1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians

Book Outhne

Key theme: God’s wisdom

Key verses:

I. Greeting and Thanksgiving ()

II. Reproof: The Report of Sin in the Church ()

A. Divisions in the church ()

B. Discipline in the church ()

C. Disputes in the courts ()

D. Defilement in the world ()

III. Instruction: The Reply to Their Questions ()

A. Marriage ()

B. Food offered to idols ()

C. Church ordinances ()

D. Spiritual gifts ()

E. The resurrection ()

F. The offering ()

IV. Conclusion ()

Book Overview

Jesus, yes! The church, no!” Remember when that slogan was popular among young people in the 1960s? They certainly could have used it with sincerity in Corinth back in A.D. 56, because the local church there was in serious trouble. Sad to say, the problems did not stay within the church family; they were known by the unbelievers outside the church.

To begin with, the church at Corinth was a defiled body of believers. Some of its members were guilty of sexual immorality; others got drunk; still others were using the grace of God to excuse worldly living. It was also a divided church, with at least four different groups competing for leadership (). This meant it was a disgraced church. Instead of glorifying God, it was hindering the progress of the gospel.

How did this happen? The members of the church permitted the sins of the city to get into the local assembly. Corinth was a polluted city, filled with every kind of vice and worldly pleasure. About the lowest accusation you could make against someone in that day would be to call that person a “Corinthian.” People would know what you were talking about.

Corinth was also a proud, philosophical city, with many itinerant teachers promoting their speculations. Unfortunately, this philosophical approach was applied to the gospel by some members of the church, and this fostered division. The congregation was made up of different schools of thought instead of being united behind the gospel message.

To learn what Corinth was like, read . Paul wrote the Roman epistle while in Corinth, and he could have looked out the window and seen the very sins that he listed!

Of course, when proud people depend on human wisdom and adopt the lifestyle of the world, problems follow. In order to help the church solve their problems, Paul opened his letter by reminding them of their calling in Christ.

“Be Transformed”

How much contact do you have with the person who introduced you to Jesus Christ? What would be your response if he or she contacted you about the way you are living? Would you relish that person’s counsel or resist the interference in your private concerns? The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian believers because he was deeply invested in their spiritual well-being. Not only had he been involved in the planting of the church in Corinth, he had also already written them once (see ), and they had responded with a list of issues to which they wanted him to respond. He had also received eyewitness reports about the conditions in the church. By today’s standards, Paul was almost writing a Spirit-inspired blog to the church at Corinth, giving them God’s perspective on those parts of their congregational life that had gotten beyond the bounds of God’s guidelines.

One of the underlying issues in this letter (and the one that followed) is the nature of spiritual authority. Why should the Corinthians (and we) listen to Paul’s words? Because they were not his opinions or his agenda but God’s instructions. When God’s Word sets up a barrier or sends a change of direction in our lives, are we willing to listen? Or, do we look for another opinion? One fact is certain about today’s flow of rampant communication: We can always find someone who will tell us with great confidence exactly what we want to hear. We can keep getting counsel until someone tells us what we wanted to do in the first place. But God’s Word has a history of contradicting our wishes. The Scriptures don’t care nearly as much about how we feel as they do about how we obey. And God never asks us to do something that is not for our own good, even if that means giving up something that looks innocent and desirable. God won’t hesitate to say “No” even when the world shouts “Yes!” The world’s way leads to life’s unraveling and destruction; God’s way leads to genuine transformation.

Paul had tough words for the Corinthian church, many of which apply almost directly to wandering churches today. But they were all true counsel. They were all God’s instructions. And they continue to be practical in the world where we live. But they won’t have the intended effect unless we give the Word attention and continually ask ourselves, “Am I willing to be transformed by God’s Word even when what He tells me is painful to hear and inconvenient to do?”

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Greeting

2To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Gifts at Corinth

5that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,

6even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,

7so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

8who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sectarianism Is Sin

11For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

12Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

16Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

19For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

20Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

22For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;

25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Glory Only in the Lord

27But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

28and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

29that no flesh should glory in His presence.

30But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

31that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

Christ Crucified

2For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

3I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

4And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

Spiritual Wisdom

6However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

8which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

11For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

15But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

Sectarianism Is Carnal

4For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Watering, Working, Warning

5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?

6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

11For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

13each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.

14If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

15If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

16Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

17If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Avoid Worldly Wisdom

19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”;

20and again, “The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.

23And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

2Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

Fools for Christ’s Sake

7For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

11To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.

12And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;

13being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

Paul’s Paternal Care

15For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

17For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.

19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.

20For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

21What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Immorality Defiles the Church

2And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.

4In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

5deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

7Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Immorality Must Be Judged

9I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

10Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

11But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.

13But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Do Not Sue the Brethren

2Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

3Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

4If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?

5I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?

6But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

7Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?

8No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!

10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

13Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

14And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

16Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”

17But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Principles of Marriage

1Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

3Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

4The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

6But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.

7For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

8But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am;

9but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Keep Your Marriage Vows

11But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

13And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.

15But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.

16For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?

Live as You Are Called

18Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.

19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

20Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.

21Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it.

22For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.

23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

24Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

To the Unmarried and Widows

26I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is:

27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

28But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.

29But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,

30those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,

31and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.

33But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.

34There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.

36But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry.

37Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well.

38So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.

40But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God.

Be Sensitive to Conscience

2And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

4Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),

6yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

8But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

9But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

10For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?

11And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

12But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

A Pattern of Self-Denial

2If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3My defense to those who examine me is this:

4Do we have no right to eat and drink?

5Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?

8Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also?

9For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about?

10Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.

12If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.

15But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.

16For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

17For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.

18What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

Serving All Men

21to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;

22to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

23Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

Striving for a Crown

25And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

26Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

27But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Old Testament Examples

2all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

3all ate the same spiritual food,

4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

6Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

7And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

8Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;

9nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;

10nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

11Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

12Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

Flee from Idolatry

14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

15I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.

16The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

17For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

18Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

19What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?

20Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.

21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.

22Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

All to the Glory of God

25Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake;

26for “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.”

27If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake.

28But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.”

29“Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?

30But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

31Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

33just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

1Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Head Coverings

4Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.

7For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

8For man is not from woman, but woman from man.

9Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.

10For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

11Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.

12For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.

13Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

14Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?

15But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.

16But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

Conduct at the Lord’s Supper

19For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

20Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.

22What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

23For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Examine Yourself

27Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

31For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

32But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

33Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

34But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.

Spiritual Gifts: Unity in Diversity

2You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.

3Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

5There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.

6And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

8for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,

9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,

10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

11But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Unity and Diversity in One Body

13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?

17If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?

18But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

19And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

20But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

21And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

23And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,

24but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,

25that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

30Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

31But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

The Greatest Gift

2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

6does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

9For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

10But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Prophecy and Tongues

2For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.

3But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

5I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

Tongues Must Be Interpreted

7Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played?

8For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?

11Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.

13Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.

14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

15What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

16Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?

17For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.

18I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

19yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Tongues a Sign to Unbelievers

20Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.

21In the law it is written:

“With men of other tongues and other lips

I will speak to this people;

And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,”

says the Lord.

22Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.

23Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

24But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all.

25And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

Order in Church Meetings

27If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.

28But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.

31For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.

32And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

33For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

35And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.

37If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.

38But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.

39Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.

40Let all things be done decently and in order.

The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality

1Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,

2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

4and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

5and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

6After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.

7After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.

8Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

9For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

11Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Risen Christ, Our Hope

12Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.

14And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

15Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.

16For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.

17And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

18Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The Last Enemy Destroyed

22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

23But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

25For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

26The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

27For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.

28Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Effects of Denying the Resurrection

30And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?

31I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

32If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

34Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

A Glorious Body

36Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.

37And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain.

38But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

39All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

40There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

42So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.

44It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

46However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.

47The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.

48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.

Our Final Victory

50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—

52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55“O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?”

56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Collection for the Saints

2On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

3And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.

Personal Plans

7For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.

8But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost.

9For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

11Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

Final Exhortations

13Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

14Let all that you do be done with love.

16that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.

17I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied.

18For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.

Greetings and a Solemn Farewell

20All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s.

22If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!

23The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

24My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Annotations for 1 Corinthians

Paul first attacked the serious problem of defilement in the church, yet he said nothing about the problem itself. Instead, he took the positive approach and reminded the believers of their high and holy position in Jesus Christ. This passage describes the church that God sees; in verses through , Paul described the church that humans see. What we are in Jesus Christ positionally ought to be what we practice in daily life, but often we fail.

The word “church” in the Greek language means “a called-out people.” Each church has two addresses: a geographic address (“in Corinth”) and a spiritual address (“of Christ Jesus”). The church is made up of saints, that is, people who have been “sanctified” or “set apart” by God. A saint is not a dead person who has been honored by people because of his or her holy life. No, Paul wrote to living saints, people who, through faith in Jesus Christ, had been set apart for God’s special enjoyment and use.

