Christian Unity

The Corinthians were infatuated by worldly wisdom and knowledge. They took pride in what they thought they knew. So when Paul had a message to deliver to them, he began by acknowledging that God had indeed supplied them with knowledge:

1Co 1:4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,
1Co 1:5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge

But as Paul corrected them on a long list of deficiencies, he repeatedly pointed out that their supposed wisdom was lacking. Did they not know?

1Co 6:2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?

1Co 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

1Co 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

1Co 6:16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”

1Co 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

1Co 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Paul was speaking their language when he reasoned like this. They wanted to know. They wanted to be wise. The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, crafted the message in terms that would most readily reach their hearts and values, where they were. As Paul said in 1 Cor 9:22, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.“

A recurring theme in 1 Corinthians is that Christians should be willing to give up their rights for the benefit of another brother or sister. Each one should be concerned about the needs of others. Paul himself was a prime example of this virtue. Following is a brief survey of these passages:

1Co 4:10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!

1Co 6:7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

1Co 8:9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

1Co 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

1Co 9:4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink?
1Co 9:5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas[1]?
1Co 9:6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?

1Co 9:12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

1Co 9:19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

1Co 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

1Co 14:4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
1Co 14:5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

1Co 14:19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

In chapter 10, Paul summarizes this principle:

1Co 10:23 “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive.
1Co 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

How much better would we all be if we could live by that principle!

1Co 5:9-6:2 (ESV) I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people — not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler — not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

In chapter 5, Paul had just admonished the church to expel those who continued to live in sin. He had pointed out that the church is responsible for discerning any of their number who continue to live unashamedly in overt sin, and for taking action to remove them from the church. Of course it was necessarily implied that they were considered competent to judge such cases. And yet, we learn in chapter 6 that they were apparently taking their worldly disputes before courts of unbelievers–seeking righteous judgment from the unrighteous and the unjust! The Jewish Christian would have considered it repulsive to go before the uncircumcised unbelievers for justice. Paul’s rebuke was undoubtedly directed at the Greeks, who were an excessively litigious community.

Note that the first eight verses of chapter 6 are a parenthetical discussion in the midst of the discussion of gross sins, particularly various forms of sexual immorality. Paul addressed the subject of judging and lawsuits in verses 1-8, and then returned to finish his comments on carnal sins from verse 9 through the end of the chapter.

1Co 6:4-6 (ESV) So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?

Although the NIV translates verse 4 somewhat differently, the footnote agrees with the ESV and most other translations. The sense of the verse seems to be that taking their cases before the unbelievers made no sense, because those outside the church did not uphold Christian values. They were known to be corrupt, unrepentent sinners. Instead, when a conflict arises between Christians, they should find someone within the church wise enough to judge the case. Since the church is considered competent for the weighty responsibility of judging cases that might require someone to be expelled from the church, surely they were also competent to judge cases involving temporal matters.

More significantly, the fact that Christians were committing sins against one another showed that they were being defeated by Satan. Paul returned to the topic of sin:

1Co 6:9-11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

It is interesting to notice the similarity between this list of sins and the list just a dozen or so verses prior, in chapter 5:

1Co 5:11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler — not even to eat with such a one.

Paul seems to have been highlighting the specific sins that were prevalent in the pagan culture of Corinth, and which some of the Corinthian Christians had brought with them into the church. In chapter 5, he warned them that such behavior could lead to expulsion from the church. In chapter 6, he warned them that these sins could cause them to lose their inheritance in the kingdom of God. There were members in the Corinthian church who had been caught up in those sins prior to their conversions. Apparently there were some who were still drawn back to their wretched pasts.

1Co 6:12-13 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” — and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

Here Paul addressed the excuses that some of the Christians might have been making. Those sayings may have been Paul’s own words, intended to teach the Jews how to free themselves from the Mosaic Law–but misapplied by the Gentiles as a license for sin. Paul clarified that our freedom in Christ is not a license to sin. Those sins were not acceptable behavior for a Christian.

