Overview of the Book of I Corinthians
Saturday, June 5
Read I Corinthians 1
Think About It:
Verse 10 says, “Now I plead with 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.”
To begin with, the church at Corinth was a defiled church. Some of its members were guilty of sexual immorality; others got drunk; still others were using the grace of God to excuse worldly living. It was also a divided church, with at least four different groups competing for leadership (see verse 12). This meant it was a disgraced church. Instead of glorifying God, it was hindering the progress of the gospel.
Corinth was also a proud, philosophical city with many itinerant teachers promoting their speculations. Unfortunately, this philosophical approach was applied to the gospel by some members of the church, and this fostered division. The congregation was made up of different “schools of thought” instead of being united behind the gospel message.
Paul used several key words in the chapter to emphasize the unity of the saints and Christ. He called his readers brethren, reminding them that they belong to one family. The phrase “perfectly joined together” is the medical term that describes the unity of the human body and its being knit together. So they had a loving union as members of the body. They were also identified by the name of Jesus Christ. This was in reference to their baptism.
Because the Jews were looking for power and great glory, they stumbled at the weakness of the cross. How could anybody put faith in an unemployed carpenter from Nazareth who died the shameful death of a common criminal? But the gospel of Jesus Christ is “the power of God on to salvation”. Rather than a testimony of weakness, the cross is a tremendous instrument of power! After all, the “weakness of God in the cross is stronger than men” (verse 25).
As you review this chapter, you can see the mistakes that the Corinthian’s were making; mistakes that helped to create problems in their church. They were not living up to their holy calling, but were instead following the standards of the world. They ignored the fact that they were called into a wonderful spiritual fellowship with the Lord and with each other. Instead, they were identifying with human leaders and creating divisions in the church. Instead of glorifying God and His grace, they were pleasing themselves and boasting about men. They were a defiled church, a divided church, and a disgraced church!
But before we pass judgment on them, we should examine our own church and our own lives. We have been called to be holy, called into fellowship, and most of all, called to glorify God.
Are we living up to this calling?
Search your heart and ask Holy Spirit to call account for anything you have against your brother or sister. Ask yourself is it worth it? Is it worth dividing us and ultimately breaking the heart of Jesus?
Family Time:
- Why did God choose a people that the world wouldn’t define as wise or mighty?
- What Old Testament scripture is verse 31 based on?
