Paul visited Corinth in 50-51 AD, after leaving Athens (Acts 18), during his second mission trip. He met Aquila and Priscila and preached to the Jews, but had little blessing. He went to the Gentiles of Corinth, which, according to Gordon Fee, was “the New York, the Los Angeles, and the Las Vegas of the ancient world,” and many believed. The Lord encouraged Paul, and so he stayed for 18 months. He even wrote Romans while staying here in Corinth. But as Horatius Bonar declared, “I looked for the church and I found it in the world; and I looked for the world and I found it in the church,” so Paul found that with the church in Corinth; in just 3 short years, they resembled and assimilated the city in which they lived, and all the sins that went along with it. Calvin says, “As the Corinthians were desirous of doctrine that was ingenious, rather than useful, the gospel had no relish for them. As they were eager for new things, Christ had now become stale. Or if they had not as yet fallen into these vices, they were, nevertheless, already of their own accord predisposed to corruptions of that nature. Such were the facilities afforded to the false apostles for adulterating the doctrine of Christ among them; for ‘adulterated’ it is, when its native simplicity is stained, and in a manner painted over, so as to differ nothing from worldly philosophy. Hence, to suit the taste of the Corinthians, they seasoned their preaching in such a way that the true savor of the gospel was destroyed.” Paul had written to the Corinthians prior to this epistle, and, while he was in Ephesus on his third mission trip, he received a letter from the Corinthians. This is his reply. Let’s take a look.
1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and ours:
3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul gives his usual greeting in v1, but the emphasis on his being “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,” is more important in this letter, perhaps, than in others. His apostleship and authority is challenged by some of the Corinthians, and he lays that foundational fact – especially that he didn’t decide to make himself an apostle but that the role came from God’s will – right up front for them to remember. He also mentions Sosthenes (Acts 18:17), who was the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth when Paul first came there. Can you imagine the uproar from the non-Christian Jews as their synagogue leader turned to Christ and walked out to serve Christ with that other traitor, Paul! Post conversion, Sosthenes was now working alongside his brother Paul for the good of the Church at Corinth.
In v2, Paul describes “the church of God in Corinth” as “sanctified…and called to be holy.” He starts this letter by reminding his audience of whose they are and who they are, even though Paul will rebuke and challenge them pastorally moving forward. Calvin says, “He begins with an ascription of praise, that is in effect an exhortation, that they should go on as they have begun, and in this way he soothes them beforehand, that he may make them the more docile.” The author of their calling to be holy is the same as the One who called Paul to apostleship. Paul also addresses this letter to “all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This letter is applicable in every time and place, including today. Paul issues a benediction, his typical blessing, of grace and peace, and these blessings come from both “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” There’s no mistaking the claim to the Deity of Christ from Paul.
Thanksgiving
4I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge-- 6because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
Paul is thankful for the Corinthian believers because in them he sees the grace of God. That’s a compliment more to God than to the Corinthians. In v5, he says that they “have been enriched in every way.” In other words, the Corinthians had received great gifts from God, but this sets the stage for his later rebuke; for they were immature, morally weak, and abusive (proud) with their gifts (1 Corinthians 8:1; 14:23). The social realm of Corinth might have been like that of Charleston. If you came from the “elite,” then you were privileged, and others were not. Unfortunately, Christianity hadn’t changed that yet. Some Corinthians saw their “speaking” and “knowledge” as premium gifts, making them better Christians than others. Their arrogance was divisive, but don’t miss that the gifts were legitimate! Their character hadn’t been conformed to God’s, such that the gifts would become more useful, and Paul will let them know about that moving forward. But Paul acknowledges that they “do not lack any spiritual gift.”
Compare v8-9 with Philippians 1:6,10; Ephesians 5:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. Paul instructs with great truth – that God “will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and that “God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” – as the grace the Corinthians can fall back on when he rebukes them later in the letter. Despite the heinous past – and even despicable present – of the Corinthian Church, God’s grace is greater. He is faithful!
Divisions in the Church
10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas[1] "; still another, "I follow Christ."
