We shall begin the study of First Corinthians of the New
Testament.
Theme: All is Grace
Bear in mind that Paul was compelled to write a letter full of rebukes to a church he had planted in a city that was known as one of the greatest Roman cities in Greece. It was cultured, prosperous and immoral and many of her people had become Christians. They brought with them their pagan lifestyles that had made the church almost indistinguishable from the world in many ways.
(1) Read Paul's greeting found in vv.1-3 and describe your impressions concerning the following:
a. Who Paul is
b. Who the Corinthians believers are
c. The greetings of grace and peace
(2) Although within the epistle we find rebukes concerning their prideful knowledge, why then would Paul give thanks for “all your speaking and in all your knowledge” (1:5)? In what ways can these gifts (of grace) be a cause for thanksgiving?
(3) What might the difference be when believers of a church, like
(4) Do you live eagerly waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed? What impact does such an attitude (or a lack thereof) have on the following areas of your life right now?
a. In your inner life
b. Your family life
c. Your work life
d. Your church life
(5) What does Paul remind us of concerning our calling in v.9?
(6) What have you done with this calling?
(7) What has God promised concerning this calling?
(8) What is the main message for you today?
“To the church of God in Corinth, those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…” (1 Co. 1:2)
Those who are familiar with the book of 1 Corinthians will know that the church in Corinth was a worldly, immoral and divided church—hardly one that deserved the praise of the Apostle Paul. In fact, it was a church that obviously caused much grief to him. Yet, in the opening chapter, Paul was able to begin this letter to the church with thanksgiving and even praise. In fact, he opened with addressing them as saints—those sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Co. 1:2), and I do not believe that the Apostle Paul was being less than truthful with his statement. Indeed, all who have believed in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior are saints—already sanctified in Christ Jesus.
This serves to remind us of two basic truths as believers in Christ Jesus:
(1) No matter how we differ in our opinion in things other than the basic gospel truths, we are one in Christ. We are all saints and we should treat each other as such. It will be wrong to fight, to bicker and to disagree within the family of God as if our “opponents” do not belong to Christ. Often, I hear Christians attempt character assassination during their fights saying, “I doubt if they (their opponents) are Christians.” Paul could have said the same about the Corinthian Christians; instead he affirmed them as saints in Christ Jesus.
(2) That does not mean that we can excuse ourselves from living a life of holiness, since we have been sanctified, we have been “called to be holy” (1:2). It is indeed a tremendous blessing to see the Evangelical community’s re-emphasis on grace in recent decades as evidenced by the popularity of the writings of people like Philip Yancey. Pulpit messages, too, these days, are marked by grace, acceptance and second-chance. This is certainly biblical and exemplified by the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. But such emphasis cannot be one-sided, as this letter to the church of Corinth demonstrates. The need to live out a life distinct from the world, a life free of idolatry, sexual immorality, grumbling and division is a constant theme in this epistle. If we take the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ seriously, there should be a renewed urgency to emphasize a life of holiness in the pulpit and in our writings as well. We all have to give an account of our lives before the Lord—both preachers and listeners alike.
Theme: Prideful divisions
(1) Paul clarifies that Christ did not send him to baptize, but to preach the gospel. With these words, how would you understand the true importance of baptism?
(2) We love to say that we do not need to agree with one another in mind and thought. But Paul does insist that this be the case in v.10:
a. In what way(s) do we need to be “perfectly united in mind and thought”?
b. In what way(s) may we not need to be so?
c. What is the ultimate way to express our perfect unity?
(3) What was the issue that caused the Corinthian believers not to be of perfect unity in mind and in thought?
(4) What was the real issue or basis of their division?
(5) Paul appeared to chastise even those who said, “I follow Christ.” Why?
(6) In response to their division, Paul pointed out that he preached “the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power”.
a. Why would the cross be emptied of its power?
b. How does this statement serve as a rebuke to their division?
(7) How important is this rebuke to you and the church today?
(8) What is the main message to you today?
“I appeal to you brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you in that you may be perfectly untied in mind and thought.” (1 Co. 1:10)
I once read a cartoon in a Christian magazine which depicts a machine that can mould everyone who enters into it to come out looking exactly alike in looks and in every other way. The intent of the cartoon is to mock the misguided notion in some Christian circles that unity equals uniformity.
