Introduction/Enriched in Every Way

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Welcome! Today we begin a new series on the first 12 chapters of II Corinthians. We will return, God willing, to the rest of II Corinthians early next year. What, you think I said something wrong? Well, not entirely. In Chapter 5 and Verse 9 of this book, Paul writes, “I wrote to you in my letter…” That is, the book we call I Corinthians is not the first thing Paul wrote to the people of Corinth. In fact, Bible scholars think there are actually at least four letters to Corinth. But so as to not confuse you any longer, I will refer to this letter as everyone else does and from here on call this I Corinthians.

We do only have two letters that Paul wrote to Corinth. What are we to make of that? I firmly believe that God is sovereign, that the Bible didn’t come to be the way it is and to contain the books it contains, by accident. For reasons that God knows, only two of Paul’s letters to Corinth have survived and made it into the canon of Scripture, into the New Testament. Perhaps the other books were repetitious, or perhaps they mostly contained instructions really only for that particular church at that time; we don’t know. If we trust God, we don’t need to know – we believe that He has provided us all that we need through the Scripture we have.

Now today’s message is in part an introduction and in part an exploration of the first 9 verses of I Corinthians. In terms of introduction, I want to talk about first about the book itself, including who wrote it and how it came to be written, and then I will talk about Corinth the city and the church in Corinth. With regards to the church, I won’t say much because I Corinthians itself will reveal to us the issues facing that church. We will look at this in the coming weeks as we go through the book.

I Corinthians was written by Paul. We know this because the very first word of I Corinthians is Paulos, which is Greek for Paul. Back in those times, people put their name as the very beginning of their letters. You may think that today we put our name at the end, but that is not entirely true. When you get a letter in the mail, what do you look for? The return address. This tells you who wrote it. And when receiving a text it is immediately clear who it is from, if it is from someone you know. The same goes for an email; the author’s name is the first thing you see. So things have not really changed after all!

So let me tell you how Paul came to be involved with Corinth. I can do this by summarizing Acts 16-18, which tells us about Paul’s second missionary journey. One of the stops was in Philippi. Here a number of people became believers because of Paul’s teaching including Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. In Philippi also Paul was hounded by a slave girl who shouted when he tried to preach. This girl was controlled by a demon. This went on and on until Paul finally commanded the demon to come out of her. It did, instantly, but this made her handlers very angry, because they were making money off of her “performances.”  They grabbed Paul and Silas and complained about them to the city officials. A mob formed, and the officials had Paul and Silas beaten with wooden rods and thrown into prison. To be sure they wouldn’t escape, they were put in the inner dungeon and had their feet clamped in the stocks. At midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing to God, a great earthquake occurred, and the prison doors were flung open. The jailor saw this and assumed his prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself; apparently this was a more desirable result than what would happen to him if his superiors were to punish him for letting them escape. But Paul stopped him, shared the gospel, and that night he and his entire family were saved and baptized. They were let go by the city officials the next day. Paul visited Lydia and presumably many of the believers in Philippi one last time, and left.

From Philippi, Paul went to Athens. It was in Athens that he gave his speech about the altar to an unknown God. While there, some of the intellectual snobs were unimpressed, but some other people became believers. This is laid out in Acts 17.

Following this, Paul went to Corinth. There he met the Jews Aquila and Priscilla who became believers, and stayed and worked with them. He first taught from the synagogue every Saturday, trying to convince Jews and Greeks about Christ. Silas and Timothy joined him and because of this Paul then had sufficient support so that he could preach full-time. Eventually the Jews opposed Paul and became “abusive,” a word used in Acts 18:6 that literally means blasphemous. Paul announced he was done with them and said he would from here on focus on the Gentiles.

Paul literally went next door, to the house of Titius Justus, and began to preach there. I find it wonderfully ironic that the leader of the synagogue, Crispus, listened and soon became a believer in Christ along with his whole family. Acts 18:8 says that many people became believers, and were baptized, and so a church, a body of believers, was birthed in Corinth.

Apparently, despite – or because – of this success, we can assume the Jews were more and more worked up about Paul and this new church, plotting various bad things against them. Scripture does not say this explicitly, but in verse 9 Jesus spoke to Paul in a dream and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to Me.” In response to this, Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, continuing to teach and build up the church.

When a new governor came into power, the Jews accused Paul of persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to their law. That’s partially true, by the way, if by “law” they meant the rules of the Pharisees. The governor threw them out of the courtroom, saying this had nothing to do with Roman law. The Jews then beat their leader of the synagogue, angry that they didn’t get their desired result. Paul did not stay much longer after that, but continued his missionary journey.

