1st Corinthians

Writen by the apostle Paul, while in Ephesus (ca. 55AD), to the church at Cornith. Corinth at the time was one of the major cities of Greece, a center of trade and high culture. Much like the people of Athens, the inhabitants of Corinth placed high value on wisdom and philosophy. Like all large cities, immorality was rampant in Cornith. Sexual depravity was so large a problem that the Greek verb to Corinthianize was coined to describe this immorality. Paul, having heard about this and other immoralities invading the young church wrote this letter to instruct the church, which contained both Jews and Gentiles, in areas of morality, unity and to provide correct teachings on spiritual matters. Matters our own church and the church at large must learn as well.

Chapter 1.
Paul begins his letter identifying himself and the believers in the Corinthian church as saints sanctified through Christ and called to be holy. He also identifies the Corinthians as part of a larger body of believers (1-2). Verses 4-9 reveal that this church as received the Holy Spirit and abundant spiritual gifts (speech, knowledge, etc.), through grace, and lacking no spiritual gift.

Verses 10-17
Unfortunately the church has been lead astray by false teachers. This had lead to division within the body, which Paul quickly addresses. “Was Christ divided?” No not at all! There is only one God. One message. One Savior, Christ Jesus. Paul, the apostles, you and I are simply messengers, not to be followed in our own. If you and I could save the lost, grant eternal life, then the cross loses all its power and meaning. In the things of God be of one mind. Know Christ and His crucifixtion.

Verses 18-31
The wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world are not one in the same. Man’s greatest achievements are but nonsense to man. Yet God’s mere foolishness is so remarkable that the human mind cannot comprehend. Think of the complicated structure of your average tree. Mankind cannot replicate the intricate detail, or engineer similar plumbing and communication systems found. Yet God all this was trivial for God. String theory, Chaos theory, the Grand Unifying theory are all foolishness to God. He made the universe in the way you make a pancake, it the universe appears as complicated to him as a pancake does to you. We ourselves are nothing, even by the standards of our own world. We are laborers, professionals, sons and fathers. We are not the movers and shakers. We are not the Kennedys. In our own strength, the world will not listen to us. Yet God choose us. God choose me to baffle the world. Because of His choosing, You and I can be unified with Christ through death, resurrection and redemption. All of His choosing and for His glory. Thanks be to God.

Application:
It’s not about you and I. It’s all about God and His glory. As you go out today, think about the things the world values. Where does the world store it treasure. What security is there in Wall Street, the price of oil or your own safety driving down the road? Everything could fall today. Would it matter to you or are you stayed on the Almighty?