It is true that unity does not mean uniformity. We cannot manipulate our congregation into having no other opinions than the ones dictated by the leadership. This is not unity; it is mind control. Some political systems were quite successful in this respect, but even their successes were short-lived.
What the Apostle Paul admonishes the church in Corinth on is not so much having differing opinions and ideas, but having different attitudes. He elaborates on this point in Philippians 2:5, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Mind and thought, in this case, refer to attitude, not idea and opinion.
This is further evidenced by how the Apostle Paul applies this principle to the Corinthians. He points out that the issue of their division lies in their prideful association with whom they follow as their spiritual teacher or mentor. This is, of course, a matter of attitude.
At the core of divisions is always pride: Pride in thinking that we, our positions, our methodologies, our spirituality, or our teachings are necessarily better, more correct, or more pleasing to the Lord. I have found that it is very hard for us to detect such holier-than-thou attitude. It often takes years, if not decades, for us to come to realize our folly in this respect. It appears that even with the authority of the Apostle Paul, not everyone in the church in Corinth would recognize their erring way. This presumably prompted Paul to write a second letter in an effort to defend his apostleship. Yes, we can be very slow learners.
Theme: The Message of the Cross—the Power of God
The Corinthian Christians thought highly of themselves because of their philosophic heritage, and they tended to inject such a cultural heritage into their life in Christ. The Apostle Paul, who was very educated as well, tried hard to take away anything that the Corinthians might bring into the church which would alter the very essence of the gospel.
(1) What is the essential message of the cross? Why is it foolishness to those who do not believe?
(2) Why is it the power of God to those who believe? Is it the power of God to you? Why?
(3) How did God destroy the wisdom of the wise and the intelligent?
a. Why did Paul ask where “is” their wise man, the scholar or the philosopher of their age?
b. Who were those whom they revered and esteemed most in Greek philosophy?
c. When Paul asked this question, where were they?
d. By comparison with them, what was and is Jesus Christ?
e. “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (v. 20) What is your answer?
(4) Why did the preaching of "Christ crucified" have the following results?
a. The message was a stumbling block to the Jews, who demanded miracles.
b. The message was foolishness to the Gentiles (the Greek in particular), who looked for wisdom.
(5) What then might the message be that they would welcome?
(6) Paul preached the message of salvation through Christ’s crucifixion. In what way is God’s “foolishness” wiser than man’s wisdom, and God’s “weakness” stronger that man’s strength?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
“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.” (1 Co. 1:18)
As much as the Apostle Paul describes the gospel as foolishness to the world, it does not mean that the message of the cross is in itself foolishness. On the contrary, it is the wisdom of God who imparts wisdom to the world in the first place. It is when the world refuses to believe in its creator, when it will not submit its finite wisdom before the infinitely wise God, and when it seeks to create its own path of salvation that they become foolish to the point that they fail to appreciate God’s wisdom.
But to the “mature”, the gospel is “a message of wisdom”. (1 Co. 2:6)
What Paul means is that those who have the mind of Christ (2:16) will appreciate the wisdom of God; in fact, they are the wisest in that they can discern the things of God, while the world cannot understand them nor the things of God.
Paul is speaking to the Christians in Corinth who should already have the mind of Christ. Yet, their continuation in elevating human wisdom above that of God has prevented them from being mature in discerning the things of God.
Human wisdom in itself is gift of God. However, any time we elevate God-given human wisdom above the revealed truth of God in the Bible, we remain fools. Anytime we humbly submit this marvelous gift of human wisdom before the Word of God, we are wise and mature.
Theme: Who we were
(1) The Corinthian Christians liked to think of themselves as learned and so they took pride in whom they followed (1:12). But in essence, who were they before they became Christians?
(2) Who were you before your conversion? Were you, in the eyes of the world, foolish,
weak or lowly? If you were, what then
was the reason given here for God choosing
you?
(3) Examine yourself: If you were to share your testimony with other people, how would you describe yourself before conversion?
(4) What is meant by Christ being “our righteousness, holiness and redemption”?
(5) Have you ever boasted in your right actions, your ethical values or your faith? Should you?
