I Corinthian 1, A Higher Calling

The church begun in Corinth was in the midst of a pagan and chaotic society.  Paul wrote several letters to the church dealing with practical concerns and questions that they had posed to him. Over the next three weeks we look at the "First Letter" to the church in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3, Greeting
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to 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:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this fairly traditional greeting, Paul lays out the writers (he and Sothenes) and addresses the people of the Corinth church, reminding them of their high calling.

1 Corinthians 1:4-9, General calling

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge--because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Paul elaborates on this calling. The people of the church have been provided everything they need through Christ and the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 1:10-13, Concerns about divisions

I 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.

My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

One sign of the love of God is a unity and common encouragement among the followers of God. Paul is distressed that in Corinth the Christians are breaking into factions, depending upon which teacher they claim as theirs.  

Sadly, this has only gotten worse over the millenia since.

1 Corinthians 1:14-17, Division caused by baptism

I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For 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.

One of the conflicts in Corinth is over baptism.  Here the conflict is related to the identification with a certain teacher, not the mode of baptism. But note how uninterested Paul is in baptism as he says, "I didn't baptize anyone... well except Crispus and Gaius.  Oops, right, I also baptized the household of Stephanas...."  Paul would be shocked that modern churches have moved the dispute to the "mode" of baptism.  None of these disagreements should allow conflict among the people of God's kingdom.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25, The "Weakness" of the Gospel
For 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. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Where 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? For 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.

Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

The Old Testament quote in verse 19 is from Isaiah 29:14.

There is a short-sightedness to the earthly, naturalistic view of things, in which the current "wisdom" fad is all that matters along with the social standing it brings.  Paul will make careful intellectual arguments in other cases (see Acts 17 in Athens, and the arguments in the letter to the Romans) but he is not going to worship the human hierarchy of scholars.

1 Corinthians 1 26-31, God's standards are utterly different
Brothers, 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. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

It 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. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

The Old Testament quote in verse 31 is from Jeremiah 9:24.

Why has God chosen this path?  Why does he work with the weak, poor, humble?  I'm not sure we are eager for the answer....  But it has been God's plan through ancient Israel, from his choice of Abraham, Judah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, David.  Jesus repeated this message throughout his ministry.  Paul will elaborate on Jesus and this ministry of the "weak" or "foolish" in the next chapter.