Salvation is one of the gifts of grace we receive from God; but when we are saved, we are also given spiritual gifts. (Paul explained this in detail in chapters through .) The Greek word translated “enriched” gives us our English word “plutocrat,” “a very wealthy person.” The Corinthians were especially rich in spiritual gifts () but were not using these gifts in a spiritual manner.

An interesting fact is how Paul approached this problem of division in the church. First, he pointed to the unity of Christ: only one Savior and one body. Then Paul reminded believers of their baptism, a picture of their spiritual baptism into Christ’s body (). Then he took them to the cross. The mention of the cross in verse sets up the long section on the power of the gospel versus the weakness of human wisdom.

Paul expressed the key idea in this section that we dare not mix human wisdom with God’s revealed message. The entire section on wisdom presents a number of contrasts between the revealed Word of God and human wisdom.

Some are offended at the cross. This was the attitude of the Jews—their emphasis was on miraculous signs, and the cross appeared to show weakness. Because the Jews were looking for power and great glory, they stumbled at the weakness of the cross.

Some laugh at the cross. This was the response of the Greeks. To them, the cross was foolishness. The Greeks emphasized wisdom; in fact, we still study the profound writings of the Greek philosophers. But they saw no wisdom in the cross, for they looked at the cross from a human point of view.

Those who believe experience the power and the wisdom of the cross. Paul did not alter his message when he turned from a Jewish audience to a Greek one: He preached Christ crucified. The “foolishness of the message preached” (v. ) does not mean that the act of Paul’s preaching was foolish but rather the content of the message. We are called into fellowship because of our union with Jesus Christ: He died for us; we were baptized in His name; we are identified with His cross. What a wonderful basis for spiritual unity!

The gospel of God’s grace leaves no room for personal boasting. God is not impressed with our looks, social position, achievements, natural heritage, or financial status. Note that Paul wrote that “not many,” not “none,” were wise in the world’s standings. In the New Testament, we do meet believers with high social standing but not many. Paul’s description of the converts was certainly not flattering ().

They were not wise, mighty, or noble. God called them, not because of what they were, but despite what they were! The Corinthian church was composed primarily of ordinary people who were terrible sinners. God chose the foolish, the weak, the low born, and the despised to show the proud world their need and His grace. The lost world admires birth, social status, financial success, power, and recognition. But none of these attributes can guarantee eternal life.

Catalyst

The spiritual blessings that we need are not abstractions that elude our grasp; they are all in a person, Jesus Christ. He is our wisdom (), our righteousness (), our sanctification (), and our redemption ().

Actually, the emphasis in , is that God shows His wisdom by means of the righteousness, sanctification, and redemption that we have in Christ. Each of these theological words carries a special meaning for Christians.

Righteousness (being made right with God) has to do with our standing before God. We are justified: God declares us righteous in Jesus Christ. Whatever righteousness we achieve must be based on gratitude and the power of Christ, not our own moral qualifications.

But we are also sanctified (made pure and holy), set apart to belong to God and to serve Him.

Redemption (having been made free from sin) emphasizes the fact that we are set free because Jesus Christ paid the price for us on the cross. This will lead to complete redemption when Christ returns.

So, in one sense, we have the three tenses of salvation given here: We have been saved from the penalty of sin (righteousness); we are being saved from the power of sin (sanctification); and we shall be saved from the presence of sin (redemption). And every believer has all of these blessings in Jesus Christ!

So why glory in human beings? What does Paul have that you do not have? Does Peter have more of Jesus Christ than you do? (Jesus Christ probably had more of Peter, but that is another matter!) We should glory in the Lord and not in ourselves or our spiritual leaders.

As we review this chapter, we can see the mistakes that the Corinthians were making, mistakes that helped to create problems in their church. They were not living up to their holy calling but were following the standards of the world. Ignoring the fact that they had been called into a wonderful spiritual fellowship with the Lord and with each other, they were identifying with human leaders and creating divisions in the church. Instead of glorifying God and His grace, they were pleasing themselves and boasting about people.

We have been called to be holy, called into fellowship, and called to glorify God. Are we living up to this calling?

Go to the

The itinerant philosophers and teachers depended on their wisdom and eloquence to gain followers. The city of Corinth was filled with such spellbinders. Paul did not depend on eloquent speech or clever arguments; he simply declared God’s Word in the power of the Spirit. He was an ambassador, not a salesperson. Had he used spectacular speech and philosophy, Paul would have exalted himself and hidden the very Christ he had come to proclaim!

Paul reminded the Corinthians of his aim. He wanted them to trust in God and not in the messenger God had sent. If Paul had depended on human wisdom and presented the plan of salvation as a philosophical system, then the Corinthians would have put their trust in an explanation. Because Paul declared the Word of God in the power of God, his converts put their faith in an experience: They knew God’s power at work in their own lives.

Catalyst

Paul informed the Corinthians that what they had received and would receive from him would be godly wisdom. This wisdom would not be his. He clarified the marks of godly wisdom:

This wisdom comes from God, not humans (v. ). This wisdom tells the mature saint about the vast eternal plan that God has for His people and His creation. The wisest of the “rulers of this age” (v. ) could not invent or discover this marvelous wisdom that Paul shared from God.

This wisdom has been hidden (v. ). That is why it is called a “mystery,” for in the New Testament, a mystery is a sacred secret, a truth hidden in past ages but now revealed to the people of God. God used Paul in a special way to share the various “mysteries” that are related to the gospel (see ), but note the repetition of the pronoun “we”—“we speak wisdom.” Paul included the other apostles.

This wisdom results in the glory of God’s people (v. ). has one of the greatest expositions of this plan of the ages. Three times in that passage, Paul explained that all of this was done for God’s glory (, , ). Think of it—one day we will share in the very glory of God (see ; )!

This wisdom involves God’s ordination (v. ). This means that God made the plan, set it in motion, and will see to it that it will succeed. The great plan of redemption was not a hasty afterthought on the part of God after He saw what humans had done. Though all of this boggles our minds, we must accept the Bible truth of divine election and predestination. Even the death of Jesus Christ was ordained of God (, ; ), though people were held responsible for the wicked deed. One of the secrets of an effective prayer life is to lay hold of God’s purposes by faith ().

This wisdom is hidden from the unsaved world (v. ). Who are “the rulers of this age” that Paul mentions? Certainly the government officials when Jesus was on earth did not know who He was (; ). When Jesus on the cross prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (), He was echoing this truth. Their ignorance did not excuse their sin, of course, because the Lord had given every evidence, and they should have believed.

Finally, this wisdom applies to the believer’s life today (v. ). This verse is often used at funerals and applied to heaven, but the basic application is to the Christian’s life today. The next verse makes it clear that God is revealing these things to us here and now.

Go to the

Our salvation involves all three persons in the Godhead (; ). We cannot be saved apart from the Father’s electing grace, the Son’s loving sacrifice, and the Spirit’s ministry of conviction and regeneration.

The Spirit indwells believers. The very moment a person trusts Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God enters that person’s body and makes it His temple (, ). He baptized us (identified us) into the body of Christ (). He sealed us (, ) and will remain with us (). He is God’s gift to us.

The Spirit teaches. Jesus promised that the Spirit would teach us () and guide us into truth (). But we must note carefully the sequence here: The Spirit taught Paul from the Word; then Paul taught the believers. The truth of God is found in the Word of God.

The contrast here is between the Christian, the “spiritual” (indwelt by the Spirit) and the unsaved person (not indwelt by the Spirit). In , Paul would introduce a third kind of person, the immature Christian, the one who lives on a childhood level because he or she will not feed on the Word and grow.

One of the marks of maturity is discernment—the ability to penetrate beneath the surface of life and see things as they really are. Unsaved people walk by sight and really see nothing. They are spiritually blind. The maturing Christian grows in spiritual discernment and develops the ability (with the Spirit’s help) to understand more and more of the will and mind of God.

Paul painted three figurative pictures of the church in this chapter and, using these pictures, pointed out what the ministry was supposed to accomplish. The church is a family and the goal is maturity (vv. ). The church is a field and the goal is quantity (vv. ). The church is a building and the goal is quality (vv. ).

Paul already explained that the world has two kinds of people—carnal (unsaved) and spiritual (saved). But here he explained that we have two kinds of saved people: mature and immature. A Christian matures by allowing the Spirit to teach and direct him or her by feeding on the Word. The immature Christian lives for the things of humanity and has little interest in the matters of the Spirit.

