Conflict Management - 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

 

Lesson 5: The Church’s Problems—Lawsuits

 

 As we look at our society, we note the decline, not only in morality but in civility. People show less courtesy toward one another, whether in a store line or in traffic. They want something, and other people are simply obstacles to that goal. The notion of personal rights, that I am entitled to something, has led to an increase in litigation, as people sue one another in a vast array of claims and counter-claims, some legitimate but many frivolous. No one is immune, not even Christians. We try to avoid it, but we may not be able to prevent it. What if litigation enters the church, and members sue other members?

 

Illustration: Sarah is struggling with history at school and is concerned about the midterm exam. Jeff knows this and decides to go into the extortion business. Seeing that she wrote her locker combination on the cover of her notebook, he copies it and steals her notes. The next morning, and the day before the exam, he says to her, “If you want your notes back, give me your lunch money.” She is trapped. If she does not pay, she will fail the exam. If she complains to a teacher, Jeff will just deny the accusation, it might take days to sort out, and she will still fail the exam. So, she pays. After the exam, she is really stewing that Jeff, who is supposed to be a Christian, has gotten away with this. There is a Student Council, which handles such cases. Jeff might still deny it, but she notices that he wrote her locker combination on the cover of his notebook, and she could use that as evidence. What should she do?

 

 Should the church get involved or leave such matters to the courts. Last time, we saw that the church is responsible to judge the immoral behavior of its members. Paul continues his treatment of “judging” in chapter 6 by stating that the church is also responsible to adjudicate in civil suits among its members.

 

             C. Lawsuits         6:1-11

 

1 Cor 6:1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers!

             

—Lawsuits

 7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. 9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

 

1.        Symptom

•       Civil disputes (v. 1)

2.        Cause

•       Pride (v. 7)

3.        Solution

                           a. Settle your disputes internally (v. 1).

1)    Appoint your own judges (v. 4).

 

Comment: About “Appoint as judges…men…in the church” (v. 4)

 Paul is following the rabbinic interpretation of Exod 2:1.³⁸ b Git 88b R. Tarfon [b. 60 C.E.?] used to say: “In any place where you find heathen law courts, even though their law is the same as the Israelite law, you must not resort to them since it says [in Exod], ‘These are the judgments which you shall bring before them,’ that is to say, ‘before them [your own judges]’ and not before heathens.”

 

2)    Take a personal loss (v. 7).       3) You only hurt each other (v. 8).

           b. Think about the future judgment (see Comment).  1) These present issues are lessor matters (v. 2).

2)    These present issues are physical matters (v. 3).

3)    These present issues are carnal matters (v. 9).

 

Comment: About Paul’s eschatological framework

 Paul’s entire argument against airing internal disputes in public courts is based on his eschatological understanding of the church.³⁹ He asks three “Do you not know” rhetorical questions:⁴⁰

•         V. 2—Do you not know that in the future you will be judging the very ones to whom you now appeal for judgment?⁴¹

•         Given the great responsibility you will have then, should you not show yourself competent to deal with lesser matters now?

Conflict Management: Cultivating Concord in the Church at Corinth

•         V. 3—Do you not know that in the future you will be rendering judgments on matters in the spiritual realm?

•         Should you not, therefore, be able to handle these matters of the physical realm?

•         Vv. 9-11—Do you not know that in the future the wicked will not be in God’s kingdom?

•         Should you not be demonstrating your separation from carnal issues as you look toward the kingdom?

As one commentator remarks (Fee 1987:230),

Such people have no standing at all with the people of God. The absurdity of the Corinthian position is that the saints will judge the very world before whom they are now appearing and asking for judgment. Not only does such an action [contradict] who they are as the people of God, but it does so in the presence of unbelievers, the very people [for] whom the church is to be God’s alternative.

 

Query: What is the church’s relationship to civil courts?

•         Are civil courts inherently bad? Why/not?

•         No, they are part of a governmental system that God ordained to establish and maintain social order.⁴²

•         No, Paul used them.⁴³

•         Under what conditions may believers use civil courts?

