I had every intention this week of starting a new series on the Holy Spirit. And I can't do it. I open up Microsoft Word, and get my music going, and I sit in front of my monitor. And I have nothing. I have this outline I was going to follow. I had a plan. And I can't follow it. I've got nothing.
But I'd really like to teach you about the Holy Spirit. So, since I know that 1 Corinthians has a fair bit to say about the Holy Spirit, I'm planning to do that instead. It's my compromise.
Now, even though I'm really itching to teach about the Holy Spirit, I'm going to do my best to play this mostly straight. I'm not going to work through 1 Corinthians, only focusing on the Holy Spirit.
So. 1 Corinthians.
Normally, when teachers begin a book study, they give you a little background about the book-- some sort of framework to help you understand what you're reading.
I know I should do this, but I just don't want to. And I'm not going to. Sorry. I should feel worse about this than I do. The bottom line is that the Corinthian church has some legitimate strengths. Understand that in many important ways, the Corinthian church is far more healthy than we are. People love to bash the Corinthians, but this is a church that loves God, and is committed to living by faith out of its commitment to Jesus.
But it also has some serious sins that need to be addressed. These sins are not the result of not caring about God. They aren't due to the Corinthians not giving their allegiance to Jesus. These sins are mostly the result of some pretty dangerous theology. They're (mostly?) based on a misunderstanding of our freedom in Christ.
So my plan, is to just try to introduce you to the different issues as we go. There's no sense in explaining everything twice. And if I try to explain it now, there's a decent chance I'll get parts of it wrong anyway. My preunderstanding rarely survives in-depth study.
VERSE 1:
(1) Paul, a chosen messenger of King/Christ Jesus through God's will, and Sosthenes the brother,
There are a lot of ways that Paul could have described himself to open his letter. He could write as their brother in Christ, or as a former Pharisee, or anything, really. But how does Paul want them to think about him? How does Paul want them to hear this letter?
Paul is writing to them as King Jesus' chosen messenger through God's will. Jesus has sent him to them. So when they read this letter, they are not hearing Paul's words. Paul is Jesus' messenger/envoy, and they need to hear these words as Jesus' words, written with Jesus' authority.
Why does Paul mention Sosthenes the brother? I'm not sure. Maybe Sosthenes is helping him write the letter. Maybe he's Paul's main coworker at the time he writes. I don't know.
Verse 2:
(2) To God's church -- to the ones having been consecrated/dedicated in King Jesus,
-- to the one being in Corinth,
-- to the chosen consecrated/dedicated ones,
together with everyone calling on the name of our Lord King Jesus in every place-- their [Lord] and ours.
In verse 2, Paul describes the Corinthians. How does Paul want the Corinthians to think about themselves?
First, they are God's church. What does this mean? They belong to God. They are his.
Second-- and with this, we are starting to talk about the dashed line things-- they have been dedicated to God in King Jesus. They are consecrated to God, to be used by God as he sees fit. And this happened when they gave their allegiance to Jesus and were baptized, being united to Jesus (Romans 6). If you've made this decision, you are no longer your own. You are God's.
Third, they are the church in Corinth. The Corinthian church most likely met in several different houses. They didn't have one big building. But when Paul addresses them, he calls them a single church. They, together, are the church in Corinth. There is a unity here. Or, at least, there should be.
Fourth, they are the "chosen dedicated/consecrated ones." How does this differ from the second idea? What Paul adds here is this language about being "chosen." God chose them to be dedicated to himself. He picked them out. What exactly this means, or how it works, Paul doesn't unpack here. But each of you can say, God chose me. And, more importantly, you should say as a church, God chose us. All I ask, is that when you say this, make sure you grab the whole idea. God chose you to be dedicated/consecrated to himself.
In the last line of verse 2, Paul widens his perspective, to say that this letter is for everyone :
"together with everyone calling on the name of our Lord King Jesus in every place-- their [Lord] and ours."
If you call on the name of our Lord King Jesus-- this letter is for you. You can hear this, as meant for you.
Verse 3:
(3) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you've spent much time in Paul's letters, you're used to this greeting. So used to it, probably, that you pass over it, without thinking about it.
Grace, essentially, has to do with God's favor, and his help. So Paul, as Jesus' messenger, announces to them that God is pleased with them, and that God is helping them (or maybe, that's he's going to help them?).
What about peace? What does it mean, that God the Father and Jesus announce peace to them? It's almost easier to say it as the opposite. God is not giving this message to them as an enemy. This is not a letter they need to read fearfully. It's not a declaration of war. God announces that He is at peace with them.
This brings us to verse 4. In verses 4-9, Paul talks about how he prays for the Corinthians, and why he prays that way.
Verse 4:
(4) I gave thanks to my God always for you because of God's grace given to you in King Jesus,
When Paul prays for the Corinthians, he does so with thanksgiving. Paul thanks God for them.
And this is not an empty thanksgiving. God has been very good to the Corinthians. Paul has lots of reasons to thank God for what he's done for them. I'll read verses 4-6 together:
(4) I gave thanks to my God always for you because of God's grace given to you in King Jesus,
(5) because in everything you were made rich in him--in all speech and all knowledge--
(6) just as the testimony about the King was confirmed in you,
Why does Paul thank God for what He's done for them? He thanks God, because God has made them rich in everything.
