Lesson 1 – 1 Corinthians Chapter 1:1-5

As we begin to do a deep dive into the book of 1 Corinthians, it will help us more if we understand the environment in which the Corinthian people found themselves.

Paul visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, after he had met with some seeming failure in the “cultured” Athens. While he was Corinth, he made friends with two fellow Jews, Aquila and Priscilla, in which they shared in the same trade… tent making. Paul stayed there for a year and a half.

Corinth was an important city in ancient Greece, having two boat harbors. Geographically, it was an ideal location for commerce between Italy and Asia. Corinth was a very active city, travelers were coming and going all the time, making it very diversified. Everywhere in the city there was prosperous buying and selling going on, the money was flowing quite nicely. Just like we see in today’s society, where there is money, there is sex as well (just look at Las Vegas).

At one time, there were twelve heathen pagan temples in Corinth. People use the word heathen today to refer to the culture of a people who have no regard for religion whatsoever; the word has taken on the connotation of being “barbaric” or “uncivilized.” So, we can say that Corinth could be described as a total heathenistic city, to say the least.

On the streets of the city, prostitutes could be seen everywhere, displaying their wares for all to see. The local butcher shops thrived on the sales of meat that came from the sacrifices made in the pagan temples.

The Corinthians ate very well, and they also satisfied all of their sexual urges without anyone giving it a second thought. They were also into their physical appearance, making their bodies as beautiful as those of the Greek gods they worshiped.

Some say there were about 250,000 citizens in Corinth, and with that, there were about two slaves for every person. With their blatant immorality exhibited throughout the city, there came the saying ”to Corinthianize,” which came to mean practicing sexual immorality. Referring back to Las Vegas, we can say Corinth is also known as “Sin City,” and just as Las Vegas isn’t known for being a religious city, neither was Corinth.

So, what did Corinth need? It needed freedom, not freedom to do as they pleased, they already had that. Corinth needed freedom from sin and death, freedom from the darkness that had captured it. God met their need by sending His man Paul to spread the good news. After establishing the Corinthian church, Paul eventually went on to Ephesus, where he stayed there for three years. It was from Ephesus that Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthian believers, who so desperately needed help and correction in their Christian walk. This all took place sometime between A.D. 52 and A.D. 56.

Sadly, Corinth was starting to impact the young church, when it should have been the other way around. If churches were given grades at that time, the church at Corinth would have been given a “D” for being divided, defiled, and defamed. Yet Paul, like a skilled surgeon, knew just how to use his spiritual scalpel. He diagnosed the problem and then took aim at the source of their problem, which consisted of pride, and a lack of love within the church.

It’s no wonder just how much God really hates pride.

1 Cor. 1:1:
“Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes (Soce-then’-ace) our brother,”

We have the typical greeting from Paul, he always gave his name at the very beginning of his letters so his readers knew immediately who was writing to them. He would also name anyone who joined him in writing, and in this case, we have Sosthenes (Soce-then’-ace). In II Corinthians, Timothy is named. Sosthenes was probably a synagogue leader at the time, as found in Acts 18:17, where we see that he was beaten. That’s the kind of thing that can happen to you when you hang out with Paul. Paul calls himself an apostle, and it’s important he does this, because it establishes his godly authority.

By referring to himself as an apostle, Paul wasn’t flaunting his position in any way, but he did this to gain respect as a teacher of God’s Word.

1 Cor. 1:2:
“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:”

To the church of God which is at Corinth…

We should note here that Paul doesn’t say the church of Corinth, he says the church of God… there is no church of Corinth, there is no Church of England, there is only one church, the church of God. Within the body of Christ, we don’t belong to any leader or group, but to God.

To those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus…

Just as we had reminders from Peter, Paul is reminding us here that we are sanctified in Christ Jesus. To be sanctified means to be “set-apart,” or “holy one.” This comes with the territory of being a believer… remember we’re told to be holy because God is holy. Being sanctified is us being set-apart from the rest of the world, and to be used for God’s intended purposes.

As we continue to go through this letter, Paul is going to call the church out on the carpet, but here, these Corinthian believers were considered holy in God’s sight, regardless of their sinful living and distorted doctrines. In other words, as believers, we should be living holy lives, but holy living does not make a person holy. To the extent our living is holy, it is only because in Jesus we are already holy.

John 17:19 [Jesus in His priestly prayer]:
“For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”

God invites us sinners to come to Him “just as we are” and receive His mercy and forgiveness. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit begins His amazing work of transforming us into the image and likeness of Christ. To be sanctified means that God loves us too much to let us stay the same. God uses His sanctification process to further refine us. The Corinthian believers needed some serious refining.

1 Thess. 5:23:
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

To those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling…

According to God’s Word, we see that every true believer in Jesus Christ, whether faithful or unfaithful, well known or unknown, a leader or a follower, is a “set-apart” person, a “holy person” …and a saint.

