1 Corinthians eBook

By Carleton A Toppe

What is the book of 1 Corinthians about in the Bible? Who wrote 1 Corinthians?The apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians because the Christians living in Corinth faced a series of problems— including the danger of splintering into factions and even lapsing back into paganism. Other serious problems also needed to be addressed, and Paul' s letter provided them with clear advice.The longest chapter— chapter 15— has become one of the most treasured chapters in 1 Corinthians because it trumpets the victory of Jesus' resurrection from the dead.Want to learn more? If you' re wondering what the book of 1 Corinthians is all about, this helpful resource is for you!1 Corinthians is a reliable Bible commentary. It' s down to earth, clearly written, easy to read and understand, and filled with practical and modern applications to Scripture.It also includes the complete text of the book of 1 Corinthians from the NIV Bible. The Christ-centered commentaries following the Scripture sections contain explanations of the text, historical background, illustrations, and archaeological information. 1 Corinthians is a great resource for personal or group study!This book is a part of The People' s Bible series from Northwestern Publishing House.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Northwestern Publishing House
• Release date: Jul 1, 1987
• ISBN: 9780810024144

Book preview

CONTENTS

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Editor’s Preface

Introduction to 1 Corinthians

I. Greeting and thanksgiving (1:1–9)

II. Contending with a false conception of the Christian ministry (1:10–4:21)

III. Various moral and spiritual problems in the congregation (5:1–14:40)

IV. The bodily resurrection (15:1–58)

V. Concluding comments and greetings (16:1–24)

ILLUSTRATIONS

The apostle Paul

The simple gospel message

The golden calf

The Lord’s Supper

He was raised on the third day

MAPS

Paul journeys

EDITOR’S PREFACE

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The People’s Bible is just what the name implies—a Bible for the people. It includes the complete text of the Holy Scriptures in the popular New International Version. The commentary following the Scripture sections contains personal applications as well as historical background and explanations of the text.

The authors of The People’s Bible are men of scholarship and practical insight, gained from years of experience in the teaching and preaching ministries. They have tried to avoid the technical jargon that limits so many commentary series to professional Bible scholars.

The most important feature of these books is that they are Christ-centered. Speaking of the Old Testament Scriptures, Jesus himself declared, These are the Scriptures that testify about me (John 5:39). Each volume of The People’s Bible directs our attention to Jesus Christ. He is the center of the entire Bible. He is our only Savior.

The commentaries also have maps, illustrations, and archaeological information when appropriate. All the books include running heads to direct the reader to the passage he is looking for.

This commentary series was initiated by the Commission on Christian Literature of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

It is our prayer that this endeavor may continue as it began. We dedicate these volumes to the glory of God and to the good of his people.

INTRODUCTION TO CORINTHIANS

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Corinth: Site and Character

Modern travelers to Greece are much more likely to visit Athens than Corinth. More of the glories of ancient Greek architecture and sculpture are found there than in the modern city of Corinth, which is small and insignificant (population 20,000) compared to Athens with a metropolitan area population of 2.5 million.

When Paul arrived in Corinth, supposedly in the fall of A.D. 50 or 51, the situation was reversed. Athens had its cultural attractions then as today, but Corinth was the leading city in Greece. Some scholars estimate that Corinth had a population of 200,000 in Paul’s day. It was a thriving commercial center about 40 miles west of Athens, near the isthmus crossing where ship cargos were hauled back and forth 3.5 miles over land between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. (The waters at the southern tip of Greece were dangerous for the small vessels that transported goods from the Aegean cities to Italy. It was safer to take the sheltered Gulf of Corinth route to Italy.)

The two letters to the Corinthians were written to a city congregation with some big-city problems. Corinth was a bustling metropolis, where fortunes could be made, where life was more varied and interesting than in the hill country, but it was also more immoral. Too much wealth and the presence of many different nationalities and of many sailors on shore leave resulted in the lowering of moral standards. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Christians had to contend with the influence of boomtown immorality on their congregation.

Corinth did not enjoy the reputation for culture and learning that Athens did, but the popularity and influence of Greek philosophy and wisdom in the city constituted a danger for the Christian faith. Some of the Corinthian Christians were too educated for ordinary Christianity. They wanted a Christianity that challenged their minds.

The Founding of the Congregation

Acts 18:1–17 tells the story of the founding of the Corinthian congregation. Paul arrived in Corinth from Athens, where his efforts had met with only small success. His spirits were no doubt raised from the very start when Aquila and Priscilla, a Jewish couple living in Corinth, offered him the hospitality of their home and invited him to join them in their work as tentmakers, since Paul was also trained in that craft.

