Context of 1st Corinthians
Author:
Paul
Date:
Early 50s A.D.
Place of composition:
Ephesus
Audience:
Members of the newly established church at Corinth, Greece.
Video Summary of 1st Corinthians:
Structure of 1st Corinthians
I. Salutation (1:1-9)
A. Greetings (1:1-3)
B. Thanksgiving (1:4-9)
II. Divisions in the Church (1:10–4:21)
A. The Fact of Divisions (1:10-17)
B. The Causes of Division (1:18–4:13)
C. The Cure for Divisions (4:14-21)
III. Disorders in the Church (5:1–6:20)
A. Failure to Discipline an Immoral Brother (5:1-13)
B. Failure to Resolve Personal Disputes (6:1-11)
C. Failure to Exercise Sexual Purity (6:12-21)
IV. Difficulties in the Church (7:1–14:40)
A. Concerning Marriage (7:1-40)
B. Concerning Christian Liberty (8:1–11:1)
C. Concerning Worship (11:2–14:40
V. Doctrinal Correction of the Church Regarding the Resurrection (15:1-58)
A. The Evidence for Christ’s Resurrection (15:1-11)
B. The Necessity of Christ’s Resurrection (15:12-28)
C. The Proof of Believers’ Resurrection (15:29-34)
D. The Nature of the Resurrection Body (15:35-49)
E. The Assurance of Resurrection (15:50-58)
VI. Conclusion (16:1-24)
A. About the Collection (16:1-11)
B. News about Apollos (16:12)
C. Final Exhortations (16:13-18)
D. Final Greetings (16:19-24)
Themes of 1st Corinthians
Basically 1 Corinthians deals with abuses of liberty (just as Galatians deals with the stifling of the Spirit because of legalism).
The correction Paul gives is not to question their salvation, but to challenge them in their sanctification.
Although the apostle is dealing with several different issues, the general theme of the epistle is “the practical implications of progressive sanctification in the context of the Christian community.”
Main themes of the letter:
Avoiding competitiveness and cultivating divine wisdom
The limits of Christian freedom
Lawsuits among Christians
Marriage, divorce, and celibacy
Freedom of conscience
The Lord’s Supper
Gifts of the Spirit
The Hymn to Love (Agape)
Speaking in tongues (glossolalia)
The resurrection of the dead
I. Salutation (1:1-9)
A. Greetings (1:1-3)
Claims to be written by the Apostle Paul and a man named Sosthenes whom Paul calls his brother in Christ
Letter is addressed to:
The church of God in Corinth
Those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people
All those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
Blessing of grace and peace given to all
B. Thanksgiving (1:4-9)
I always thank God for you because…
You have been given God’s grace in Christ
You have been enriched in Christ in every way
With all kinds of speech
With all knowledge
Our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you
You do not lack any spiritual gift
You wait eagerly for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed
Christ will…
Keep you firm to the end
Keep you blameless on the Day of the Lord
God…
Is faithful
Has called you into fellowship with His Son
II. Divisions in the Church (1:10–4:21)
A. The Fact of Divisions (1:10-17)
I appeal to you in Christ’s name…
That all of you agree with one another in what you say
That there be no divisions among you
That you be perfectly united in mind and thought
“Some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.”
Different groups of you are saying…
“I follow Paul”
“I follow Apollos”
“I follow Cephas” (Peter)
“I follow Christ.”
Paul’s questions for the Corinthians:
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?
Were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Paul is grateful that he only baptized a few of the Corinthians (including a few he admits he can’t remember) so that more of them won’t claim to be baptized in Paul’s name
For Christ…
Didn’t send Paul to baptize
Sent Paul to preach the Gospel
Paul claims not to be…
Wise
Eloquent
Why does Paul avoid this kind of preaching?
So that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its power
B. The Causes of Division (1:18–4:13)
1. Faulty View of the Christian Message (1:18–3:4)
a. False Wisdom Vs. the Gospel of Christ (1:18–2:5)
1) The Foolishness of the Cross to Gentiles (1:18-31)
The message of the cross…
Is foolishness to those who are perishing
Is the power of God to those of us being saved
For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Paul sets up his argument with some questions:
Where is the wise person?
Where is the teacher of the law?
Where is the philosopher of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For in God’s wisdom…
The world through its own wisdom didn’t know God
God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe
What do different groups look for?