The Word of God is our spiritual food: milk (), bread (), meat (), and even honey (). Just as the physical person needs a balanced diet if his or her body is to be healthy, so the inner person needs a balanced diet of spiritual food. Babies begin with milk, but as they grow and their teeth develop, they need solid food.

, The mature Christian practices love and seeks to get along with others. Children like to disagree and fuss. And children like to identify with heroes, whether sports heroes or Hollywood heroes. The “babes” (v. ) in Corinth were fighting over which preacher was the greatest—Paul, Apollos, or Peter.

Catalyst

Three main lessons appear from the image Paul provided () of his role in the greater work of God’s ministry “farm”:

First, diversity of ministry. One laborer plows the soil, another sows the seed, a third waters the seed. As time passes, the plants grow, the fruit appears, and other laborers enjoy reaping the harvest. This emphasis on diversity will also show up when Paul compares the church to a body with many different parts.

Second, unity of purpose. No matter what work a person is doing for the Lord, that person is still a part of the harvest. “Now he who plants and he who waters are one” (). Paul, Apollos, and Peter were not competing with each other. Rather, each was doing his assigned task under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Even though the church has diversity of ministry, it should have unity of purpose and unity of spirit.

Third, humility of spirit. The human laborers do not produce the harvest—the Lord of the harvest does. “God gave the increase” (, ). Granted, God has ordained that human beings should be His ministers on earth, but their efforts apart from God’s blessing would be failures. The Corinthians were proud of their church, and various groups in the assembly were proud of their leaders. But this attitude of being puffed up was dividing the church, because God was not receiving the glory.

Jesus expressed the same idea as recorded in . The sower and the reaper not only work together, but one day they shall rejoice together and receive their own rewards. Isolated ministry doesn’t exist, because each worker enters into the labors of others.

Go to the

God wants to see increase in His field. He wants each local church to produce the fruit of the Spirit (, ), holiness (), giving (), good works (), praise to the Lord (), and souls won to Christ (). Along with spiritual growth, there should be a measure of numerical growth. Fruit has in it the seed for more fruit. If the fruit of our ministry is genuine, it will eventually produce “much fruit” to the glory of God ().

, Those who serve in ministry must constantly be caring for the “soil” of the church. It requires diligence and hard work to produce a harvest. The lazy preacher or Sunday school teacher is like the slothful farmer Solomon wrote about in . Satan is busy sowing discord, lies, and sin; and we must be busy cultivating the soil and planting the good seed of the Word of God.

The usual explanation of this passage is that it describes the building of the Christian life. We all build on Christ, but some people use good materials, while others use poor materials. The kind of material you use determines the kind of reward you will get. While this may be a valid application of this passage, it is not the basic interpretation. Paul was discussing the building of the local church, the temple of God.

God is concerned that we build with quality. The church does not belong to the preacher or to the congregation. It is God’s church.

, We must build on the right foundation. That foundation is Jesus Christ. When Paul came to Corinth, he determined to preach only Christ and Him crucified (, ). He laid the only foundation that would last. The foundation is laid by the proclaiming of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The foundation is the most important part of the building, because it determines the size, shape, and strength of the superstructure. A ministry may seem to be successful for a time, but if it is not founded on Christ, it will eventually collapse and disappear.

We must also build with the right materials. Paul described two opposite kinds of materials: strong and valuable, or weak and worthless. What did Paul want to symbolize by his choice of materials? He was not talking about people, because Christians are the “living stones” that make up God’s temple (). I personally believe Paul was referring to the doctrines of the Word of God. In each section of this chapter, the Word is symbolized in a way that fits the image of the church Paul used. The Word is food for the family, seed for the field, and materials for the temple.

We must also build according to the right plan. The world depends on promotion, prestige, and the influence of money and important people. The church depends on prayer, the power of the Spirit, humility, sacrifice, and service. The church that imitates the world may seem to succeed in time, but it will turn to ashes in eternity.

Finally, we must build with the right motive. That motive is the glory of God. The members of the Corinthian church were glorying in men, and this was wrong. They were comparing men () and dividing the church by such carnal deeds. Had they been seeking to glorify God alone, there would have been harmony in the assembly.

Paul answered the leaders of the various factions in the church when he called himself and Apollos mere servants of Christ. The word is literally “under-rowers.” It described the slaves who rowed the huge Roman galleys. “We are not the captains of the ship,” said Paul, “but only the galley slaves who are under orders. Now, is one slave greater than another?”

, Paul used the image of the steward. A steward is a servant who manages everything for his master, but who himself owns nothing. Joseph was a chief steward in Potiphar’s household (). The church is the “household of faith” (), and the ministers are stewards who share God’s wealth with the family (). Paul called this spiritual wealth “the wisdom of God in a mystery” (see ).

, The responsibility of the steward is to be faithful to his master. A steward may not please the members of the household; he may not even please some of the other servants; but if he pleases his own master, he is a good steward. This same idea is expressed in .

The most important judgment is God’s judgment. Certainly God judges us today through His Word () and by the ministry of the Spirit. Sometimes He uses the ministry of a loving friend to help us face and confess sin (). But the main reference here is to the final evaluation when each Christian stands at the judgment seat of Christ (; ). Then the true facts will be revealed and the faithful servants rewarded.

The Corinthians were measuring different ministers by their own personal preferences and prejudices. Each group in the church was tearing down the other preachers in order to build up the man they liked. Their motive was not at all spiritual. They were promoting division in the church by being partisan to one man over the others. They needed to examine their own hearts and get rid of the pride that was destroying the church.

Paul used a bit of sanctified sarcasm in v. when he described the Corinthians as kings. There is no place for pride in the ministry. Church members are wrong when they measure ministers other than by the standards God has given. They are also wrong when they boast about their favorite preachers. This is not to say that faithful servants cannot be recognized and honored, but in all things God must be glorified (, ).

When Paul said, “God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death,” he was using an image familiar to people in the Roman empire.

The Corinthians were wise in their own eyes, but they were actually fools in the sight of God. By depending on the wisdom and the standards of the world, they were acting like fools. The way to be spiritually wise is to become a fool in the eyes of the world ().

This was the crux of the whole matter: The Christians in Corinth wanted the honor that comes from men, not the honor that comes from God. They were trying to “borrow” glory by associating themselves with “great men.” Paul answered as if to say, “If you associate with us, you had better be ready for suffering. We apostles are not held in honor—we are despised!” Paul then described the privations and sufferings that he had to endure as a servant of God.

Paul had already compared the local church to a family (). But now the emphasis is on the minister as a “spiritual father.” In none of his letters did Paul ever call himself “father.” He was mindful of the Lord’s teaching in . But in comparing himself to a “spiritual father,” Paul reminded the church of the important ministries he had performed on their behalf.

, Paul had founded the family, so the Corinthians were Paul’s beloved children in the faith. It is important to note that Paul did not take the credit for their conversion. Their spiritual birth was in Christ and through the gospel. Sinners are born again through the ministry of the Spirit of God and the Word of God.

, Paul was an example to the family. Children have a way of imitating their parents, either for good or for ill. The word “imitate” is from the Greek which gives us our word for “mimic.” Paul gave the same admonition in , but we must not think that he was exalting himself. Little children learn first by example, then by explanation.

Paul was faithful to discipline the family. A child’s will must be broken, but not destroyed. Until a colt is broken, it is dangerous and useless; but once it learns to obey, it becomes gentle and useful. Pride is a terrible thing in the Christian life and in the church.

, Paul pleaded with the Corinthians to mourn over sin. This is the word used for mourning over the dead, which is perhaps the deepest and most painful kind of personal sorrow possible. Instead of mourning, the people at Corinth were puffed up. They were boasting of the fact that their church was so “open-minded” that even fornicators could be members in good standing!

Paul also instructed the church to judge the sin. While Christians are not to judge one another’s motives () or ministries (), we are certainly expected to be honest about each other’s conduct.

The church was to purge the sin. The image here is that of the Passover supper (). One of the requirements was that no leaven (yeast) be found anywhere in their dwellings. Even the bread at the feast was to be unleavened. Leaven is a picture of sin. It is small but powerful; it works secretly; it “puffs up” the dough; it spreads.

, Church discipline is not easy or popular, but it is important. If it is done properly, God can use it to convict and restore an erring believer. indicates that this man did repent and was restored to fellowship.

The church at Corinth was rapidly losing its testimony in the city. Not only did the unsaved know about the immorality in the assembly, but they were also aware of the lawsuits involving members of the church. Not only were there sins of the flesh, but also sins of the spirit ().

Catalyst

Paul detected three tragedies in the situation in Corinth:

First, the believers were presenting a poor testimony to the lost. Even the unbelieving Jews dealt with their civil cases in their own synagogue courts. To take the problems of Christians and discuss them “before the unrighteous” was to weaken the testimony of the gospel.