•         When dealing with unbelievers (which Paul does not address here), although it is still probably better to avoid them, if possible.⁴⁴

•         What two additions in vv. 9-10 does Paul make to his list of sins in 5:9-10 that are becoming less stigmatized in modern society? (adultery and homosexuality)

•         Paul is echoing prohibitions in Torah.⁴⁵

•         With all due respect to the Gay community, what does this say about homosexuality being a preference one receives at birth or a legitimate alternative lifestyle (especially in view of v. 11)?⁴⁶

 

Application: Getting back to the primary issue, lawsuits between believers, what do you think of this remark by one commentator (Fee 1987:238)?

The difficulties with our [applying] this text are related primarily to our general lack of a biblical self-understanding, especially in terms of the essential eschatological framework of our existence as the people of the future who are to be totally conditioned by that future as we live in the present. Therefore, our priorities tend to be warped towards the values of this age rather than of the age to come. Here we have great need of deep reformation [especially since m]ost legal actions on the part of Christians are predicated on “rights” and “the pursuit of property” in the present age.

 

—Lawsuits

 Upon hearing there are lawsuits in the Corinthian church because of pride among the members, Paul’s notes that the failure of these men—and it may only involve a couple of individuals—is actually a failure of the church, in that their practices bear little distinction from the surrounding pagan culture. Christians, if they are to have any impact on society, must be demonstrably different from society.

 What we see in this section is that the impact a church has is not just a group project. On the contrary, the impact of any given church is more often measured by the individual lives of its congregants. Moreover, one of the simplest, yet most effective, ways we demonstrate the difference of Christianity is in our behavior toward each other. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).⁴⁷

 

Conflict Management - 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

 

Lesson 4: The Church’s Problems—Discipline

 

 There was a time, not too long ago, when you could see a movie without wondering about its content. The industry had standards that regarded profanity and nudity as inappropriate subject matter. Writers and producers objected, however, claiming that such restrictions prevented them from portraying real life. They pushed the standards lower and lower, eventually replacing them altogether with a rating system. (Television is now moving in the same direction.) If the goal is to portray real life (which is a euphemism for depravity), then they are correct. Real life is often vulgar and lewd. We find the sinking state of morals in our society disturbing and are not sure what, if anything, we can do to stem the flow. Indeed, there may be little we can do, but when that same state of affairs is in our church, we dare not do nothing, for our inaction reflects not on society but on us. That is the second issue Paul addresses in this letter: the church’s response to sin in its midst.

 

             B. Discipline       5:1-13

 

1 Cor 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?

 

1.        Symptom

•       Unchecked immorality (v. 1)²⁴

 

Comment: About “…does not occur even among pagans” (v. 1)

 The moral standards of Greek society were not very high to begin with, as one writer from that day remarks: “Mistresses we keep for the sake of pleasure, concubines for the daily care of the body, but wives to bear us legitimate children” (Demosthenes, Private Orations 59.122, quoted in Fee 1987:196). This liaison at Corinth, however, went beyond even liberal Greek or Roman sensibilities (see Fee 1987:201). That such behavior should come to be known outside the church was scandalous and could only damage its testimony.

 

2.        Cause

•       Pride (v. 2)           

—Discipline

Comment: About “And you are proud” (v. 2)

 This discipline problem may be another symptom of the previous issue. The groups may be so caught up in their own interests that they cannot or will not deal with this threat to the integrity of the church as a whole.

 

1 Cor 5:3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

 

                   3.    Remedy

    a. Expel the offender (v. 5, cf. v. 13, = “Hand…to Satan”?).²⁵ 

 

Comment: About “I have already passed judgment” (v. 3b)

 God holds His people to a stricter standard. For example, when He instituted the Passover as a permanent ordinance, He intended it only for Israel and not for the gentiles, which is understandable considering that the exodus marked Israel’s deliverance not the gentile’s deliverance. So that there would be no misunderstanding, God specifically said, “No foreigner is to eat of it” (Exod 12:43). Only when a gentile becomes part of Israel is he required to observe the festival and permitted to partake of the paschal lamb. In such cases, God said, “the same law applies to the native born and to the alien among you” (v. 49).²⁶  Likewise, at Corinth, Paul does not hold unbelievers to the same standard to which he holds believers: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?” (v. 12a). Not only would it be wrong, it would be impractical. How could you possibly enforce it? That does not mean, however, that there is no standard for unbelievers. Obviously there must be or God could not judge them (v. 13a). Rather, their standard is not as demanding as ours is, although it is sufficiently demanding to lead to their condemnation in the end.²⁷

 

1 Cor 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

 9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

 

                           b. Purify the congregation (v. 7).

