The Apostle’s Address, vv. 1-3
A. Who? Paul, called to be an apostle by God and Sosthenes our brother.
- Paul was called on the Damascus road.
- Sosthenes, once a ruler of the synagogue in Corinth, was beaten by Romans for persecuting Paul. Now Sosthenes is a believer accompanying Paul, Acts 18:17.
B. To Whom? The church of God at Corinth, a local assembly of believers.
- Sanctified in Christ
- Called to be saints
- Sharing a common faith with other saints in Christ: “both theirs and ours.”
C. What? Grace and peace:
- Grace precedes peace. Grace comes from the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Grace is the source of peace. Peace with God, peace of God.
D. Where? Corinth
1. Famous for pottery and Corinthian brass.
2. Athletic events, the Isthmian Games, held at the Temple of Peseidon every 2 years.
3. Temples to Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Isis, Serapsis, Asclepius, and Aphrodite (with 1000 temple prostitutes).
4. Known for drunkenness and sexual immorality.
The Apostle’s Appreciation, vv. 4-9
A. Corinthian believers received God’s grace, v. 4.
B. Corinthian believers enriched by God, v. 5.
- Utterance: psalm, doctrine, a message (tongue & revelation), and interpretation, 1 Corinthians 14:26.
- Spiritual knowledge
- Testimony for God, v. 6
- Spiritual gifts from God, v. 7
C. Corinthian believers anticipate Christ’s return, vv. 7-9.
The Apostle’s Admonition, vv. 10-31
A. Stop the Divisions, v. 10
- “Divisions” = schismata = “tear or rend”
- Stop tearing each other up, stop tearing up the Body of Christ.
- While they had spiritual gifts, they did not have the spiritual grace of love, 1 Corinthians 13.
B. “Be joined together” = “a medical term for knitting together broken bones.”
C. The divisions Paul learned from Chloe, vv. 11-17:
1. The Reason for the Divisions
Paul explains why they were divided: they had their eyes on men instead of on Christ. They were trusting in the wisdom of men (1Co_2:5); they were glorying in the works of men (1Co_3:21); and they were comparing one servant with another and boasting about men (1Co_4:6). In 1Co_3:1-23, Paul proves that this infatuation with men was a mark of carnal living, evidence that these “spiritual Corinthians” were actually babes in Christ. (Guzik)
2. The Four Divisions
a. The Paul Group: they were Gentile believers and he was the Apostle of the Gentiles.
b. The Apollos Group: they enjoyed his gift of oratory (Acts 18:24-28).
c. The Peter Group: they were Jewish believers and he was the Apostle of the Jews.
d. The Christ-only Group: they rejected all human leaders and professed only to follow Christ.
3. Since Christ died for us, we are baptized in His name, not the names of human leaders!
D. The Reason for the Divisions
1. They confused the Gospel with the wisdom of the world.
2. They glorified the messengers instead of the message.
E. Worldly Wisdom vs the Wisdom and Power of God, vv. 18-31
1. With all its “wisdom,” the world is not able to find God or salvation. The Gospel seems foolishness to the world, vv. 20-21.
2. While Jews look for a sign and Gentiles look for wisdom, God provides salvation to Jews and Gentiles through faith in Christ, vv. 22-25.
3. God hides His truth from the “wise and noble” and reveals Himself to the humble, vv. 26-29. God called and saved us, not because of our wisdom or nobility, but because of our humility.
4. Every saint is “in Christ Jesus,” vv. 30-31
Christ is to every saint all that he or she ever needs. When it comes to spiritual things, we don’t need man’s wisdom or power because we have Christ. He is our redemption, our righteousness, our wisdom, our all. To add anything to Christ or His cross is to diminish Him and His work and rob them of their power.
Whenever Christians take their eyes off Christ and start depending on, trusting in, and glorifying man, then they cause divisions. Such divisions rob the church of its power.