Sunday School June 4th, 2006 1st Corinthians 1(10-17)
First Epistle to the Corinthians
(from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)
was written by the apostle St. Paul toward the close of his nearly three-years
stay at Ephesus, (Acts
19:10;
20:31) which, we
learn from (1 Corinthians
16:8) probably
terminated with the Pentecost of A.D. 57 or 58. The bearers were probably
(according to the common subscription) Stephanas,
Fortunatus and Achaicus.
It appears to have been called forth by the information the apostles had
received of dissension in the Corinthian church, which may be thus explained:
--The Corinthian church was planted by the apostle himself, (1 Corinthians
3:6) in his second
missionary journey.
(Acts
18:1) seq.
He abode in the city a year and a half. (Acts
18:11) A short time
after the apostle had left the city the eloquent Jew of Alexandria,
Apollos, went to Corinth, (Acts
19:1) and gained
many followers, dividing the church into two parties, the followers of Paul
and the followers of Apollos. Later on
Judaizing teachers from Jerusalem preached the
gospel in a spirit of direct antagonism to St. Paul
personally. To this third party we
may perhaps add a fourth, that, under the name of "the followers of Christ," (1 Corinthians
2:12) sought at
first to separate themselves from the factious adherence to particular
teachers, but eventually were driven by antagonism into positions equally
sectarian and inimical to the unity of the church. At this momentous period,
before parties had become consolidated and that distinctly withdrawn from
communion with one another, the apostle writes; and in the outset of the
epistle, 1Cor 1-4:21, we have this noble and impassioned protest against this
fourfold rending of the robe of Christ.
Corinth(from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)
an ancient and celebrated city of Greece, on the Isthmus of Corinth, and about 40 miles west of Athens. In consequence of its geographical position it formed the most direct communication between the Ionian and AEgean seas. A remarkable feature was the Acrocorinthus, a vast citadel of rock, which rises abruptly to the height of 2000 feet above the level of the sea, and the summit of which is so extensive that it once contained a whole town. The situation of Corinth, and the possession of its eastern and western harbors, Cenchreae and Lechaeum, are the secrets of its history. Corinth was a place of great mental activity, as well as of commercial and manufacturing enterprise. Its wealth was so celebrated as to be proverbial; so were the vice and profligacy of its inhabitants. The worship of Venus where was attended with shameful licentiousness. Corinth is still an episcopal see. The city has now shrunk to a wretched village, ont he old site and bearing the old name, which, however, is corrupted into Gortho . St. Paul preached here, (Acts 18:11) and founded a church, to which his Epistles to the Corinthians are addressed.
Corinth
(from Easton’s Bible Dictionary)
a Grecian city, on the isthmus which joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of
Greece. It is about 48 miles west of Athens. The ancient city was destroyed by
the Romans (B.C. 146), and that mentioned in the New Testament was quite a new
city, having been rebuilt about a century afterwards and peopled by a colony
of freedmen from Rome. It became under the Romans the seat of government for
Southern Greece or Achaia (Acts
18:12-16). It
was noted for its wealth, and for the luxurious and immoral and vicious habits
of the people. It had a large mixed population of Romans, Greeks, and Jews.
When Paul first visited the city (A.D. 51 or 52), Gallio,
the brother of Seneca, was proconsul. Here Paul resided for eighteen months (18:1-18).
Here he first became aquainted with
Aquila
and Priscilla, and soon after his departure Apollos
came to it from Ephesus. After an interval he visited it a second time, and
remained for three months (20:3).
During this second visit his Epistle to the Romans was written (probably A.D.
55). Although there were many Jewish converts at Corinth, yet the Gentile
element prevailed in the church there.
