1 Corinthians

Introduction

As I write this, I am flipping through 1 Corinthians to count and identify the nine groups in the church that were quarreling over nine or more issues. Here they are:

1 – Whose disciple they were – Paul, Apollo, Peter, Christ... 1:12. Actually, that could be considered either one or four different parties! Still, it's one issue.

2 - Over the place of “wisdom” or “knowledge. A Greek Christianity was trying to influence the early church, claiming that to become a Christian required secret knowledge Jesus gave his disciples.1:17-2:4

3 – Immaturity, reflected by jealousy and quarreling...3:3, 18

4 – Some were criticizing or judging Paul...3-4

5 – Pride...4:8

6 – Sexual immorality and approval of it...5:1ff...

7 – Filling lawsuits against each other...6:1ff

8 – Marrying, re-marrying, and divorce – 7:1-16

9 – A question about eating food after it has been sacrificed to idols...Chapter 8.

Apparently one faction thought it was ok, another thought it was idol worship.

10 – Proper dress for worship. Discussion over men and women, the length of their hair, and whether to wear head coverings...11:1-16

11 – Drunkenness and gluttony at the Lord's Supper...11:17:16ff

12 – Spiritual gifts and their use...12:1ff

13 – Speaking in tongues

14 – Was Jesus really raised, and what about our resurrection? ...5:1ff

My judgment is that reviewing these find 9 that are controversies going on, and the others are answers to questions that had written him about or things that came to his mind during the writing. If you need a “cheat sheet,” the nine are listed on page 12 of the quarterly.

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Another bad decision from the editors: both 1 & 2 Corinthians are combined in 13 lessons. And after dividing Acts in half! Part of it could be me. I wrote a learner's book on 1 Corinthians and the Teacher's book for Second. I've never written on Acts before your notes. Not sure how I'm going to handle it. Prob depend on how the lessons are divided.

1 Corinthians is fairly clear and not difficult to understand, at least compared to Romans or Ephesians. It's one of the earliest books written, even before the gospels. I'd guess about 55AD, 30-35 years after the Crucifixion. Corinth was the New Orleans or San Francisco of its day with a wild reputation. It was a seaport located on an isthmus where ships were ported from the Aegean to the Mediterranean. That meant sailors and passengers from all over the world passed through. No wonder Paul sought to establish a church there. And no wonder he became worried when he got reports of trouble in that church. So he did two things. First, he wrote a letter to call on them to correct their behvior, and second, he gave it to Timothy to deliver it and discuss it with the congregation and its leaders.

Remember this is a letter. Paul followed the letter form common in his time, I prefer their way, because before email I always had to look down to the bottom to see who was writing me. The ancients put the signature first and followed it with a thanksgiving to the gods. Paul baptizes that format and Christianized it as we shall see.

Compared to Romans, this is a simple book to read. Nevertheless the first couple of verses are CRAMMED with significant theological words. On the face of it, verse one looks routine, and even preachers skim over it. But let's slow way down and look at almost each word to see what might be hidden there.

VERSE 1: Paul – When you're reading one of his letters don't forget the Damascus road. He is the most converted man in history. When God wanted a messenger to the Gentiles, he picked the most gifted leader from the enemy! That radical change lay behind everything he ever did afterward. This is the man who understood what it was to fight God's will and work. He considered himself the greatest of sinners, so remember whenever he is attacking sin, he is coming from a different place than most people. So don't ever believe that someone is outside of the reach of the Lord. If Jesus can transform Saul into Paul, He can do the same for anyone.

Called – the Damascus Road experience. He was converted and called to be a missionary to the Gentiles at the same time. That experience and that call became the driving force in his life from that time forward. My personal call to the ministry at age 11 has likewise driven my life. I could wish everyone would have that same sense of calling in whatever line of work you're involved in. For 26 years I was pastor of two churches with a large number of paper mill workers. I regularly told them I could wish for them that they felt they were where God wanted them to work, and that their family and the rest of their lives were built around God's leading. And I certainly wish that for you!

Apostle – one sent. I memorized in Royal Ambassadors the motto: We are ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador is one who represents one king in the court of another. Or one's own country. As Christians we are called to represent God through our lives, service, and witness.

Paul adds “of Christ Jesus.” Scholars like to say “Jesus” refers to the 30 years of Jesus's earthly life, and “Christ” refers to the eternal Christ. Those scholars also want to discuss the preposition “of.” Does it mean the apostleship is about the gospel of Christ, or is it about the person of Christ. Of course, Both are true. The Spirit of Christ is with him as he proclaims the Gospel.

Through the will of God – Paul had a strong sense of being driven and used by God. Preaching was not his choice. He had no choice. He often calls himself a servant, or slave, or bond-slave. A slave has no will of his own. His master's will has become his. Paul was sold out to Jesus. Where the Spirit said go, he went; when the Spirit said stay, he stayed.

And the brother Sosthenes – Paul seems to have dictated his letters. As a rabbi, he certainly knew how to write as well as read. But perhaps because of bad eyesight (that's one interpretation of the “thorn in the flesh), he had someone to write for him.

Verse 2 – to the congregation of God in Corinth. King James would not allow the translators in 1611 to use the word congregation to translate the Greek word “ecclesia.” He confined them to the word “church,” because he thought of the Church of England as one large group over which he reigned. Other protestant groups, especially in America with our strong individualism, often prefer “congregation” and think of the local church. In Corinth was their physical location. “Of God was their spiritual location.

They were called by God to be saints and were being sanctified to accomplish this. They were called by God to be holy ones and were being made holy.

They were called by God to be set apart and were being set apart to fulfill that call.

In Greek and Latin the word for saints and sanctification are similar as they are in English. The root is the word for holy. New Testament holiness actually means being set apart – different! The word called is the same as in verse one of Paul's calling. When God calls us to follow, He sets us apart and begins to transform us into the likeness of Christ!

He then continued the early letter format by thanking God for them. (The Greeks would thank Apollo or some other god. He further states his gratitude is based on their redemption – the grace that he saw God had manifested in their lives. We still see that grace today in the lives of Christians who have “awakened” or “got turned on” to Jesus Christ.

He wishes them grace and peace, a form of Greek and Hebrew greetings. He baptizes those secular meanings with Christianity. He changes charein (greetings) to charis (grace). He keeps the Hebrew word shalom – peace. But Biblical peace is not just absense of strife. Peace is positive. It is health, stability, maturity.

Do you see how Paul can enrich theologically some routine words in a routine format? Paul's letters can all be profitably studied word by word in great detail. Thus my problem with notes this quarter. I've about decided for most lessons to focus even more than I have previously on covering the background and surrounding material to supplement and not repeat the quarterly. Since next week we jump ahead five chapters, I believe I'm going to send this Intro on Wednesday and Chapters 2-5 later. You may or may not want to skip those.