Greek philosophy held that the human body is worthless — that only the soul has value. And therefore they held that the cravings of the body could be indulged without consequence. Paul refuted that notion. The body, according to Paul, belongs to God. It is temporary, to be sure, but it has a holy purpose:

1Co 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

In contrast to that holy purpose, those committing sexual immorality were profaning their bodies, joining themselves to a prostitute. In doing so they grieved God’s Holy Spirit, which lives in every Christian, in effect joining the Holy Spirit with the prostitute. What an unimaginable contradiction! How could they not incite the wrath of God in doing so?

Throughout chapters 5 and 6, Paul continued to call the Corinthians back to the gospel. They needed to remember what Christ did for them, and to respond by fleeing from sin. They were called to be holy, because of the gospel:

1Co 5:7-8 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1Co 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1Co 6:18a Flee from sexual immorality.

1Co 6:20b So glorify God in your body.

The gospel demands that we flee from sin. Those who do not flee sin, cannot continue as part of the church, and will not inherit the kingdom of God. This is not a game, and the consequences are real.

Having delivered a correction to the Corinthians for forming factions, Paul turned to another unfortunate report he had received. A man was having an immoral relationship with his father’s wife!

It is significant how Paul received this report. This topic was not one of the ones the church had asked about by letter. (1 Cor 7:1). Instead, he had received this report from another individual. Apparently the matter was well known and accepted, or at least tolerated, by the church. Yet such a relationship was considered evil not only by Jewish law but also by both the Greek and Roman cultures.

Paul’s instructions were:

1Co 5:4-5 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

and

1Co 5:13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

They were to put the sinner out of the church. This action was to be taken, not privately, but in an assembly of the whole church. It was designed to correct and restore the sinner. It was also for the purpose of protecting the church:

1Co 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?

Paul drew an analogy between the sin in Corinth and leaven in a lump of dough. He reminded them of the instructions about leaven associated with the Jewish Passover. The Israelites had been commanded to remove all leaven from their homes (Ex 12:14-15). That leaven represented the Egyptian practices that had infiltrated the Israelite community during their years in Egypt. As they left Egypt, they needed to eradicate these practices so they could be a pure people for God’s possession. They would then kill the Passover Lamb and partake of the Passover feast. Likewise, Christ (our Passover Lamb) has been sacrificed. So we need to get rid of the yeast of wickedness, and partipate in the church with sincerity and truth.

There were many sins in the Corinthian church, but we have only this one example of a member being disciplined in this manner. Not every sin warrants expulsion from the church. Paul identified six sins which rise to the level requiring this kind of action:

1Co 5:11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

There are a couple of sins on that list that might surprise some people.

How would one know if he were being greedy? One clue would be the things for which people go into debt. Greed is an addiction to accumulating money or material things. A person goes into debt to buy something because he cannot wait to possess it until he has earned the money to pay. Instead he should refrain from spending so that he can save for the unexpected. Unexpected expenses happen to everyone. Rather than spending every dime that comes in, a person should live below his means so he will have some reserves to cover the unexpected, and also so that he can have something to share with others in need. The person who cannot restrain himself from spending everything he has is addicted to material consumption. He is greedy. Paul instructed the church to expel greedy people.

It might also surprise someone to realize that slander (ESV-reviler, KJV-railer, NET-verbally abusive) rises to the level of this action. Albert Barnes says of this word:

A reproachful man; a man of coarse, harsh, and bitter words; a man whose characteristic it was to abuse others; to vilify their character, and wound their feelings. It is needless to say how much this is contrary to the spirit of Christianity, and to the example of the Master, “who when he was reviled, reviled not again.”

It is common in our culture for people casually to speak evil of others. It must not be accepted practice in the church. A person who is in the habit of abusive speech, if unrepentant, must be expelled from the church. The goal of that action is to bring the sinner to repentance so they can be restored, and to protect the overall health of the church.

