The letters to the Corinthians reveal to us more of the personal character of the apostle [Paul] than any of his other letters. . . . They reveal his wisdom, his zeal, his forbearance, his liberality of principle and practice in all matters not affecting salvation, his strictness in all matters of right and wrong, his humility, and perhaps above all, his unwearied activity and wonderful endurance.
—CHARLES HODGE1
Paul identifies himself as the author of this epistle and is generally accepted as such. He planted the church in Corinth (scholars estimate in 51 AD),2 to which this epistle is written, during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–11). He writes the letter from Ephesus (1 Cor. 16:5–9, 19) between 54 and 55 AD, during his third missionary journey, close to the end of his three-year ministry in that city.3
Corinth is an extremely important city at the time of Paul’s writing. The capital of the Roman province of Achaia, it is situated on the isthmus connecting the Greek mainland with the Peloponnesian peninsula,4 forming a strategically located bridge between the east and west. There is widespread worship of pagan gods in Corinth, especially Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and this pagan culture permeates governmental affairs, civic festivals, trade guilds, social clubs, and life in general.5 As noted previously, Corinth is notorious for its sexual immorality and vice, which are connected to the worship of Aphrodite. The temple dedicated to her is located on the Acrocorinth, the great hill of Corinth said to house some one thousand prostitutes who aid in Aphrodite’s cult.6 Cultural preoccupation with sex contributes to the problems of the early church in Corinth. Notably, Paul writes his letter to the Romans from there, inveighing against man’s depravity.
We know from Acts 18:1–17 that on his second missionary journey, Paul comes to Corinth from Athens, where he stays with fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla and preaches in the synagogue. When the Jews oppose him, he resolves to focus on the Gentiles. One night, Jesus appears to Paul in a vision and tells him to continue preaching without fear because He is with him and He has many people in the city who will protect him. Jesus’ promise comes to pass, as many people are converted during Paul’s eighteen-month stay there.
Paul previously wrote a letter to the Corinthian church (which has been lost) about Christians engaging in sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5:9). He writes 1 Corinthians, his second letter to the Corinthian believers, in response to reports from the household of a Corinthian woman named Chloe about problems facing the church. Various factions are following different teachers—Paul, Peter (Cephas), Apollos, and Christ Himself (1:12–13). Members are quarreling when they meet for the Lord’s Supper, some are suing others, and there is even a disturbing report of incest in the church.7 Paul also addresses questions from individuals named Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus on Christian marriage, food sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and fundraising for the Jerusalem church. While Paul’s letter to the Romans is a systematic theological treatise, this letter deals primarily with various ethical and practical issues downstream of theology that have arisen among the Corinthian congregants.8
The letter follows a fairly simple structure, with the first six chapters addressing issues raised by Chloe’s household and the last ten covering questions raised by certain Corinthians in a letter to Paul.9 It gives us a view of the problems of one first-century church, which aren’t much different than those facing churches today. Secular influences in the culture are challenging Christians, who are struggling with their sanctification. The spirit of the world seems to be prevailing over the Spirit of God, and Paul is determined to help them correct that.10 “The Church was in the world, as it had to be,” Leon Morris writes, “but the world was in the Church, as it ought not to be.”11 Paul strongly exhorts the members to live together in harmony as a Christian community united in mind and thought. They must rely on the Holy Spirit to live spiritual lives, grow in Christ, and resist the sordid lifestyle of the secular culture surrounding them. They should build up one another in Christ, especially encouraging the weak, and work together to advance the Gospel.
As we study this epistle, we should consider its relevance to problems of the modern Church and to issues facing Christians today in our predominantly secular culture. “It is in this epistle we get the clearest view of the actual difficulties encountered by Christianity in a heathen community,” argues Scottish minister and biblical scholar Marcus Dods. “We here see the religion of Christ confronted by the culture, and the vices, and the various social arrangements of paganism; we see the ferment and turmoil in its introduction … we see the principles on which we ourselves must proceed in solving the social and ecclesiastic difficulties that embarrass ourselves.”12
Paul identifies himself as an apostle and mentions his colleague Sosthenes, a former leader of the Corinthian synagogue who became a Christian (Acts 18:12–17) and is probably acting as Paul’s secretary or scrivener. They address the letter to the Corinthian church and to all others who call upon the name of the Lord—the only opening greeting in any of Paul’s epistles that addresses all believers.13 He thanks God for the grace He provided to the Corinthians in Christ and through which they learned about the Gospel. He is grateful these gifts will sustain them until Christ returns, when they will be without guilt because of their justification through faith in Him.
Chloe’s people have reported to Paul that church members are quarreling over which leaders to follow and have split into factions. He beseeches them in Jesus’ name to unify in Christ—the One who died for their sins and in Whose name they were baptized. Paul baptized a few of them, but Christ did not commission him primarily to baptize—he was meant to preach the Gospel and “not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
Paul is not diminishing the importance of baptism (see Romans 6:3–7),14 but simply saying his own gifts are preaching and teaching. Since Paul’s overwhelming focus is on bringing the Gospel and salvation to people, it’s fair to say he’s implying that water baptism is unnecessary for salvation. That teaching is clear throughout his letters, as he always emphasizes that salvation is by faith in Christ alone. Neither is he criticizing elegant speech. He knows the Greeks greatly admire rhetoric and philosophy and are attracted by clever arguments, but Paul is arguing that content is more important. The Gospel message must not be overshadowed by fancy wordsmithing, lest the message of Christ crucified be robbed of its saving power. Philosophical speculations about God are moot because we have God’s special revelation in Jesus Christ. As Solomon proclaimed, “A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him?” (Eccles. 10:14) Christians, then, must savor God’s revelation.
