Introduction
We begin this morning a new book. We have completed two NT books – 1 Peter and the Gospel of Mark – and have dipped into another – Proverbs. We will return to Proverbs from time to time to glean the wisdom of those ancient sayings.
Why 1 Corinthians
Why 1 Corinthians? I have had a fear-attraction regard for the book, having for years the desire to preach the book and also a reticence, both for the same reasons. 1 Corinthians, more than any other epistle (term for NT letter) addresses how a church is to function and behave. It is the most practical of the epistles, tackling not only matters of belief, but of practice. How should a church worship? What may women do in worship? How should we approach the Lord’s Supper? What are the spiritual gifts in the church and how should they be used? There are other issues: church discipline, divorce and remarriage, sexual practices, handling disputes, and still others. For those of you who desire more application in sermons, this is an ideal book to study. Application is what this book is about.
That is why I want to preach 1 Corinthians. It will take us through church life. But that is also why I hesitate to preach it. Application is what divided the Corinthian church. The Corinthian Christians approached church from different perspectives. I know that as we approach the various topics, we also will address them from different and conflicting viewpoints. To preach 1 Corinthians in our church is to invite debate. But more daunting than debate is the command of Scripture to be obedient to Scripture. I am unnerved by the thought that I must bend my presuppositions about church to what a careful study of Scripture will reveal. I have my ideas what 1 Corinthians teaches about the church, but I in the same position as you of having to place those ideas under the careful study of what Scripture actually teaches.
You know by now that I do not count speed as a virtue in preaching Scripture, nor skipping verses. I will let you speculate how long it will take us to get to the end. Unlike the previous two books where we methodically moved along passage by passage, we will as needed pause in a passage to consider the topic at hand. Whereas before, my concern was restricted to what the passage alone was teaching, we will consider other passages as well. It will mean a longer stay in 1 Corinthians, but also excursions into other books while we focus on a topic. Let’s get started.
The Preacher
Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes.
This, of course, is the apostle Paul, dramatically converted from being the greatest persecutor of the Christian church to its greatest ambassador. He is the former Pharisee, exemplary in living a life devoted to the law of Moses, who became the foremost theologian propounding the grace of the gospel. He is the man with the perfect pedigree as a Jew, who became known as the “apostle to the Gentiles.” And it is because he became all these things – ambassador for the church, proponent of grace, and apostle to the Gentiles – that he came to the city of Corinth.
Paul was an itinerant missionary. Over the course of years, he made three missionary journeys along the northern portion of the Mediterranean. He would visit in a city ranging from a few days to two years in Ephesus. In Corinth he stayed a year and a half. His primary activity was preaching. Usually he would find the local Jewish synagogue and begin preaching there. This made sense. He, of course, was himself a Jew, and, furthermore, a teacher who studied under the highly regarded rabbi, Gamaliel. It was common practice in a synagogue service to allow visiting teachers to read the Scripture and then speak. Of course, what would eventually happen is that his preaching of Jesus as the Christ would offend many of his Jewish audience, and he would be forced to leave. Paul would then find another venue in which to preach.
Paul’s preaching ministry created problems for him wherever he went. In Philippi he was beaten with rods and jailed. Then incident that led to his beating was his casting out a spirit from a fortune-teller slave. The owners, angry at losing a source of income, brought charges, not against casting out a spirit, but against his teachings. He then traveled to Thessalonica. His preaching created such an uproar there that a mob arose and attacked a house looking for Paul and arresting whatever Christians they could find. Paul was sent away to Berea where the same type of outbreak occurred. He then traveled to Athens for rest, but still could not refrain from preaching. He is not attacked there, though his preaching is mostly met with skepticism. From Athens he came to Corinth.
Paul was neither beaten nor jailed in Corinth, but he was opposed. As usual he first preached in the Jewish synagogue and, as usual, stirred up opposition. Some of the Jews tried to bring charges against him before the proconsul of the territory, Gallio, but Gallio would not consider them. Thus, Corinth was one of the few places where Paul was able to stay an extended period, free to preach and establish a church.