Now, what does Paul mean by this? Does he mean they are all wealthy? We'll learn later in the letter that this isn't quite right. But Paul clarifies this statement using overspecification-- what I've marked with dash lines in the translation. Specifically, God has made them rich in all speech, and in all knowledge. God has made them rich in the things that really matter.
When Paul says this, the Corinthians know exactly what he's talking about, but we don't.
The Corinthian church has been blessed with every spiritual blessing in speech and knowledge. What Paul is referring to, specifically, are the spiritual blessings that scare us as Baptists. They have words of prophecy, and words of knowledge. They speak in tongues. They can interpret tongues.
All of these things are gifts from God. Truly. They are a sign of God's favor, and of his help. And Paul thanks God, that the Corinthian church experiences these things, and has these things.
In verse 6, Paul added this: (6) just as the testimony/proof about the King/Christ was confirmed in you,
Quite often in the NT, when people gave their allegiance to Jesus and when the Holy Spirit entered them, they spoke in tongues. This experience is confirmation of the truthfulness of the good news about Jesus. When you trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, and the next thing you know, you can feel the Holy Spirit filling you, and you find yourself speaking in tongues that you don't know-- all you can do, is point to God, and praise him. You don't wonder when you were saved, or if you were saved. And the Corinthian church experienced this.
So what Paul is saying here is that their very first experience as Christians, is something that has continued to this day. They are still rich in all speech, and all knowledge.
We should also notice how they received these blessings from God. They have them because they are in King Jesus. When we were baptized, we were united to Jesus. We became one with him. And when we were united to Jesus, we became sharers in all of the blessings God gave to his son.
Paul continues in verse 7:
(7) with the result that you don't lack in any gift of God's grace,
awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who also will make you firm in commitment until the end,
blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What does Paul see, when he looks at the Corinthian church? This is a church that doesn't lack any gift of God's grace. Maybe this gives the impression that the Corinthian church has basically maxed out God's blessings.
Maybe this sounds like this is as good as it will ever get for them. But Paul says, it will get even better when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
And the Corinthians know it gets better. This is a church that eagerly awaits the return of King Jesus. They know that there is a day of judgment coming, and they long for that day. In the meantime, Paul is confident that God will continue strengthening them so that they are blameless for the day when Jesus returns.
And why is Paul so confident about this? He tells us in verse 9:
(9) Faithful is God through whom you (plural) were called into partnership/fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul's is confident that the Corinthians will be firm in commitment until the end, and blameless, because of God's faithfulness. God is faithful, and God will strengthen them, to make sure they stand firm in their commitment.
Paul began this letter by saying that God chose him to be his envoy, or messenger. Here, Paul uses the same verb to tell you what God chose y'all for. God chose y'all to enter into...what?
Your English Bibles here probably all translate this as "fellowship." Maybe there was a time when "fellowship" was a useful word. Maybe a hundred years ago, when Christians read the KJV, they understand what Paul meant here.
But we certainly don't. When Christians today talk about "fellowship," what they mean is when Christians hang out to enjoy each other's company, but don't do anything productive. "Fellowship" is when the church watches the Super Bowl together, or plays card games, or goes sledding. But if the church is gathering to pray, or worship, or serve together-- we don't call that fellowship.
The idea of "fellowship" is more like a partnership. It describes people joining together, to work together, for a common purpose.
So what does Paul say here? Paul says that when God called all of you, that this was a calling for a specific purpose. You were chosen to serve. Specifically, you were called to enter into a partnership with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
You, collectively, are partners with Jesus. This is your calling in life. This is what God chose you for. You have a shared job with Jesus, that you are co-laborers on. So it's not just that Jesus lives inside of you if you're a Christian. It's not even that you live in Jesus, abiding in him.
All of this language isn't the end point. When you were joined to Christ, you became his partner. Jesus works with you.
And Paul says, God doesn't call you into this partnership, and then leave you to your own devices, on your own strength, to make this work. Once this happens-- when you are saved-- God strengthens you. God makes you firm in your commitment, with the result that you will be blameless on the day Jesus returns.
God does this because God is faithful. God is dedicated to you; God helps you.
Now, what exactly does it mean, that y'all are partners with Jesus? How is it that Jesus works with you?
What does it look like, practically speaking, to be dedicated to God in King Jesus?
The way Paul's letters work, is they introduce themes that he will unpack later in his letter. Paul knows he can't explain everything at once. What he does here is lay the groundwork for what comes later.
So, in that spirit, let me just leave you with this little summary:
When you became a Christian, you were united to Jesus. And, in Christ, you are dedicated/consecrated to God. You are His. You belong to God.
And what God does with you, once you are His, is call you into a partnership with his son Jesus. There are things God wants you to do, working with his son, on earth. You are partners with Jesus. He chose you, so that you could be partners with Jesus.
And God, in all of this, will strengthen his people who are committed to him. God doesn't leave you to work with Jesus in your own power. He will strengthen you, specifically through his Holy Spirit. God is faithful. God is good.