Second, the congregation had failed to live up to its full position in Christ. Since the saints will one day participate in the judgment of the world and even of fallen angels, they ought to be able to settle their differences here on earth. The Corinthians boasted of their great spiritual gifts. Why, then, did they not use them in solving their problems?

Third, the members suing each other had already lost. Even if some of them won their cases, they had incurred a far greater loss in their disobedience to the Word of God. Paul was certainly referring to our Lord’s teaching in . Better to lose money or possessions than to lose a brother and lose your testimony as well. Yet how often Christians create huge conflicts because they have postponed the necessity of confronting wrongdoing.

Go to the

There was a great deal of sexual laxity in the city of Corinth. It was a permissive society with a philosophy similar to that which the world has today: Sex is a normal physical function, so why not use it as you please? Paul pointed out that God created sex when He made the first man and woman, and therefore He has the right to tell us how to use it.

God condemns sexual sins; Paul named some of them in verse . But God can also cleanse sexual sins and make sinners into new creatures in Christ. “But you were washed, but you were sanctified” (v. ). The tenses of these verbs indicate a completed transaction. Now, because of all that God had done for them, they had an obligation to God to use their bodies for His service and His glory.

Consider God the Father. He created our bodies, and one day He will resurrect them in glory. (More about the resurrection inch. .) In view of the fact that our bodies have such a wonderful origin, and an even more wonderful future, how can we use them for such evil purposes?

Consider God the Son. The believer’s body is a member of Christ (see .). How can we be joined to Christ and joined to sin at the same time? Such a thought astounds us. Yet some of the Corinthians saw no harm in visiting the temple prostitutes (there were a thousand of them at the temple of Aphrodite) and committing sexual sins.

There may be excitement and enjoyment in sexual experience outside of marriage, but there is not enrichment. Sex outside of marriage is like a man robbing a bank: He gets something, but it is not his and he will one day pay for it. Sex within marriage can be like a person putting money into a bank: There is safety, security, and he will collect dividends. Sex within marriage can build a relationship that brings joys in the future; but sex apart from marriage has a way of weakening future relationships.

, Consider God the Holy Spirit. God the Father created our bodies; God the Son redeemed them and made them part of his body; and God the Spirit indwells our bodies and makes them the very temple of God. How can we defile God’s temple by using our bodies for immorality?

As you review this section, you will see that sexual sins affect the entire personality. They affect the emotions, leading to slavery (v. ). It is frightening to see how sensuality can get a hold on a person and defile his entire life, enslaving him to habits that destroy. It also affects a person physically (v. ). The fornicator and adulterer, as well as the homosexual, may forget their sins, but their sins will not forget them.

Scripture makes it clear that God does not approve either of polygamy or homosexual unions. One man married to one woman has been God’s pattern from the first. However, the husband and wife must not abuse the privilege of sexual love that is a normal part of marriage. The wife’s body belongs to the husband, and the husband’s body to the wife; and each must be considerate of the other. Sexual love is a beautiful tool to build with, not a weapon to fight with. To refuse each other is to “defraud” (see ) and to invite Satan to tempt the partners to seek their satisfaction elsewhere.

As in all things, the spiritual must govern the physical; for our bodies are God’s temples. The husband and wife may abstain in order to devote their full interest to prayer and fasting; but they must not use this as an excuse for prolonged separation. Paul is encouraging Christian partners to be “in tune” with each other in matters both spiritual and physical.

Not only did the church ask about celibacy, but they also asked Paul about divorce. Since Jesus had dealt with this question, Paul cited his teaching: Husbands and wives are not to divorce each other (see also v. ). If divorce does occur, the parties should remain unmarried or seek reconciliation.

It is an act of disobedience for a Christian knowingly to marry an unsaved person (note “only if he loves the Lord” in v. ; ). But if a person becomes a Christian after marriage, he should not use that as an excuse to break up the marriage just to avoid problems. In fact, Paul emphasized the fact that the Christian partner could have a spiritual influence on the unsaved mate.

Scripture does not teach that the unsaved partner is saved because of the believing mate, since each person must individually decide for Christ. Rather, it means that the believer exerts a spiritual influence in the home that can lead to the salvation of the lost partner.

The principle that Paul laid down was this: Even though Christians are all one in Christ, each believer should remain in the same calling he was in when the Lord saved him. Jewish believers should not try to become Gentiles (by erasing the physical mark of the covenant), and Gentiles should not try to become Jews (by being circumcised). Slaves should not demand freedom from their Christian masters, just because of their equality in Christ. However, Paul did advise Christian slaves to secure their freedom if at all possible, probably by purchase. This same principle would apply to Christians married to unsaved mates. We are prone to think that a change in circumstances is always the answer to a problem. But the problem is usually within us and not around us. The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.

Paul’s recommendations were in consideration of the present circumstances. It was a time of distress (v. ) when society was going through change (v. ). There was not much time left for serving the Lord (v. ). It is possible that there were political and economic pressures in Corinth about which we have no information. In view of the difficulties, it would be better for a person to be unmarried. However, this did not mean that married people should seek a divorce.

Paul continues, telling the reader to face the responsibilities honestly. It is impossible for two people to live together without burdens of one kind or another, but there is no need to rush into marriage and create more problems. Marriage requires a measure of maturity, and age is no guarantee of maturity.

Unmarried believers who feel a call to serve God should examine their own hearts to see if marriage will help or hinder their ministry. They must also be careful to marry spouses who feel a similar call to serve God. Each person has his own gifts and calling from God and must be obedient to His Word.

, Remember that marriage is for life. For this reason, marriage must be built on something sturdier than good looks, money, romantic excitement, and social acceptance. There must be Christian commitment, character, and maturity. There must be a willingness to grow, to learn from each other, to forgive and forget, to minister to one another. The kind of love Paul described in is what is needed to cement two lives together.

Paul addressed himself primarily to the strong Christians in the church, believers who had spiritual knowledge and experience and who understood their authority and freedom in Christ. It is the strong who must care for the weak ().

There were two sources of meat in the ancient world: the regular market (where the prices were higher) and the local temples (where meat from the sacrifices was always available). The strong members of the church realized that idols could not contaminate food, so they saved money by purchasing the cheaper meat available from the temples. Furthermore, if unconverted friends invited them to a feast at which sacrificial meat was served, the strong Christians attended it whether at the temple or in the home. All of this offended the weaker Christians. Many of them had been saved out of pagan idolatry, and they could not understand why their fellow believers would want to have anything to do with meat sacrificed to idols.

Love and knowledge must go together. Knowledge is power and it must be used in love. But love must always be controlled by knowledge (see Paul’s prayer in ). The strong believers in the church had knowledge, but they were not using their knowledge in love. Instead of building up the weak saints, the strong Christians were only puffing up themselves.

Some Christians have weak consciences because they have been saved only a short time and have not had opportunity to grow. Like little babies in the home, they must be guarded carefully. Other saints have weak consciences because they will not grow. They ignore their Bibles and Christian fellowship and remain in a state of infancy (; ). But some believers remain weak because they are afraid of freedom. They are like a child old enough to go to school, who is afraid to leave home and must be taken to school each day.

Paul’s great concern was that the strong saints help the weaker saints to grow and to stop being weak saints. Some people have the false notion that the strong Christians are the ones who live by rules and regulations and who get offended when others exercise their freedom in Christ; but such is not the case. It is the weak Christians who must have the security of law and who are afraid to use their freedom in Christ. It is the weak Christians who are prone to judge and criticize stronger believers and to stumble over what they do. This, of course, makes it difficult for the strong saints to minister to their weaker brothers and sisters.

The word “apostle” means “one sent under commission” and refers primarily to the twelve apostles and Paul. These men had a special commission, along with the New Testament prophets, to lay the foundation of the church (). One of the qualifications for being an apostle was a personal experience of seeing the resurrected Christ (, ). Paul saw the Lord when he was traveling to Damascus to arrest Christians (). The apostles were to be witnesses of Christ’s resurrection (; ; ; ).

Everyday experience teaches us that a workman deserves some reward for his labors. If a man is drafted to be a soldier, the government pays his wages and provides a certain amount of supplies for him. The man who plants a vineyard gets to eat the fruit, just as the shepherd or herdsman has the right to use the milk from the animals.

This enunciates a basic principle of the Christian life: If we receive spiritual blessings, we should in turn share material blessings. For example, the Jews gave spiritual blessings to the Gentiles, so the Gentiles had an obligation to share materially with the Jews (). Those who teach us the Word have the right to expect us to support them ().

The priests and Levites lived off of the sacrifices and offerings that were brought to the temple. The regulations governing their part of the offerings and the special tithes they received also are found in .