Jews demand signs
Greeks look for wisdom
We preach Christ crucified
Christ is…
A stumbling block to Jews
Foolishness to Gentiles
The power and wisdom of God to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks
The foolishness of God…
Is wiser than human wisdom
The weakness of God…
Is stronger than human strength
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
God chose…
The foolish things of the world to shame the wise
The weak things of the world to shame the strong
The lowly things of this world to shame the high
The despised things to shame the honored
The things that are not to nullify the things that are
Why?
So that no one may boast before him
Jesus has become our…
Wisdom from God
Righteousness
Holiness
Redemption
Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
2) The Centrality of the Cross to Paul’s Kerygma (2:1-5)
This is the way I was when I came to you…
Without eloquence
Without human wisdom
Proclaiming to you the testimony about God
Paul’s resolution:
To know nothing while he was with them but the crucified Christ
To come in weakness, one afraid and trembling
Not to preach with wise and persuasive words
To demonstrate the Spirit’s power
Why?
“So that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
b. True Wisdom and the Spirit of God (2:6–3:4)
1) The Maturity of the Spiritual Man (2:6-16)
The message of wisdom that we speak to the mature is…
Not of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing
God’s wisdom
A mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began
Not understood by the rulers of this age
How do we know this?
They crucified the Lord of Glory
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit…
Searches all things
Searches the deep things of God
Is the only one who knows the thoughts of God
What we have received…
Is not the spirit of the world
Is the Spirit who is from God
Why?
So that we may understand what God has freely given us
We speak…
Not in words taught us by human wisdom
In words taught by the Spirit
Explanations of spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words
The person without the Spirit…
Does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God
Considers these things foolishness
Cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit
The person with the Spirit…
Makes judgments about all things
Is not subject to merely human judgments
For who has ever known the mind of the Lord?
Yet we have the mind of Christ
2) The Immaturity of the Carnal Man (3:1-4)
Paul addresses the Corinthians…
Not as people who live by the Spirit
As people who are still worldly
As infants in Christ...
...Drinking milk
...Not ready for solid food
How do I know you are still worldly?
There is jealousy and quarreling among you
One says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos.”
2. Faulty View of Christian Ministry and Ministers (3:5–4:5)
a. Analogy One: Farmers and the Field (3:6-9)
Paul and Apollos are only servants delivering the Gospel, just like every one else whom God has called.
Paul planted the seed
Apollos watered it
But God has been making it grow
The one who plants = nothing
The one who waters = nothing
The who makes things grow = everything
The planter and the waterer = laborers who will be rewarded
The field = God’s Church
b. Analogy Two: Builders and the Temple (3:10-17)
1) The Builders (3:10-15)
God’s Temple = The Church
The foundation layer = Paul
The one building on the foundation = Apollos
The foundation = Jesus Christ
Builders who build with gold, silver and costly stones = true teachers of Christ
Builders who build with wood, hay and straw = false teachers
The Temple burning = God’s purifying fire
What remains after the fire = the pure truth of God
What is destroyed in the fire = false teachings
The builders whose work survives the fire = the true Apostles
The builders whose work burns = false teachers who barely escape the flames themselves
2) The Temple (3:16-17)
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwell in your midst?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
c. Warning about Self-Deception regarding the Ministers (3:18-23)
With the wisdom of this world…
You are better off becoming a fool if you think you’re wise
You are foolish in God’s sight if you think you’re wise
As it is written:
“He catches the wise in their craftiness”
“The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
No more boasting about human leaders… because all these things are yours:
Paul
Apollos
Cephas (Peter)
The world
Life
Death
The present
The future
You are…
Of Christ
Christ is…
Of God
d. Paul’s Reflections on his own Ministry (4:1-5)
This is how you ought to regard us:
As servants of Christ
As those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed
On the issue of judgment:
Those who have been given a trust must prove faithful
Paul doesn’t care if he is judged by the Corinthians or by some court
Paul doesn’t even judge himself
His conscience is clear, but he knows that this does not prove innocence
God is Paul’s judge
Those who want to judge others should wait until the Lord comes
God is the only one who knows the motives of the heart
God’s praise is the only praise that matters
3. Faulty View of the Christian’s Blessings (4:6-13)
Paul says that he made these analogies about himself and Apollos in order to teach the Corinthians…
To not go beyond what is written
To not be puffed up in being a follower of one over against the other
To teach them that they are no better than anyone else
To remind them that they earned nothing, but received everything
To get them to stop boasting about how well off they are
Paul sarcastically proclaims how he wishes he were as well off as the Corinthians
He compares himself and the others apostles to prisoners of war paraded through the streets and made to fight as gladiators in the arena.