And so that is how the church in Corinth became founded and established.  The time frame here is that Paul came to Corinth most likely in the fall of AD 51. Bible scholars calculate Jesus died and rose from the grave either in AD 30 or AD 33, so these events take place about 20 years after that time.

Paul began his third missionary journey in the fall of AD 52, and during this journey stayed in Ephesus for almost three years, until AD 55. It was during this stay in Ephesus that Paul wrote I Corinthians. Many Bible scholars use Scripture to argue that the letter was written in AD 54. 

By the way, we did a series on 2 Corinthians back in 2010. The transcripts for that series can be found on the sermon archive on our website.

Let me now say a bit about the city of Corinth. Corinth is located on a narrow isthmus in Greece, on the Peloponnese peninsula. Because shipping lanes around the southernmost tip of Greece were very dangerous every winter, Corinth became a major trading center, as it was located along the land route of shortest length to get between the Ionian and Aegean seas.

The city really began to become built up around 700 BC. Like other Greek cities, temples were made to honor their gods and other public structures were built. Around 600 BC, under the reign of Periander, the first Corinthian coins were made. Periander also tried to cut across the isthmus to create a water passage between the two seas, but he had to abandon the effort due to the extreme difficulty of the task. Instead, he created the Diolkos, a remarkable paved trackway that was used to transport entire ships across land. Ships and other cargo were transported down this trackway on some kind of wheeled vehicle; we do not have details so the exact manner in which this was done is unknown. This trackway was used from 600 BC until about the middle of the first century AD, the time frame of I Corinthians. At this time another attempt was made to build a waterway, a canal, but again this effort was a failure. (A canal was begun again in 1881 and finally completed in 1893. Today it is too narrow to be of much practical use for modern ships, but it is a tourist destination.)

As a trading center, Corinth became quite wealthy. Around 580 BC Corinth established the Isthmian Games, and these were held both the year before and the year after the Olympic Games. (The remaining year, 2 years after the Olympic Games, featured the Pythian Games at Delphi.) These games continued through the time of I Corinthians and on until the late 300s AD.

Over time, Corinth became even more prosperous and rivaled Athens and Thebes in wealth. Corinth was also famous for its temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and for its 1000 or more temple prostitutes. To use these prostitutes was expected of businessmen and government officials; to not do so was to jeopardize your business or social standing. This was quite a hike, up a nearby mountain called the Acrocorinth. I have read that in Corinth, much like modern culture today, people often did not marry until about 30 years of age. A consequence was that the temple prostitutes were unfortunately especially popular among young people, the young professionals.

Did the Corinthians or other Greeks see such behavior as wrong? Actually, yes, they did, much like today people still know deep down that sex outside of marriage, drinking to get drunk, and so on, are wrong behaviors. But much like today, these things were not discussed; indeed it was seen as offensive to even bring such things up. There was an attitude then, much like now, that what you do is your own business; tolerance was a virtue, maybe even then, as now, the supreme virtue. But again, deep down, people knew something was wrong. Corinth had a reputation somewhat like Las Vegas – growing up in California, I heard again and again the saying that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Corinth had a similar reputation – we see this, for example, by some of the writings of the Greeks (you can feel them sneering) as they joked about the sailors and what they did while waiting for their ships and supplies to pass across the Diolkos. Of Corinth there was a saying that “It is not every man who can afford a journey to Corinth.” Acts of immorality even came to be called “corinthianizing”.

Corinth continued to prosper until 146 BC, when the Romans declared war on Greece. During that year, Corinth was captured by Roman forces, all of the men were killed, the women and children were sold into slavery, and the city itself was burned to the ground. The Romans took over the administration of the Games, which continued, but the city lay largely in ruins until a hundred years later, in 44 BC, when Julius Caesar re-founded the city shortly before he was assassinated. The Romans continued to build up the city in the following years, and it grew rapidly, again benefiting from its important location. Its old practices, including the temple prostitution, picked up again as if nothing had happened. As Corinth grew, it attracted large numbers of Greeks, Romans, and Jews. Many of the Romans were retired Roman soldiers who, in exchange for their service, were given citizenship and land around Corinth. Others were attracted to the location because of the flourishing trade and other business opportunities. By the time of I Corinthians, it had become the capitol city of the large province of Achaia.