He began his mission work on Sabbath days in the Jewish synagogue, where he was successful in persuading both Jews and Greeks. After Silas and Timothy joined Paul and he could devote more time to preaching, his success was so great that it aroused the opposition of the leading Jews, and they denied him the use of the synagogue. He then transferred his ministry to a home next to the synagogue, where many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8). Even the ruler of the synagogue joined the congregation, as did the city’s director of public works.

Alarmed by the success of the apostle, the Jews took Paul and hauled him before the court of the proconsul, Gallio. But Gallio, who had a better understanding of the principle of separation between church and state than many Christians have today, expelled them from his court. He was not going to judge religious differences. For once, the civil authorities protected the Christian missionaries.

Paul remained in Corinth for a year and a half. During this time he established what was perhaps the largest of his mission congregations. He and his coworkers also brought the message of the gospel to surrounding cities, such as the port city of Cenchrea, where another congregation was established. The mission in Corinth was a success.

Occasion and Contents

Troubles soon arose in the Corinthian congregation, however. First, there was the matter of cliques in the congregation. The congregation was in danger of splintering into factions because groups attached themselves to certain pastors and looked down upon others. There was the Paul clique, the Apollos clique, and the Peter clique. And there was also the group that had little regard for pastors and their ministry; they claimed to be following Christ alone. To all of these cliques, Paul had to explain the Christian ministry and the proper attitude toward it.

The first bloom of their new faith was fading. Heathen ways began to reassert themselves. The congregation was in danger of lapsing into paganism. There were problems with Christians running to heathen judges to settle matters that Christians should be able to settle themselves. The influence of pagan friends and relatives threatened to draw them back to idol sacrifices.

Like many Americans who make much of their rights, there were Corinthian Christians who abused their Christian liberty. They advocated sexual freedom, they were ready to grant to the women in the church rights that would violate the order established by God, and they tolerated disorderly services.

Overestimating the gifts of the Spirit was another problem. The gift of speaking with tongues, for example, was much sought after, even though the gift of preaching the gospel was much more profitable for the congregation.

Paul devoted the longest chapter in 1 Corinthians to this doctrinal problem: there were members of the congregation who questioned the bodily resurrection.

There was one more problem. The congregation was overly concerned about its standing among its sophisticated pagan neighbors. Its leaders wanted to be able to boast about the wisdom they had discovered in their new religion. The letter repeatedly faults them for their concern about prestige.

No wonder Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians.

Author

There is no need for us to establish or to defend the fact that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians. The evidence for his authorship is overwhelming, even for unbelievers.

Background for 1 Corinthians

Paul heard about the problems in the congregation while he was in Ephesus, a city across the Aegean Sea from Corinth. Apparently he made a visit to Corinth from Ephesus, but his visit did not resolve the problems (see 2 Corinthians 12:14, 21; 13:1). There was no substantial change.

Next, he wrote a letter from Ephesus (see 1 Corinthians 5:9–11). This letter has not been preserved.

Then the Corinthians replied in a letter brought to Ephesus by Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus. The letter contained a number of questions, but it also conveyed a challenge to Paul. What did Paul know? Their letter apparently exhibited a superior spirit and even ridicule. It also gave evidence of a casual attitude toward immorality, an attitude with which we are all too familiar today.

Paul then wrote the letter we know as 1 Corinthians. No wonder it is a strong letter. His personal visit had not straightened out matters in Corinth. His first letter had only provoked a challenge, in addition to encouraging a number of questions. Paul had to write a frank letter that minced no words but still breathed the loving spirit of the gospel. It is an interesting letter, a practical letter, a letter much needed by Christian churches today.

From Paul’s 2 Corinthians letter, we learn that his 1 Corinthians letter had an effect. The Corinthian congregation took his admonitions and his instruction to heart, even though not all faults were remedied and there was still an opposition movement. Nevertheless it was an effective letter. May it also be so for us latter-day Christians, for whom Paul, by the Spirit of God, also wrote this letter.