Paul then expands on his countercultural argument.15 The message of Christ’s crucifixion is “folly to those who are perishing,” but is the “power of God” to those who are saved by it. This “message of the Cross,” explains David K. Lowery, “cuts to the heart of self-centeredness. Paul saw it as central to salvation which he understood to be a process begun by justification, advanced by sanctification, and climaxed in glorification.”16
Justification is God’s declaration of a sinner’s righteousness when he is saved through faith in Jesus Christ and Christ’s righteousness is imputed to him.17 It does not mean the believer becomes righteous, but that he is acquitted before God as righteous because he has placed his faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.18 Once a sinner is justified, which occurs at the instant he places his faith in Christ, he is freed from the penalty of sin—death. He is regenerated, or given a new birth in Christ (John 3:3–15). At the point of justification, or conversion, the believer is freed also from the power of sin as the process of sanctification begins. The Christian is no longer a slave to sin (Romans 6:6), but is empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit to resist it, though it will be a daily struggle.
Sanctification, then, is the process whereby the believer becomes holier and more Christ-like through the power of the Holy Spirit.19 Sanctification is a life-long process that is never completed this side of eternity; but when the believer meets Christ face to face, he will be glorified (Romans 8:29–30; cf. Eph. 1:13–14) and freed from the presence of sin.20 “In glorification,” writes Millard Erickson, “the individual will also be perfected, morally and spiritually” (Col. 1:22).21
In saying that the cross is folly to those who are perishing but the power of God to those being saved, Paul is echoing the Old Testament teaching that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and thwart the discernment of the discerning (cf. Isa. 29:14; Job 5:12, 13; Jer. 8:9; Matt. 11:25). “Where is the one who is wise?” asks Paul. “… Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” The world did not know God through its own “wisdom,” but pleased God to save those who believe in the “foolishness” of the Gospel. There is a distinct difference between worldly wisdom, detached from God’s revelation, and Spirit-infused wisdom. Man, with all his worldly wisdom, didn’t find God on his own.
The Jews demand signs and Gentiles seek wisdom (on their own power), continues Paul, but the apostles preach Christ crucified, which is a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles. As we’ve discussed, the Jews can’t accept that God would bring salvation through a man who was nailed to a cross—a fate the Roman authorities usually reserved for criminal slaves. How could such a man be the Lord and Savior of mankind?22 This idea was a stumbling block to Jews because they expected a conquering Messiah, not One who would die on a cross, for their Scripture taught that those who hang on a tree are cursed (Deut. 21:22–23; cf. Matt. 16:22; Gal. 3:13). The Gentiles coveted honor, esteem, and success, so the idea of salvation through belief in a Man who appeared to suffer a humiliating defeat on the cross struck them as pure foolishness.23 But to those who God calls and who are saved through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, the Gospel message is the fulsome power and wisdom of God. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
So much in the Bible strikes the scoffer as sheer silliness. But if the Bible is just nonsense written by ancient fools, how does it so accurately capture human nature across the ages? Puffed up with pride, skeptics are blind to God’s truth and wisdom. This theme is evident throughout Scripture: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1); “The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth” (Prov. 17:24); and “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered” (Prov. 28:26).
God chose to save people the world considers foolish—not powerful or noble people, but seemingly insignificant ones. He did this, says Paul, to shame those who are wise in their own eyes and according to worldly standards. Again, the wisdom of Proverbs is illuminating: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (12:15); “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (26:12).
God chose the weak and lowly to shame the strong and proud so that no one would boast in the presence of God. But He revealed Himself through Jesus Christ, Who became wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption for those who have faith in Him. Thus any boasting must be done in the Lord (cf. Jer. 9:24). Wisdom comes from God, and it inheres in Jesus Christ, through Whom believers become wise. United to Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we acquire spiritual wisdom to know God.24 Through Christ, our hearts are enlightened that we may know the hope to which He has called us (Eph. 1:18).
Paul is saying God calls to salvation people the world considers insignificant, to remove any basis for human pride.25 God’s saving work in Christ directly contradicts human notions of wisdom and power, achieving what human wisdom and power cannot.26 It shows man’s impotence and hopelessness without God, and the necessity of relying on Him through trust in Christ. God’s election of ordinary, humble people excludes boasting in one’s ancestry or achievement.27
Paul is simply following the teachings of Jesus, Who often turned conventional wisdom on its head. He shamed the strong by valuing things the world considers weak. He exposed men’s distorted values, such as when He dined with sinners (Matt. 9:11) and when He regarded the small offering of the poor widow to be more valuable than the offering of a rich man (Luke 21:1–4). Another example is found in the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:16–24), in which Jesus treated the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame rather than the privileged as the invited guests. “So the last will be first,” said Jesus, “and the first last” (Matt. 20:16).28 This paradoxical elevation of the poor and reversal of human status is also foretold in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 2:1–8: Isaiah 61:1–1).29 The overarching theme is that God’s choice of individuals for his kingdom reflects the message of the cross. Both preclude human boasting and confound human wisdom.30 People do nothing to deserve their own salvation, so believers may only boast in the Lord, not in their own achievements.
Now that Paul has established the superiority of God’s wisdom over man’s, he shows how he applied that principle to his own ministry. When he came to the Corinthians, he didn’t attempt to dazzle them with lofty speech or wisdom, but preached only Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul came to them when he was weak, after being mocked, beaten, and imprisoned. Through that weakness, he relates to his audience and is empowered by God’s grace. His personal bearing mirrors his message, which is targeted to the weak.31 Paul uses the same approach everywhere he presents the message (cf. 1 Thess. 2:1–10; Gal. 1:10).