13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into[2] the name of Paul? 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Paul begins the body of his letter with an “appeal.” He has revealed the grace of God, and now he moves into the rebuke phase, but it’s with tenderness and brotherly love; he wants to formally re-unite the congregation, which was under a spirit of dissension. Calvin says, “He proceeds to chide them, making mention of the dissensions with which their Church was infested. Being desirous to cure this evil, he calls upon them to exchange haughtiness for humility.” In v11, he mentions Chloe. She must have been influential here, though she isn’t mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. Nevertheless, some from her household made Paul aware of the division in Corinth, and he thought them a trustworthy source. This was not some form of gossip, but rather a revelation out of genuine concern for the unity of the Body of Christ. They were divided over which preacher was better. And this strife in the church, says John MacArthur, “brings fractured fellowship into the church of Jesus Christ, which robs Christians of joy and effectiveness. It robs God of glory, and it robs the world of the true testimony of the gospel – a high price for an ego trip.” One commentator says, “There are two types of men mentioned in the book of 1 Corinthians. There is the carnal man, and there is the spiritual man; and the carnal man deals in division, and the spiritual man deals with unity.”
It might be akin to saying, “I prefer Dave Stone,” or “I like Kyle Idleman better.” That sounds insignificant, but if you start skipping church when Dave’s scheduled, because you only care to listen to Kyle, the slippery slope slides quickly from there. In v12, Paul notes Apollos, an effective and likely eloquent preacher from Alexandria who ministered in Ephesus, Corinth, and other places. Paul also mentions Cephas (or Peter), who was likely popular among Jewish Christians; the extent of his ministry efforts toward Corinth are uncertain. Paul even mentions those who claim no leader but Christ (likely the self-exalting, intellectual elite). It’s interesting that in 95 AD, 40 years after Paul wrote this letter, Clement of Rome, a Christian in the early Church, wrote to Corinth acknowledging that these divisions were still in the church. He mentions the party of Paul, he mentions the party of Apollos and that of Cephas, but strangely he doesn’t mention the party of Christ. Do you know why? One commentator says it’s because these are usually the ones who say: “This church isn’t holy enough for me, I’ve got to move on,” and they break away – and it appears that here, they broke away. Another commentator says that the Christ faction here ultimately became the Gnostics of the first and second century that had spread throughout the Roman Empire.
Paul asks a great question in v13: “Is Christ divided?” It’s the first of a series of rhetorical questions meant to show that Christians should not divide over such petty matters as preference of preacher. This is an urgent call to unity (1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:29; 12:12). And it’s a distinction really between the two kinds of people – spiritual and natural (or carnal). The spiritual are humble and unified; the carnal are prideful and divided. One commentator pointed out, “Martin Luther said on one occasion: ‘I pray you leave my name alone, do not call yourselves Lutherans but Christians.’ John Wesley said, the founder of Methodism: ‘I wish the name Methodist might never be mentioned again, but lost in eternal oblivion.’ Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who was a Baptist, said: ‘I say of the Baptist name: let it perish, and let Christ's own name last forever. I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living.’” Paul has the same mentality. He’s saying, “If Christ is not divided, then why are you at Corinth divided into 4 factions?”
Now the Bible does not teach false ecumenism. False ecumenism is simply to deny our fundamental differences and creeds with regards to the gospel and salvation. A prime example and illustration is how many in the Protestant faith are smudging the demarcation line between the reformation gospel and a gospel of works, a gospel of ritual and religiosity that is commonly found in the Roman Catholic Church. They’re saying very sincerely, and with a very loving but misguided spirit: “Let’s all come together and deny our fundamental differences, and let’s fellowship one with the other” – even though both of them have two different ways of getting to God, and even two different understandings of God and His salvation. In our opposition to false ecumenism, we as modern-day Bible believers must stand and be seen to stand with historic biblical Christianity and affirm what is to be known as true ecumenism. That example is seen in the “Together for the Gospel” conferences, where a Charismatic preacher (Mahaney), two Baptist preachers (Dever and Mohler), and a Presbyterian preacher (Duncan) gather to celebrate their unity but not at the expense of their denominational differences. Whitefield, a Calvinist, and Wesley, an Arminian, were friends, but they couldn’t worship together in this life, and they didn’t pretend to agree on doctrine – yet they humbly acknowledged and appreciated one another as brothers in Christ.
Paul mentions in v14 that he is glad that he baptized only Crispus, who was a synagogue ruler converted in Acts 18:8, and Gaius, which was a very common name (but see Acts 19:29). He’s being sarcastic here, sort of mocking the Corinthians for their foolishness regarding division. It’s as if he was saying, “Whew! I’m glad you guys can’t start calling me savior just for baptizing you! Don’t you realize that it’s not about Paul, Apollos, or Peter? It’s all about Christ!” Paul does parenthetically mention that he baptized the household of Stephanus, Paul’s first converts in Corinth. Stephanus was among a group that brought Paul a letter from the Corinthian congregation (1 Corinthians 16:15-17). Some commentators bring up and elaborate on the subject of infant baptism when “household” baptisms are mentioned in Scripture, but I’ll save that discussion for another commentary – maybe when I look at Acts. John also makes it clear in John 4:2 that Jesus didn’t baptize anyone, perhaps to avoid this sort of division that the Corinthians couldn’t escape.