Outline

   I.   Introduction (1:1–9)

A.   The apostolic greeting (1:1–3)

B.   Thanksgiving for spiritual blessings (1:4–9)

 II.   Contending with a false conception of the Christian ministry (1:10–4:21)

A.   Divisions in the congregation (1:10–17)

B.   Christ, the wisdom and the power of God (1:18–2:16)

C.   The function of the Christian ministry (3:1–23)

D.   The character of apostles of Christ (4:1–21)

III.   Various moral and spiritual problems in the congregation (5:1–14:40)

A.   Discipline problems in the congregation(5:1–13)

B.   Two lapses from sanctification (6:1–20)

C.   Marriage matters (7:1–40)

D.   The problem of offense: meat offered to idols (8:1–13)

E.   Paul’s self-sacrifice for the gospel (9:1–27)

F.   A warning against association with idols (10:1–11:1)

G.   Propriety in worship (11:2–34)

H.   Spiritual gifts (12:1–31)

I.     Christian love (12:31–13:13)

J.    The proper use of spiritual gifts in public worship (14:1–40)

IV.   The bodily resurrection (15:1–58)

A.   Paul’s witness to the certainty of Christ’s resurrection (15:1–11)

B.   Denying the resurrection of the dead denies Christ’s resurrection (15:12–19)

C.   Christ’s resurrection assures our resurrection (15:20–28)

D.   The assurance of our resurrection has an impact on our lives (15:29–34)

E.   The resurrection body (15:35–49)

F.   The glory and the triumph of our resurrection (15:50–57)

G.   Therefore be active in faith (15:58)

 V.   Concluding comments and greetings (16:1–24)

A.   The collection for God’s people (16:1–4)

B.   Paul’s immediate plans (16:5–9)

C.   A welcome for Timothy and Apollos (16:10–12)

D.   Exhortations (16:13, 14)

E.   Recognize those who serve in the church (16:15–18)

F.   Final greetings (16:19–24)

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The apostle Paul

PART ONE

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Greeting and Thanksgiving

(1:1–9)

The Apostolic Greeting

1 Corinthians 1:1–3

1 Paul, 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’s first letter to the Corinthians is, in various respects, different from the other letters he wrote to his congregations, but it does not differ greatly in the form of its salutation. It observes the letter-writing custom of his day: first, the writer identifies himself; next, he indicates to whom his letter is addressed; the greeting follows.

In introducing himself, the writer gives his addressees more than his name; he also identifies his station and rank. This letter comes not only from Paul, the former pastor of the Corinthian congregation, but it also comes from Paul the apostle. He emphasizes this apostleship. Not only does he call himself an apostle of Jesus Christ; he also states that he was called by God to be an apostle and that it was God’s will that he be an apostle. In three different ways, Paul emphasizes his divine commission.

It was important for Paul to establish his rank and his authority as he wrote this letter. For one thing, this congregation needed much correction; in his letter Paul would be chastising them for a number of shortcomings and transgressions. Furthermore, there was opposition to Paul within the members of the congregation. Some did not rate him highly as a pastor; others were even attacking him and his ministry.

Under these circumstances it was necessary for Paul to establish his authority over them. He was God’s apostle, commissioned by God himself to write to them. When this apostle spoke, they had best pay attention. Otherwise they would be guilty of refusing to listen to God himself. One does not disregard an ambassador of a great King.

Sosthenes, who joined Paul in greeting the Corinthians, may have been a member of the Corinthian congregation. He was in Ephesus with Paul at this time and could substantiate the reports Paul had received about problems in the congregation.

Paul calls his readers the church of God in Corinth. He describes them as sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy. Who would ever expect, from this description, that there were so many spiritual and moral problems in the Corinthian congregation? Paul addresses his readers as saints, as holy people who are blameless in God’s eyes. This is possible only because the weak and erring members of the congregation still believed in Christ as their Savior from sin.

When Paul also includes among his readers all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours, he indicates that his letter is also intended for other readers. Very likely Paul means other Christians in the Greek province of Achaia, where Corinth was situated.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul also addresses all the saints throughout Achaia. And since God intended this apostolic letter to be read and heeded, not only by the Greek Christians to whom it was originally addressed but also by his church throughout the ages, you and I see ourselves included among all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours. First Corinthians was also written for us.

The greeting (verse 3) is a familiar one. Pastors often use Paul’s words to greet their congregations as they begin their sermons. Like Paul, they desire for their congregations the two blessings that God can give: the grace of God that saves them through Jesus Christ, who redeemed them, and the peace of God they enjoy because now all is well with them.

Thanksgiving for Spiritual Blessings

1 Corinthians 1:4–9

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.

Before he turns to problems in the congregation, Paul thanks God for the rich blessings the Corinthians have received in abundance. Foremost among those blessings is God’s grace in Christ Jesus. There is no greater blessing than grace, the pardoning love of God in his Son, who died for us. This is the heart and soul of the gospel, the sure foundation of our Christian faith.

