1 CORINTHIANS LESSON 1

 
     We are beginning one of the most important letters that Paul
wrote to the churches he had begun.  The church at Corinth had been
established on the second of Paul's missionary journeys.

     The city of Corinth was believed to be a city of about 600,000
people when this was written to them.  One of the outskirts of Corinth
was Cenchera, which was a seaport. This was a thriving city with much
evil. They were thought of as being one of the wealthiest cities of
the area. There was a mixture of nationalities here. Greeks and Romans
made up the majority of the people.

     This city had many false gods and goddesses. The most prominent
of the false worship was of Aprodite. There were over 1000 prostitutes
working to win converts to this very sensual religion. This was a very
evil city. The democratic way of life was foremost here, and debates
were allowed on all subjects. This, perhaps, was the reason Paul had
an easy time being heard at first.

     We will find in this book, as we do in many of Paul's writings,
that he deals with them within the confines of their customs. He does
not try to change their life style. He shows them that Christianity is
for all people. We will get into this a little more as we go along.
One thing that we must remember from the outset: There were no iron
clad doctrines that were to be used in all of these churches. We will
see Paul trying to establish rules and regulations for each church
that they could live with in the light of their customs.

     Let us begin now in I Corinthians 1:1 "Paul, called [to be] an
apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes [our]
brother,"

     First we need to ask, who is this Paul? We know that he was a
Pharisee. We, also, know that he was a Roman. His mother was a Hebrew
and his father was a Roman. Paul was his Roman name even though it is
taken from a Greek name Paulos, which means little.  His Hebrew name
was Saul which means asked. Paul was a native of Tarsus, a city of
Celicia. We are told that he was a  student of Gamaliel. He was a
Pharisee of the Pharisees. He was so against Christianity and it's
teachings that he persecuted Christians. On his way on one of his many
journeys to capture Christians and put them in jail, he encountered
the Lord Jesus Christ, in a great and blinding Light. Paul was sought
out of God to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Notice, in the verse
above that it was God's will for Paul to be an apostle.  The word
"apostle" means ambassador, messenger, or delegate. It, also, means he
that is sent. I like the last meaning best. In this case, it means one
sent with authority.  He had the power of attorney from the Lord
Jesus.  We must look at who sent him: Jesus Christ.  Sosthenes {of
safe strength} had been the ruler of the synagogue at Corinth. The
fact that Paul calls him brother makes me believe that he converted to
Christianity.

     I Corinthians 1:2 "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:"

     We said before that this church had been established on Paul's
second missionary journey. Notice that Paul writes this letter to
individuals in the church at Corinth. In other lessons we have talked
about the word "sanctified" meaning set aside for God's purpose.
Another meaning is to make holy. Notice, how they are made holy. It is
in Christ Jesus. Saints means sacred, blameless, or religious.  Saints
are all, in every place, who call upon the name of Jesus.

     I Corinthians 1:3 "Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our
Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ."

     Grace is one word that is really hard to explain, because it is
so all forgiving. It means unmerited favor. The grace of God toward
man is unexplainable. It is really love to the utmost, and I might
add, undeserved love. The grace of God toward man brings great peace.
The only way to know real peace is in the Lord Jesus. I will just
mention in passing, that the Father and Jesus are spoken of
separately. Lord Jesus Christ is the true name of Jesus on the earth.
Jesus means Saviour and Christ means the Anointed One. When you couple
that with Lord, you have said a lot.  All agree, who are not even
Christians that He was the Anointed One. They cannot deny the
miracles. The next step is accepting Him as your Saviour. The ultimate
is when you know Him as your Lord.

     I Corinthians 1:4 "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the
grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;"

     Paul feels very grateful to God for the church He allowed him to
begin here in Corinth. These people, even though they were sinners,
were very receptive to the message God had given them through Paul.
Paul was always careful to give whatever thanks there was to God. We
will find that people who are caught up in sin, and know they are, are
easier to reach for God than the educated who want to analyze
everything. This is why the Lord Jesus said that harlots and publicans
would go into the kingdom quicker than the religious.  Matthew 21:31
"Whether of them twain did the will of [his] father? They say unto
him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the
publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."
Matthew 21:32 "For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and
ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him:
and ye, when ye had seen [it], repented not afterward, that ye might
believe him."  The self righteous did not even know they needed to
repent. The harlots and publicans knew they had sinned, and asked, and
got forgiveness for their sin.

     I Corinthians 1:5 "That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in
all utterance, and [in] all knowledge;"

     The only knowledge worth having is that which the Lord sends to
us through His Word and is explained to us by His Holy Spirit.  We
explained that knowledge is accumulated learning. That is the reason
it is so important to study the Bible every day.  In this particular
instance, the word enriched means to make wealthy.  Notice, that these
riches are not of money, but of ability to utter, or speak.

     I Corinthians 1:6 "Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed
in you:"

     Perhaps, this just means that they became Christians and
testified of the Lord Jesus Christ.

     I Corinthians 1:7 "So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:"

     This is speaking of the ability to minister in a given area. The
five fold ministry of the church was active here. They were not just
sitting around waiting for the coming of the Lord, but were using the
gifts of the Spirit that the Lord had given them to help them
minister.

     I Corinthians 1:8 "Who shall also confirm you unto the end, [that
ye may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

     All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This is
speaking of the fact that the penalty for their sin had already been
paid by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, they could come
boldly before the throne of God, and they would be just as if they had
never sinned. They are blameless, because they are washed in the blood
of the Lamb. The day, spoken of here, is judgement day, when we all
stand before the Lord to be judged. He will find us not guilty of any
sin, if we are His.