Paul sarcastically describes the life of the apostle in comparison with the “strength” and “wisdom” and “honor” of the Corinthians:
We are fools for Christ!
We are weak!
We are dishonored!
We go hungry and thirsty
We are in rags
We are brutally treated
We are homeless
We work hard with our own hands
When we are cursed, we bless
When we are persecuted, we endure it
When we are slandered, we answer kindly
We have become the scum of the earth
We are the garbage of the world
C. The Cure for Divisions (4:14-21)
1. Imitation of Paul (4:14-17)
I am writing to you…
Not to shame you
To warn you as my dear children
Paul says to them that he is like a father to them in spite of the “ten thousand guardians in Christ” they may already have.
Paul urges them to imitate him.
Paul says he is sending Timothy to them to remind them of the way of life in Christ.
2. Rebuke of Arrogance (4:18-21)
Some of the Corinthians have become arrogant and have declared that Paul will never return
But Paul says that will return very soon if Christ allows it, and that when he comes he will find out who these “talkers” are and whether or not they have any real power.
He declares that the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
He asks them if they would prefer him to come with a rod of discipline or with love and a gentle spirit.
III. Disorders in the Church (5:1–6:20)
A. Failure to Discipline an Immoral Brother (5:1-13)
Paul responds to a report that a member of the church is sleeping with his father’s wife
Paul is angry that the Corinthians are proud of this, pointing out that even pagans know better.
Paul says that they should have gone into mourning and kicked this guy out of the church.
Paul says that even though he is absent physically, his spirit is present with them and has already condemned this man in the name of Jesus.
He says that while he is with them in spirit, they ought to assemble and hand this man over to Satan in the hopes that he will realize the destructiveness of his acts, and will be saved himself from destruction on the Day of the Lord.
Paul tells them that their boasting is not good, and he compares it to yeast which spreads throughout the dough.
He tells them to get rid of the old yeast in order to become a new unleavened batch.
Paul points to the Passover Lamb which represents the new life in Christ, and how as part of the Passover ceremony the Jews removed yeast from their homes.
Paul says the Corinthians should do the same thing with wickedness that the Jews did with yeast – throw it out, and make something new.
Paul also clarifies that when he says they should avoid sexually immoral people, he is not talking about unbelievers, but only those who claim to be a brother or sister, yet are sexually immoral, greedy, idolaters, slanderers, drunkards, or swindlers.
He says to not even eat with believers who act like this, while at the same time affirming interaction with nonbelievers who do the same things.
Paul says that it’s none of his business to judge people outside the church, but that they ought to judge those within.
It seems that the Corinthians want to judge the world, which is God’s job, but that can’t even correctly judge one of their own members – the one they ought to have expelled.
B. Failure to Resolve Personal Disputes (6:1-11)
Paul asks why the Corinthians would even consider having their disputes resolved by a non-believer.
Believers…
Will be appointed by God to judge the world
Should be competent enough to judge trivial cases
Will judge the angels
Paul is embarrassed that the Corinthians have gone to unbelievers to resolve fights between believers, and in doing so have made a mockery of the church.
Paul points out that the very fact that they are suing each other in the first place shows that they are already defeated.
He says that it’s better to be wronged and cheated than to cheat and do wrong.
Paul says these types of people will not inherit God’s Kingdom:
Fornicators
Idolaters
Adulterers
Molekos
Arsenokoitēs
Thieves
The greedy
Drunkards
Revilers
Robbers
He concludes his point by saying that these were the types of people the Corinthians once were before Christ through the Spirit:
Washed them
Sanctified them
Justified them
Paul on Homosexuality
Paul tells his readers that fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, malakos, arsenokoitēs, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Interpretation of this passage’s stance on homosexual activity hinges on the translation of the two Greek words that are transliterated above – malakos and arsenokoitēs. The NRSV translates these words respectively as male prostitutes and sodomites. The NIV has male prostitutes and homosexual offenders.
Malakos, the first of those words, the word that is translated in both the NRSV and the NIV as male prostitutes has a basic meaning of soft or delicate. More metaphorically it can mean effeminate, weak, sickly, cowardly, fond of luxury, lazy, lacking in self-control. A man known for willingly taking the passive role in homosexual activity might be labeled malakos.