(6) What if Paul had come to preach the gospel with eloquence (i.e. with great rhetorical skill) and superior wisdom (high philosophy), mixing them with the message of Christ crucified?
a. What would he have done to the gospel message?
b. If the Corinthians came to Christ as a result, what might be the danger?
(7) Dr. James Houston likes to say, “How can I make a career out of the crucified Christ” to warn all would-be ministers and theologians. What do you think of his words and how can you apply it to yourself?
(8) What is the main message to you today?
“I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling.” (1 Co. 2:3)
When Paul reminded the Christians in Corinth that not many of them were wise, influential or of noble birth, I can identify with what he said. Like most Chinese parents of a former generation, my parents were not shy in expressing their favoritism based mostly on academic achievements. Since I was not able to attend a more prestigious school, I was thought to have no future and was quite looked down upon, even by neighbors. I still remember that when I was eventually accepted by a local college, one of the neighbors asked what I would be studying. When I replied, “Accounting”, the father of quite a few children in the neighborhood said, “You mean bookkeeping?”.
But in my college years, I came to know clearly my salvation in the Lord and God has restored my self-image and self-worth. I have come to believe that I am extremely precious in God’s sight—precious enough for Him to give His Son to me on the cross. With this also came the restoration of my confidence in life. My life since my conversion has been marked by undeserved grace—in family, career and ministry, culminating in His call into full-time gospel ministry after 21 years in the secular arena.
I still remember the first time I stood behind the pulpit of a magnificent church sanctuary which dated back to more than 100 years and in front of almost 1,000 people. The sense of unworthiness, the feeling of awe and the earnestness in trusting the Lord in delivering my message caused my knees to quake. Then, after twenty something years as a minister of the gospel, that sense of unworthiness, of awe and of the need of desperate trust subsided. Yes, I still recognized my unworthiness, my sinfulness before the holy God and my inadequacies; yet somehow the accumulation of experience and knowledge became the source of my confidence. How much I need to reclaim that sense of fear and trembling before the Lord. I’d rather preach with quaking knees than with a confident poise.
Theme: No Human Wisdom, Please!
(1) Two kinds of wisdom are being compared by Paul. What are they?
(2) What proof is there that the rulers of this age do not understand “God’s secret wisdom”?
(3) What is the only way that “God’s secret wisdom” can be known and understood?
(4) Why does Paul describe our Lord of glory as what God has prepared for those who love Him? Why does he describe this gift of Christ as, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has conceived”? What kind of indictment is it to human wisdom?
(5) What advantages, therefore, do we have over the world when it comes to understanding the things and wisdom of God?
(6) How then should we respond if we are mocked that only the weak and simple of mind believe in God?
(7) What does v. 15 mean and what doesn’t it mean?
(8) How then can we maintain having “the mind of Christ” (v.16)?
(9) What is the main message to you today?
“We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age.” (1 Co. 2:6)
As much as the Apostle Paul describes the message of the cross as foolishness to the world, it does not mean that the gospel message is one of foolishness. Paul maintains that “we do…speak a message of wisdom among the mature” (2:6). What he means is, only the mature—the ones who understand the mind of Christ—can appreciate how wise the message of God is. This is why the Apostle Paul took the message of the cross to the Areopagus and debated with the philosophers in Athens.
No, the Apostle Paul knew that no amount of human reasoning can convict a person of his need to repent and believe in Christ crucified; it is totally the work of the Holy Spirit. However, the explaining or even arguing for God’s wisdom and power through the cross is necessary so that when convicted, people will surrender not only their lives, but their pride and reliance on human wisdom as their basis of salvation.
I think we need to have a proper perspective about conversion. Conviction of the heart, without the conversion of the mind is pure superstition. However, if there is only the conversion of the mind without the conviction of the heart (of sin and to repentance), there is no salvation.
Theme: Carnal Christians
(1) What should be the mark(s) of a born-again Christian?
(2) What are the marks of a baby?
(3) What are the marks of a spiritual baby?
(4) What the marks of an adult?
(5) What are the marks of a mature spiritual Christian?
(6) Paul said that the Corinthian believers were still given milk, not solid food. What might milk be in this sense? (You may want to refer to Heb. 5:11 – 6:2.)
(7) What then are you being fed today?
