1: Paul
called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God and Sosthenes
our brother 2: to the church of God which is at Corinth to them that are
sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints with all that in every place
call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord both theirs and ours 3:
Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ 4:
I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by
Jesus Christ 5: That in everything you are enriched by him in all
utterance and in all knowledge 6: Even as the testimony of Christ was
confirmed in you 7: So that you come behind in no gift waiting for the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 8: Who shall also confirm you unto the
end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ 9: God
is faithful by whom you were called to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ
our Lord 10: Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among
you but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same
judgment 11: For it has been declared to me of you my brethren by them
which are of the house of Chloe[1]
that there are contentions among you 12: Now this I say that every one
of you says I am of Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ 13:
Is Christ divided Was Paul crucified for you Or were you baptized in the name
of Paul 14: I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus and
Gaius 15: Lest any should say that I had baptized in my own name 16:
And I baptized also the household of Stephanas besides I know not whether I
baptized any other 17: For Christ sent me not to baptize[2]
but to preach the gospel not with wisdom of words lest the cross of Christ
should be made of none effect 18: For the preaching of the cross is to
them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God
19: For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will
bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent 20: Where is the wise Where
is the scribe Where is the disputer of this world Has not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world 21: For after that in the wisdom of God the world
by wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save
them that believe 22: For the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek
after wisdom[3]
23: But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and
unto the Greeks foolishness 24: But unto them who are called both Jews
and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God 25: Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than
men 26: For you see your calling brethren how that not many wise after
the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called 27: But God has
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God has chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty 28:
And base things of the world and things which are despised has God chosen yes
and things which are not to bring to nothing things that are 29: That no
flesh should glory in his presence[4] 30:
But of him are you in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom and
righteousness and sanctification and redemption 31: That according as it
is written They who glory let them glory in the Lord
[1] Early Church Christian liberty reached
its zenith during the days of Paul. Here we see the apostle referencing a
woman—Chloe—as head of house. Even had she been unmarried, it would have been
unusual for a woman to be independent, much less be called the head of house,
but Paul acknowledged her as such. The Jews or Greeks would likely not have done
so. Jewish Law allowed for women to live independently, but the practice was
not common. In the Greek culture, women were under guardianship their entire
lives, and were passed from one kyrios (lord) to another (Father,
husband, brother, etc..)..
[2] Baptism is an ordinance intricately
connected to our faith and relationship with our God. It is a command given
directly by the Savior himself, and, in the book of Hebrews, is called, “A principle
and a doctrine of Christ” Hebrews 6:1-2 . Some say baptism is
necessary for salvation. If that is the case, why did Paul not complete the
task and carry out baptisms each time he made converts? He does not. He claims
to have personally baptized only a handful of people. The apostle takes the
baptism conversation even further by stating that he wasn’t sent to baptize,
but rather to preach the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ1
Corinthians 15:1-4. Jesus (God in
the flesh) submitted to baptism, but went on to assure the thief on the cross,
that [even though he was not baptized] because of his confession of faith, he
would surely inherit eternal life. Paul
goes on to state, in verse 21, that people are saved, not by baptism but by
preaching. Another example of Paul’s teaching on salvation is found in Romans
chapter 10, where he doesn’t write a word about baptism—only about faith in
hearts and confession of mouths in the risen Savior.
[3] The Jews, who knew who the ONE TRUE GOD
was, did not bother looking any further, as YHWH had indisputably made
his identity known as the God who was more than enough in his splendor and
power. But those of the Jews who had little or no faith or regard for the scriptures,
whored after wonders and signs that a prophet [or apostle] was truly from God.
Jesus roundly condemned sign-seeking, calling it adulterous behavior. The
Greeks, on the other hand, worshipped many gods. But, combined together, their
bevy of gods was simply not enough to satisfy their souls. So, the Greeks searched
continually for that bit of wisdom that would fill the emptiness of their hearts.
God created us in his image. Even after we receive a love of the truth and
invite the Savior into our hearts and lives, we struggle with the very things
Paul writes about to the Corinthian believers. And Paul wrote that Jesus is
enough. Just Jesus.
[4] Jude wrote of a time when some people
would be exalted to celebrity or supernatural status. We are living in that
time now, but the tendency to hold persons “in admiration” has always been a
problem. And it is a very dangerous problem. Paul was doing his best, in his
letter to the Corinthians, to bring this practice to halt within the fledgling
Christian Church.
Additional commentary pending for this
chapter. Questions and comments are welcome.
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