Outside the teachings of the Catholic church, even the most obscure believer today is just as much a saint as the apostle Paul and the rest of the disciples. If you belong to Christ, you’re a saint.

With all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours…

Paul is reminding the Corinthian believers that they’re connected, and it is to give them a sense of belonging and responsibility, that they are linked together as one within the body of Christ. It’s Jesus who unifies and connects us.

2 Peter 1:1b:
“To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:”

As believing saints, we are united through the blood of Christ… in one body.

1 Cor. 1:3:
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul is giving them the common Christian greeting. If you said, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” to a fellow believer, I can’t imagine they would ever be offended by it.

Grace, as you know, is God’s unmerited favor toward us, and one of the fruits resulting from God’s grace is peace. The peace spoken of here is the Greek word i-ray’-nay, it was used as the equivalent of the Hebrew word “shalom,” which is still a common greeting among the Jews today.

Phil. 4:7:
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This is the kind of peace that only believers have, it is the result from having a relationship with Jesus. The world cannot, and does not understand this, because they have no part of Christ in them. As believers, we can say “grace and peace” to one another, because it’s something we have.

1 Cor. 1:4:
“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,”

Philemon 1:4:
“I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,”

Paul was always thanking God for those He put in his path.

Concerning the Corinthian church, one pastor writes; “Paul couldn’t say, “I thank my God for your righteousness,” because the Corinthians weren’t very righteous. He couldn’t say, “I thank my God for your faith,” because they weren’t very faithful. Paul could, however, say, “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God,” because they needed it.”

Paul knew he could say this, because the first benefit of being a saint is the grace of salvation.

Which was given you in Christ Jesus… the very moment a person gives their life to Christ, they receive God’s grace. It’s important to realize this, because not long after our conversion, satan will most likely get in our head telling us lies from hell, that we couldn’t possibly be saved, that we’re just not good enough.

Grace wouldn’t be grace if God said to us, “I will save you, just as long as you don’t sin again.” Scripture doesn’t teach us that. Again, God’s grace is unmerited, undeserved, and permanent forgiveness. It’s kind of like an eternal life insurance policy that never runs out.

A little side note; you’ll find “grace” in the Bible around 130 times.

Let’s be clear, we have no real power in and of ourselves, except for Christ in us, and that power is seen only through God’s grace. Grace can only operate where there is sin. If we didn’t need God’s forgiveness, there wouldn’t be any need of His grace. It will be interesting to see how grace will be remembered once we are in heaven, being that sin will be non-existent.

Romans 5:20:
“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (NLT)

One thing is certain, we will never be able to escape nor atone for our own sin… in its essence and of its nature, we are found guilty in our sins. Another thing that is certain is God cannot ignore sin… because He is Holy, Righteous, and True… and with that, sin must be punished.

Romans 6:23:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God’s free gift of eternal life is all about His grace.

Eph. 2:8-9:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The truth is, apart from God’s grace, the penalty for sin is death!

Satan whispers in the unsaved ear, “Wait a minute, you sin, but you’re still alive and kicking, the wages of sin is death is all a bunch of nonsense.” Just as he said to Eve, “You will not surely die.”

Left alone with unforgiven sin, results in eternal death.

Eternal death is a term used to describe the state of being separated from God forever. It is also referred to as the “second death,” and this is the result of dying in a state of spiritual death, or sin. Eternal death is irreversible and is the opposite of eternal life, which is a gift from God.

Jesus made sure God’s gift of salvation would come to fruition by taking on the penalty of our sins Himself.

Jesus drank the full cup of suffering on our behalf. He did what we could never do, He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. You know it, I know it, but it always needs to be said.

1 John 2:1-2:
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, He is the One who satisfied the wrath of the Father for our sins. “Propitiation” refers to the act of appeasing or satisfying God’s divine justice. This action by Jesus made God’s grace available to all who would believe.

There are perhaps three things to consider when it comes to God’s grace:

1. God provides His salvation through His grace in order that we who are saved would produce good works… and remember we don’t do good works to be saved.

2. God’s saving grace is meant to bring blessing to His children.
Eph. 2:4-7:
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

It’s amazing how God graciously saves us, in order that He can pour out His great blessings on us forever… grace upon grace.

3. Lastly, and most importantly, God saves us by His grace in order to glorify Himself.
Matthew 5:16:
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus’ primary purpose in dying for our sins, which made our salvation possible, was to glorify His Father and to be glorified Himself.
John 12:27-28:
“Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
John 17:1:
“Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,”

Because of God’s grace, salvation is given in order for the saved to bring blessing to those around them through good works, and to bring glory to God Himself. God is gracious for the world’s sake, for His children’s sake, and for His own sake.

1 Cor. 1:5:
“That in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,”

The key word in verse 5 to look at is the word “in” …in everything, in Him, and in all.