Expelling a member of the church is an unpleasant business. It fills the church with grief (1 Cor 5:2). Expulsion is a severe remedy to be used in severe cases. But it is sometimes necessary. A wise and diligent leadership will apply this teaching carefully and sparingly, but will not shrink from it when it is called for.

Let’s recap the corrections Paul wrote to the Corinthians in the first four chapters, addressing the factions in Corinth.

First, they should not be forming factions behind different leaders, because only one leader was crucified for them. Because of the gospel of Christ, they should remain united in Christ.

Second, they should not be forming factions based on the supposed wisdom of different leaders, because God has shown that the wisdom of man is foolishness. Instead, they should unite behind the “foolishness” of the gospel, in which is the power and wisdom of God.

Third, they should not be forming factions based on their preferences for different leaders’ approach to building the church. It is true that the approach to building can make a significant difference. But we are not to judge such things before the appointed time, when the Day will bring them to light. The builders will be held accountable by God for their work. As long as the leaders are building on the foundation of the gospel of Christ, the church is to accept and to cooperate with their efforts.

Instead, the congregation should regard their leaders as servants of God, who have been entrusted with the message of God, and who will give an account to God for how they carried out that trust.

Today, in the same way, we should respect those church leaders who “do it differently” from us. Of course there can be no other foundation laid than the gospel of Christ. But on top of that foundation, we can see many different approaches being taken to building a church. Some are better than others. But it is not our job to judge between these approaches. We would probably get it wrong anyway. Instead we are to accept one another. And as leaders, we are to build in the best way we know how, as servants who will be held accountable.

1Co 3:5-7 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe–as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

The church in Corinth was a mess. At the top of the list of their problems were the factions formed behind various leaders. At the beginning of chapter 3, Paul chastised the Corinthian church for elevating their leaders. Paul called those who did so worldly (KJV “carnal”). Paul could see that they were not spiritually mature men of God, because their relationships to one another were filled with dissension and strife. As James says:

Jam 3:13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

The divisions in Corinth were “earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” When Christians are behaving in such ways toward each other, they are doing harm to the body of Christ, and impeding the mission of the church.

Paul had specifically identified factions that were following himself, Apollos, and Cephas. But in 1 Cor 4:6 he says “I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit…” That suggests that there may well have been other factions following people Paul chose not to name, perhaps out of discretion and tact.

Attitudes of smug superiority permeated the different factions. Each group boasted about the superiority of their leaders’ wisdom and style. And there were differences. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas all built on the same foundation, but they apparently were building differently on top of that foundation:

1Co 3:10-15 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Paul had laid the original foundation, which was the gospel of Jesus Christ (described in more detail in chapter 15). No variation in that foundation is acceptable. Anything built on a different foundation cannot be considered a church of Jesus Christ. However, Paul suggests that people might build on that foundation using materials of differing quality. Apparently the different factions in Corinth had such differences.

We can easily see examples in the modern church of differences in how people build on the foundation of Christ. Some emphasize one thing and some another. One leader might focus on grace, while another preaches fire and brimstone. There are differences in preaching styles, in musical styles, and in programs and activities. Some seek to build megachurches and some prefer to plant many small house churches. Some churches organize the membership into small groups. Some have discipleship partners. Some have Sunday evening services and some do not. Some have evangelistic bible classes in the community. There are differences in terminology and jargon. The list of differences goes on and on.

How are we to regard these differences? Paul gives a clear answer:

1Co 3:12-13 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.

1Co 4:5-6 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.

It really can make a difference how we build. Some of these different approaches might make a decisive difference in the outcome on Judgment Day. What is being built might survive, or it might be burned up. However, today we cannot always be sure which approaches will survive — or whether various approaches might perform equally well. So Paul clearly instructs us not to judge these things before Judgment Day. Our judgment is likely to be wrong in these areas. We should leave that to God. Instead, we should limit our “judgment” to what is written. On those subjects that are not explicitly spelled out in scripture, we should respect the liberty of others to choose differently. And we should not boast about the supposedly superior choices that we and our leaders have chosen.