On the other hand, a man known for indulging excessively in heterosexual activity might be labeled malakos because he couldn’t control his passions. He didn’t have self-control. He was weak. In the ancient Greek mind, “weak like a woman.” He was molekos. He was a sissy. …so maybe for the Greeks, David wouldn’t have been such a macho man.
Arsenokoitēs occurs for the first time in extant Greek literature in 1st Corinthians. We don’t know whether the word existed before Paul wrote 1st Corinthians or not. It may have occurred in numerous texts that are now lost. It may have existed in conversational vernacular. It may be that Paul coined the term – made it up. We have no way of really being sure.
It seems likely that the roots of the term lie in Leviticus 18:22 as it’s rendered in the Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Old Testament. In Leviticus 18:22, the Septuagint reads in part Kai meta arsenos koimathasa koitan guinaikos. A literal translation would run something like “and with a male you shall not lie as the lying of a woman.” A more enigmatic translation “ You shall not lie with a male as you would with a woman.” Clearly Leviticus 18:22 condemns homosexual activity. The terms vital to the discussion today are arsenos and koimathasa and koitan.
Arsenos, a form of arsen, means male or man.
Koimathasa is a form of the verb koimaomai, which means to sleep, or metaphorically, to have sex.
Koitan, a form of koita, means bed, metaphorically marital relationship or sex.
It appears that Paul or another Hellenistic Jew combined the words arsen and koita to form the words arsenokoitēs, meaning one who has sex with a male. Since the statements in Lev 18:19-23 seem to be directed toward men, arsenokoitēs likely refers to men who have sex with a male.
By using malakos and arsenokoitēs together Paul seems to condemn both the active partner and the willing passive partner in male homosexual activity. I think it may be important to point out the distinction between a willing passive partner and an unwilling passive partner. I don’t think Paul would say to a person who has been homosexually raped “by this abomination you have been defiled.” He’s speaking to people who willingly become malakos or soft, who assume that role which his culture sees as the role of a woman, which is associated with weakness, softness, penetrability, and would be described as the role of the malakos. So in using these two words together I think Paul condemns both the active partner and the willing passive partner in the male homosexual relationship.
In 1 cor 6:9-10 Paul lists several types of sinners who he says will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Then in verse 11 he says “and this is what some of you used to be, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” He reminds them that some of them were the sorts of wrong-doers on the list, and urges them to live transformed lives in Christ.
So Paul numbers homosexual activity among the sins from which Jesus Christ can free a person.
C. Failure to Exercise Sexual Purity (6:12-21)
Dispute on freedom
Corinthians: I have the right to do anything.
Paul: But not everything is beneficial.
Corinthians: I have the right to do anything
Paul: But I will not be mastered by anything.
Corinthians: Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.
Paul: The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
By God’s power…
Christ was raised from the dead
We will also be raised
Your bodies…
Are members of Christ himself
Should never be united with a prostitute
Why?
He who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body
It is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit
Why should you flee from sexual immorality?
All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually sins against their own body.
Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God
You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your bodies.
IV. Difficulties in the Church (7:1–14:40)
A. Concerning Marriage (7:1-40)
1. Conjugal Duties and Celibacy (7:1-9)
The Corinthians had written to Paul with questions about sex and marriage, and they had concluded that it was good for men and women not to have sex.
Paul agrees but he points out that they are having sex anyway, so he concedes that married couple ought to have sex to avoid being tempted.
He says it is the duty of both the husband and the wife to offer themselves sexually to each other because their bodies belong to each other and not just to themselves.
He says that they should not deprive each other of sex unless it is to set aside time to pray to the Lord, and even then, this should not be for a lengthy period.
Paul tells them that this is just a suggestion; he is not giving them a command from God.
He also says that he wishes that everyone was capable of celibacy like he was.
To the widows and widowers, Paul says it is better not to get remarried, but that should go ahead and get remarried if they are unable to control themselves.
2. Divorce (7:10-24)
a. Between Believers (7:10-11)
On the topic of divorce, Paul states that this is not just a suggestion, but a command from the Lord:
A wife must not separate from her husband
If she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband
A husband must not divorce his wife
b. Between Believer and Unbeliever (7:12-16)
Paul then gives his own opinion on divorce:
If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her
If a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him
The unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife
The unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband
Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy
But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so – The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances
God has called us to live in peace
How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?
Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
c. The Principle of Satisfaction with God’s Sovereignty (7:17-24)
This is the rule I lay down in all the churches:
Each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.
Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised.
Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.
...Circumcision is nothing
...Uncircumcision is nothing.
...Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.
For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person
Similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave.
...You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.
3. Marriage and Ministry (7:25-40)
On the topic of virgins, Paul gives his opinion, stating that this is not a command from the Lord:
Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released.
Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife.
But if you do marry, you have not sinned
And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.
But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
Paul explains his reasoning:
The time is short.
From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not
Those who mourn, should live as if they did not
Those who are happy, should live as if they were not
Those who buy something, should live as if it were not theirs to keep
Those who use the things of the world, should live as if not engrossed in them
For this world in its present form is passing away.
I would like you to be free from concern.
An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord.
But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—and his interests are divided.
An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.
But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.
I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
Paul says that if a man is engaged to a virgin, and he feels as though he is not honoring her virginity, then he ought to marry her, and he shouldn’t feel bad about this because he is not sinning.
But Paul also says that if a man is engaged to a virgin and has decided that he doesn’t want to get married, and he had control over his passions, he is right not to marry her.
So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.
Paul says a woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives.
But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord
Paul says that in his judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is
Paul also points out that even though this is just his own opinion, he is after all a man whose words are influenced by the Spirit of God.
Paul on Heterosexuality
In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul advocates marriage ‘for the purpose of avoiding sexual immorality,’ not ‘for the purpose of procreation.’
For Paul, sexual intercourse need not be procreative, ‘it had real value as a release for sexual desire.’
B. Concerning Christian Liberty (8:1–11:1)
1. Eating Meat Offered to Idols (8:1-13)
a. Knowledge Vs. Love (8:1-3)
We know that “We all possess knowledge.”
But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.
Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.
But whoever loves God is known by God
b. Knowledge about Idols (8:4-6)
We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world”
We know that “There is no God but one.”
Even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth…
Yet for us there is but one God, the Father
...He created all things
...We live for him
And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ
...He created all things
...We live through him
c. Love for Weaker Brothers (8:7-13)
Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god
But food does not bring us near to God
Be careful that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
If someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?
So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
Paul declares that if what he eats causes his brother or sister to fall into sin, he will never eat meat again, so that he will not cause them to fall.
2. Paul’s Personal Example: Restricting his Rights (9:1-27)
a. The Rights of an Apostle Defended (9:1-14)
The evidence of Paul’s apostleship:
Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?
Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?
Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you!
You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
Paul’s defense:
Don’t we have the right to food and drink?
Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas (Peter)?
Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?
Examples to be applied from everyday life:
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?
Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes?
Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk?
Examples to be applied from the Law of Moses:
“Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”
Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
Surely this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.
If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right
We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?
In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
b. The Reason for Restricting Paul’s own Rights (9:15-27)
I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach.
Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.
What then is my reward?
Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
Paul’s Use of His Freedom
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
The Need for Self-Discipline
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly
I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
3. Israel’s Failure as an Example to Believers (10:1-13)
a. God’s Discipline Resulted in their Death (10:1-10)
Our ancestors were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were
As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.
And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
b. Application to Christians (10:11-13)
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
4. Eating Meat in Pagan Temples (10:14-22)
My dear friends, flee from idolatry.
I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?
And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.
Consider the people of Israel:
Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?
Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.
Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?
Are we stronger than he?
5. The Principles Applied (10:23–11:1)
Another dispute on freedom:
Corinthians: I have the right to do anything.
Paul: But not everything is beneficial.
Corinthians: I have the right to do anything.
Paul: But not everything is constructive.
Paul tells them that no one should seek their own good, but instead should seek the good of others.
Further instructions:
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience
For, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.
I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours.
For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience?
If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everyone in every way.
For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
C. Concerning Worship (11:2–14:40)
1. Diversity in Worship Roles between the Sexes (11:2-16)
a. Theological Argument (11:2-10)
The head of every man is Christ
The head of the woman is man
The head of Christ is God.
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered (with hair) dishonors his head.
Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head
It is the same as having her head shaved.
For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off
But if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.
A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God
But woman is the glory of man.
For man did not come from woman, but woman from man
Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.
b. Cultural Argument (11:11-15)
In the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman.
But everything comes from God.
Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
c. Summary (11:16)
If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.
Huh?
Paul is emphasizing the need for respect in worship services, but he is doing so by providing specific cultural examples for the Corinthians at the time.
