Lesson for February 20, 2022

The Book of I Corinthians

Chapter 1: 1-9

Verses 1-3

“Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The historians report over 400,000 people as the regular population of the biblical city of Corinth, Greece. Corinth was a seaport, which meant that there was always a heavy population of sailors, merchants, and traders.  At the time of writing of this letter, the Isthmus Games held just outside Corinth were the greatest athletic games of the ancient world.  So, it was famous as a sports center and a seaport trade center. But the greatest attraction of all was the center of the pagan cult of Aphrodite, the Greek word for Venus, the “Goddess of Love.” There were more temples to her in Corinth than in the rest of the world put together.

This letter was written around 59 A.D. while Paul was in Ephesus. The theme of the letter is Christian conduct. We know from Acts 18:1-18 that the apostle Paul visited Corinth and founded a church there. Paul stayed long enough to organize the church, to teach them some doctrine and get things started. Apollos became their pastor (I Corinthians 3:7). Eventually, Apollos must have become very discouraged by the carnality within the church and their lack of response to doctrine and he left. There is a mention of him by Paul in Titus 3:13 where he was traveling through Crete where Titus was at that time.

Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and Sosthenes our brother. The qualifications of an apostle are: 1) He had to be appointed by the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:8,11) 2) He had to be an eyewitness to the resurrection or have seen the resurrected Christ. Paul saw the resurrected Christ on the Damascus Road. (I Corinthians 15:8-9; Acts 1:22) He had to be endued with miraculous powers. (Acts 5:15; 16:16-18; 19:11-12) All of the apostles had miraculous powers.  

No apostles were appointed to the church until after the ascension of Christ. (Ephesians 4:8-11) There were eleven disciples (after Judas hung himself) who became apostles.  The other apostles were Paul, Barnabas, James the half-brother of Jesus, Apollos, and possibly Silas and Timothy.  The apostles were recipients of direct revelation from God.  

Which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling. The church at Corinth was one of the worst churches of all time.  Many of these believers were carnal and out of fellowship, but they were still sanctified (set apart) in Christ Jesus.  To understand this, we must know the doctrine of positional truth, the doctrine of the baptism of the Spirit, and the doctrine of sanctification. 

The doctrine of sanctification has three categories: positional, experiential, and ultimate. Sanctification means to be set apart to God. Positional sanctification is our permanent union with Christ. (I Corinthians 1:2, 30; 6:11; Hebrews 10:10-14) Experiential sanctification is our daily experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit and learning and applying Bible doctrine. (John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26) Ultimate sanctification is receiving a resurrection body at the Rapture. (I John 3:1,2; Philippians 3:21; Romans 8:29)  

“With all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  To call upon the name of the Lord implies they were believers. (Romans 10:13).  Grace always comes before peace. You can never have peace until you have grace. All believers have peace with God at the moment of salvation. The peace of God is a result of knowing accurate Bible doctrine, believing it, and then applying it. Peace comes from the understanding and use of grace in our lives. The ultimate source of all grace is God the Father Who is the Author of the divine plan, and the Son who executed the plan on the Cross. The Cross is the source of grace and if you do not believe in Jesus Christ, you can never know the grace and peace of God.

Verses 4-6

“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus. Paul’s orientation to grace was demonstrated by his genuine thanksgiving. My God indicates a personal relationship with God.  All true thanksgiving is based on a true relationship with God, which begins with faith in Christ.  There were very few things that Paul could have been thankful for regarding the Corinthian believers, because of all the carnality in which they were involved.  But Paul was not thankful for what they were doing but for the fact of their salvation.

That in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge. Paul expressed thanksgiving for their spiritual wealth, which we all receive at salvation. The Corinthians were the worst Christians of the first century, and yet in everything they were spiritually wealthy (enriched). That’s grace! The spiritual assets that God gives us at the moment of salvation are His eternal riches, but many Christians are not even aware of what they have in Christ. The Corinthians were spiritually wealthy but were living like beggars.

These riches are to be learned, understood, stored, and accessed. When we access our spiritual assets (wealth) and use them to live our spiritual lives, we are applying Bible doctrine. How can we use the vast riches that God has given us as ambassadors for Christ until we know what they are? So “in all speech and knowledge” refers to hearing and learning accurate Bible doctrine.

Even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you. The testimony of Christ is a reference to the Gospel that was presented to the Corinthian believers by Paul which they believed. Even though these believers were in a state of carnality and reversionism, they still had eternal life. Paul was simply acknowledging their faith which was a way of reminding them that they were believers in Christ.

Verses 7-9

“So that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Corinthian church had all the spiritual gifts. But remember that although they had all of these spiritual gifts, they were in a state of carnality as a church. Being in a state of carnality, their spiritual gifts were not being used. Having spiritual gifts does not mean that a local church will use them properly. 

