CORINTHIANS
CHAPTER 1
True saints are perfectly united in the same mind and in the same judgment—Preach the gospel and save souls—The gospel is preached by the weak and the simple.
[ The letter to the Corinthians is a letter of warning and
admonition sent by Paul to check improper conduct among people
within the Church. Paul was staying at Ephesus, which is a
neighboring sea-trading partner with Corinth, when he received
word of wrongdoing within the Church (cf. 1:11).
There was prior written communication between Paul and the
Church at Corinth. Paul cites the contents of some letter
presently lost to us (cf. 5:9). And in this letter he responds
to questions posed (cf. 7:1, 8:1).
Paul is clearly dismayed over their present condition. They
have ignored his prior written admonitions to avoid immorality.
People within the Church are tolerating gross immorality in the
other Church members (cf. 5:1-2), and division is arising within
the Church as a result of pseudo-intellectualism (cf. ch. 2).
The result is this letter, wherein Paul addresses their behavior
and admonishes them to abandon their Gentile ways.
How did the Corinthian Church fall into such problems so
quickly? Under the entry for Corinth Smith's Bible Dictionary
states:
Corinth was a place of great mental activity, as well
as of commercial and manufacturing enterprise. Its
wealth was so celebrated as to be proverbial; So were
the vice and profligacy of its inhabitants. The
worship of Venus here was attended with shameful
licentiousness.
And Coneybear and Howson in _The Life and Epistles of St. Paul_
state (p. 376-377):
One evil at least, we know, prevailed extensively, and
threatened to corrupt the whole Church of Corinth.
This was nothing less than the addiction of many
Corinthian Christians to those sins of impurity which
they had practiced in the days of their Heathenism, and
which disgraced their native city, even among the
Heathen. We have before mentioned the peculiar
licentiousness of manners which prevailed at Corinth.
So notorious was this, that it had actually passed into
the vocabulary of the Greek tongue; and the very word
'to Corinthianize,' meant 'to play the wanton;'
[footnote: it is so used by Aristophanes] nay, the bad
reputation of the city had become proverbial, and even
in foreign languages, and is immortalized by the Latin
poets [footnote: Hor. Ep. i. 17., 'Non cuivis homini
contingit adire Corinthum'] Such being the habits in
which many of the Corinthian converts had been
educated, we cannot wonder if it proved most difficult
to root out immorality from the rising Church.
Thus, the culture at Corinth was quite decadent.
Regarding some of the sports imagery Paul employs in this
letter, he draws on the setting of Corinth itself. Under the
entry for Corinth Smith's Bible Dictionary states:
This article would be incomplete without some notice of
the Posidonium, or sanctuary of Neptune, the scene of
the Isthmian games, from which St. Paul borrows some of
his most striking imagery in 1 Cor. and other epistles.
This sanctuary was a short distance to the N. E. of
Corinth, at the narrowest part of the Isthmus, near the
harbor of Schaenus (now Kalamaki) on the Saronic gulf.
The exact site of the temple is doubtful; but where the
foot-races were run (1 Cor. 9:24); to the east are
those of the theater, which was probably the scene of
pugilistic contests (1 Cor. 9:26); and abundant on the
shore are the small green pine trees which gave the
fading wreath (1 Cor. 9:25) to the victors in the
games.
Finally, the KJV on Paul's letters is, in general, poor.
Paul's writing style it obtuse to start with, and the KJV does
little to clarify it. When making a careful study of these
letters I suggest using a modern scholarly translation such as
the New American Standard (NAS) which reads much more clearly yet
remains true to the Greek. ]
1 PAUL, called to
be an
apostle of Jesus Christ [ So at the end of Pauls second mission which lasted about 3 years he ends by a quick call to Jerusalem. Acts 18:21 During this visit to Jerusalem he is called to be an aspostle. Paul is announcing that
he is called as an apostle. Based on the timing of when Corinthians was
written that Paul has been called to the twelve sometime between his
second mission and his third mission. ] through the will of God, and sosthenes our brother,
2 [ So we know who the audience is - the members of the Church at Corinth. This Church was established by the apostle himself about A. D. 52, as we learn from Acts 18:1 ] Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
7 So that ye come behind in no gift; [ or within the church every gift is given, even though every person does not have every gift but as a group they do have every gift amoung them. ] waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: [ The ancient apostles saw Jesus' Second Coming as imminent, cp. Acts 1:6. ]
8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, [ The faithfulness of God is a favourite expression among the ancient Jews; and by it they properly understand the integrity of God in preserving whatever is entrusted to him. And they suppose that in this sense the fidelity of man may illustrate the fidelity of God, in reference to which they tell the two following stories. "Rabbi Phineas, the son of Jair, dwelt in a certain city, whither some men came who had two measures of barley, which they desired him to preserve for them. They afterwards forgot their barley and went away. Rabbi Phineas each year sowed the barley, reaped, thrashed, and laid it up in his granary.