When Paul is talking about hair, he is saying that worshipers should avoid being flashy or shocking with their fashion styles, so as not to be a distraction to others during worship.
Culturally, men in this time and place only wore their hair long if they were showing off, often in a sexual way.
In the same way, women in this time and place were thought of as asking for sexual favors if they showed up to worship with their hair uncovered or with very short hair or a shaved head.
Also, when Paul says that women should cover their heads when they worship because of the angels, he is referring to an obscure passage in Genesis that says that before the Great Flood, the sons of God looked upon the daughters of men and had sex with them.
We don’t know if Paul is saying that being sexually provocative during worship is demonic, or if he is just referring to this passage as a literary device for his argument.
Paul is also referring the Creation stories of Genesis 1-2 in this passage when he says that men and women are not independent of each other, but exist for the mutual benefit of each other, and to honor their Creator.
2. Diversity in Worship Roles between the Classes (11:17-34)
a. The Love Feast and Rich Vs. Poor (11:17-22)
Paul is angry with the Corinthians because of the way the abuse the Lord’s Supper.
First, he says that their meetings do more harm than good, because they are always fighting against each other.
Second, he says that when they celebrate the Lord’s Supper, there is division among them, with some people going hungry and other people getting drunk.
Paul asks:
Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in?
Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing?
Did you really think I would praise you for this?
b. The Lord’s Supper and Discipline from the Lord (11:23-32)
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you:
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Paul says that whoever is disrespectful of this cup that they drink, is drinking judgment upon themselves.
Paul says that before partaking in the sacred meal, they ought to examine themselves to see if there is anything offensive within them, and he says that the reason so many of them have gotten sick and why some have died is because they have dishonored God.
Paul says that when they come under God’s judgment like this, they are being disciplined in order that ultimately they will not be condemned with the world.
c. Summary (11:33-34)
When you gather to eat, you should all eat together.
Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
And when I come I will give further directions.
3. Diversity in Worship Roles because of Spiritual Gifts (12:1–14:40)
a. The Necessity of Diversity of Gifts (12:1-31a)
1) Transition: From Worship of Idols to Worship of Christ (12:1-3)
When you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
2) Analogous Arguments for Diversity within Unity (12:4-26)
a) Diversity in the Godhead, Diversity of Gifts (12:4-11)
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
To one there is given…
A message of wisdom
A message of knowledge
Faith
Gifts of healing
Miraculous powers
Prophecy
Distinguishing between spirits
Speaking in different kinds of tongues
The interpretation of tongues.
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
b) Diversity of Body Parts, Diversity of Gifts (12:12-26)
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.
And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?
If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!”
And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”
On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable
And the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.
And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty
While our presentable parts need no special treatment.
But God has put the body together…
Giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it
So that there should be no division in the body
That its parts should have equal concern for each other.
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it
If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
3) The Priority in the Gifts (12:27-31a)
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
And God has placed in the church…
First: Apostles
Second: Prophets
Third: Teachers
Fourth: Miracles
Fifth: Gifts of healing
Sixth: Gifts of helping
Seventh: Gifts of guidance
Eighth: Gifts of different kinds of tongues
Paul says that God didn’t give everyone the same gift, but that all should eagerly desire the greater gifts.
b. The Priority of Love over the Gifts (The Hymn to Agape) (12:31b–13:13)
1) The Necessity of Love (12:31b–13:3)
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
2) The Character of Love (13:4-7)
Love is…
Patient
Kind
Does not envy
Does not boast
Is not proud
Not dishonoring of others
Not self-seeking
Not easily angered
Not a record-keeper of wrongs
Not delightful of evil
A celebrator of the truth
Always protecting
Always trusting
Always hoping
Always persevering
3) The Permanence of Love (13:8-13)
Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies, they will cease
Where there are tongues, they will be stilled
Where there is knowledge, it will pass away
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain:
Faith
Hope
Love
But the greatest of these is love.
c. The Priority of Prophecy over Tongues (Glossolalia) (14:1-40)
1) Edification (14:1-5)
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God.
Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.
But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.
Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy.
The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
2) Intelligibility (14:6-19)
Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?
Example from music:
How will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes?
If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?
Example from human languages:
Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air
There are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
If I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.
Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
So what shall I do?
I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind
I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind
Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying?
You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
3) Christian Community (14:20-25)
Stop thinking like children!
In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
In the Law it is written:
“With other tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”
Paul points out that tongues are used as a sign of judgment against unbelievers, and so naturally aren’t meant for believers.
