privilege” when the law has been broken. The same is true within the church. If sin is being committed and lived out, to keep it secret is to indulge in the sin of the family of Achan in Joshua 7:16ff. Prov. 16:19 tells us how God feels about those who divide the church. He doesn’t ignore it.

When something is being said/done that threatens the unity of the church, it threatens the voice of the church in the world and ultimately the name of Christ. If we turn our heads and don’t act to stop such division we become complicit with it by our inaction.

Vss. 12-16 Paul identifies this church’s particular problem: they are using godly men (Peter, Apollos, Paul) and even Jesus Himself as though they were opposing factions. I remember the “I like Sonny” and “I like Billy” bumper stickers on cars around Washington, DC in the early 70’s. The team had two QBs. And fans were divided as to which one should play. They missed the point that these two men were on the same team. There is no place within the church for such “celebrity” worship. So, if someone other than “the Pastor” is preaching, why do some stay home? Church is a team sport.

Paul makes it clear that neither he or Peter (and I’m sure Apollos as well) were worthy of a following. Our worship can only be given to the One who died for us; into Whose name we were baptized. Paul has obviously sensed some of this before from people who likely found reason to boast that they were baptized by “The Great Apostle”. So in the Corinthian church he didn’t baptize other than just a few.

Vs. 17 He shares a bit of insight as to his view of His calling. He was foremost an evangelist – sent to preach the Good News. He seemed to be saying that others in the church could and should handle the baptizing. With that, he segues into the purpose of his preaching.

Vs. 18 Big idea here: not everyone gets the Gospel. In fact, to those who don’t believe it is “foolishness”. Now, if Paul grasped that 2,000 years ago, and even wrote it down for us, it should be accepted today as well. So, we shouldn’t be surprised when in our efforts to evangelize we don’t get a 100% harvest.

Vss. 19-22 The Gospel isn’t a philosophy or merely something to be ascertained intellectually. The intellects and philosophers use a worldly wisdom. The Gospel takes another track altogether, not neglecting intellect, but moving beyond intellect to faith. And philosophy can’t get you to God. His plan is simple: believe the Gospel. Don’t complicate it.

Vs. 23 Paul was keen enough to be able to discern cultural differences and how those differences affected those who listen to the Gospel. If we think that culture doesn’t affect people’s hearing we’re crazy. That’s why it only makes sense for a church to commit to understanding it’s culture and then to present the Gospel – that is unchanged by culture – to culture in a relevant fashion.

Vs. 24 Even then, understanding the culture might open the doors to an audience, but no one believes unless God calls them to salvation. Whether it was the Greeks who saw the Gospel as “foolishness” or the Jews who viewed it as a “stumbling block”, ultimately is the power of God that brings salvation to anyone of any culture. He can and He does.

Vs. 25 One of those ways that the Bible helps us understand God by “giving Him” human qualities. In this instance, Paul speaks of God having a weakness. But of course He has no such thing. What Paul is doing is simply saying that man at his strongest can never compare to the smallest thing God might do.