The bottom line is that we are all fallible. None of us is as smart as we think we are. And none of us has made all of the best choices. As the old proverb states,

He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not is a fool; avoid him. He who knows not, and knows that he knows not is a wise man; teach him. (W Barclay, Daily Study Bible)

Or as the apostle Paul said it:

1Co 3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise.

Therefore, recognizing our own fallibility, we are to accept those who choose to build differently, as long as they build on the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As for ourselves, we must build using the finest materials we can. God will sort out the differences in the end.

1Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1Co 1:22-24 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

To first century Greeks, being well educated meant to study under one of the great Greek philosophers. Paul had encountered Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in nearby Athens shortly before entering Corinth (Acts 17:18). Many other branches of Helenistic philosophy competed for the minds of educated Greeks in Paul’s time. Each leading philosopher had a following, and debates among the factions were the order of the day.

Out of this community, many were converted to Christianity during Paul’s initial visit to Corinth (Acts 18:8). Although they had become Christians, they retained a strong dose of the philosophies that permeated their city. During the first few years after Paul left, the Corinthian church began dividing into factions behind prominent church leaders, much as the pagan Corinthians around them had formed factions behind different prominent philosophers.

One of the hardest things for any group of Christians to do is to avoid mixing the philosophies of their world with the teachings of Christ. It is easy for us to be critical of the Corinthians for forming factions behind men. But that was the natural thing for them to do. It was all that they knew. Similarly, it is easy for us to view the scriptures through the philosophy of our modern (or post-modern) world. And it is incredibly difficult for us to separate the two.

The early Restoration Movement bears the unmistakable imprint of the world in which it emerged. Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address brings to mind the American Declaration of Independence which preceded it by a mere 33 years. The philosophy that is evident through the early Restoration Movement is deeply rooted in the Age of Reason and Enlightenment thinking. They believed that we could all arrive at complete agreement on doctrinal questions through logical study of the scriptures, by making accurate inferences and deductions based solely on evidence found in the scriptures. Like the Corinthians, we have brought the philosophy of our time into the church. And the church often misses the mark as a result.

Although it is always difficult to keep human philosophy out of the gospel message, that does not make it ok to mingle the two. Paul did not just accept the way the Corinthians were mixing the gospel with Greek philosophy. The philosophy of their age had polluted the pure message, so Paul called the Corinthians back to the simple gospel. Unlike the message of the Greek philosophers, the gospel was simple: Christ was crucified for our sins. The Greek philosophers despised that notion as irrational. They reasoned that a god could not be controlled by a mortal. So they believed that a god could not love a mortal, could not grieve over mortal failings, would never stoop to becoming mortal, and could not suffer. To them, the gospel was foolishness.

But the power of the gospel is evident only when it is seen in its pure simplicity.

1Co 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel–not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1Co 2:1-5 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

The simple gospel can move the heart of the simplest person, or of a king. God sent his son to die for me. It is that simple. The story is not made more convincing by sophisticated reasoning. It is not made more compelling by human illustrations and stories. It is not made more precious by the greatest musicians and artists. God sent his son to die for me. That is the gospel.

Paul did point out that there are deeper teachings of wisdom for the mature. But the Corinthians were not mature, and therefore could not yet receive that teaching. Until they understood the foundation of the gospel, they were not ready to move on to the deeper truths. They needed to weed out the philosophies of men. Likewise, the church today needs to weed out the philosophies of our age from our understanding of the gospel. Then we can move on to the deeper truths.

Note that what Paul taught was not the product of human wisdom. He did not make anything up.

1Co 2:12-13 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

Here Paul makes a very clear that his message was given to him by the Spirit of God. He describes the message as “words taught by the Spirit.” Paul’s message was verbally inspired. God’s Spirit told him what to say and how to say it. Paul took no credit for the wisdom in the message. Every word came directly from the Spirit of God. That will become very significant later in the letter, as Paul delivers commands and instructions from God to the Corinthian church.