Finally here, in v17, Paul elaborates on his ministry mission – not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. And he qualifies that particularly for his audience, which was overly concerned with eloquence and the perception of worldly wisdom. The Corinthians were dividing over non-essentials. And because the Corinthians were too fond of rhetorical skill, Paul focuses next on true wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16; 3:18-23).
Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."[3]
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
In v18, Paul speaks of those who are either perishing or being saved (Isaiah 6:9-10; Luke 2:34; Romans 9:10-12,16; 2 Corinthians 2:15-16). These are the two kinds of people who hear the message; those who are perishing see the gospel, “the message of the cross,” the thing of first importance according to 1 Corinthians 15, as foolishness, and those who are being saved acknowledge it as “the power of God.” Paul quotes Isaiah to show that God ridicules the enemies of His people by revealing His wisdom and power. Pharaoh’s wise men couldn’t duplicate the signs of Moses; and Assyria was conquered by Babylon after destroying Israel and thinking it was invincible.
In v20, Paul mentions “the wise man,” “the scholar” (or “scribe”), and “the philosopher of this age” (or “debater”). He’s referring specifically to the worldly wise in general, the Jew, and the Greek, respectively. “This age” has to do with the here and now of the physical earth, including those thought to be wise in the past (such as Pharaoh’s wise men and Assyria), and Paul speaks of it in contrast to the age to come in several places (Galatians 1:4). God will – and already has – destroyed the wisdom of the world through what the world calls foolishness. Paul tells us in Romans, which was written from Corinth, that the world, professing to be wise, showed themselves to be fools, namely by failing to worship and give thanks to God.
God’s plan in this is revealed in v21: “Since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” The “foolish” way to salvation, according to the world, is by faith. But that’s the wisdom of God! Jewish factions hear the gospel and demand signs, because they think according to their wisdom that signs would be adequate proof. Of course, we read that it’s not the case in the gospel (Luke 16:31). But a crucified Messiah would be and is repulsive to the Jews (Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:23), and they stumble over the crucified savior. Greeks hear the gospel, and think it’s too simple, irrational and foolish; there’s not enough wisdom in a crucified Christ. Christ as “the power of God and the wisdom of God” refers not to abstract forces but personal qualities that manifest themselves fully in Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection (v30; Romans 1:4,16; Colossians 2:3). And those whom God has called rejoice in Him (v24); we know that He had to call us in order for us to believe, but we can’t explain in, for the most foolish thing about God (v25), perhaps that He called me to salvation, is wiser than the wisest of humankind (v25,27; Matthew 11:25-26).
26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."[4]
Paul says to consider your calling. Calvin concludes, “He overthrows all the wisdom of the world, that the preaching of the Cross may alone be exalted. He also at the same time abases them as individuals, in exhorting them to look around and see what class of persons chiefly the Lord has adopted as members of his flock.” He’s explained God’s wisdom to an extent that causes us to reject our own wisdom. But then Paul says to think about it. He invites these believers to look now at their own personal experience of what their conversion was. He shows them that the gospel’s grace is the opposite of worldly pride. One wealthy intellectual-type person who was saved once thanked the “m” in v26b for her salvation, saying, “It doesn’t say, ‘Not any of you were wise by human standards,’ but, ‘Not many of you…” And thank God for that! Some of every kind of person are called by God! But the point is that salvation doesn’t depend on your qualities (Mark 2:17; John 9:39-41; 2 Thessalonians 2:14); there is reason for that! V29 says that it’s to prohibit boasting (Ephesians 2:8-9; Jeremiah 9:24). The only basis for their boasting is the fact that God chose them to shame the wisdom of the world. And to dispel any remaining pride or doubts in their mind about their lack of a role in salvation, Paul reminds them in v30 why they believed in the first place, saying, “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus.” And Paul wraps up the chapter with a bit of a doxology, praising Christ as the “wisdom from God…our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” Since that’s the case – praise God! – we boast in the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1:12 That is, Peter
- 1:13 Or in; also in verse 15
- 1:19 Isaiah 29:14
- 1:31 Jer. 9:24
Bible text from Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.