CORINTH (from the Lumina Bible Encyclopedia)
This famous Greek city was once the capital of the ancient province of Achaia. The apostle Paul preached at Corinth and wrote two famous letters (the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians) to the Christians there. The site of ancient Corinth lies to the west of the isthmus that separates the Peloponnesian Peninsula from mainland Greece. The ancient ruins, mostly Roman rather than Greek, are about four-fifths of a mile (1,285 meters) from present-day Corinth. The area was inhabited from Neolithic times. Corinth is dominated by an outcrop of rock known as the Acrocorinth (Upper Corinth). The greatness of the Greek period can be seen from the remains of the temple of Apollo, whose massive columns dominate the site. A very broad avenue, lying in a straight line from the city gate, provides the entrance to the ancient part of the city. That avenue ends in the marketplace, with roads leading from there to the Acrocorinth. In Paul’s time, the city was a bustling commercial and industrial center boasting a population of almost 700,000.
HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY
By the mid-eighth century BC, Corinth, located along east-west trade routes, was a flourishing city-state. From 350-250 BC it was the most prominent city in Greece. Then Rome began its relentless march to power. In 146 BC, Corinth was completely destroyed by the Romans and lay in ruins for a century. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar moved a mixed group of Italians and Greeks onto the site, and once more a magnificent city arose, this time as a Roman colony. As in most Roman cities, marble temples dominated the landscape. The city was supplied with water from an underground well. It became a cosmopolitan city attracting tradespeople from all over the world. Its reputation as a center of luxury, indulgence, and vice also grew. A large colony of displaced Jews (part of the Diaspora) developed in the city, and this was undoubtedly the group that attracted the apostle Paul.
In 1896, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens began excavating the ancient city. Their discoveries shed a great deal of light on the history of the city during Paul’s time. A doorway lintel was found, with an inscription overtop describing the building as the “Synagogue of the Hebrews.” This may have been the synagogue in which Paul preached (Acts 18:4). Another discovery was the bema, or judgment place (18:12-17), located in the center of the agora, or marketplace. There Paul appeared before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia. The dates of Gallio’s life are well established by other archaeological discoveries. He must not have arrived in Corinth before July, AD 51. Paul appeared before him after having ministered in the city for almost 18 months. That would put Paul’s arrival in Corinth at the beginning of AD 50. Corinth is important in the history of the church because Paul ministered to it after God, in a vision, called him to preach to the Greeks (Acts 16:9-10). He established churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and possibly Athens on his way to Corinth. Chapter 18 describes Paul’s work at Corinth, first with the Jews, who violently opposed him (18:6). Paul spent more time at Corinth than anywhere else up to that point in his career as a missionary. The Corinthian church, born in a highly pagan place, went through some serious troubles, some of which are described in Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. These problems are similar to the problems of Christians today.
1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Speak the same things
Some folks misunderstand this phrase. Christians are not robots and they do not see everything the same way. There are areas of Scripture where I and good men disagree. That does not make them any less of a Christian than I, nor does it mean I am weak in understanding. What it means is that we disagree. Jesus didn’t make us all the same. Consider the science of fingerprints. The theory is that there are no two sets of fingerprints exactly the same. Our fingerprints are not the same neither are our understanding or experiences. If we are not all exactly alike then what does this phrase mean? It means that we should not be quarreling about things. I have often said you can be right and still be 100% wrong. If you break fellowship with someone over some minor matter or try to ridicule that person because he disagrees with you; you are wrong. The Christian thing to do is to disagree in love. Heaven will settle all misunderstandings.
Divisions
The word translated “divisions” literally means rends or tears, but comes to mean dissensions. The church should not have dissensions among them concerning the important areas of doctrine and in the direction of the church. We can disagree on things, but not on our purpose. We can disagree, but maintain love and respect for each other. We must not allow the unsaved world to think we can’t get along. God is love and His people should be a reflection of that love.
1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Contentions
The word translated “contentions” means wrangling or strife. These folks were arguing with each other. I think this argument is one of the silliest I have ever heard, but it is common in the modern church. These folks were fussing over who they thought was their Spiritual leader. Paul had founded this church and, no doubt, preached the sermons of which many of them had been saved. Apollos had also preached to this congregation, at Paul’s invitation, and was very much in contrast to him. Paul mentions his own bodily presence as being weak and it has often been suggested he suffered from a debilitating disease of the eyes which caused his appearance to be offensive. Apollos was a skilled orator and probably cast a better looking shadow than that of Paul. He was more charismatic and some evidently liked his preaching better. I’m sure he also had won some of them to the Lord. There were also believers in this church who were Jews and once served in the synagogue in Corinth. It is natural that they would have higher regard for Peter who is called the apostle to the circumcision (Jews) and would want to claim to be of his flock. The ones who claimed to be of Christ were saying they didn’t consider any minister worth listening to as they would only adhere to the words of Christ. The Word of God is the final say on all things, but it is God who has placed ministers and Pastors into the church. It is proper they be heard and respected. This problem is prevalent in many churches today. Some will only come if the Pastor is scheduled to preach. This is not good. Visiting preachers who come in to speak to us are not my competition: we are on the same side. Likewise, some folks today will get enamored with an evangelist and leave their own church to attend his revivals. This also is wrong. We owe an obligation to our home church. We must not be petty and childish in our thinking. We are all the body of Christ. We work together!
Cephas
You can probably put this in the category of too much information, but I would like to provide some information for the Bible students which will help you in your studies. Peter’s name is translated many ways in the Bible and can be confusing to the new reader. Here’s a list of names used for this same fellow, their origin, and what they mean.
- Simeon- This was his real Hebrew name. When I say real name, I mean this is the name his parents gave him. It means “heard or that hears.” It is the same name as one of the 12 sons of Jacob who is the progenitor of the tribe of Simeon.
- Simon- this is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Simeon. It has the same meaning. He is also called Simon-bar Jonas which means Simon the son of Jonas.
- Cephas- This is the Greek form of the Aramaic word, Kiphas, which means “a rock.” This is the nickname given Peter by Jesus. The word literally means “a stone or a rock.”
- Peter- This is the Greek name which means “a stone or a rock.” In the original Greek it was Petros; Petrus in the Latin. This is often called Peter’s Apostolic name.
1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; 1:15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. 1:16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Salvation is in Christ
It has become popular today for so-called Bible Scholars to claim Christianity was Paul’s invention. They claim Jesus was only a Jewish rabbi; had no interest in the Gentiles, nor ever considered Himself as the Son of God. The only problem with this theory is that it is unmitigated hogwash. Jesus clearly claimed deity from the beginning and clearly desired to see the Gospel preached to the Gentiles. The angel announced that this child would be called Immanuel or God with us. It is evident; He is either the Son of God or a deceiver. There is no in between. The Old Testament predicted that a time of the Gentiles would come. Let me show you the fulfillment of this scripture to prove what I am saying. When Paul had brought the Gentile question up before the elders in Jerusalem who were headed by James, the half brother of our Lord, this was the reply of James on the matter: Acts 15:13-18 “And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15:15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 15:18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.” it is clear the plan of salvation from the creation of the world contained a provision for the salvation of the Gentile. It was not through Paul; it was through Jesus. Paul never once suggested that salvation could come in any other name but the name of Christ. As a matter of fact, Paul was always quick to point out his own inadequacy due to his sinful nature and persecuting of the church. He always preached justification through the blood of Christ. Modern preachers need to understand this principle. I cannot save anyone. I have no power to redeem. My job is to point the lost to the one who can fix their problem: Jesus Christ the Righteous. In Him, and only in Him, can a person find forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Have you trusted Jesus as your Saviour? If not, please accept Him right now. Just bow your head and call upon His name. Repent of your sins; accept His Lordship over your life and He will save your immortal soul! You’ll never be the same and Heaven will be your destination!
New Living Translation (to be used as a commentary only)
10 Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your arguments, dear brothers and sisters. 12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.” 13 Can Christ be divided into pieces?Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. 16 (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) 17 For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speeches and high-sounding ideas, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.
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Pastor Rick Barcus