Paul was no doubt referring to our Lord’s words recorded in , and . The Corinthians did not have a copy of either gospel to refer to, but the Lord’s teaching would have been given to them as a part of the oral tradition shared by the apostles. That the laborer is worthy of his hire is a fundamental principle that the church dare not neglect.

What a paradox: free from all men, yet the servant of all men. Because he was free, Paul was able to serve others and to set aside his own rights for their sake.

These verses have been used and abused by the world and made to mean what Paul did not intend for them to mean. Was Paul behaving in an inconsistent manner? Of course not. Paul was not a chameleon who changed his message and methods with each new situation. Nor was Paul a compromiser who adjusted his message to please his audience. He was an ambassador, not a politician. He simply adapted his approach to different groups. When you read his sermons in the Book of Acts, you see this wise adaptation. When he preached to Jews, he started with the Old Testament patriarchs; but when he preached to Gentiles, he began with the God of creation. Paul did not have a “stock sermon” for all occasions. It is worth noting that our Lord followed the same approach. To the highborn Jew, Nicodemus, he talked about spiritual birth (); but to the Samaritan woman, He spoke about living water (). Jesus was flexible and adaptable, and Paul followed His example.

An athlete must be disciplined if he is to win the prize. Discipline means giving up the good and the better for the best. The athlete must watch his diet as well as his hours. He must smile and say “No, thank you” when people offer him fattening desserts or invite him to late-night parties. There is nothing wrong with food or fun, but if they interfere with your highest goals, then they are hindrances and not helps. The Christian does not run the race in order to get to heaven. He is in the race because he has been saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul warned that privileges were no guarantee of success. Israel had been delivered from Egypt by the power of God, just as the Christian believer has been redeemed from sin. Israel ate the manna from heaven and drank the water God provided, just as Christians nourish themselves on the spiritual sustenance God supplies (, ; ). However, these spiritual privileges did not prevent the Jews from falling into sin.

Paul also warned that good beginnings do not guarantee good endings. The Jews experienced God’s miracles, and yet they failed when they were tested in the wilderness. Experience must always be balanced with caution, for we never come to the place in our Christian walk where we are free from temptation and potential failure.

Paul’s third warning was that God can enable us to overcome temptation if we heed His Word. God permits us to be tempted because He knows how much we can take; and He always provides a way to escape if we will trust Him and take advantage of it. The believer who thinks he can stand may fall; but the believer who flees will be able to stand.

As Christians, we do have freedom. This freedom was purchased for us by Jesus Christ, so it is very precious. At no time did Paul deny the freedom of the mature Christian to enjoy his privileges in Christ. “I have the right to do anything!”—but not everything “builds us up,” and some things can lead to slavery (). Some activities can cause your weaker brother to “fall into sin” (). The strong Christian not only has knowledge, but he also has experience. He can look back and see how the Lord has dealt with him through the years. He knows that he has freedom, but he also knows that freedom involves responsibility. In other words, it is a mark of maturity when we balance our freedom with responsibility; otherwise, it ceases to be freedom and becomes anarchy and lawlessness.

We have a responsibility to our fellow Christians in the church (vv. ). We are responsible to build others up in the faith and to seek their advantage. gives the same admonition. While we do have freedom in Christ, we are not free to harm another believer.

We are responsible to seek to win the lost. We must not make it difficult either for Jews or Gentiles to trust the Lord, or for other members of the church to witness for the Lord. We must not live to seek our own benefit, but also the benefit of others, that they might be saved.

Although Paul had some negative things to say to the church later in this section, he opened it on a positive note by praising the church. Two matters in particular merited praise: The church remembered Paul and appreciated him, and the church was faithful to keep the teaching that had been given them. Paul understood the value of affirming people even when confrontation is necessary.

The Christian faith brought freedom and hope to women, children, and slaves. It taught that all people, regardless of race or sex, were equal before their Creator, and that all believers were one in Jesus Christ (). As we have noted before, the local church was perhaps the only fellowship in the Roman empire that welcomed all people, regardless of nationality, social status, sex, or economic position.

Given the natural human condition that veers toward sin, it was to be expected that there would be some who would carry this newfound freedom to excess. A new movement always suffers more from its disciples than from its enemies, and this was true in Corinth. Some of the women flaunted their “freedom” in the public meetings by refusing to cover their heads when they participated.

Paul did not forbid the women to pray or to prophesy. Women in the early church who had the gift of prophecy were allowed to exercise it. They were also permitted to pray in the public meetings. However, they were not permitted to usurp authority over the men () or to judge the messages of the other prophets (). If they had any questions, they were to ask their husbands (or other men) outside of the church meeting.

Paul sought to restore order by reminding the Corinthians that God had made a difference between men and women, that each had a proper place in God’s economy. There were also appropriate customs that symbolized these relationships and reminded both men and women of their correct places in the divine scheme.

The Corinthian women who appeared in the assembly without the head-covering were actually putting themselves on the low level of the temple prostitutes. The prostitutes wore their hair very short, and they did not wear a head covering in public. Their hairstyle and manner announced to others just what they were and what they were offering. Paul used two different words in verses , : “shaving” means exactly that, all the hair shaved off; hair “cut off” means “cut short.” Either one would be a disgrace to a woman.

Since the beginning of the church, it was customary for the believers to eat together (, ). It was an opportunity for fellowship and for sharing with those who were less privileged. They called these meals “fellowship meals” since the main emphasis was commemorating the Lord’s love and showing love for the saints by sharing with one another (). No doubt they climaxed this meal by observing the Lord’s Supper.

At Corinth, some serious abuses had crept in to this common meal. As a result, they were doing more harm than good to the church. For one thing, there were various cliques in the church, and people ate with their own “crowd” instead of fellowshipping with the whole church family.

Another fault was selfishness: The rich people brought a great deal of food for themselves, while the poorer members went hungry. The original idea of the fellowship meal was sharing, but that idea had been lost. Some of the members were even getting drunk. It is likely that the weekly fellowship meal was the only decent meal some of the poorer members regularly had; but they were being treated scornfully by the richer members. The divisions at the dinner were but evidence of the deeper problems in the church. The Corinthians thought they were advanced believers, when in reality they were but little children. Paul did not suggest that they abandon the meal, but rather that they restore its proper meaning.

Catalyst

Evangelical churches recognize two ordinances established by Jesus Christ for His people to observe: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Jesus Christ took the cup and the bread—the ingredients of a common meal in that day—and transformed them into a meaningful spiritual experience for believers. However, the value of the experience depends on the condition of the hearts of those who participate, and this was the problem at Corinth. The condition of the heart will affect the “looks” that Communion allows to those who participate fully.

We should look back (vv. ). The broken bread reminds us of Christ’s body, given for us; and the cup of wine reminds us of His shed blood. It is a remarkable thing that Jesus wants His followers to remember His death. Most of us try to forget how those we love died, but Jesus wants us to remember how He died. Why? Because everything we have as Christians centers in that death.

We should look ahead (v. ). We observe the Supper “till He comes.” The return of Jesus Christ is the blessed hope of the church and the individual Christian. Jesus not only died for us, but He arose again and ascended to heaven. And one day He shall return to take us to heaven. Today, we are not all that we should be; but when we see Him, “we shall be like Him” ().

We should look within (vv. , , , ). Paul did not say that we had to be worthy to partake of the bread and cup, but only that we should partake in a worthy manner. If we are to participate in a worthy manner, we must examine our own hearts, judge our sins, and confess them to the Lord. To come to Communion with unconfessed sin in our lives is to be guilty of Christ’s body and blood, for it was sin that nailed Him to the cross. If we will not judge our own sins, then God will judge us and chasten us until we do confess and forsake our sins.

The Corinthians neglected to examine themselves, but they were experts at examining everybody else. When the church gathers together, we must be careful not to become “religious detectives” who watch others while failing to acknowledge our own sins. If we eat and drink in an unworthy manner, we eat and drink judgment to ourselves, and that is nothing to take lightly.

We should look around (vv. , ). We should not look around in order to criticize other believers, but in order to honor the Lord’s body (v. ). This perhaps has a dual meaning: We should honor His body as symbolized in the bread but also in the church around us—for the church is the body of Christ. The Supper should be a demonstration of the unity of the church—but there was not much unity in the Corinthian church. In fact, their celebration of the Lord’s Supper was only a demonstration of their disunity.

No one ought to come to Communion who is not a true believer. Nor should a true believer come to Communion if his heart is not right with God and with his fellow Christians. This is why many churches have a time of spiritual preparation before they observe the Lord’s Supper, lest any of the participants bring chastening on themselves.