The blessings with which Jesus had endowed them included being enriched in all their speaking and in all their knowledge. The Corinthians appear to have valued eloquence and wisdom above anything else. Many of them paid good money to traveling teachers who trained them to become eloquent and persuasive speakers. They pursued this wisdom as the highest good in life; they were proud of this knowledge.

Now the Corinthian Christians, through grace in Christ Jesus, had gained a wisdom greater than anything they had ever known. They had a message to proclaim that was more important than the most eloquent among them had ever delivered. They were truly enriched in all their speaking and in all their knowledge.

What made them wise? What made them effective speakers? Paul puts it this way: Our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. It was what Paul had preached to them about Christ as God’s Son and the Savior of all mankind that confirmed them in faith. A Christian has a certainty that no unbeliever can ever know. This certainty affects all he knows and everything he says.

As a result of such confirmation, the Corinthian believers possessed many gifts. They had all the gifts God gives his believers: wisdom, faith, love, virtue, devotion, patience, and endurance. Even such extraordinary gifts as the working of miracles and speaking in tongues were found in their congregation.

Since they possessed the gifts with which God enriches his people, they were convinced that their Lord would return in glory to take them to himself in heaven, and they eagerly awaited his return. The Christian who lives his life with the prayer, Come, Lord Jesus, in his heart is rich in grace and knowledge and faith and spiritual gifts.

Their Savior’s promise that he will keep them in the faith until the end comes as a special assurance to those who await his return. Paul assures the Corinthians that they can count on God to keep the saving faith alive in their hearts, so that they will be with their Lord in eternity. God keeps his promises to his believers, who share in the life of his Son.

These Corinthians, who were often so careless about distinguishing between right and wrong, who were so self-centered, who were so sure of themselves, needed to reread what Paul writes in the introduction to his letter. Does he praise the exercise of their faith? Does he commend them for their deeds of love and for their Christian service? Does he praise them for their Christian knowledge? Paul praised other congregations—the Romans, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians, for example—for these virtues, but not the Corinthians. Instead, he gives all credit to God. Everything they are and have as Christians he attributes to Jesus Christ.

Has it struck you how often the apostle mentions Jesus Christ in the first nine verses of this chapter? Nowhere else in Scripture is Jesus Christ named nine times in nine successive verses. Do the Corinthians realize why Paul is constantly pointing to Jesus Christ, why he is always expressing thanks for Jesus Christ and not for their Christian example?

PART TWO

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Contending with a False Conception of the Christian Ministry

(1:10–4:21)

Divisions in the Congregation

1 Corinthians 1:10–12

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; still another, I follow Christ.

Paul has established the foundation of his entire letter. It is Jesus Christ and what he has done, is doing, and will do for the Corinthians. What will Jesus Christ do for them if he fills their lives?

First, he will heal the divisions in the congregation. Before this congregation can function as a Christian congregation should, it must be united in heart and mind. The congregation is plagued by factions threatening to split it into four groups. Paul deplores these divisions. He appeals to them to reach agreement and to heal divisions, to strive for perfect unity. He wants them to agree with one another—concerning what they believe, in whom they hope, how they should live. They need to think alike about Holy Scripture, about Jesus Christ, about the gospel, about Christian love.

That kind of tie was not there; the hearts of the Corinthians were not being bound in Christian love. Instead of Christian unity, there was dissension. The Corinthians were quarreling with one another. This was reliably reported to Paul by members of Chloe’s household. As members of the congregation, she and her household were concerned about the wrangling and factions in their midst. So they appealed to Paul to help restore unity and harmony in the congregation. This wasn’t talebearing; it was a cry for help.

The members of Chloe’s household made plain to Paul that the congregation was being divided into parties because of excessive loyalties to their various spiritual leaders. There were those whose slogan was I follow Paul or Paul’s my kind of preacher. Others considered Apollos, who also was a pastor at Corinth, the best, because he was an eloquent preacher. Cephas (Peter) had his followers too, perhaps because they believed that he was greater than Paul because he was the first among the apostles.

Still others, apparently looking down on those who were making heroes of their pastors, declared I follow Christ. These people who claimed to give all their loyalty to Christ were also guilty of factionalism. Their slogan, I follow Christ, became a party slogan. They may well have been less concerned about healing the divisions than they were about proving that they were the best party. Furthermore, their slogan tended to depreciate the ministry of the apostles, as if what Paul and Peter taught could be ignored.

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