Not only was Paul writing to the Corinthian church, but to us as well:

1Co 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ–their Lord and ours:

When Paul wrote “all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he included Christians today. When we read 1 Corinthians, we are not reading someone else’s mail. It is a letter from God, to us, delivered by the apostle Paul.

As we proceed through 1 Corinthians, we need to resist the urge to inject our modern and post-modern philosophies into the scriptures. The teachings of scripture should not be adapted to the values of our time. Instead, our values should be modified to conform to the wisdom we have from God, in these verbally inspired scriptures. The wisdom of our culture is foolishness to God.

1Co 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

Division in the church is a clear sign that something is wrong. Paul had a long list of concerns about the Corinthian church, but it is no wonder that this one rose to the top of the list. When the Corinthians formed factions under their human leaders, they were missing the point of the gospel. The gospel brought them all together under Christ, but they were not acting like that. They were aligning under leaders like Paul, Apollos, and Cephas — three very different men.

Paul was a brilliant scholar, but an unimpressive speaker:

2Co 10:10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”

Apollos was a brilliant orator and a powerful debator:

Act 18:24-25 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Act 18:28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Cephas (another name for Peter, John 1:42) had been a common Jewish fisherman — not a group known for their scholarly achievements. (Notice Peter’s perspective that Paul’s teaching was “hard to understand” 2 Pet 3:16) Peter was seen as a leader of the Jews (Gal 2:7), and was not the strong advocate for Gentiles that Paul was (Gal 2:12). It is not hard to imagine why some Christians might prefer Peter’s leadership, while others might prefer Paul or Apollos.

Not only did Paul mention groups that were aligning behind himself, Apollos, and Cephas, but he also alluded to a group that insisted they followed Christ. Of course Christians should follow Christ. But it is not clear whether Paul was commending that group, or merely citing them as another problem. Perhaps there were some who rejected human leadership, considering themselves superior to those who followed men. Perhaps they even considered themselves superior to their leaders.

Paul immediately showed how absurd these factions were. Paul wasn’t crucified for them. They were not baptized into Paul. The gospel is not about Paul or Apollos or Cephas. They needed to live by the gospel. If they did that, they would not be forming parties behind these men.

Paul spent the first four chapters building his case to correct these factions. (see 1 Cor 3:5, 1 Cor 3:22, 1 Cor 4:6). In doing so he addressed the wisdom of God, the role and accountability of church leaders, and the humility we should have in Christ. We will look at these topics in the next few posts.

Paul had a message on his heart when he wrote the letter we call 1 Corinthians. From beginning to end, every line he wrote in the letter was crafted to convey that message. The message on his heart was the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was directing Paul to call the Corinthian church back to the gospel.

The church at Corinth needed to be called back to the gospel. In the approximately five years since Paul had left Corinth, the church had drifted in its focus. Paul had received reports of division in the church. Some in the church had written to Paul expressing concerns about practices and controversies within the church. The focus of the church had drifted from the Christ-centered gospel into competitiveness and flawed humanistic values. Paul wrote this letter to set the focus back on the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to call them to live appropriately in response to that gospel.

The introduction to chapter 1 lays a foundation for Paul’s appeal. The first verse asserts that Paul was an apostle by the will of God — a special messenger sent from God to the Corinthian church. His message came with the full authority of God himself. The Corinthian church would do well to pay attention.

The second verse reminds them that they were sanctified (set apart for the purposes of God) in Christ Jesus, and that they were called to be holy. They had been sanctified, and they needed to act like it.

Paul wrote the name “Jesus Christ” nine times in the first ten verses (and “Christ” a tenth time). He reminded the church of the faithfulness of God, who had enriched them with spiritual gifts and who would bring them to the end strong and blameless. God will fulfill the all the promises contained within the gospel of Jesus Christ. Life in the Christian church is motivated by what Christ did. It is instructed by what Christ taught. It is empowered by Christ. It is modelled by Christ. Christian life is made possible by Christ. It really is all about Jesus Christ.

Having laid that foundation for his message, Paul immediately went to work addressing the concerns about the church in Corinth.