Go to the

Since there was division in the Corinthian church, Paul began with an emphasis on the oneness of the church. He pointed out four wonderful bonds of spiritual unity: We confess the same Lord (vv. ); we serve the same God (vv. ); we minister in the same body (vv. ); and we have experienced the same baptism (vv. , ).

Paul contrasted their experience as unconverted idolaters with their present experience as Christians. They had worshiped dead idols, but now they belonged to the living God. Their idols never spoke to them, but God spoke to them by His Spirit; now the Spirit of God lived in them and directed them. It is only through the Spirit that a person can honestly say, “Jesus is Lord.” If Jesus Christ truly is Lord in our lives, then there should be unity in the church. Division and dissension among God’s people only weaken their united testimony to a lost world (, ).

The various gifts are named in and , and also in and . When you combine the lists, you end up with nineteen different gifts and offices. Since the listing in Romans is not identical with the listing in 1 Corinthians, we may assume that Paul was not attempting to exhaust the subject in either passage. While the gifts named are adequate for the ministry of the church, God is not limited to these lists. He may give other gifts as He pleases.

Paul described both persons and capacities under the title of God’s gifts to the church.

• We have already discussed apostles ().

• Prophets were New Testament believers whose messages came immediately from God by the Spirit. Their ministry was to edify, encourage, and comfort (). Their messages were tested by the listeners to determine whether they were truly from God (; ). makes it clear that apostles and prophets worked together to lay the foundation of the church, and we may assume that they were no longer needed once that foundation was completed.

• Teachers (also pastor-teacher) instructed converts in the doctrinal truths of the Christian life. They taught from the Word and from the teachings of the apostles (tradition). Unlike the prophets, they did not get their messages immediately by the Spirit, though the Spirit helped them in their teaching. indicates that this is a serious calling.

• The evangelist majored on sharing the good news of salvation with the lost. All ministers should do the work of an evangelist () and seek to win souls, but some have been given evangelism as a special calling.

• In the early church, miracles were a part of the credentials of God’s servants (). In fact, miracles, healings, and tongues all belong to what theologians call “the sign gifts” and belonged in a special way to the infancy of the church. The book of Acts, as well as church history, indicates that these miraculous gifts passed off the scene.

• Helps and governments have to do with the serving of others and the guiding of the church. Without spiritual leadership, the church flounders.

• Service () and leadership belong to this same category. In my three pastorates, I was grateful for people with the gifts of service and leadership.

• There were several “speaking gifts”: tongues and the interpretation of tongues, the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge (the ability to understand and apply God’s truth to a definite situation), and exhortation (encouragement, rebuke if necessary).

• Giving and showing mercy relate to sharing material aid with those in need, as well as supporting God’s servants in ministry.

• The gift of faith has to do with believing God for what He wants to accomplish in the church’s ministry. It means trusting that God will lead and provide.

• The discerning of spirits was important in the early church, since Satan tried to counterfeit the work of God and the Word of God. Today, the Spirit especially uses the written Word to give us discernment (; ). Since there are no prophets in the church today, we need not worry about false prophets; but we do have to beware of false teachers ().

• Some students have categorized the various gifts as the speaking gifts, the sign gifts, and the serving gifts. However, we should not be so fascinated by the individual gifts that we forget the main reason why Paul listed them: to remind us that they unite us in our ministries to the one body. The Holy Spirit bestows these gifts as “He alone decides” (), not as we choose. No Christian should complain about his or her gifts, nor should any believer boast about his or her gifts. We are many members in one body, ministering to each other.

Go to the

We individually may have different gifts, ministries, and ways of working, but “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (). The source of our gifts is God; the sphere for administering our gifts is from God; and the energy to use our gifts is from God. In short, the gifts may be ours but they are not about us; they are about what God desires to accomplish in and through us.

The gifts are given for the good of the whole church. They are not for individual enjoyment, but for corporate employment. The Corinthians especially needed this reminder, because they were using their spiritual gifts selfishly to promote themselves and not to prosper the church. When we accept our gifts with humility, then we use them to promote harmony, and this helps the whole church.

, We have experienced the same baptism. It is unfortunate that the term “baptized by one Holy Spirit” has been divorced from its original New Testament meaning. God has spoken to us in Spirit-given words that we must not confuse (, ). The baptism of the Spirit occurs at conversion when the Spirit enters the believing sinner, gives him new life, and makes his body the temple of God. All believers have experienced this once-for-all baptism (). Nowhere does the Scripture command us to seek this baptism, because we have already experienced it and it need not be repeated.

“Be filled with the Spirit” (.) has to do with the Spirit’s control of our lives. (In Scripture, to be filled by something means “to be controlled by.”) We are commanded to be filled, and we can be if we yield all to Christ and ask Him for the Spirit’s filling. This is a repeated experience, for we constantly need to be filled with spiritual power if we are to glorify Christ. To be baptized by the Spirit means that we belong to Christ’s body. To be filled with the Spirit means that our bodies belong to Christ. The evidence of the Spirit’s baptism at conversion is the witness of the Spirit within ().

Unity without diversity would produce uniformity, and uniformity tends to produce death. Life is a balance between unity and diversity. As a human body weakens, its systems slow down and everything tends to become uniform. The ultimate, of course, is that the body itself turns to dust.

If diversity is not kept under control, it could destroy unity; and then you have anarchy. We shall discover in that maturity balances unity and diversity. The tension in the body between individual members and the total organism can only be solved by maturity. Using the human body as his illustration, Paul explained three important facts about diversity in the body of Christ. Why are there different members?

There are differences among members because the body needs different functions if it is to live, grow, and serve. No member should compare or contrast itself with any other member, because each one is different and each one is important. I suppose I could learn to walk on my hands, but I prefer to use my feet, even though I have not yet learned to type or to eat with my feet. The ear cannot see and the eye cannot hear, yet each organ has an important ministry.

Because members are different, they need each other. The members promote unity as they discover their dependence on one another. Diversity in the body is an evidence of the wisdom of God. Each member needs the other members, and no member can afford to become independent. When a part of the human body becomes independent, you have a serious problem that could lead to sickness and even death. In a healthy human body, the various members cooperate with each other and even compensate for each other when a crisis occurs.

God’s desire is that there be no division (“schism”) in the church. Diversity leads to disunity when the members compete with one another; but diversity leads to unity when the members care for one another. How do the members care for each other? By each one functioning according to God’s will and helping the other members to function. If one member suffers, it affects every member. If one member is healthy, it helps the others to be strong.

Diversity of members fulfills the will of God in the body. We’re different because of God’s decision. It is God who bestows the gifts and assigns the offices. He has a perfect plan, not only for the church as a whole, but also for each local congregation. We have no reason to believe that each congregation in the New Testament possessed all of the gifts. The church at Corinth was an especially gifted assembly (; ). However, God gives to each congregation just the gifts it needs when they are needed.

In this paragraph, Paul pointed out that there is a “priority list” for the gifts, that some have more significance than others. But this fact does not contradict the lesson already shared—that each gift is important and each individual believer is important. Even in the human body, there are some parts that we can do without, even though their absence might handicap us a bit.

Spiritual gifts, no matter how exciting and wonderful, are useless and even destructive if they are not ministered in love. In all three of the “body” passages in Paul’s letters, there is an emphasis on love. The main evidence of maturity in the Christian life is a growing love for God and for God’s people, as well as a love for lost souls. It has well been said that love is the “circulatory system” of the body of Christ.

Divorced from its context, this chapter becomes “a hymn to love” or a sentimental sermon on Christian brotherhood. Many people fail to see that Paul was still dealing with the Corinthians’ problems when he wrote these words: the abuse of the gift of tongues, division in the church, envy of others’ gifts, selfishness (remember the lawsuits?), impatience with one another in the public meetings, and behavior that was disgracing the Lord. The only way spiritual gifts can be used creatively is when Christians are motivated by love.

Love is enriching. Paul named five spiritual gifts: tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, and giving (sacrifice). He pointed out that without love, the exercise of these gifts is nothing. Tongues apart from love is just a lot of noise! It is love that enriches the gift and that gives it value. Ministry without love cheapens both the minister and those who are touched by it; but ministry with love enriches the whole church.

Love is edifying. “We know that ‘We all have knowledge.’ But knowledge makes people proud, while love builds them up” (). The purpose of spiritual gifts is the edification (strengthening) of the church (; , , , , ). This means we must not think of ourselves, but of others; and this demands love.

Love is enduring. These gifts will become useless and cease, but love will endure forever; for “God is love” (, ). We will not be fully completed until Jesus returns, but we ought to be growing and maturing now. Children live for the temporary; adults live for the permanent. Love is enduring, and what it produces will endure.