      • This is old business you should have finished already.²⁸

 

Comment: About “anyone who calls himself a brother but is…” (v. 11)

 Although Paul’s chief concern is the immoral member, he mentions several others whose reprehensible behavior also makes them subject to church censure. Anyone who claims to be a believer but whose actions consistently speak otherwise has no part in the congregation, and his continued presence hurts the testimony of the church before a watching world which will see no difference between the lives of the so-called godly and of the ungodly.²⁹ If “anyone…in Christ…is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17), then those who belong to Christ must put aside their former way of life,³⁰ or they do not belong in the community of those who have (Fee 1987:224). Expulsion is the final step in a procedure Jesus outlined to his disciples,³¹ but it is a necessary step in response to unrepentant sin.

 

 Paul dealt with this problem in his previous correspondence with them, where he gave the same instructions he reiterates here: “Don’t associate with this unrepentant member” (v. 9). They misunderstood him, though (intentionally?), and interpreted his reply as forbidding contact with sinners outside the church. Paul clarifies his original instructions here, and he uses their preparation for Passover to illustrate what they should do:

Soon you’ll purge your homes of leaven. You’ll be very careful to get it all out so that what food you prepare will have no chance of rising (cf. Exod 12:19-20). After all, “…a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (v. 6). Just as you get rid of the old leaven in your home, so you must get rid of this old leaven in the church, lest it permeate the whole congregation (cf. 3:16-17).³²

Note the timing here. It was necessary to purge the house of all leaven before one could partake of the Passover sacrifice. Paul emphasizes that this matter of purging the immoral member from the congregation is something they should take care of immediately. The time is (almost) upon them, “[f]or Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” (v. 7). Until this yeast is gone, they’ll not be able to “keep the Festival…[with] sincerity and truth” (v. 8).

 

Query: How do you reconcile Paul’s instruction here about excommunication (v. 13) with his prohibition elsewhere against judging?³³ Hint: See Jesus’ clarification in…³⁴ John 7:24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.

 

           -Discipline

Query: How does the church fare on discipline today?

 We should not be judgmental, should we? After all, the church is composed of sinners. Right? …Wrong! The church is composed of repentant sinners. Several passages attest that the local church has a responsibility to keep itself pure in at least two ways (see the Ecclesiology unit in Manuel 2013c):³⁵

•         Doctrinal purity

Rom 16:17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

Tit 1:11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Tit 3:10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

2      John 10 anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.

•         Moral purity

2      Cor 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

Eph 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people…. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God…. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them…. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

2 Thess 3:6 …we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.  

 

Query: How should the fact that an expelled member can simply go to another church influence discipline? What can we do about it? (Remove the member from the role and inform any other church of his expulsion.)

 

 Upon hearing there is little discipline in the Corinthian church, Paul’s principle is simple.

•         He allows free (although not intimate) associations outside the church, because God (and not the church) will judge unbelievers in the end, and…

•         He advocates strict discipline within the church, because the church (and not God) is responsible to judge believers now.

The free association of the church with society enables the church to be a testimony.³⁶ In order for that testimony to be effective, though, the church must be perceptibly (morally) different from society.³⁷

Conflict Management - 1 Corinthians 1:10-4:21

 

Lesson 3: The Church’s Problems—Division

 

 Because people come from a variety of backgrounds, they have correspondingly different preferences. Some like their food spicy, while others like it plain. Some sport a hair style with the part on the side, while others part theirs in the middle or not at all. Some do their exercise walking, while others play tennis or basketball. Some enjoy listening to classical music, while others find Country and Western more to their liking. These are legitimate differences that reflect the diversity in our makeup. People in the church have various preferences, too, and these can add to the richness of a congregation. Nevertheless, differences can also impoverish a congregation by causing division and strife. What makes some differences acceptable and others unacceptable? How can a church composed of different people keep itself together? That is what Paul discusses as he addresses the first of the Corinthian church’s problems: division.

 

     II.    Church’s Problems        1:10-6:20

             A. Division         1:10-4:21

 

1 Cor 1:10 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. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 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." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 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. ¹⁷

 

                   1.    Symptoms (1:10-17)

a.     Quarrels (v. 11)

b.    Factions (v. 12)

 

Comment: About “I follow Christ” (v. 12)

 This may refer to a group or leader in Corinth who opposes Paul.¹⁸ The faction, in claiming to follow Jesus, implies that others (including Paul) do not.

 

  

1 Cor 1:18 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. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." 20 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? 21 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. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 26 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. 27 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. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 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. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." [≈ Jer 9:23-24]

 

                   2.    Issues (1:18-31)

           a. For Jews, the issue is power (vv. 22a, 24b).  1) Assumption: The messiah will be a conquering king.  2) Disillusionment: The teacher failed to conquer.¹⁹    3) Conclusion: The gospel is a message of weakness.      b. For Greeks, the issue is wisdom (vv. 22b, 24b).

1)    Assumption: The body is an evil that man must escape.

2)    Disillusionment: The teacher rose physically from the dead.

3)    Conclusion: The gospel is a message of foolishness.    c. For both, the root is pride (vv. 29, 31).

 

Comment: About “…the power of God” (v. 18)

 Although we acknowledge the historicity of the crucifixion, we tend to view the cross as a mystical symbol of our faith. We may read Paul’s equation of the cross of Christ with the power of God as if there were some supernatural investment in the wood itself. Paul’s focus on Jesus’ death, however, is rather a response to a central problem for Christianity at this time; namely, that in the eyes of the state— and, therefore, in the eyes of many citizens of the state—officially, the messiah was a criminal, an insurrectionist. To “boast…in the cross” (Gal 6:14) means to face this problem in evangelism head on, not to gloss over it or to talk around it (Gal 5:11; 6:12).²⁰ It is to address unflinchingly the accusation that the one we claim as the messiah was allegedly a felon.

 

1 Cor 2:1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

 6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" [≈ Isa 65:7b]—10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" [Isa 40:13] But we have the mind of Christ.

 

Query: Is Paul advocating an uneducated clergy (v. 1)?

           No, he is saying the message he proclaimed was simple and straightforward, not requiring great wisdom to understand.

 

Comment: About “not accept…not understand…spiritually discerned” (2:14)  • “Discern” (aÓnakri÷nw) appears in Paul’s writings only in 1 Cor (10x). Given its judicial sense elsewhere (e.g., 4:3-4), it seems here to mean an ability to evaluate something, to “sift” through the various details (cf. Acts 17:11) in order “to make appropriate judgments about what God is doing in the world” (Fee 1987:117). Such an evaluation is only possible with the help of God Himself.

•         “Understand” (ginw¿skw) here, does not mean just being able to comprehend the words but having an appreciation of their significance (cf. 2:8).

•         “Accept” (de÷comai) is also to “receive” in the sense of acknowledging certain information as valid or true.

 

Summary: Paul’s point in these first two chapters is that their dividing into factions—because they think that one leader has a truer message than another—is counterproductive. That is, the pride they foster by identifying themselves with a particular group actually prevents them from acquiring the truth, because pride hinders spiritual understanding and, as we will see in chapter 3, pride also hinders spiritual growth. One commentator put it this way: “Being spiritual does not lead to elitism; it leads to a deeper understanding of God’s mystery—redemption through a crucified Messiah” (Fee 1987:120).

 

*****??? Break ???*****

 

 The first problem Paul addresses in this letter is divisions in the church. There are several groups, each claiming to adhere to the teaching of a particular leader (Cephas, Apollos, Paul, and even Jesus). This is not unusual; prominent men often attract a following. Nor is it necessarily bad; the rabbi-student relationship is a useful teaching model. The situation at Corinth, though, is not simply a leader attracting a following or a rabbi with his disciples. There is no indication that these men ever led the groups that use their names (Jesus certainly did not). Furthermore, these groups are apparently in competition, for each claims to be better than the next…and such rivalry does not promote church unity. Paul’s response is two-fold.

•         In chaps 1-2 he says, “Remember that those outside the church who are proud of their wisdom are at odds with God’s plan for man’s salvation” (1:23; cf. 2:8).

•         In chaps 3-4 he says, “Realize that those inside the church who are proud of their wisdom are at odds with God’s plan for church growth.”

This second response is evident in the opening verses of chapter 3 (especially v. 3).

 

                   3.    Evaluation (3:1-4:21)

 

1 Cor 3:1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

 

                           a. Your pride is a sign of immaturity (3:1). 

 

             

1 Cor 3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

 

 b. Your pride is contrary to ministry (which is a cooperative effort toward a common end; 3:7). 

 

1 Cor 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. 18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." 21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

 

                           c. Your pride is a denial of reality (3:18).

 

Comment: About “All things are yours” (v. 21b)

 Paul underscores the point he makes in v. 9—This whole thing is God’s operation—by reversing their perceptions. They have been saying, “I belong to Paul or Apollos or Cephas”; but Paul says here that he, Apollos, and Cephas actually belong to them as servant-leaders, and that together they all belong to God.

 

1 Cor 4:1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

 6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

 8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

 14 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

 18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

 

                 d. Your pride makes our work a mockery (4:10).²¹

 

Query: Is Paul advocating unity at all costs (cf. 1:10)? Why or why not?

 One reason Paul may be scolding them is that in their search for a more profound (wise) theological system, they have obscured the simplicity of the gospel (2:2). At any rate, this core must serve as the basis for unity (3:11).

 

Query: How does the presence of factions at Corinth relate to the existence of denominations today? Are they simply an extension of this first century problem?  Note that Paul is addressing an inter-church issue (i.e., within a congregation) not an intra-church issue (i.e., between congregations).

 

Comment: About “Do not go beyond what is written” (4:6)²²

 With this proverbial saying (perhaps rabbinic; so Godet 1977:217; Robertson 1978:81), Paul warns the Corinthian believers not to interpret their salvation as a license to live as they please. God’s word²³ is still binding upon them, and they must not add their own peculiar bias to what He has revealed.

 

 Upon hearing that there are divisions in the Corinthian church because of pride among the members, Paul issues a rather lengthy (four-chapter) response. We can boil it down to this:

•         He tells them what they must do to repair the breech—”Stop boasting!” (3:21). Yet verbal instruction is only one side of this two-sided coin.

•         He shows them what they must improve their testimony—”Imitate me!”

(4:16). Personal example is the other side of the coin.

The first is relatively easy compared to the second, but the resolution requires both. That thought, alone, of being an example or of following another’s example, can keep pride in check.

Conflict Management - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

 

Lesson 2: The Apostle’s Greeting

 

 When we read a letter, we do not normally dwell on the salutation—“Dear so and-so”—because we know it is not really an expression of endearment any more than the closing “Sincerely yours” signifies the author’s faithfulness. These are common conventions, whether from a friend or on junk mail (see Barton 1984:1314). If we read it at all, we skip—or, at best, skim—the opening and closing lines, and look instead to the body of the letter. That is where the important material is.  We generally approach NT letters the same way, skipping the opening verses to get to the important elements. There is some justification for this in that Paul starts most of his epistles to churches the same way. His letterhead, which is another element we simply note in passing—is “Paul, an apostle.” Instead of “Dear” he writes “Grace and peace to you.”¹⁴ Nevertheless, he sometimes includes other elements that set a tone for the letter, and we should be alert for these.

 

       I.    The Apostle’s Greeting 1:1-9

             A. His address (vv. 1-3)

 

1 Cor 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 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: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

1.        From Paul and Sosthenes

2.        To the church in Corinth

a.     This is not an additional audience, but associates in holiness.

b.    God’s will for the Corinthians is the same as His will for all believers: “to be holy.” ¹⁵

  NB: Although this is God’s will for all believers, it is not a common element in Paul’s typical salutation and may indicate a particular concern he has for the Corinthians. In any case, the letter is, to some extent, church-specific.

                   3.    With a blessing from God

             B. His thanksgiving (vv. 4-9)

 

1 Cor 1:4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

 

                   1.    For God’s grace to them in Jesus (v. 1)

a.     The effectiveness of his personal testimony

b.    The abundance of their spiritual gifts        2.      For God’s faithfulness to them in Jesus (v. 8)

a.     “You eagerly await”

b.    “Strong to the end”

c.     “Blameless on the day”

 

Application: Although it may be difficult to establish an order to the items in a church’s doctrinal statement, this is certainly important and one that appears in many such declarations. Does it appear in ours?¹⁶