Every believer in Jesus Christ during the Church Age receives at least one spiritual gift at salvation (some have multiple gifts).  A spiritual gift is a specific ability given by God the Holy Spirit to a believer.  The word for gift in Greek is “charisma” and means grace gift.  Therefore, spiritual gifts are not earned or deserved.  These gifts are divinely given by the Holy Spirit to those whom He chooses. The purpose for spiritual gifts is for the function of the local church. (Romans 12:4-6; I Corinthians 12:11-31)

Within the category of spiritual gifts there were temporary gifts and there are permanent gifts. Permanent gifts began to be given in the early Church and will continue to be valid until the end of the Church Age at the Rapture. Temporary gifts were also given to believers in the early Church but were foundational for the establishment of local churches and are no longer valid. 

Temporary gifts established the apostles’ authority over all churches. Some of these gifts were for the detection of heresy in the Church, which was rampant in the first century Church. Some gifts were given to evangelize the lost in their own language. And finally, there were certain gifts given to men for the teaching of doctrine not yet a part of the Canon of Scripture.

Temporary Spiritual Gifts

Communication Gifts

1. Apostleship – established the apostle’s authority over several churches.(I Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11)
2. Prophecy – forthtelling or foretelling events not yet recorded in the Canon of Scriptures and teaching Bible doctrine. (Romans 12:6; I Corinthians 12:10, 28; Ephesians 4:11)

Spectacular Gifts

1. Tongues – the ability to speak a known language not previously learned. (I Corinthians 12:10, 28)
2. Interpretation of Tongues – the ability to translate the unknown language into the common language spoken in the church. (I Corinthians 12:10)
3. Healing – the ability to heal at will regardless of the person’s faith or lack of faith. (I Corinthians 12:9, 28)
4. Miracles – the ability to perform miracles at will. (I Corinthians 12:10, 28)

Non-communication Gifts

1. Discerning/distinguishing of spirits – the ability to detect doctrinal heresy in the church. (I Corinthians 12:10)
2. Knowledge – knowledge of Bible doctrine not yet in the Canon of Scriptures. (I Corinthians 13:8)
3. Wisdom – the ability to explain and apply Bible doctrine as a companion gift to the gift of knowledge

Permanent Spiritual Gifts

Permanent spiritual gifts were given to the early church and continue to be valid throughout the Church Age. The purpose for these gifts is for the teaching of accurate Bible doctrine, administration, and service within the local church.

Communication Gifts

1. Pastor-Teacher – the ability to study, learn and teach Bible doctrine accurately in a systematic way because of his interest in the congregation understanding truth and growing spiritually. He also shepherds the local church, which means he protects them against apostasy and heresy through accurate interpretation and teaching. The pastor also can exhort the congregation by calling them to action and encouraging them with sound scriptural advice. (Romans 12:7-8; I Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11)
2. Evangelism – the ability to communicate the Gospel clearly and effectively for the main purpose of leading people to Christ. An evangelist is normally involved in outreach ministries and missionary activities. Normally evangelists have appealing and dynamic personalities. (Ephesians 4:11)
3. Exhortation – the ability to bring comfort, counsel, and advice. (Romans 12:8)
4. Teaching – the ability to study and teach systematically the truth of Bible doctrine as learned under their right pastor-teacher. This person will be a good educator. (Romans 12:7; I Corinthians 12:28)

Service Gifts

1. Administration, ruling, governments – the ability to manage people, programs, finances, set up systems, and delegate responsibilities.(I Corinthians 12:28; Romans 12:8)
2. Faith – the ability to have a vision for the advance of the local church. This person is optimistic about the future and trusts God in every situation.(I Corinthians 12:9)
3. Helps – the ability to serve selflessly behind the scenes without recognition. They will do whatever needs to be done. (I Corinthians 12:28)
4. Giving – the ability and desire to sacrificially give above and beyond their own needs. A believer does not have to be wealthy to have this gift, but they will have funds above and beyond what they need to take care of their family. All believers are to support their local church, but not all believers have this spiritual gift. (Romans 12:8)
5. Ministering – the ability to lead by serving on administrative boards, committees, and other leadership roles in the local church (Romans 12:7)
6. Showing Mercy – the ability to empathize with the needs of others. They are sensitive, caring and concerned about the needs of others. They strive to reduce the pain of others and they make the best hospital visitors. (Romans 12:8)

Who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Confirm is the Greek word “bebaioo,” which means to establish, make secure, or stable.  Blameless is the Greek word “anenkletos,” which means lay nothing to one’s charge.  We will all be confirmed to be blameless because of our faith in Christ. God is always faithful. Fellowship in this case means these believers were permanently in fellowship with God positionally, even though they were out of fellowship, experientially.