I should note that though Paul did meet resistance everywhere he preached, he also won many to the Lord. Except for Athens, the primary reason that he was opposed was not so much what he preached but the effectiveness of his preaching. People will tolerate almost anything said. It is when they see change taking place that they become alarmed. And so the Jewish leaders ought to have been in Corinth. Paul moved his preaching next door to the synagogue. Luke tells us in Acts 18:8: Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. Paul, furthermore, received word from the Lord to stay in the city and continue his ministry “for I have many in this city who are my people.” What was meant was that God’s elect were many and through Paul’s ministry they would turn in faith and receive salvation. Paul did remain and did have an effective ministry resulting in the church at Corinth.
By the way, Paul mentions brother Sosthenes. We will not hear him mentioned again and it is hard to tell what role he plays in the writing of this letter. Perhaps he served as the secretary. Paul evidently had vision problems and it is evident in other letters that someone else did the actual writing. There is one interesting footnote in Acts that may reveal his identity. The Jewish leaders, as mentioned, did try to have Paul punished by the Roman authority, Gallio. After Gallio dismissed their case Luke concludes the story of Paul in Corinth with this remark: And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this (Acts 18:17). This verse raises many questions as to who administered the beating – the Jews or Corinthian enemies of the Jews, perhaps even the Roman guard. Was Sosthenes beaten for being a Christian, or perhaps for failing to win his case against Paul, or for being a leader of the Jews? Whatever the case, it seems likely this is the same Sosthenes of the letter since Paul could refer to him simply as brother and presume his readers understood who was meant.
The Church and Its City
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth…
What was Corinth like? Here is a description from Gordon Fee: “Paul’s Corinth was at once the New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas of the ancient world.” That sounds like a fun city! Julius Caesar had Corinth rebuilt. It had been destroyed by Rome 100 years before his time. He had it resettled by freedmen. Freedmen were men who had been released from slavery. Rome would occasionally send a colony of freedmen to settle in a new territory for the similar reason that England once sent criminals and prisoners to Australia. It is a good way to dispose of potential trouble-makers.
It did not take long for Corinth to return to prosperity because of its location. Cities often grow because they are located at major travel routes. That was the case of Corinth. Look at a map of Greece sometime. You will send the larger northern territory and then a southern portion that would have been a large island if it were not for a thin stretch of land (an isthmus) that links it to the mainland. Furthermore, you will see two gulfs of water that the land separates. On that land is Corinth. It controls two major harbors. Shippers would land in one harbor and transport their goods overland to the other harbor to be loaded again and travel on. The city was both a vital water link and land link.
What was the city like? Think about it. Who settled there? Enterprising, but still, lower cast citizens. Because of its location, it becomes an important site and grows rapidly. It is a city defined by commerce and new money, not by old aristocracy. Because it is new and increasingly wealthy it attracts people from all backgrounds and nationalities. This is the city where one can make one’s own fortune. It is also a city where new things can be tried, especially in the way of religion. It is also a city where anything goes. As Fee notes, there would have been the same sexual sin “that one would expect in any seaport where money flowed freely and women and men were available.”
Welcome to Corinth, Paul! One thing I don’t think Corinth had was a “Welcome Wagon.” Paul was on his own. But, again, the Lord was with Paul and those whom God identified as belonging to him responded to Paul’s message a church was born. As we go through the letter, we will learn what the people were like. Suffice it to say now, that they reflected the city. Some were Jews; there were a few wealthy members, though most were of the lower class; some were slaves. It was not a homogenous church, by any means. It is a church of young converts. No one grew up in a church. The Jewish believers would have been the only ones with some sense of tradition and protocol, but everyone would have their opinions as to what should be going on. These opinions are what Paul will address.
As Paul writes his greeting, be sure that he knows what he is doing with every word he uses. He is making a statement in the very title by which he addresses them: the church of God that is in Corinth. Compare that to how he addresses the Thessalonians: the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:1). Do you catch the difference, what Paul wants the Corinthians to understand, which the Thessalonians already know? The church located in Corinth is God’s church. It doesn’t belong to anybody else. As Pollyanna said correctly, “Only God can own a church.”
What else does Paul say? To those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. No other church receives such a long-winded address as Corinth. What more does Paul want to convey?
As we shall see, behavior is a problem in the Corinth church. Though they have received the gospel and professed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; though they are now identified as Christians and have become a church, they still act more like their old identities. They have learned Christian jargon and customs; they really enjoy spiritual gifts, but they are not exhibiting Christian holiness. They are doing a good job of exhibiting justification by faith, but they are doing a rotten job of exhibiting sanctification that should be accompanying their faith.
