Christ in 1 Corinthians -- Our Unifier

The book of 1 Corinthians was written by Paul in about 55 A.D. from the city of Ephesus, near the end of his three-year ministry there.  It was not actually the first letter he had written to them (see 1 Cor. 5:9), but it is the first of the two letters to the Corinthian church that are included in the Bible.  The second letter was written later in the same year.

The city of Corinth was a large, multicultural city in Greece.  It was (and is still) located on an isthmus less than 5 miles wide, about 51 miles due west of Athens.  It has a seacoast on its northwest and on its southeast.  Because it was a large seaport, it was an international trading center, bustling with activity and commerce from all over the known world.  The Greeks were famous for their curiosity about spiritual things, and because of that they tolerated and even encouraged the worship of many gods, brought from all over the world.  Their curiosity extended to the One True Living God, so it was not surprising that when Paul preached in Corinth, many accepted the Good News of Jesus Christ.  But Paul was a missionary, or one we might today call a “church planter.”  After he established the church in Corinth, he did not stay on to be its pastor.  So now, a few years later he was hearing troubling news about the church.  This letter addressed some of the many disturbing problems that Paul was hearing about:  divisions within the church; tolerance of sin within the church; quarrels and lawsuits between church members; disagreements over marriage and celibacy; abuse of Christian freedom; disorder during public worship; irreverence in the taking of communion; pride; absence of cooperation; false teaching.
 

As I mentioned almost a year ago when I began this study, tracing the thread of Jesus Christ through every book of the Bible, I must again warn that every verse of every book of the Bible must be read in context – it is important to know who it was written to, who it was written by, and why it was written.  Some people may read the book of 1 Corinthians and get hung up on some things that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that do not necessarily apply to you or to me today.  For example, a great deal of space is given to instruction about whether it is okay to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols (see chapter 8).  That, in itself, it not an issue today – at least I am not aware of it.  But we can learn from the general lesson that was being taught.  The same principles apply to us today, even if the details are different.  Just because something is legal, that does not mean it is beneficial.  We must not do anything that would cause another person to fall into temptation:

But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.  For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:9-13)

To put this principle into a lesson to which I can relate:  If I profess to my neighbors that I am a Christian, but I routinely do not go to church on Sunday, but instead I spend my Sundays on the golf course or on the lake, or at a ball game, my neighbors will believe that church attendance is not important.  I will cause my neighbor to stumble.  Yes, I can pray to God on the golf course, and I can praise Him on the lake, and I can even share His word with someone at the ball park, but if I continually disregard His commandment to worship with the church, I will cause my neighbor to stumble.

Another part of this book that may cause some to get hung up is Paul’s admonitions to women to cover their heads and to be quiet in worship:

But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering. (1 Corinthians 11:5-6)

Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings. (1Corinthians 14:34-35)

We must remember who this letter was written to and why it was written.  The church in Corinth existed alongside temples to false gods, including Aphrodite, the goddess of love.  Her temple was nothing more than a brothel.  As a matter of fact, if a woman was referred to as a Corinthian woman, it was like calling her a prostitute.  It can be safely assumed that some of the members of the church in Corinth had come out of these pagan religions.  Also, it was customary for married women to wear a veil.  As a matter of fact, their veils were a sign that they were married, much like today’s women wear a wedding ring as a symbol of their marriage.  When the people in Corinth learned about the freedom that Christ gives, how He sees us all the same, some women thought that meant that they no longer had to wear a veil.  Paul’s admonitions about a head covering addressed the societal problems caused by removing the veil.  His instruction for women to be quiet in church was to prevent the church services from being equated with the debauchery of the pagan rituals.  

It is vitally important to remember why Paul wrote this letter.  The issues he addressed in it were causing divisions and irreverent behavior within the church.  His goal was to bring the people together, in one body, loving each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, not to further divide them.  Many of the same issues still exist in our churches today, so we must learn the lessons Paul taught and apply them to our hearts today.  We must look at the entirety of scripture where we see we are all equal in the sight of God:

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus . . . There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26, 28)

Paul was addressing specific issues in a specific church.  We must not try to impose his instructions where they were not intended.  HOWEVER, we MUST acknowledge the underlying reason for his instructions – unity, reverence in the church and the purity of the gospel.  Those things never change.

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)

For you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? (1 Corinthians 3:3)

It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13)

When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! . . . If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? (1 Corinthians 6:1, 4)

Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. (1 Corinthians 8:2-3)
 

When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.  (1 Corinthians 9:22-23)

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar? (1 Corinthians 10:14-18)

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:24b-27)

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. . . Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 13)

My prayer for you and for me this week is from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, just as Paul wrote to his friends in Corinth:

Dear Jesus,
(Help us to) be on guard.  (Help us to) stand firm in the faith.  (Help us to) be courageous. (Help us to) be strong.  And (above all, help us to) do everything with love.

All scripture references are from the Good News Translation.