And so as you can see, by the time of the New Testament, Corinth was a very modern city, but it had very ancient roots. These roots gave life to many of the old practices and beliefs of Corinth. The Greek gods were given Roman names, but the temple prostitution, the trading, the lack of moral standards, all of these things came back as Corinth came back to life. It was in this sin-filled city that the church of Corinth was born.

And so, with that introduction, let’s look at the first verses of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – I Cor. 1:1-3

Paul doesn’t hesitate to call himself an apostle. Some may wonder why he does this – is it boasting? I don’t think so. I believe it is to establish two things – which Paul he is, and also to establish his authority in what is to come in this letter. I am a Ph.D., although I rarely bring it up. Lots of people call me Mr. Baum and I don’t mind at all. But there are times on campus that I need to establish my authority. In email, my signature includes not only that I am a professor but that I am also the undergraduate coordinator for our department. I do this because without it I don’t have the authority established to request or change student records or do many other things that I do in this role. In what I think is something similar here, Paul is reminding the church of his authority, because in this letter he is going to do some things, point out problems of sin, that go against the culture of those times. He is going to be nosy. He is going to get personal. He is going to be blunt. He is going to say some things are actually wrong. He has the authority to do so because he is really an apostle of Christ Jesus and because it really is by the will of God.  If you remember Paul’s calling, Jesus quite dramatically called Paul out of a life of persecuting believers by knocking him to the ground and making him blind. He then called Paul to a life of sharing the truth, of testifying about the reality of Jesus and what He has done. 

Now as for Sosthenes – who is he? This is actually pretty interesting. There is a Sosthenes mentioned in Acts 18, the chapter that describes Paul’s time in Corinth. The Sosthenes there is the ruler who was beaten by his fellow Jews for his failed plan at getting Paul arrested for sharing his faith. Could it be that this is the same person? Could it be that after this incident Sosthenes himself became a believer? If so, I am sure that he and Paul would have gotten along great, given their common background as former persecutors of Christians! We don’t know for sure this is the same person, but I like to think so.

Now I love how Paul first says “to the church of God in Corinth” and he then defines what he means. A church is not a building. A church is not really an organization, or an association, either. Church is people. Specifically, church is people who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people. The Greek word for sanctified is hagiazo – it means separated from profane things and dedicated to God. It means purified, cleansed, free from guilt. It means to be holy. The Greek for “called to be holy people” has the same root word! We are holy and called to be holy. That’s not a contradiction. We are made free from sin and told to sin no more. That is what the church is to be! That is who we are! We are holy people, made holy by the blood of Christ, and we are people called to be holy, to walk with Christ in holiness, to abide in Him who can help us remain holy. We are cleansed but we are called to be clean. We are purified but we are called to be pure. That doesn’t mean we will never sin, of course we will sin, but we repent, ask God to forgive us, turn from that sin, and continue again in the path of righteousness, with Him helping us every step of the way. That is what the church, the ekklesia, literally the called-out ones, really are.

This is profound. It was especially profound for the Corinthians, with all of their sin problems, to hear. It is especially profound for us, as we live in a culture that is affecting and infecting us much like the Corinthian culture was affecting and infecting them. We need to hear this and believe this.

Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, expands the scope of his letter to include all believers everywhere and “everywhen.” That’s us, not just by analogy. This letter is written to Clemson Community Church, to those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you called on His name? Then this letter is written to you!

But it is also written to the Baptist church down the road, the Lutheran church, the Presbyterian church, the Methodist church, the Assembly of God church, the nondenominational church, the megachurch, the house church, to all who call on His name. We are all churches, but we are also all the church. We have differences in secondary doctrines, in some practices, but we are unified by the most important thing of all, that we are those who call on His name. Just as Paul speaks of the local church and the church universal in the same breath, we are to always have both in mind. God speaks to the church universal, but He also speaks to the church local. He helps the church local, but He also helps the church universal. He is the lead pastor of our church and He is the lead pastor of the global church. Praise God!

And Paul’s opening message? Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul uses this phrase in multiple letters. It is really a pronouncement of blessing. I think of how in the Old Testament so many people wanted their father’s blessing, or the blessing of a priest. Paul is pronouncing a blessing to us, from God the Father and from God the Son. Grace and peace! Grace – underserved favor, blessing, forgiveness, restoration, life – and peace – rest, victory in Christ, no more fear, no more judgement. This is what God gives every believer – grace and peace.

Let’s continue with the passage:  

I always thank my God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in Him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. – I Cor. 1:4-9

Given what you may know about the Corinthian church from your past readings of the book, this is a surprising opening, don’t you think? As we will see, the Corinthian church has many problems. They are a mess!

Were they enriched in every way? Did they not lack any spiritual gift? If so, then why were they such a mess? It wasn’t because God hadn’t provided for their needs; it was because they weren’t availing themselves of what God was giving them. If you offer water to parched person, it won’t do him any good unless he drinks. If I offer someone the answers to one of my tests on campus, it won’t do him any good unless he reads them.

There are many lessons here. One is in that first sentence: I always thank my God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. Were the Corinthians a source of angst for Paul, a source of concern, a source of frustration? Absolutely! But Paul’s attitude was one of thankfulness. He saw past their current weaknesses, many though they were, to the fact that they were saved, recipients of grace through faith in Christ. He rejoiced over this, giving God thanks. That doesn’t mean that he ignored their problems; dealing with their problems is a big part of this book, as we shall see. There problems were serious, terribly serious. But Paul didn’t let this cause him to lose sight of the incredible grace they had received because they had put their faith in Christ. This same attitude can be a powerful remedy for problems with have with fellow believers. It doesn’t make the problems go away, they still have to be dealt with, but it helps you to not be dragged down by those problems. And it is truth. It gives you perspective. It gives you that grace and peace that Paul spoke of earlier.

This applies to us as individuals as well. We can be our own harshest critics. We should be critics when it comes to sin in our lives. But we shouldn’t feel there is no hope for us, or that we will never change. We should thank God for us because of His grace given to us. We should thank Him for our salvation. Sometimes, simply remembering that you are saved, that you are His now, and that He loves you, makes all of our problems seem smaller. It even can keep us from sinning! As we fill our minds with truth about God and about what He has done, we renew our minds, refill our spiritual reservoirs, learn to rest moment by moment in Him.

But especially I think it applies to us as a local body of believers. We, as a body, do not lack any spiritual gift. (I don’t think this is true for us as individuals.) We, as a body, have been enriched in every way. God has given us, as a body, all that we need to serve Him in victory.

He will keep you firm to the end. Do you believe that? What are the implications? For me, it is relief! It is peace! It is no fear! He is faithful. He will keep me firm to the end and I will be presented as blameless at the end. He will do this. I have a role, I have a task, I have battles to fight, struggles to work through, but He will keep me firm to the end. He will present me as blameless. My salvation, my future, is no longer really up to me. Once I became a Christian, I signed myself over to Him, and now I am His. He is faithful. He will take care of me.

Why does Paul begin with these words? I think it is so that, when he begins to deal with all the areas of sin in the Corinthians’ lives, they won’t despair. They won’t give up. They won’t conclude that there is no hope for them, that they are lost. They will remember that God is faithful, that He will complete what He started. It may not be pain-free, it almost certainly won’t be, but He will deliver us; He will save us. We are already His.

This is also encouraging for Paul, and for every pastor, for every parent, for every Sunday school teacher, for every person leading a Bible study or small group. God has saved those who have called on Him. He will complete what He has started. He will do it. We have a role to play in the spiritual growth of others, but He is the one who makes it happen.

I want to say a little, based on this passage, on what the church is not. It is not a place to escape from the world. No church, certainly not our church, is perfect, is sinless. Every church has problems; every church 100% consists of sinners. The church will always battle with the influences of the world.

So what is the church? It is a hospital. It is the people we minister to and it is the people who minister to us, the people we help bring healing to and the people who help bring healing to us. The church should be a place welcome to new believers, even as they come with all of their immaturities and sins. They should be hearing what Paul is saying in I Corinthians 1 about who they are in Christ prior to hearing about all the ways they need to change in the rest of the book. This takes humility on the part of everyone. But Christ has equipped us, as an ekklesia, the called out ones, for the task.

I want to finish today by saying something about the background image for this series. This is a Japanese art form called kintsugi. The idea is to take broken pottery and not only repair it, but to turn it into something beautiful, better-than-new. A mixture including gold or other precious metals is used to join the broken pieces together. As we go through this series, I want you to think about kintsugi in two ways. First, it is a picture of you. You are broken because of sin, because of your past, because of things you have done. But God is in the business of taking broken people and putting them back together better than new. The materials He uses are precious, beyond precious, as it is really His blood that makes us whole.

Second, and this second picture is more what I Corinthians is really about, kintsugi is a picture of the church. The church, being made up of broken people, is broken too. And God is in the business of not only turning broken people into something better than new, He is also in the business of taking broken people together and building them into His bride, who will be without spot or blemish, who will be made beautiful in Him. The church is God’s kintsugi, His incredible work of art and beauty of which you and I are a piece.