Disturbing news about the behavior of the members of the
church at Corinth and questions they asked Paul in a letter
they sent him prompted the writing of the letter referred to
as “The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.” In the
salutation of the letter, Paul identifies himself as, “Paul,
called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.” He
identifies the believers in Corinth as “saints, by calling.”
Paul’s calling was by the will of God, the Corinthians
calling was by the will of God.
The word “church” generally refers to a local church or
the church universal. The local church is the body of
believers who gather regularly in one place. The universal
church consists of all believers in every place and in the
whole course of church history. The phrases “the church of
God” identifies the One who brought the church into
existence through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
He is the One who sustains the church, the body of
believers.
“Which is at Corinth” identifies the church as a local
church, “saints, by calling, with all who in every place
call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” identifies the
local church as part of the universal church.
In the salutation of the letter, Paul demonstrates his
love and concern for the church. Many of the members of the
church at Corinth were the fruit of his ministry (1
Corinthians 9:2; 2 Corinthians 3:1-4). Considering the
situation in the church at Corinth, thanks are something
most people would not expect from Paul. The Corinthians are
listening to false teachers who are challenging Paul’s
authority. They are condoning immorality. Personal conflicts
are being aired out before unbelieving eyes in secular
courts. How can Paul possibly give thanks? Paul’s expression
of thanks is not a condoning of the sins and failures of the
members of the church; Paul directs his thanks toward God
for what God has done and for what He will ultimately do for
the Corinthians. Paul first gives thanks for the grace God
has extended to the believers in Corinth.
God’s grace to the saints in Corinth was boundless. He
enriched them in everything, in all speech and all
knowledge. The false teachers who claimed the Corinthians
were lacking and that they needed something more were liars.
God had provided all that they needed. No gift was lacking
in the church. God had provided just the right gifts for the
growth and maturity and ministry of the saints in Corinth.
If the church at Corinth was failing, it was not due to any
failure on God’s part to provide for their needs, but rather
a failure on their part to appropriate these means. They had
God’s promise that they would be in Christ’s presence when
He returns and that they would be blameless, based on the
faithfulness of God.
The problems in the church were causing the Corinthians
to lose sight of a very important fact, those who God sets
apart have an obligation to be devoted to the One who
provided their sanctification, our Lord Jesus Christ and not
men. Just as the Corinthians needed to be reminded they were
a people set apart for a higher purpose and end and the
gifts they have received comes from our heavenly Father and
our Lord Jesus Christ there are times when we need to be
reminded who we are. We are people set apart for a higher
purpose and end, the worship of the Lord.
The gifts we receive come from our heavenly Father and
our Lord Jesus Christ and we are to use them in the building
of His kingdom and not to satisfy egos. The gifts we receive
are due to the mending of the broken relationship between
God and man. There are also, times when we need reminding
that every good thing in this life comes from God our Father
and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The ungodly and unrighteous of this world do not realize
or understand they also benefit from the blessings God pours
out on His children. Those who want to rid the world of
those troublemaking Christians do not realize or understand
if there were no so-called troublemaking, intolerant
Christians on this earth this earth would be a wilderness
filled with evil and terror. If the anti-Christian movements
of this world would face reality, they would see the
troublemakers and intolerant are not the Christians; they
are.
The Corinthians lost sight of the fact that through the
grace of God, they have fellowship with Jesus Christ and
brothers and sisters in Christ. They are part of family. We
also know, from experiences, the members of a family have
different viewpoints on any given subject and they express
their viewpoints. The problem is not the expressing of a
viewpoint. In fact, it can be a good. It can build a
stronger relationship. The problem arises when a family
member’s viewpoint creates division in the family. Division
weakens the family structure. Division in the church weakens
the structure of the church. It weakens the influence of the
church upon society.
The true worship of the Lord cannot exist where there is
division. Jesus addressed the problem of division in the
Sermon on the Mount. He said, "But I say to you that
everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty
before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You
good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court;
and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go
into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your
offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother
has something against you, leave your offering there before
the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and
then come and present your offering” (Matthew 5:22-24).
Division is one of Satan’s weapons. Confession is the
weapon used to overcome Satan’s weapon. You will note Jesus
did not say if you have something against your brother, He
said if you remember your brother has something against you
go and be reconciled to your brother. What would keep a
person from doing this? The answer is a one-word answer,
“pride,” and this was a problem in the church in Corinth and
in the twenty-first century church.
The Corinthians were letting pride rob them of the gift
of peace and the members in the twenty-first century church
are letting pride rob them of the gift of peace. Finally,
Paul expressed his thanksgiving for the faithfulness of God
that He would complete that which He had begun in the
Corinthian saints (verses 7-9). While the Corinthian may not
consistently be faithful, God is faithful. It is through His
faithfulness that each believer will enter into His kingdom,
blameless “in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 8).
No wonder Paul is thankful. In spite of the stumbling and
sin in the Corinthian church, God has sufficiently provided
for their every spiritual need. He has purposed to present
them faultless when He establishes His kingdom. Paul
therefore is assured that his ministry is not in vain,
because the salvation and sanctification of the saints in
Corinth and elsewhere are the work of God. The God who
called these saints and destined them for glory is the God
who called Paul to be an apostle and to minister to these
saints. Paul’s work is not in vain, for his work is
ultimately God’s work.
The church at Corinth has come to a point that will
determine the future of the church. What they decide will
have an impact on their society and their relationship with
the Lord. They know where they stand. The Lord is calling
them through Paul to repent from their evil ways and return
to Him, so that He can return to them.