When seven years had elapsed the men returned, and desired to have the barley with which they had entrusted him. Rabbi Phineas recollected them, and said, 'Come and take your treasure,' i.e. the barley they had left, with all that it had produced for seven years. Thus, from the faithfulness of man ye may know the faithfulness of God."Rabbi Simeon, the son of Shetach, bought an ass from some Edomites, at whose neck his disciples saw a diamond hanging; they said unto him, Rabbi, the blessing of the Lord maketh rich, Prov. x. 22. But he answered: The ass I have bought, but the diamond I have not bought; therefore he returned the diamond to the Edomites. Thus, from the fidelity of man ye may know the fidelity of God." This was an instance of rare honesty, not to be paralleled among the Jews of the present day, and probably among few Gentiles. Whatever is committed to the keeping of God he will most carefully preserve; for he is faithful. ] by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [ Paul's statement of authority. ] that ye all speak the same thing, [ D&C 38:27 behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be aone; and if ye are not one ye are not mine. ] and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. [ The reason why Paul is writting this letter to the Corinthians. Paul indicates he is aware of division within the Church based upon seeming differences between the teachings of various Church leaders. some are choosing to focus on Paul, some on Peter, some on Apollos, some claim to follow Christ. Paul wants none of this personality cult, and tells them their faith is in Jesus, who was crucified for them. The word "Contentions" - HEB "eridev", or Altercations; produced by the scismata, divisions, mentioned above. When once they had divided, they must necessarily have contended, in order to support their respective parties. So we have a letter to the Corinthians as a letter of warning and sent by Paul to check improper conduct among people within the Church. At the time of writing it is understood that Paul was staying at Ephesus, which is a neighboring sea-trading partner with Corinth, when he received word of wrongdoing within the Church]
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. [ Instead of Christ, cristou, some have conjectured that it should be read as "krispou", of Crispus; who is mentioned verse 14. And some think that cristou, of Christ, is an interpolation, as it is not likely that Christ in any sense of the word could be said to be the head of a sect, or party, in his own Church; as all those parties held that Gospel, of which himself was both the author and the subject. But it is very easy to conceive that, in a Church so divided, a party might be found, who, dividing Christ from his ministers, might be led to say, "We will have nothing to do with your parties, nor with your party spirit; we are the disciples of Christ, and will have nothing to do with Paulians, Apollonians, or Kephians, as contradistinguished from Christ." The reading krispou for cristou is not acknowledged by any MS. or version. ]
13 Is Christ divided? [ What is Paul challenging the saints on here? Chapters 1 -3 will dealing with divisions in the church in regard to doctrine. We have within the church some intellectuals who are attempting to set the doctrine of the church based on the reasoning of man. Now we can wonder how could or would they be doing this, but can you see how easy it can happen? What can we learn from what we see here and what are the safegards in the church today to help keep from this activity? What makes a group feel united? ] was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? [ Does Paul have the authority to save? Is it Pauls church? No it is the church of Jesus Christ, he is the one with the power to save us, no other. To be baptized in, or into the name of one, implied that the baptized was to be the disciple of him into whose name, religion, &c., he was baptized. As if he said: Did I ever attempt to set up a new religion, one founded on my own authority, and coming from myself? On the contrary, have I not preached Christ crucified for the sin of the world; and called upon all mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, to believe on Him? ]
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; [ None of those who now live in Corinth, except Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, Acts 18:8. Is he also suggesting that he is glad that none were baptised in his name since the verse before he makes quit clear that he does not have the power to save and that it is Christ's church. Since there are some in the group that claim in essence to be disciples of Paul. ]
16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. [ What is Paul suggesting here to the Saints? Paul identifys their problem in a nutshell. He suggests that it is because of their pseudo-intellectualism they have lost their focus. Paul is referring to the subject of 2:1-5. The gospel was delivered to them not with clever sophistry, but with the power of the Spirit. If it were merely clever sophistry, then Jesus' atonement would be meaningless.]
18 For the preaching of the cross [ "Æo logov gar o staurou", The doctrine of the cross; or the doctrine that is of or concerning the cross; that is, the doctrine that proclaims salvation to a lost world through the crucifixion of Christ. ] is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. [v18 is obscure in the KJV. One might rearrange it as follows:
For to them that perish
the preaching of the cross is foolishness;
but unto us which are saved
it is the power of God.
v18-25 Paul rejects the sophistication of men and asks them to consider the wisdom of God instead. A spiritually discerning person can perceive the wisdom of God, but a carnal person cannot perceive it. Instead, they seek after signs, stumble over spiritual things, and turn to human machinations. ]
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. [ Paul paraphrases Isa. 29:14. ]
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
23 But we [ The Apostles ] preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, [ Why is preaching of the crucified Christ a stumbling block for the jews? Well for starters they did not believe that Jesus Christ was the promised messiah that they were looking for. Therefore he was just a man to them as a result, the fact that they could not accept him as the Savior they stumbled to believe that he could save them. ] , and unto the Greeks foolishness;
[ Why did the Greeks think that Jesus's crifixiation did nothing for them? They were too intellectual, they already had their god and he was not one of them. ]
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: [ Does this remind you of another verse "Many are called but few are chosen?" why is this? v26-31 Paul points out to them that few noble, mighty, wise men of the world are chosen of God. Instead, God has chosen the humble and contrite of the world, who look debased, weak, and foolish to the men of the world. These are chosen so that no man may glory in himself, bit rather the chosen give glory to God. Those who boast may only boast justifiably in the Lord. ]
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
[ Why do you suppose that God works this way? Do you have experiences where you trusted in the wisdom of God, it did not make sense but in doing so you were blessed? ]
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, [ It is very likely that the apostle refers here to the Gentiles and to the Gentile converts, who were considered base and despicable in the eyes of the Jews, who counted them no better than dogs, and who are repeatedly called the things that are not. By these very people, converted to Christianity, God has brought to nought all the Jewish pretensions; and by means of the Gentiles themselves, he has annihilated the whole Jewish polity; so that even Jerusalem itself was soon after this, trodden under foot of the Gentiles. ] hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: