1 Corinthians: Part 1 - Ch. 1-3

The Role of The Church

We have officially moved on to our next book in our study of Paul’s letters to the Church! While the book of Romans was a great study to dissect and take our time on, I very much look forward to what Paul has to teach us in his letters to the Corinthians. Throughout the month of April, we will be looking at these two letters that Paul sent to Corinth to see what we can learn about our role as the Church. These letters are fascinating to study because they are right up there with the book of Romans as being part of Paul’s most famous writings. While the book of Romans was more an explanation of the gospel, the books of 1 & 2 Corinthians are more of an explanation of how the Church should operate. With 1 Corinthians being 16 chapters long and 2 Corinthians being 13 chapters long, we will have 5 posts this month dedicated to the first book and 4 posts dedicated to the second. This will give us the best amount of time to study each book before we move on to the rest of Paul’s letters. While I am excited to study these books because of what they mean for the Church, the reason these letters were written is not done with the same excitement. As the Britanica so accurately states, “The letter is valuable for its illuminations both of Paul’s thoughts and of the problems of the early church.” Whether Paul is congratulating the Church or correcting the Church, we would be wise to listen to what he has to say so that we may be careful to operate our church exactly as God commands. With this in mind, let’s dive in to see what Paul has to say to the Corinthians. 

Unity of Believers

To start, Paul opens his letter by correcting a mishap that I believe so many churches could use today. Paul calls out division amongst the believers. 1 Corinthians 1:10-11 says, “Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.” This correction that Paul makes is a vital one to understand. The Church of God must be unified. We cannot be divided over small disputes that don’t even matter in the light of eternity. For this specific instance, Paul is calling a divide over who the people claim to be followers of when it came to pastors and elders of the church. I hope you can see, just as Paul did, that this is ridiculous! It doesn’t matter whose preaching you like best or what pastor you prefer over another; what matters is that we are all idolizing Christ, not His servants. Now, I want to be clear here, Paul is not saying that division isn’t healthy when it’s about a biblical matter. In this case, we should bring these matters before the elders of the church and make sure that we are following the Bible to the best of our ability. This example, however, was written to address non-salvific issues. Which means in the light of eternity, these problems won’t matter. So, as the body of Christ, we must do our best to put light issues behind us and become unified as God’s Church should be. 

Spirit Led

Furthermore, Paul teaches us a beautiful point in chapters 2 and 3 that we most certainly should apply. In the beginning of the second chapter, Paul addresses his reliance upon the Spirit in order to understand God and His Word. 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 tells us, “For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” How can we understand the nature and Word of God? By having His Spirit guide us. This takes me back to the first post I ever wrote on this website about who the Church is for. There is no mistake that the Church was made for believers to gather and learn about the Word of God. Why just believers? Because we need His Spirit to help aid our understanding of His Word. And who else has the Holy Spirit besides believers? No one. Now, I’m not saying that non-believers shouldn’t be welcomed to attend church, but make no mistake about it, the person led by God’s Spirit will get much more out of church than a non-believer ever will. This is why Paul leads us straight into chapter 3 by discussing how Jesus is our sure foundation. 

Again, who else can claim that Jesus is their foundation except believers? No one. This is why the Church is absolutely meant for Spirit-led believers, whose foundation is Christ. This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” It’s also why he states just a few verses later in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Paul has made it unmistakably clear to us that Christ is the foundation of the Church, and the Church is made up of believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The moment we forget either one of these things, we begin to do the Church a huge disservice. I hope and pray that as you read these first few chapters of 1 Corinthians, youwilld get a sense of just how highly God values His Church. Not only that, but I hope you understand as a believer just how much you should desire to be a part of His Church. As we tackle these two great letters this month, may God give us a desire to be a part of His Church so that we may be unified with other believers who are also led by His Spirit, with Christ as their foundation. 

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Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/

[2] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). Letters of Paul to the Corinthians | Summary, historical context, & facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Letter-of-Paul-to-the-Corinthians