Paul is saying that Christians are not “just forgiven” in Christ Jesus. They are sanctified, set apart for godly living. Their identity is to be that of saints, i.e. holy ones. This is Paul’s favorite designation for Christians.
Furthermore, they are saints together. It is together that they have been called into a saving relationship with God. Paul does not simply mean by “together” the Corinth church. “Together” includes all believers everywhere, or perhaps more accurately, all churches. The church of Corinth slipped into the same danger that faces any church which views itself as independent. It began to do what seemed right in its own eyes, which then led individuals and groups within the church to do what seemed right in their own eyes. Paul is reminding them at the beginning, we have the same calling, the same identity, the same Lord.
He then gives a greeting: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This, of course, is what saints receive from God. It is by grace that the Father sent the Son to die for his elect and make them his saints; it is the peace of reconciliation with God that Jesus Christ achieved. This grace and peace continue into the Christian life, nurturing and sustaining God’s people.
Conclusion
Are we ready to learn from this epistle? The best way to get application is to exchange one word with a phrase in these opening verses. Where we read “Corinth,” replace it with “Gainesville, known as Faith Presbyterian Church.” This is an epistle for a local church, and, ultimately, it will be our church that will be examined. Does this make you nervous? It certainly does me!
What are we being instructed now? For one thing, we are being reminded that we are to be a church of saints. We are to be distinguished from the unchurched Gainesville community by behavior that is marked by holiness. This doesn’t mean that Gainesville will then think well of us, just that they will find us peculiar.
I remember with bemusement an article that had appeared in a newspaper about Gordon College student life. Gordon College is a Christian school in Massachusetts. Evidently, college news reporters had visited the college to report on student social life. As expected, the article made a mockery of the students whose squareness was exemplified in a “Rock-a-thon” taking place. Low and behold, instead of a marathon of rock music, this was a marathon of rocking in chairs to raise money for charity. The students were dismayed at the dismal caricature by which they were described. They did want to be regarded as cool. But the truth is, they were not cool, not by the world’s standards.
Go downtown late at night and UF students will give the lesson on what makes for a really cool time. It is the laughter that comes out of profanity, drinking, and lewdness that makes for real fun. Christian students, no matter how much fun they may have at their parties, will be considered bores and prudish if they are living saintly lives.
So with all of us. To be a saint is to be alien, an alien to both the immoral and the moral. We need to accept, as well, that we are to be different from the “good” people as well and thus misunderstood. Our sanctification is about being true to God, not our community. For example, when it comes to marriage a Christian saint does not choose a mate based primarily on a person’s moral values; rather the first criteria is the person’s faith in Jesus Christ. Paul will later tell the Corinthians not to be unequally yoked. As saints, our bodies are members of Christ, and we have no business yoking them with any person, however upright he or she may be, who is not also connected to Christ. That is why we don’t do nonChristian weddings in this church or a wedding in which only person professes Christ. Do you know how angry couples and families get over that stance?
To be a church of saints is to be a church that will be invite scorn. Sometimes we will be accused of being intolerant because of stances we take; at other times we will be accused of letting sin run rampant in the community and nation because we won’t take political stances. To some we will seem right wing, to others too liberal.
But what is going to matter is that we honestly examine ourselves as a congregation in the light of Scripture. Sometimes the accusations made may be right. Are we going to turn to the Word of God for direction? Are we going to honestly examine ourselves in light of this letter? To be a church of saints, we must.
And to be a church of saints, we must keep in mind that we are in this saint business with all the other churches. We live now in a time in which denominations are disparaged. Churches grow with the boast that they are not encumbered with having to listen to anybody else. Well, doing things one’s own way is not a prized virtue in Scripture. We need the accountability not only of one another as individuals, but as churches as well. It is together that we are saints called by Christ. Together. Together we worship; together we serve; together we carry out this business of being saints. And we do not have permission from our Lord to isolate ourselves from one another as individuals nor as churches.
This is the responsibility, and it is the glory of being a Christian. We are joined together, and we will dishonor or glorify God together. This is what Christ, our Lord, died for – to make us a people together who a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