Unfortunately, some of the emphasis today on the Holy Spirit has not been holy (because it has ignored Scripture) and has not been spiritual (because it has appealed to the carnal nature). We must not tell other believers what gifts they should have or how they can obtain them. This matter is in the sovereign will of God. We must not minimize gifts, but neither should we neglect the graces of the Spirit.

, “Edification” (strengthening) was one of Paul’s favorite words, borrowed, of course, from architecture. To edify means to build up. This concept is not alien to the “body” image of the church; even today, we speak about “bodybuilding exercises.” There is an overlapping of images here, for the body of Christ is also the temple of the living God. Paul’s choice of the words was a wise one. The mistake the Corinthians were making was to emphasize their own personal strength to the neglect of the church. They wanted to build themselves up, but they did not want to build up their fellow believers.

Paul detected that the church was neglecting prophecy and giving a wrong emphasis to tongues. We must not think of a New Testament prophet as a person who foretold the future, for even the Old Testament prophets did more than that. Prophets received God’s message immediately, through the Holy Spirit, and communicated that message to the church, usually in a tongue, but not always. Prophecy was not the same as our modern-day preaching, because today’s preachers study the Bible and prepare their messages. No preacher today should claim that he has immediate inspiration from God.

Prophecy speaks to men, tongues to God. From the very beginning of the church, tongues were known languages, recognized by the listeners (, , , ). The tongue would be unknown to the speaker and to the listeners, but it was not unknown in the world (, , ). The believer who speaks in a tongue speaks to God in praise and worship; but the believer who prophesies shares the Word with the church and helps those who listen.

, Prophecy edifies the church; tongues edifies only the speaker. Paul did not deny the value of tongues to the speaker, but he did place a greater value on building up the church. Unless the tongues are interpreted (, ), the message can do the church no good. Paul pointed out that an interpreter must be present before the gift of tongues may be exercised ().

Twelve times in this section, Paul used some form of the word “understand.” It is not enough for the minister to impart information to people; the people must receive it if it is to do them any good. The seed that is received in the good ground is the seed that bears fruit, but this means that there must be an understanding of the Word of God (). If a believer wants to be edified, he must prepare his heart to receive the Word (). Not everybody who listens really hears.

Paul used three simple illustrations to prove his point that there must be understanding if there is to be an edifying spiritual ministry: musical instruments, a bugle call in battle, and daily conversation. If a musical instrument does not give a clear and distinct sound, nobody will recognize the music being played. If the bugler is not sure whether he is calling “Retreat!” or “Charge!” you can be sure none of the soldiers will know what to do either. This fact is also true in everyday conversation. The musician, the bugler, and the everyday conversationalist cannot be understood unless their messages are communicated in a manner that is meaningful to the listener.

Some people have the idea that speaking in a tongue is an evidence of spiritual maturity, but Paul taught that it is possible to exercise the gift in an unspiritual and immature manner.

Paul gives us good reason to believe that when he wrote about tongues, he was referring to known languages and not some “heavenly” language. Each language is different and yet each language has its own meaning. No matter how sincere a speaker may be, if I do not understand his language, he cannot communicate with me.

Paul first applied the principle of understanding to the speaker himself. Again, he reminded the Corinthians that it is better to be a blessing to the church than to experience some kind of personal “spiritual excitement.” Therefore, a speaker must ask God for the interpretation of the message. Paul assumed that an interpreter would be present (vv. , ) or that the speaker himself had the gift of interpreting. Of course, all of this discussion emphasized once again the superiority of prophecy over tongues: Prophecy needs no interpretation and can therefore be a blessing to everybody.

The principle of edification encourages us to major on sharing the Word of God so that the church will be strengthened and grow. The principle of understanding reminds us that what we share must be understood if it is to do any good. The private use of spiritual gifts may edify the user, but it will not edify the church, and Paul admonished us to excel in gifts that “strengthen the whole church.”

The Corinthian church was having special problems with disorder in their public meetings (see ). The reason is not difficult to determine: They were using their spiritual gifts to please themselves and not to help their brothers and sisters. The key word was not edification, but exhibition. If you think that your contribution to the service is more important than your brother’s contribution, then you will either be impatient until he finishes, or you will interrupt him.

Why were the messages evaluated? To determine whether the speaker had truly communicated the Word of God through the Holy Spirit. It was possible for a speaker, under the control of his own emotions, to imagine that God was speaking to him and through him. It was even possible for Satan to counterfeit a prophetic message (see , ). The listeners would test the message, then, by Old Testament Scriptures, apostolic tradition, and the personal guidance of the Spirit (“the ability to tell the spirits apart,” ).

Our own self-control is one of the evidences that the Spirit is indeed at work in the meeting. One of the ministries of the Spirit is to bring order out of chaos (). Confusion comes from Satan, not from God (). When the Spirit is leading, the participants are able to minister one-by-one so that the total impact of God’s message may be received by the church.

Paul had already permitted the women to pray and prophesy (), so this instruction must apply to the immediate context of evaluating the prophetic messages. It would appear that the major responsibility for doctrinal purity in the early church rested on the shoulders of the men, the elders in particular (, ).

Participants must beware of new revelations that go beyond the Word of God. “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (). The church had the Old Testament as well as the oral tradition given by the apostles (), and this was the standard by which all revelations would be tested.

Catalyst

It is important to note that the believers at Corinth did believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so Paul started his argument with that fundamental truth. He reminded them of three proofs to assure his readers that Jesus Christ indeed had been raised from the dead.

First, the reality of their salvation (vv. , ). Paul had come to Corinth and preached the message of the gospel, and their faith had transformed their lives. But an integral part of the gospel message was the fact of Christ’s resurrection. After all, a dead Savior cannot save anybody. Paul’s readers had received the Word, trusted Christ, been saved, and were now standing on that Word as the assurance of their salvation.

Second, the testimony of the Old Testament (vv. , ). When Paul wrote “according to the Scriptures” (v. ) he was referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. Much of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament pointed to the sacrifice of Christ as our substitute and Savior. The annual Day of Atonement () and prophecies like would also come to mind.

Third, living witnesses to Christ’s resurrection (vv. ). On the cross, Jesus was exposed to the eyes of unbelievers; but after the resurrection, He was seen by believers who could be witnesses of His resurrection (; ; ; ). Peter saw Him, and so did the disciples collectively. James was a half-brother of the Lord who became a believer after the Lord appeared to Him (; ). More than five hundred followers all saw Him at the same time (), so it could not have been a hallucination or a deception. This event may have been just before His ascension ().

Go to the

, The gospel is the most important message that the church ever proclaims. While it is good to be involved in social action and the betterment of mankind, there is no reason why these ministries should preempt the gospel.

We have already noted this reference to the Old Testament festival (). As the Lamb of God, Jesus died on Passover. As the firstfruits, He arose from the dead three days later on the first day of the week. When the priest waved the bundle of the first cutting of grain before the Lord, it was a sign that the entire harvest belonged to Him. When Jesus was raised from the dead, it was God’s assurance to us that we shall also be raised one day as part of that future harvest.

, Paul saw in Adam a type of Jesus Christ by the way of contrast (see also ). The first Adam was made from the earth, but the Last Adam (Christ, ) came from heaven. The first Adam disobeyed God and brought sin and death into the world, but the Last Adam obeyed the Father and brought righteousness and life.

When Jesus Christ comes to the earth to judge, He will banish sin for a thousand years and establish His kingdom (). Believers will reign with Him and share His glory and authority. This kingdom, prophesied in the Old Testament, is called “the millennium” by prophetic teachers. The word comes from the Latin: mille (thousand), annum (year).

Good and godly students of the Word have not always agreed on the details of God’s prophetic program, but the major truths seem to be clear. Jesus Christ reigns in heaven today, and all authority is “under His feet” (; ). Satan and man are still able to exercise choice, but God is sovereignly in control. The resurrection of the saved has not yet taken place, nor the resurrection of the lost (, ).

What does it mean to be “baptized for the dead”? Some take this to mean “proxy baptism,” where a believer is baptized on behalf of a dead relative, but we find no such teaching in the New Testament. In the second century, there were some heretical groups that practiced “vicarious baptism,” but the church at large has never accepted the practice. To begin with, salvation is a personal matter that each must decide for himself; and, second, nobody needs to be physically baptized to be saved.

, If there is no resurrection, then what we do with our bodies will have no bearing on our future. Immorality was a way of life in Corinth, and some of the believers rejected the resurrection in order to rationalize their sin. The believer’s body is the temple of God and must be kept separated from the sins of the world (). To participate in the “unfruitful works of darkness” () is only to corrupt God’s temple.