However, prophecy was meant to be heard by believers.
So Paul says, “If the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?”
But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare.
So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
4) Orderliness (14:26-40)
Order of worship:
When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.
Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
Tongues in worship:
If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.
If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
Prophecy in worship:
Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop.
For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
Addressing some women who chatter during worship:
Those women should remain silent in the churches.
They should not be allowed to chatter, but must be in submission, as the law says.
If these women want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home
For it is disgraceful for any woman to be chattering in the church.
Paul asks the Corinthians if they really believe that God’s word originated with them or that God only speaks to them.
He says that anyone who thinks they are a prophet, will listen to this instruction, or else be ignored.
He tells them to be eager to prophesy, and to not forbid speaking in tongues, but adds that everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
V. Doctrinal Correction of the Church Regarding the Resurrection (15:1-58)
A. The Evidence for Christ’s Resurrection (15:1-11)
Paul wants to remind them of the Gospel he preached to them, saying that if they have lost this Gospel, then their belief was in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:
That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
That he was buried
That he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
And that he appeared to Cephas (Peter)
And then appeared to the Twelve
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time
Most of whom are still living
Some have fallen asleep
Then he appeared to James
Then he appeared to all the apostles
And last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Paul’s understanding of his own apostleship:
I am the least of the apostles
I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am
His grace to me was not without effect.
I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
B. The Necessity of Christ’s Resurrection (15:12-28)
1. Past Forgiveness (15:12-19)
How can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If you preach that Christ has been raised from the dead then you need a resurrection, or else Christ is still dead
Without resurrection, our message is pointless
Without resurrection, those who have died in Christ are lost forever
If it’s only for this life that we have hope in Christ, then we are to be pitied above all people
2. Future Reign (15:20-28)
Christ’s resurrection allegorized in Scripture:
He is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
Adam = death
Christ = life
But each part of the resurrection has its own turn:
Christ, the firstfruits, is resurrected
Then, when Christ comes, those who belong to him are resurrected
Then the end will come when Christ…
Destroys all dominion, authority and power
Hands over the kingdom to God the Father
Christ will reign over all his enemies
Christ then destroys his last enemy, death itself
Paul wants to clarify than when he says that everything will be put under Christ, this does not include God the Father, because God the Father gives Christ his authority
And he says that after Christ has done all this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
C. The Proof of Believers’ Resurrection (15:29-34)
If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?
And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour?
I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained?
If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning
For there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame
D. The Nature of the Resurrection Body (15:35-49)
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
What a stupid question!
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.
But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body
Not all flesh is the same:
People have one kind of flesh
Animals have another
Birds another
Fish another
There are heavenly bodies with one kind of splendor
There are earthly bodies with another kind of splendor
The sun has one kind of splendor
The moon another
The stars another
And star differs from star in splendor
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.
The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable
It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory
It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power
It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
The first man was of the dust of the earth
The second man is of heaven.
As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth
And as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven
And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
E. The Assurance of Resurrection (15:50-58)
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Listen, I tell you a mystery:
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God that he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Therefore…
Stand firm
Let nothing move you
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord
Why?
Because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
VI. Conclusion (16:1-24)
A. About the Collection (16:1-11)
1. Instructions on Giving (16:1-4)
Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
2. The Travel Plans of Paul and Timothy (16:5-11)
After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you
Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go.
For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.
Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me.
B. News about Apollos (16:12)
I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers.
He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.
C. Final Exhortations (16:13-18)
Be on your guard
Stand firm in the faith
Be courageous
Be strong
Do everything in love.
Paul reminds them of how those from the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achiaia (a nearby town), and he tells them that they should submit to people like them – people devoted to serving the Lord’s people.
Paul says that these people were very refreshing to him in comparison with the Corinthians, and that they made up for what the Corinthians lacked.
Paul encourages the Corinthians to let their spirit be refreshed by them, just as his own spirit had been.
D. Final Greetings (16:19-24)
The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings.
Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.
If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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Sources
Stephen L. Harris. The New Testament: A Student's Introduction (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill: New York, NY, 2009.
Dr. J. Edward Ellis. Paul and Ancient Views of Sexual Desire: Paul’s Sexual Ethics in 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 7, and Romans 1. Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2007.
Dr. J. Edward Ellis. On Homosexuality in the New Testament. (Lecture presented at Olivet Nazarene University, October 2011.)
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