The phrase in Him, is the great qualifier here. When we examine the Scriptures, we find that we have everything that Christ has to give, and with that, He gives us everything we need. But here’s the kicker, even though we have everything we need, many times it’s not everything we want. Ironically, the things we don’t want, are exactly the things we need the most. Things like trials and tribulations, testings, sickness, and yes, even death.

Romans 8:28:
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

In everything is the same as saying “all things.”

2 Peter 1:3:
“By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.” (NLT)

The reason we get sidetracked with the things we think we want, is that we allow the shiny things of this world to grab our attention. It’s God’s Word that puts us back on track!

Enriched in Him…

So far, we’ve covered the fact that salvation is a gracious gift from God; but after salvation, after we are saved, we are also given spiritual gifts. We’ve talked about spiritual gifts before and Paul will go into greater detail in chapters 12 to 14 in this letter.

The Greek word “enriched” gives us the English word plutocrat meaning “a very wealthy person.” I don’t know, does plutocrat sound like a democrat?

We know from II Corinthians 8:7 that the Corinthian believers were especially rich in the spiritual gifts department. The problem was, they weren’t using these gifts in a spiritual manner, which brings us back to the fact that God has called us, set us apart, and enriches us… this ought to encourage us to live holy lives.

We are enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge…

In all speech… some take this to mean speaking in tongues, prophecy, discernment of spirits, and/or interpretation. I think in this case, it’s more of a particular speech… that of telling God’s truth. God gives every believer the capacity to speak for Him, that includes the deaf/mute and blind.

Maybe we’re not all called to be like a Billy Graham, or we might not be highly educated with a large vocabulary, but as we’ve seen, God gives us everything we need to further His plans and purposes through us.

When it comes to speaking for God, the common excuses we see are people who say, “I just don’t know what to say” or “I don’t know how to speak well” or “I’m just not cut out to do that.” These seem to be excuses that satan would plant in people’s minds, all meant to discourage, mislead, and quite frankly… scare people.

John MacArthur says, “Witnessing is no more optional for “ordinary” believers than for the apostles.”

The Bible teaches that God uses mankind to spread Jesus’ message of forgiveness. While God could have employed angels for this purpose, He chose to use humans instead. We have the ability to say to other, “Hey, my life used to be a wreck. I was trapped in sin just like you. Then one day I met Jesus Christ, and He changed my life. The same way He changed me, He can change you too.”

I heard of a woman, the only thing she would say to people was, “You need Jesus Christ,” and with that some people where actually saved, because she was willing to open her mouth for God. The point is, telling others about God’s plan of salvation is not optional as John MacArthur said.

2 Tim. 1:7:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Phil. 4:13:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Satan would love it if we gave into his excuses. Certainly, the Holy Spirit wouldn’t give you excuses… so where do you think these discouraging thoughts come from?

And all knowledge…

It’s vitally important that we get to the place where we’re willing to serve and obey God. In our Christian walk we are promised that God will supply all our needs. All knowledge doesn’t mean we know all there is to know about God’s Word… personally, I think it’s an impossibility.

God gives each one of us the ability of telling others about Him. Satan is going to do his best to stop you at every turn, that’s his nature, but we are given everything we need to know to speak effectively for the Lord.

God has given each one of us enough revelation about Himself and will give us enough understanding to speak His truth to the world, even if it’s us just saying, “You need Jesus in your life.”

Jumping ahead to verse 10…

1 Cor. 2:10:
“But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” (NLT)

This verse is ringing true right here, right now… the Holy Spirit is speaking to us and telling us that it’s okay to open our mouth and tell others about Jesus. When we step out in faith and be the witness we need to be for God, He is going to supply us with what we need, He will give us the right words to say, and we already have the knowledge we need to get the job done.

Eph. 6:12:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

When you tell someone the “good news” about Jesus Christ and what He has done for the, and they shut you down, they’re not shutting down on you, they’re shutting down God, and it is to their own demise. When people reject God’s plan of salvation, they’re not rejecting you… they’re rejecting God.

John 14:15 [Jesus said]:
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Matthew 28:18-20:
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them (you), saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

When Jesus says to us, “Go therefore and make disciples,” I’m sorry, I just don’t see this as a suggestion, it’s a command. We all have different personalities, and for some, it’s very easy to strike up a conversation, and for others it’s a challenge. The bottom line is, God has chosen each one of us to share our faith with others. When the Holy Spirit impresses upon you to say something to another person about Christ, step out in faith… He will give you the right words to say.

When you stand in front of Jesus at the Bema Seat Judgment, and He says to you, “I commanded you to go and make disciples, did you obey My command?” What are you going to say to Him? I know that none of us wants to see a look of disappointment on Jesus’ face… we would much rather see a wink and a smile.

So, the next time the Holy Spirit gives you a little tug in your heart that you should say something to that person near you, what are you going to do?