, When you sow seed, you do not expect that same seed to come up at the harvest. The seed dies, but from that death comes life. (See for our Lord’s use of this same analogy.) You may sow a few grains of wheat, but you will have many grains when the plant matures. Are they the same grains that were planted? No, but there is still continuity. You do not sow wheat and harvest barley.

The resurrection body completes the work of redemption and gives to us the image of the Savior. We are made in the image of God as far as personality is concerned, but in the image of Adam as far as the body is concerned. One day we shall bear the image of the Savior when we share in His glory.

The heavenly kingdom is not made for the kind of bodies we now have, bodies of flesh and blood. So when Jesus returns, the bodies of living believers will instantly be transformed to be like His body (), and the dead believers shall be raised with new glorified bodies. Our new bodies will not be subject to decay or death.

We must remember that this discussion was not written by Paul merely to satisfy the curiosity of believers. He had some practical points to get across, and he made them very clear in verses . If we really believe in the resurrection of the body, then we will use our bodies today to the glory of God ().

Because of the assurance of Christ’s victory over death, we know that nothing we do for Him will ever be wasted or lost. We can be steadfast in our service, unmovable in suffering, abounding in ministry to others, because we know our labor is not in vain.

One of the most important ministries Paul had during his third journey was the gathering of a special “relief offering” for the poor believers in Jerusalem. He wanted to achieve several purposes in this offering. For one thing, the Gentiles owed material help to the Jews in return for the spiritual blessings the Jews had given them (). At the Jerusalem conference years before, Paul had agreed to “remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do,” so he was keeping his pledge (). Paul not only preached the gospel, but he also tried to assist those who had physical and material needs.

Apart from keeping his promise and meeting a great need, Paul’s greatest motive for taking up the offering was to help unite Jewish and Gentile believers. Paul was a missionary to the Gentiles, and this bothered some of the Jewish believers (, ). Paul hoped that this expression of Gentile love would help to heal some wounds and build some bridges between the churches. (For more information about this offering, read .)

Catalyst

While this special offering was not the same as our Lord’s Day collection, it does give several important biblical principles for believers today.

Giving is an act of worship. It is tragic when church members give only as a duty and forget that our offerings are to be spiritual “sacrifices” presented to the Lord (). Giving should be an act of worship to the resurrected and ascended Savior.

Giving should be systematic. Some students have suggested that many people were paid on the first day of the week during that time in history. But even if they were not, each believer was to set aside his offering at home and then bring it to the assembly on the first day. Paul did not want to have to take up a number of collections when he arrived in Corinth. He wanted the whole contribution to be ready. If today’s church members were as systematic in their giving as they are in handling their other financial matters, the work of the Lord would not suffer as it sometimes does.

Giving is personal and individual. Paul expected each member to share in the offering, the rich and poor alike. Anyone who had an income was privileged to share and to help those in need. He wanted all to share in the blessing.

Giving is to be proportionate. “Let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper” () suggests that believers who have more should give more. The Jewish believers in the church would have been accustomed to the tithe, but Paul did not mention any special proportion. Certainly the tithe (ten percent of one’s income) is a good place to begin our stewardship, but we must not remain at that level. As the Lord gives us more, we should plan to give more.

Christian giving is a grace, the outflow of the grace of God in our lives and not the result of promotion or pressure. An open heart cannot maintain a closed hand. If we appreciate the grace of God extended to us, we will want to express that grace by sharing with others.

Go to the

It is interesting that Paul mentioned the offering just after his discussion about the resurrection. There were no chapter breaks in the original manuscripts, so the readers would go right from Paul’s hymn of victory into his discussion about money. Doctrine and duty go together; so do worship and works. Our giving is not in vain because our Lord is alive. It is His resurrection power that motivates us to give and to serve.

Paul was at Ephesus when he wrote this letter. His plan was to travel to Macedonia for a time of ministry, winter at Corinth, and then go to Judea with the collection. From November to February, it was impossible to travel by ship, so it would have been convenient for Paul to stay at Corinth and be with his friends.

We can learn from Paul’s deterred plans. First, a Christian must use his common sense, pray, study the situation, and seek the best he can to determine the will of God. God gave us our minds and He expects us to think, but He does not want us to depend only on our own reasoning. We must pray, meditate on the Word, and even seek the counsel of mature Christian friends. Second, our decisions may not always be in the will of God. We may make promises that we cannot keep and plans that we cannot fulfill.

Money and opportunities are valueless without people. The church’s greatest asset is people, and yet too often the church takes people for granted. Jesus did not give His disciples money, but he did invest three years training them for service so they might seize the opportunities he would present them. If people are prepared, then God will supply both the opportunities and the money so that His work will be accomplished.

The advice Paul gave the Corinthians about Timothy would suggest that the young man had some physical and emotional needs (; ). He needed all the encouragement he could get. The important thing was that he was doing God’s work and laboring with God’s servant. A church should not expect every servant of God to be an apostle Paul. Young men starting out in service have great potential, and the church should encourage them.

Apollos was an eloquent Jew who was brought into the full understanding of the gospel by Priscilla and Aquila (). He had ministered with great power at Corinth, and there was a segment of the church there that felt attached to him (; ). It is unlikely that Apollos promoted this division, for his great concern seemed to be to preach Christ—in spite of the division.

Stephanas and his household were the first people to be won to Christ in Achaia, and Paul had baptized them himself, instead of leaving it to one of his helpers (). They became important leaders in the church, for they spent their lives for Christ’s service. Whenever they saw a need, they went to work to meet it without waiting to be asked. They were Paul’s helpers, and they toiled to the point of exhaustion for the Lord. What a wonderful thing it is when an entire family serves the Lord faithfully in the local church.

, Aquila and Priscilla were a dedicated husband-and-wife team whose lives and ministries intersected and intertwined with Paul’s. The apostle met them at Corinth because, like Paul, they were tentmakers (). This godly couple had been expelled from Rome because Aquila was a Jew; but that was only part of God’s providence to get them to Corinth where they could assist Paul.

1 Corinthians 1

1:1

1:1

1:1

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1:23 []

1:23 NU-Text reads Gentiles.

1:24 []

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1:31 ,

1:31

1 Corinthians 2

2:1 NU-Text reads mystery.

2:2

2:3

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2:4

2:4

2:4 NU-Text omits human.

2:5

2:8

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2:9 [; ]

2:9

2:10 ; ;

2:11 []

2:11

2:12 []

2:13 NU-Text omits Holy.

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1 Corinthians 3

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1 Corinthians 4

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4:3 Literally day

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1 Corinthians 5

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5:1 NU-Text omits named.

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5:5 NU-Text omits Jesus.

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5:7 NU-Text omits for us.

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5:13 ; , ; ; ; , ;

5:13 ; ; , ;

1 Corinthians 6

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6:9

6:9 That is, catamites

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6:20 NU-Text ends the verse at body.

1 Corinthians 7

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7:34 M-Text adds also.

7:37 Or virgin daughter

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7:38 NU-Text reads his own virgin.

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1 Corinthians 8

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1 Corinthians 9

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9:18 ;

9:18 NU-Text omits of Christ.

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9:20 ;

9:20 NU-Text adds though not being myself under the law.

9:21 [; ]

9:21 [, ]

9:21 []

9:21 NU-Text reads God’s law.

9:21 NU-Text reads Christ’s law.

9:22 ;

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9:22 NU-Text omits as.

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9:27 []

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1 Corinthians 10

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10:11 NU-Text omits all.

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10:23 NU-Text omits for me.

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10:28 NU-Text omits the rest of this verse.

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1 Corinthians 11

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11:15 M-Text omits to her.

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11:24 NU-Text omits Take, eat.

11:24 NU-Text omits broken.

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11:27 NU-Text and M-Text read the blood.

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11:29 NU-Text omits in an unworthy manner.

11:29 NU-Text omits Lord’s.

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1 Corinthians 12

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12:2 NU-Text and M-Text add when.

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12:9 NU-Text reads one.

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12:13 NU-Text omits into.

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12:31 NU-Text reads greater.

1 Corinthians 13

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13:3 NU-Text reads so I may boast.

13:4 ;

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1 Corinthians 14

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14:5 NU-Text reads and.

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14:25 NU-Text omits And thus.

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14:34 NU-Text omits your.

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14:38 NU-Text reads if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

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1 Corinthians 15

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15:39 NU-Text and M-Text omit of flesh.

15:42 []

15:43 []

15:45

15:45 []

15:45 ;

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15:47 NU-Text omits the Lord.

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15:49 M-Text reads let us also bear.

15:50 [, ]

15:51 []

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15:55 NU-Text reads O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?

15:56 [; ; ]

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1 Corinthians 16

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16:2

16:3 ;

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16:22 ,

16:22 ,

16:22 Greek anathema

16:22 Aramaic Maranatha

16:23

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