Paul is denouncing sophism—rhetoric that elevates form over substance. He doesn’t employ polemical arguments to win praise for his eloquence. He is by no means anti-intellectual, as is clear from his logically sophisticated writings. “Paul constantly strove for wise argument,” observes English theologian Anthony Thiselton. “His respect for reason precludes any anti-intellectualism as such. His aim here is to expose the true basis and nature of Christian proclamation in contrast to the ‘self-presentation’ of the visiting sophist. Christian proclamation does not allow for high-sounding rhetoric or a display of cleverness which could impede the gospel by putting first what pleases the audience and the personal ‘style” of the speaker.”32
Indeed, Paul realizes it’s an affront to the Gospel and to his own message if in delivering the Good News he draws attention to himself and away from his teachings. “The gospel always points beyond humans to God and Christ,” says Professor David Garland, “and becomes garbled whenever humans exploit it instead to headline themselves as stars.”33 Paul’s goal is to focus his audience on the message of the Gospel, which speaks for itself because it’s infused with God’s power and wisdom. It is not man’s persuasive skills that change hearts, but the living Word of God as revealed by the Spirit. Faith must be grounded in God’s power, not in man’s wisdom. The Gospel is God’s wisdom, and it’s the implicit answer to Job’s question, “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living” (Job 28:12).34 Job cannot grasp God’s ways, but wisdom is ultimately found in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30; Col. 2:3).35
Though Paul presents a message that doesn’t sound wise to the world, mature and discerning believers recognize it as wisdom. This wisdom—the salvation of man through faith in Jesus Christ—has been God’s secret plan from the beginning (Eph. 1:4), which he has now chosen to reveal. This wisdom is lost on the world’s rulers; otherwise they wouldn’t have crucified Christ. Paul is not suggesting this mystery is beyond human comprehension, but that man can only grasp spiritual truths with the benefit of God’s revelation, and that revelation has now been given.36
Indeed, the Spirit searches the depths of God’s wisdom and reveals this mystery to those charged with spreading the Gospel message. Their revelations come from the Spirit, not from men or human wisdom, and they can interpret and impart spiritual truths to others who are also spiritual. The psalmist beseeches God, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18; cf. Deut. 29:29; John 5:37–40). Those who are not of the Spirit and lack spiritual discernment cannot comprehend these truths, so they reject them as foolishness. Nonbelievers cannot discern the value of these teachings; only those who have the mind of Christ can grasp them. So even the believer doesn’t comprehend these spiritual truths on his own; it is through the clarifying power of the Spirit that he acquires the mind of Christ and thereby can comprehend them.
The Old Testament provides insight on these issues. In the Book of Job, Zophar asks, “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?” (11:7–8). Paul essentially answers these questions by quoting the prophet Isaiah: “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” (Isaiah 40:13). “But,” writes Paul, “we have the mind of Christ.”37 The New Living Transition is a little clearer here: “But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16).
What does Paul mean by “the mind of Christ?” While Job and Isaiah are obviously correct that no one can fathom the depths of God’s mind, we do have the mind of Christ in the sense that Christians have the Holy Spirit, Who clarifies spiritual truths to us. Those united to Christ in faith have God’s wisdom, embodied in Christ’s crucifixion. Believers understand the meaning of the cross and its necessity for mankind’s salvation.38 “The expression, mind of Christ,” writes Wendell Willis, “signifies the believer’s knowing Christ through the working of the Spirit and the appropriation of the Gospel message.”39 Possessing the mind of Christ means that believers will have their outlook shaped by an awareness of Him.40 Willis argues that a passage from Paul’s epistle to the Philippians further clarifies what Paul means by the “mind of Christ.” Here Paul is describing what I would consider Christ’s mindset (His attitude of humility, obedience, and selfless service) rather than His mind, but Willis makes a valid point. Paul writes:
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philip. 2:1–11).
When Paul tells the Corinthians they have “the mind of Christ,” he means they share Christ’s comprehension of the meaning of the resurrection. But it seems reasonable to infer that he’s also encouraging them to adopt Christ’s attitude of humble selflessness in their interactions with one another, to avoid the destructive divisions plaguing their church.41
Paul tells the brothers he couldn’t address them as spiritual people at first because they were new believers—merely “infants in Christ.” As Christians, they had the Holy Spirit, but they were not acting like it. Some today consider such people “carnal Christians”—those immature in their faith. Others believe that term is an oxymoron and deny such people are authentically Christian at all. Paul himself, however, clearly views these congregants as fellow Christian “brothers.”42 “The carnal Christian is regenerated but is carnal and spiritually imperfect, retarded in his development,” explains A. W. Tozer. “They have never developed into a mature, functioning Christian. They are where they were when they were saved.”43
Tozer admits he knows of no single experience that would instantly transform a carnal Christian into a spiritual Christian. But he would advise such a person to let the Spirit teach him, discipline him, mature him, grow big within him, and walk within him. He “must learn by trial and error and prayer and repentance and fears and trials of heart.” He must believe in the power of God to fill him with His spirit and lead him away from self-centeredness and into love for God and the entire world. He must pray for God to transform him into a mature Christian, and grow in grace and the knowledge and character of Jesus Christ.44 Carnal Christians must practice the spiritual disciplines and earnestly seek to be filled with the Spirit.
Paul feeds these immature Christians “milk” rather than “solid food,” which they are not yet ready to ingest. Mildly rebuking them, he says they’re still not ready for solid food because they’re embroiled in conflict, jealousy, and strife—things of the flesh. Pointing to certain biblical passages (Heb. 5:11–14; cf.1 Peter 2:2), some commentators believe Paul’s metaphor describes the difference between elementary and advanced teaching.45 Others disagree, arguing that the Corinthians’ immaturity is not due to a lack of knowledge since Paul correctly taught them the Gospel. The true contrast, they say, is not between elementary and advanced Christian doctrine but between the “the true food of the Gospel … (whether milk or meat) and the synthetic substitutes which the Corinthians have preferred.”46 Gordon Fee agrees that Paul’s point is not that they should progress into deeper teaching “but that they abandon their present ‘childish’ behavior altogether so that they may appreciate the ‘milk’ for what it is, ‘solid food.’ … Thus the Corinthians do not need a change in diet but a change in perspective.”47
Paul next frames his teachings around three metaphors for the Church: the Church as God’s field (3:5–9), as God’s building (3:10–15), and as God’s temple (3:16–17). In these passages, he is not addressing the spiritual lives of individual believers but the corporate church community as a whole.48 This makes sense, because Paul’s letter mostly deals with problems in the church community. This entire section is a powerful statement on the fundamental importance of local churches in the body of Christ.
The brothers, says Paul, must not proudly claim to be followers of some human leader such as Apollos or Paul himself. As important as the apostles are as God’s messengers, they are just messengers. This is not about them but about God’s church and the Gospel message. They should not put leaders on a pedestal and proudly identify with them as heads of competing factions. Such misguided rivalry can undermine the unity of the church and God’s plan for spreading the Gospel.49 Yes, Paul planted the seed in their hearts and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow—they would have been powerless to do any of this without God, so all the credit goes to Him. As the psalmist writes, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Paul, Apollos, and other workers for Christ will be rewarded for their efforts.
Shifting metaphors from farming to construction, Paul says that he and Apollos are God’s fellow workers (not coworkers with God, but fellow workers under God’s authority),50 and that church members are God’s field—His building. Through God’s grace, Paul laid a foundation like a skilled master builder and now someone else is building upon it. But other builders must be careful, for Jesus Christ (and His crucifixion) is the only foundation. That is, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul established the church on a solid foundation of Jesus Christ, and now the work has been taken over by other builders (ministers) who must continue to preach salvation through faith in Christ, not false gospels.
Those builders (preachers, teachers, and other Church leaders) may add different types of materials—gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw—but eventually, the value of their work will be revealed. Those who made lasting additions to the building will be rewarded. If anyone’s work is burned up, however, he will suffer, but he’ll still be saved—though just barely. The ministers and other teachers who use the valuable materials (gold, silver, and precious stones) are obediently teaching sound doctrine that will endure and survive,51 but those who contribute the worthless materials—wood, hay, and straw—are introducing false teachings or other improper influences. Their work will not strengthen the church and won’t endure. The fire of God’s judgment will expose the poor quality of their workmanship and their inferior materials.52
In discussing rewards and punishments, Paul is not teaching works-based salvation but is saying that God will reward people for their commendable work (cf. Matt. 5:12; 1 Cor. 9:15–18, 23, 27; Romans 2:6–10; Philip. 2:16). Even the incompetent workers in this analogy, however, do not lose their salvation. They will be saved, but it will be like a burning stick snatched from the fire (cf. Amos 4:11).53 They will not receive the same reward as those who perform faithfully and competently.54 “This should inspire all Christians to take more thorough care how we are building,” contends David Prior. “Yet, whatever the extent of loss we shall suffer, nothing in the eternal justice of that fire can tear us away from the love of God or from his salvation. . . . No amount of wood, hay, straw and other such rubbish can put us back on the downward spiral to eternal destruction.”55
Paul now turns to a third metaphor—God’s temple. This does not refer to the Temple building itself but to the community of God’s people.56 Rather than a hierarchical institution, Paul depicts the Church as a tight-knit community of people in a particular town or city.57 The Corinthian church, like all local churches, is God’s temple. God’s Spirit dwells in it, so if anyone destroys it, God will destroy him—for God’s temple is holy. Those who harm God’s people are offending God,58 just as surely as Christ told Paul on the Damascus Road that in persecuting the Church Paul was actually persecuting Him. Although later in this letter Paul teaches that the Spirit dwells in the individual Christian (6:19; cf. John 2:21), here he is talking about the Spirit dwelling in the gathered community of God’s people—the local church, which he calls the temple.59 This is a remarkable statement, considering Paul’s background as a Pharisaic Jew who had such abiding reverence for the singular Temple in Jerusalem. But Paul is now a converted Christian who teaches that God’s temple is the local church (and the bodies of individual believers) in which the Holy Spirit dwells. “In order to grasp the full audacity of this claim,” writes Richard Hays, “we must remember that when Paul wrote to the Corinthians the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing and active. . . . The Spirit of God no longer can be localized in a sacred building: it is to be found in the gathered community of God’s elect people in Christ.”60
The driving thread throughout this section is that the local church—the Christian community—is indispensable. Christian relationships are vital. We are made in God’s image, and God is a Triune God Who is relational by nature. Some say they don’t need church because their relationship with God is personal, and they can study and worship on their own. While it’s true that our relationship with God is one-on-one, the Bible teaches us to worship together, build up one another, help one another to learn, and hold one another to account. For Christians, there is strength in numbers (cf. Matt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 5:4). Being a Christian is not only about our individual relationship with God but being a part of the body of Christ.61
Paul says those who consider themselves wise are deluded, and they should become fools for Christ. That’s because they’re only concerned with worldly wisdom—but apart from God, worldly wisdom is foolishness. This sentiment is found throughout the Bible: God “catches the wise in their own craftiness” (Job 5:13), and “the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile” (Psalm 94:11). No one, therefore, should boast about following certain spiritual leaders. “For all things are yours,” writes Paul, “whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.” Gordon Fee clarifies, “These five items, ‘the world, life, death, the present, and the future,’ are the ultimate tyrannies of human existence, to which people are in lifelong bondage as slaves.”62
Yet all these things belong to believers because Christ has liberated them from their bondage, and they are no longer slaves, but possessors.63 “For those in Christ Jesus,” says Fee, “what things were formerly tyrannies are now their new birthright. This is the glorious freedom of the children of God. They are free lords of all things, not bound to the whims of chance or the exigencies of life and death. The future is no cause for panic; it is already theirs.”64 So Paul urges them to expand their perspective—they don’t belong to this leader or that; they are no longer subject to eternal death, but through Christ they are free and, in a sense, in possession of all these things.
Paul and his colleagues are Christ’s servants who have been entrusted with explaining God’s mysteries. Such stewards must be faithful and careful with their sacred calling, as they are presenting God’s life-giving Gospel to the people. Bible teachers are held to a higher standard, as their knowledge makes them responsible both for what they teach and how they live (cf. James 3:1).65
As a teacher and steward of the Gospel, Paul isn’t concerned with the judgment of other people. Unaware of any shortcomings in his own stewardship, he has a clear conscience, but God will be his judge. Paul isn’t suggesting he’s superior to others; he is setting forth a general principle: people should not be quick to judge others because God knows our hearts and secret motives.66 He will be our judge, and will praise those entitled to it. The Bible consistently teaches that through our faith, obedience, and service, we should seek God’s praise rather than man’s (John 8:29; 2 Cor. 5:9; Gal. 6:8; Eph. 5:10; Col. 1:9–10; 1 Thess. 2:4, 4:1; Heb. 11:6).67
Christ’s teachings confirm that we will not be judged based on our actions alone but also on our hearts (Matt. 10: 26–33; Mark 4: 22; Luke 8: 17; 12:2–3; Romans 2:16). Again, Paul is not teaching salvation by works, but reiterating that God will reward believers who obediently do His will, as shown by the parable of the talents in which Jesus commends the good and faithful servant (Matt. 25:21, 23).68
Paul has used himself and Apollos as examples to illustrate that the Corinthians must not disregard scriptural admonitions against elevating any of their leaders above the others, because they all derive their power and authority from God. Paul has richly earned credibility in advising them to honor Scripture, as he has repeatedly invoked Scripture to support his teachings (cf. Isaiah 29:14 [1 Cor. 1:19]; Jeremiah 9:22–23 [1 Cor. 1:31]; Isaiah 64:4 [1 Cor. 2:9]; Job 5:13 [1 Cor. 3:19]; and Psalm 94:11 [1 Cor. 3:20]).69 Indeed, scripture must always be our truth north, and we must rely on it for God’s wisdom and guidance.
If Paul and Apollos have no special authority, gifts, or abilities apart from God, the Corinthian brothers certainly don’t either. Any gift they possess they received from God, so they must not boast about it. Sadly, however, the Corinthians are behaving as though they are self-sufficient, spiritually rich, and no longer in need of Paul’s advice. Paul tells them, sarcastically, that he wishes he had their gifts and could operate at their level of spiritual maturity.
God has put Paul and his missionaries on display like men sentenced to death; they have become a spectacle to the world—to angels and to people—which is the price they must pay for preaching the Gospel. Unlike the self-satisfied Corinthians who appear wise and strong in Christ and are esteemed by the world, they have been fools for Christ’s sake (having allowed themselves to look foolish to the pagan world) and held in disrepute. While the Corinthian brothers enjoy counterfeit esteem, Paul and company are hungry and thirsty, poorly dressed, brutally mistreated, and homeless. They support themselves by working with their hands. When they are cursed, they bless; when persecuted, they endure; when slandered, they respond with kindness. They are treated like trash. Paul is hardly complaining at his plight, however. He is honored to suffer for Christ’s sake, so that his boasting can be in Christ. He willingly endures persecution to share God’s Word, which leads to eternal life (John 20:31; 1 John 5:13).
Paul seeks not to shame the brothers but to lovingly warn them as his children (cf. 2 Cor. 6:13; Gal 4:19; 1 Thess. 2:11; 3 John 4). While many people try to teach them in Christ, they don’t have many fathers. But Paul is their spiritual father who established their church and taught them the Gospel. As such, they should imitate him, and so he sent Timothy to remind them of how Paul follows Jesus and models Christ in every church he establishes. Paul is not boasting of his own spiritual maturity, stressing his humility throughout his letter and elsewhere admitting his sinfulness (1 Tim. 1:12–16). But he’s been bold for Christ, and he’s urging them to do the same instead of growing complacent in their smug self-satisfaction. He delivers the same message to every church. All must preach Christ and Christ alone—the cross, the Resurrection, and salvation by faith alone. It must never be about the leaders, preachers, and teachers, but always about Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death, and His supreme and perfect love.
Some of the brothers are arrogant, thinking Paul will never visit them again and hold them to account so they can continue as masters of their own universe. To the contrary, Lord willing, he will soon visit them and determine whether they are all talk or acting in God’s power. Is God reigning in the life of the church? Is His power working through the leaders as it should be? The kingdom of God consists not in talk but in God’s power. Christ warned, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ ” (Matt. 7:21–23).70 The Corinthians must choose whether Paul should come with a punishing rod or with love in a spirit of gentleness.
Paul has heard reports of sexual immorality among the congregants even worse than among the pagans, such as a man having relations with his stepmother. Jewish laws prohibit such behavior (Lev. 18:8; 20:11) as does Roman law, according to Cicero.71 Instead of being arrogant, Paul warns, they should be sorrowful and expel the offender from the church. Though Paul is not physically with them, he is there in spirit and has already pronounced judgment on the man. He instructs them to assemble, expel the person, and deliver him to Satan for destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may be saved when Jesus returns. Here we are reminded of the Apostle John’s words, “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
Paul’s recommendation may seem harsh, but it’s designed to restore order in the church and to encourage the offender to come to repentance and salvation. Paul’s grace is always present, as shown in his instructions to the Galatians: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. . . . Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1, 2). Paul’s main purpose in turning this sinner over to Satan, argues Craig Blomberg, “clearly remains remedial.”72
The Corinthians’ boasting is wrong; they should understand that a little leaven spreads through the whole lump. They tolerate the sinner’s behavior at their own peril, for this type of unchecked behavior can infect the entire church. They must cleanse the old leaven—remove the offender—and purify the body. Scripture teaches that God purifies what is unholy and preserves the holiness of the Church. He ordered the Israelites to remove the depraved Canaanites completely from the land, He limited access to Holy sections of the Temple, and He insisted in the purity of the sacrifices, foreshadowing Christ and the Passover lamb. Now Jesus Christ—the Passover lamb—has been sacrificed so they could celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Once they remove the sinner, the church will consist of God’s people—a new lump—who have been made holy through faith in Jesus Christ. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb protected the Israelites from God’s destruction (Exodus 12:23), Jesus takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29) and protects believers from destruction.73
In a previous letter, Paul had commanded the Corinthians not to associate with fellow Christians who engage in sexual sins, greed, idolatry, drunkenness, abusiveness, or cheating. They mustn’t even eat with such people. Paul is not interested in them judging the unbelievers, but they must judge the church members and purge evil people from their ranks.
Paul is making careful distinctions. He is not forbidding Christians to engage with unbelievers, for to do that they “would need to go out of the world.” Instead, he is commanding them to purge habitual sinners (cf. 2 Thess. 3:15) from the church.74 His consistent theme in this letter is the spiritual vitality of the church, which must exhibit holiness. He is not saying that only sinless people can remain in the church, for we are all sinners.75 He has in mind self-professed Christians who sin persistently and intentionally (1 John 3:9; 5:18). It’s one thing for a church to accommodate believers who struggle with sins and repent. It’s another for it to allow an openly defiant sinner to remain and corrupt the church from within. Believers must pledge obedience to Christ, and the church must discipline those who rebel and live in disobedience.76 To tolerate this behavior is good for neither the persistent sinner nor the church community.
Paul counsels that the Corinthians shouldn’t settle disputes with fellow believers in secular courts. Since the saints will judge the world, shouldn’t they be equipped to resolve these trivial disputes among themselves? Paul is not contradicting his statement in Chapter 5 that the church shouldn’t judge nonbelievers, but is saying when God imposes His judgment in the future, His people will be part of that process (Dan. 7:22; Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30; Rev. 3:21; 20:4).77 Paul’s admonition here should probably not be interpreted too broadly. It surely applies only to civil and not criminal litigation, and most likely concerns disputes among members of the same local church. Regardless, the stated principle is always the preferred path: believers should always try to settle disputes among themselves and turn to litigation only as a last resort.78
The church is in its beginning phase, Paul says. How would it look for petty, quarreling believers to air their dirty laundry before unbelievers and ask them to decide their disputes? Would that attract non-Christians to the church? Since believers are to judge angels, shouldn’t we be even more equipped to resolve disputes between fellow human beings? With that last, cryptic question, Paul probably means that believers will judge angels when believers join with Christ in the future judgment, for Scripture teaches that angels will be judged (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Rev. 19:19–20; 20:10). After all, Satan is a fallen angel (see Ezek. 28:12–18; Isaiah 14:12–14; Rev. 12:4; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:9).79
If believers will possess such authority, why would they submit their disputes to unbelievers? They should be ashamed if they can find no believer wise enough to decide their disputes. They are already failing if they sue one another. It would be better to suffer an injustice than to besmirch the church with this poor example. Instead, they are defrauding and committing other wrongs against fellow believers.80
The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, nor will the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, practitioners of homosexuality, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, abusers, or swindlers. Though some of the brothers were once guilty of these things, they have now been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God. Again, Paul is contrasting believers with unbelievers. The latter will not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who habitually, intentionally, and remorselessly sin are probably not believers. “Paul’s purpose here is not to give a list of sins that will indicate one has lost his salvation,” argues John MacArthur. “There are no such sins. He is rather giving a catalog of sinners who are typical of the unsaved.”81 Accordingly, believers shouldn’t live like non-Christians who continue to sin in disobedience. They mustn’t succumb to the temptations of the flesh, allow their sin nature to dominate, or take on the appearance of the unbeliever.82
Paul cites a statement the Corinthians invoke to justify living licentiously: “All things are lawful for me.” It could be that the believers misinterpret the teaching that our sins are forgiven to mean they can sin without consequence. Though Paul addresses this more directly in Romans 6:1–14, for now he simply says that regardless of what things are allowed, not all things are helpful, and no one should become a slave to these things.
Paul cites another statement the brothers have adopted: “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food.” Perhaps they believe that because eating is merely physical and will not affect one’s spiritual life, the same would apply to sexual immorality. Paul squarely disabuses them of this error. He acknowledges that eating is temporal but disputes that everything involving the body is only of temporal importance.83 The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord is meant for the body. God raised the Lord, and He will also raise us.
Are the brothers unaware that their bodies are members of Christ? Why, then, would they unite them with a prostitute? Never! They must understand that one who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her—as the Scriptures say that the two will become one flesh. But the person who is joined to Christ becomes one spirit with Him. Since Christians are members of Christ, a Christian’s sexual intercourse with a prostitute effectively unites the members of Christ with that prostitute.84 They must disavow sexual immorality. Every other sin is outside the body, but sexually immoral acts are sins against one’s own body.
But how can Paul say that other sins such as gluttony, drunkenness, self-mutilation, and suicide are not against the body? He means that sexually immoral sin “strikes at the very roots of our being,” says Leon Morris. “He does not say that it is the most serious of all sins, but that its relation to the body is unique. This sin involves the body in a far more intimate way. Other sins may have effects on the body, but this sin, and this sin only, means that a man takes that body that is ‘a member of Christ’ and puts it into a union which ‘blasts his own body.’ … The sexual sinner sins against his own body.”85 This sin (fornication), says Alan Johnson, “is done inwardly, in the body, not outside it like other sins.”86 The body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Whom they have from God. Their bodies do not belong to them because they were purchased with a price, so they must be used to glorify God.
Paul now turns to the issues the Corinthians wrote him about, beginning with sexual relations. We’ve already noted that Corinth is a hotbed of sexual immorality and prostitution. This is probably why the church needs special instruction on marriage and sexual relations. Apparently, some are advocating complete abstinence even among married couples, believing that all sexual relations are wrong. Others are counseling divorce and separation to avoid sexual temptation.87
Some commentators claim Paul advocates celibacy for Christians—as certain Corinthian congregants evidently believe—but most scholars disagree.88 In verse 6:16, he approvingly quotes Genesis 2:24, stipulating that man and woman should become one flesh, and he disapprovingly cites the deceitful spirits’ and demons’ opposition to marriage in 1 Timothy 4:3. In the next verse in 1 Timothy, Paul affirms that everything God created is good, and he has already acknowledged that God created marriage (Gen. 2:24). Further, God instituted marriage when He declared, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Gen. 2:18). God also commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28), and marriage was instituted, in part, for procreation.89
Paul acknowledges the Corinthians’ statement that it’s good for a man to remain single and not to have sexual relations with a woman. Because we are tempted, however, men and women should be married and have relations exclusively with each other. Paul is probably saying that singleness is good and honorable for those who choose it, but it’s not more noble or spiritual than marriage.90
While abstinence is good for single people, it’s not for married people, who mustn’t deprive their spouses of sexual pleasure, lest they be tempted to infidelity. “The underlying assumption,” says D. F. Wright, “is that by divine appointment marriage and sexual relations go together, as do singleness and abstinence from sex.”91
Marriage is good for the reasons already stated, but it’s also important in helping people avoid sexual immorality. “The implication is clear,” says Wright, “the satisfying of sexual desires is not wrong, and marriage is its appointed setting. . . . Moreover, sex is not a dispensable dimension of marriage; like responsible love and respect, it is one of the mutual obligations of husband to wife and wife to husband.”92
Paul teaches that the husband has authority over his wife’s body, and the wife has authority over her husband’s. They must not deprive each other of sexual relations other than for limited times as mutually agreed for prayer—otherwise Satan will tempt them because of their lack of self-control. In marriage, the two are one flesh, and their respective rights over each other’s body inheres in the relationship. They belong to each other and have mutual responsibilities.93 Each spouse has a duty to satisfy the other’s sexual desires and to abstain from sexual relations with anyone else. I think Gordon Fee’s interpretation accurately describes the spouses’ reciprocal duties: “Paul’s emphasis, it must be noted, is not on ‘You owe me,’ but on ‘I owe you.’ ”94 Having authority over the spouse’s body does not mean “possessing” the other’s body, but that a spouse does not have total authority over his or her own body exclusive of the other spouse. A spouse doesn’t have a right to sexually control the other, but he does have a duty not to deprive her.95
Paul wishes that all were single like he is, but recognizes that each has his own gift from God, probably meaning that some have the gift of celibacy and others of marriage.96 He says it would be good for single people and widows to remain single, unless they can’t exercise self-control—in which case, they should marry rather than to burn with temptation. God says that wives should not separate from their husbands, but if they do, they should remain unmarried unless they reconcile with their husbands. Likewise, husbands should not divorce their wives.
In Paul’s opinion (and this is not a command from God), if any believers are married to unbelievers and the unbelievers agree to live with them, they should not divorce them. The believing spouse makes the unbelieving spouse holy as well as their children. This doesn’t mean that an unbelieving spouse will automatically become a believer if married to one, or that the children automatically become Christians. As the adage goes, God has no grandchildren—being a Christian is a choice for each individual to make for himself by trusting in Christ as his or her Savior. It means that a believer in the home sets the home apart and infuses it with a Christian influence.97 As Christian parents, we mustn’t underestimate the importance of Bible reading and prayer in the home, and of striving to model Christ-like behavior for our kids.
If, however, the unbelieving spouse separates, the believer is liberated from the other because God has called him or her to live in peace. But if the unbelieving spouse stays with the believer, the latter should remain as well, because the believer’s influence might eventually lead to the belief (and salvation) of the other. The apostle Peter’s words are instructive here: “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct” (1 Peter 3:1–2).
The church should let each person remain in whatever situation God has placed him, continues Paul, because He has called them. This is Paul’s rule for all churches. Was anyone, he asks, already circumcised at the time he was called? If so, he shouldn’t try to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone uncircumcised when called? If so, he should not become circumcised. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything. What is important is that they keep God’s commandments. Each should remain in the condition he was in when called to faith.
Were they a slave at the time? If they were, and they can gain their liberty, they should do so; but if not, they must keep the eternal view in perspective. “Unfortunately, they might have to keep living as slaves,” writes Bruce Barton, “but they should serve Christ wholeheartedly in their position.”98 While slavery was common throughout the Roman Empire, converted slaves could at least gain solace that their Christian faith had freed them from the power of sin in their lives.99 Those who were free when they became believers are slaves of Christ. They were bought with a price and should not become slaves of the flesh and of worldly values. They should not try to please man, but keep their focus on Christ. Jesus is the great equalizer. Our social status isn’t what is important. Whether a person is enslaved or free, married or unmarried, Jew or Gentile at the time of his conversion, all are under the authority of Christ.100
Paul has no command from God concerning women who are not yet married, but as one who is trustworthy based on God’s grace to him, he advises people to remain as they are—either unmarried or married. This is consistent with his previous advice that they should remain in whatever condition they were in when God called them to faith. While it’s not a sin for single people to marry, they should be aware that they will have worldly troubles. As time is short, those who have wives should live as if they didn’t. Paul doesn’t mean they should ignore their spouses, but that their animating focus should be on Jesus Christ. Those who mourn, rejoice, buy things, or otherwise deal with the world should not be preoccupied with those things because the world is passing away. Paul wants the brothers to be free from worries. Unmarried men and women are anxious to please the Lord. But married people worry about how to please their spouses, and so their interests are divided. Paul is concerned with facilitating their undivided devotion to Christ.
Some infer that Paul is counseling singleness over marriage if possible but realizing that for many, it is not. To the contrary, as an obedient servant of God and an ardent adherent of Scripture, he endorses the institution of marriage but laments that marriage can cause anxiety and thus distract us from our primary purpose in life, which is to love God. Apparently operating under the assumption that Christ will return soon, he doesn’t seem to be as concerned about the procreation of humanity at this point. He urges people to center their lives on Christ. This means they should marry if by remaining single, their passions will lead them to sin and distract them from Christ. They should remain single if they have the gift of celibacy, because that is the optimum condition in which to focus on Christ. As a rule, they should remain in whatever state they are in—married, single, free, slave, circumcised, uncircumcised, etc.—because that will reduce stress and promote peace in their lives, both of which are conducive to Christ-directedness.
Again, we should not infer that Paul is endorsing slavery, but emphasizing freedom in Christ. In fact, Paul’s teachings often undermined slavery. For example, he encouraged Philemon to treat his slave Onesimus as “a beloved brother” (Philem. 16), thereby endorsing the intrinsic equality and dignity of all human beings.101 “There is no good reason to doubt that Paul supported the various means for emancipation of individual slaves that were available in the Greco-Roman world,” writes Walter Kaiser. “And yet, Paul’s emphasis in the entire chapter, as in the present passage, is his conviction that the most critical issue in human life and relations and institutions is the transformation of persons’ lives by God’s calling. External circumstances can neither take away from, nor add to, this reality.”102
Finally, Paul tells the Corinthians that if a person who is engaged is tempted to have sexual relations outside marriage, he should marry if he wants to, and it will be no sin. But if a person can remain unmarried and keep his passions under control, he will be even better off. Furthermore, a wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives, but if he dies she is free to remarry another believer. Paul confesses that he thinks she would be happier to remain unmarried—and he is saying this as someone who has the Holy Spirit.
For more New Testament teachings on marriage, the following Scriptures are instructive: John 2:1–11; Ephesians 5:21–33; 1 Timothy 5:14; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1–7.103
Paul next turns to the Corinthians’ question concerning food offered to idols. Should they eat or purchase at the market the remainders of animals that were offered in sacrifice to pagan gods? Pagan temples that offered these animals for sacrifice sometimes functioned as butcher shops or banquet halls and sold or served the remainders.104 Pagan neighbors and friends would also sometimes offer such food to Christians at a dinner.
Paul begins with the quote, “all of us possess knowledge,” remarking that this knowledge puffs people up, whereas love builds them up. This may be language from the Corinthians’ letter to Paul. Regardless, Paul uses it as a jumping off point to discuss the pitfalls of being proud of one’s knowledge. When a person is proud of his knowledge, he doesn’t know as much as he thinks. But if anyone loves God, God knows him. Self-indulgently showing off one’s knowledge can harm that person (because pride is an obstacle to a true relationship with God) and can be off-putting to others. People must be less focused on self and more on loving God, and this will lead to a greater love for their neighbors. We must not consider ourselves superior to those less knowledgeable. “In our salutary emphasis on truth and knowledge,” writes D. A. Carson, “we must never succumb to an intellectual arrogance that assigns a small importance to self-denying love for those who do not know as much.”105
There is only one God, and idols are not real. There may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth, but for us there is one God, the Father, from Whom are all things and for Whom we exist. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom are all things and through Whom we exist. But not everyone knows these things. Some believe idols are really gods, so when they eat food that was offered to idols, they believe they are worshipping real gods, and this bothers their consciences. But food itself is irrelevant to our relationship with God. Paul is not approving Christians’ participation in feasts dedicated to false, pagan gods while they claim to worship the true God (see Chapter 10)—that is forbidden. One must not eat food in a ceremony that inherently signifies the worship of a false god.106 In this chapter he is addressing a different matter—the propriety of eating the remainders of animals that have been offered to idols.
It doesn’t matter whether Christians eat food that’s been sacrificed to an idol, since they know the idol is nonexistent. But it might bother new Christian converts who worshipped idols in the past. If more mature Christians exercise their freedom to eat in an idol’s temple, a weaker Christian may follow their example and feel guilty for having eaten defiled food. The lesson is that we always must be sensitive to others and that believers should not impose an unnecessary obstacle to converts’ Christian faith. Paul explained it this way in his letter to the Romans: “Those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith” (14:23).
A Christian should never induce another Christian to sin. He must never use his superior knowledge to destroy another person for whom Christ died, for that is sinning against Christ. Accordingly, Paul says he will never eat food that will cause another Christian to stumble. Note that Paul isn’t saying that he or other strong Christians must give up their liberties. To the contrary, he’s saying that he is exercising his liberties in a manner that will best serve Christ. His voluntary choice is to make small sacrifices for a far greater cause. In the next chapter, Paul indicates he will go even further—he will actually give up his liberties to bring people to the Lord.
We’re halfway through Paul’s first epistle to the church at Corinth. He’s saved some of the most important chapters in the entire Bible for the second half, to which we now turn.