(8) What are the signs, according to Paul, that they are still not ready for solid food?
(9) Apart from jealousy and quarrels, what else might be signs that we are still “worldly…acting like mere men” (v. 3)?
(10) What is the main message to you today?
“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly…mere infants in Christ.” (1 Co. 3:1)
When we think of maturity in Christ, we normally think of the ability to understand the deeper things of God, and we associate such maturity with our appetite in the studying of God’s Word, and in our ability to appreciate longer and more profound sermons.
The more right-minded measure of maturity shifts more to discernible patterns of life which might include the concern for and evangelism of the lost, especially in terms of overseas missions. It also is seen in their zeal for sacrificial service including teaching Sunday School, sacrificial tithing, and other services in the community.
Traditionally, it appears that one’s prayer-life is a very good measure of one’s maturity in Christ. And so, we associate former saints like E. M. Bounds and Merton as spiritual giants.
However, in his admonition to the believers “in Christ” in the church in Corinth (1 Co. 3:1) Paul measures their maturity (or rather their immaturity) in Christ by their jealousy and quarrels (3:1-3). Paul describes this church in Corinth as “enriched in every way” (1:5). Presumably, they lack no gifts, no zeal in outreach, nor appetite for the Word. Paul does not have to teach them to pray. They have everything except love! Not knowing how to love or practice loving one another is, to Paul, a sure sign of immaturity in Christ.
If such is the measure of maturity in Christ (and it certainly is) then, the church of Jesus Christ today is full of immature believers who are not ready for solid food. No wonder, the church is so weak and ineffective to impact the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Theme: The church’s only foundation
(1) Vv. 6-9—1st analogy of the church: a plant
a. How appropriate is Paul’s (and in fact, the Bible’s) use of a plant (and especially a vineyard) to speak of the church?
b. What part do we play in the growth of the church as servants of God?
c. We all know that only God can make the church grow and we are mere sowers and watermen. Yet we often find ourselves taking credit that should be God’s. What do you often take credit for and why is it so hard to really understand that it is God who makes everything happen?
d. In what sense are “the man who plants and the man who waters” one? (the original Greek simply says, “are one”)
(2) Vv. 10-15—2nd analogy of the church: A building
a. How appropriate is Paul’s use of a building project in speaking of the church?
b. In what way(s) is Paul an expert (or wise) builder and not a foolish one?
c. In admonishing us to be careful with how we participate in building, what does Paul have in mind in particular in v.11? What is the difference between laying the foundation and erecting the superstructure above it?
d. How can we know that we, or someone, might be laying a foundation other than Jesus Christ?
e. In participating in the building of the church, which kinds of our work might qualify as gold, silver and costly stones? Which kinds might be counted as wood, hay or straw? Does it have anything to do with how hard we work, how gifted we are or how great the results may be? Why or why not?
f. Since v. 15 speaks of our being ‘saved”, it appears to refer to our appearance before the throne of Christ at His second coming. How will the quality of our work be revealed on that “Day”? What is that fire being referred to?
g. If our work survives the test of fire, what will we receive? What if our work does not survive the test, what will happen to us?
(3) Vv. 16-17—3rd analogy of the church: God’s temple
a. Is it an analogy or more than an analogy to call the church as God’s temple? What do you think?
b. When the church is mentioned, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? When God’s temple is mentioned, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Why is there a difference?
c. In what way can one “destroy” God’s temple, the church? What will be the consequences for that person? Is Paul bluffing? Why or why not?
(4) What is the main message for you today?
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe...” (1 Co. 3:5)
I find Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 3:5 very convicting and it causes me to examine myself:
How many times had I as a lay leader savored the success of a well-led Bible study?
How many times had I rejoiced at the increased attendance in my Sunday School class while other classes had poor attendance?
How often does my mind entertain the replay of man’s praise of my sacrificial service to The Lord?
How many times have I secretly congratulated myself when the people exited the sanctuary heaping praises on me about my sermon while I replied, “Praise the Lord!”?
Why should I feel so hurt when people criticize only a fraction of my errors and mistakes?
Why should I feel offended when my opinion is not being well received by others?
How dare I think any more of myself than who I really am! ?
May The Lord remind us of who we really are…servants only and nothing more!