     I Corinthians 1:9 "God [is] faithful, by whom ye were called unto
the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."

     I believe the important word in the Scripture above is
fellowship. There are three Scriptures in 1 John that can say this
much better than I can. I John 1:3 "That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and
truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ." I John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and
walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"  I John 1:7 "But if
we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
all sin."  We see a closeness, here, with the Lord Jesus. Fellowship,
in the verse above, means union. God is faithful and will do
everything He promised to do. Many are called, but few are chosen. In
fact, all are called, but only those who receive Jesus as Saviour and
Lord are chosen.

     I Corinthians 1:10 "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that]
there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

     We are told that on the day of Pentecost, when the wind of the
Spirit came, they are of one accord. Paul has begun to show them of
the error in their church. First of all, he explains that they must be
together, that division is not what God would have. If they are truly
in Christ Jesus, then they would be one in Him. Paul is explaining to
them that there is one message from God that saved them, and they must
stick with that message. We have discussed how many times people will
hang on to one or two of their habits sometimes when they come to
Christianity, and will try to teach that along with Christianity. This
is the way false doctrines come into the church. In our day, it is how
Christian rock? creeped into our churches. Even Paul, unwillingly
taught things that were a leftover from his teachings by Gamaliel. It
is hard to unlearn some things.

     I Corinthians 1:11 "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."

     We see from this, that someone has reported to Paul that there
are divisions in the church  he had established in Corinth.
Contentions, here, means quarrels. This is still going on today.

     I Corinthians 1:12 "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."

     Strangely enough this is still going on today in the form of
denominations. Some will say I am a Baptist, others say I am a
Methodist, others will say I am a Christian. Not any of the Protestant
denominations are bad. We must be careful not to be a Baptist
Christian. We must be a Christian Baptist, if Baptist is our choice of
denomination to join. I could have said that of all denominations, not
just the Baptist. We must always remember that,  we are first a
follower of and a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and then join
whatever denomination best takes care of our needs. We do not join
Jesus like you would a club. Christianity is a family. If we are
believers in Christ, we are all born into Him. We have a tendency,
like these people here, to relate our Christianity to the one who led
us to the Lord.

     I Corinthians 1:13 "Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for
you?  or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?"

     The answer to this is no! Christ is not divided, then or now. The
message is Christ and Him crucified. Even if Paul {or anyone else,
other than Jesus} had been crucified for you, that would not save you.
The only salvation that is real and able to save you, is the salvation
the Lord Jesus paid for with His precious spotless blood. Only His
blood cleanses from all sin.

     I Corinthians 1:14 "I thank God that I baptized none of you, but
Crispus and Gaius;"  I Corinthians 1:15 "Lest any should say that I
had baptized in mine own name."
     We see that Paul did not want them to think of him as Christ. Had
they been baptized by him, he is afraid some might confuse that with
him being their Saviour. Paul is very well aware of the dangerous
effect it would have if he allowed anyone to worship him.

     I Corinthians 1:16 "And I baptized also the household of
Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other."  I
Corinthians 1:17 "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."

     Actually, just baptizing someone does not save them. They must
hear the message of God and be convicted in their heart. They must
repent of their sins and receive their forgiveness. The preaching of
the cross of Christ is what saves people. When we are convinced in our
heart that Jesus did this for us, and we accept Him as our Substitute
for our sin, we will be saved. Salvation comes from believing Jesus in
our heart and confessing this with our mouth.  Romans chapter 10
verses 9 and 10 are the real way to receive the salvation provided for
us as a free gift from God.


































                       Questions 1 Corinthians


1.  When was the church at Corinth established?
2.  How large was Corinth at this time?
3.  What seaport city was a suburb of Corinth?
4.  What was the most prominent of the false worship in Corinth?
5.  How many prostitutes worked in this false religion at that time?
6.  What was their governmental way of life?
7.  Why was it easy for Paul to be heard the first time here?
8.  What type of doctrine had been established, before the founding of
    the church at Corinth?
9.  Who is Paul?
10. His ________ name was Saul?
11. What was his Roman name?
12. What did the 2 names mean?
13. What was Paul practicing, when he persecuted the Christians?
14. What caused Paul to come to Christianity?
15. Whose will was it for Paul to be an apostle?
16. What does the word "apostle" mean?
17. Who had been Paul's teacher?
18. Who sent Paul on the missionary journey to Corinth?
19. What does Sosthenes mean?
20. Who was he?
21. What makes us believe he converted to Christianity?
22. What does sanctified mean?
23. How are they made holy?
24. What does saints mean?
25. Who are the saints?
26. What is grace?
27. What does Lord Jesus Christ mean?
28. What is the ultimate in Christianity?
29. In Matthew, we read that the ____ and ______will come to God
    before these self righteous-religious people.
30. What are they made rich in, in verse 5?
31. What is knowledge?
32. What is the testimony of Christ?
33. Why will the Christians be blameless?
34. Quote 1 John chapter 1 verse 6.
35. What does fellowship mean?
36. What reprimand did Paul give to this church at Corinth?
37. Who reported to Paul of the problems in the church?
38. What message for the churches today can we get out of verse 12,
    here?
39. Was Paul crucified for you? Who was.
40. Who were the only ones Paul had baptized?
41. Why did Paul not want to personally baptize them?
42. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 17.
43. How does salvation come?