The Book of 1st Corinthians:
My Notes on Chapters 1-5
My Notes on Chapters 1-5
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Author: Christopher J. E. Johnson Published: Dec 11, 2019 Updated: Jan 22, 2022 |
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Contents: Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 |
Introduction
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
-Matthew 28:19-20
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
-1 John 2:27
If you would like more information on these topics, I recommend the following resources here at creationliberty.com:
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The first epistle (letter) of Corinthians was not the first letter ever sent from Paul to Corinth, as we can see from his mention in chapter five of another letter he had previously sent to them. Whether that letter (or other letters) made it to Corinth, or whether the church had ignored them, is unknown. However, what is known is that Paul had done a lot of work in Corinth, teaching the Word of God and uniting the church together, but after he left the city to do other work, false teachers entered the church, and through the use of fair and charismatic speeches, deceived the simple, and split them up into various denominations.
In the first epistle to the Corinthians, we will learn more about discerning the Word of God from the traditions of men, and how religious traditions combined with respecting and trusting in persons creates leaven that destroys the church from within. Paul will go into details about how the church should operate, judging in righteousness, rebuking sin, removing unrepentant sinners and false teachers from the church, and looking to the Lord Jesus Christ in all things, holding fast faith in His doctrine and commandments, despite the fact that those who feign to be of Christ will hate us and speak evil of us for doing what is right.
Chapter 1
[v1] Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
Just as Paul stated in his letter to the Romans, he did not refer to himself as "Apostle Paul," giving himself a title that would cause others to respect his person, but rather, he simply declared his calling from God, that he was an apostle sent to do work on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he had that calling only by the will of God. Though it is not certain, Sosthenes may have been the same man who had previously accused Paul and sought to bring him to judgment, but the Greeks and chief ruler had beaten Sosthenes instead. (Acts 18:17) This could be another man name Sosthenes, although it is possible that this is the same Sosthenes from Acts 18, who later came to repentance and faith in Christ, but one way or another, it is both Paul and Sosthenes who are writing to the church.(Read "Titles Are Unbiblical in the Church" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v2] Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
This addresses all those who are the saints of God, sanctified (i.e. set apart for a holy use) in Jesus Christ in the church at Corinth, which distinguishes the focus of this letter from those who are members in the church, who claim to be of Christ, but are not of Christ. Paul addresses not only those in Corinth, but to all who have cried out to Jesus Christ in godly sorrow (2Co 7:9-11) for the remission (i.e. forgiveness) of sins (Luke 24:44-47) and been born again by grace through faith in Him. (Eph 2:8-9)(Read "Is Repentance Part of Salvation?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v3] Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is expressing his desire for them to be blessed (i.e. to be made prosperous) with grace and peace by God the Father and Christ the Son.[v4] I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
In his prayers, Paul thanked God for the great mercy, patience, and kindness that He had bestowed on the church in Corinth.[v5] That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
This is not to say that God would enrich us by all knowledge in existence, because it should not be said that Paul would have desired that they were made prosperous by the knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20, Rom 6:1-2), but rather, Paul refers to all things which are to the glory and purpose of Jesus Christ, whether in study and work, or play and rest; that all things learned and all things spoken (i.e. in all utterance) would be to their benefit by God's many blessings.[v6] Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
That may be taken two ways; the first being that the prophecy of Christ's doctrine was brought to the Gentiles in this region, and the Gentiles receiving that doctrine were confirmed by the church in Corinth. The second way this could be taken is that the same testimony of Christ brought to Corinth was also preached by those Gentiles who had received it, and therefore, being confirmed by their own testimony as well; both options are valid because both are true.[v7] So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Paul was assuring them that, by the will of God, they would not be found inferior to any other church in terms of gifts (1Co 12:8-10), while they wait for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Such extraordinary gifts, like those working of miracles, were given by the Holy Spirit in that day for the purpose of being a testimony to the Jews, and to establish Christ's church as the foundational works of God, but these extraordinary gifts of miracles were not to continue forever, as Jesus had preached that it is typically those who are wicked that seek after signs and miracles (Mat 16:4), meaning they seek extraordinary gifts over those things which are pleasing to God in preaching of His Word (1Co 14:1), and that those who believed and have not seen are blessed by God. (John 20:29)[v8] Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ confirms us, which can also be understood that He establishes the faithful in Christ as children of God. (2Co 1:21) This is not to say that we are without blame, for all men are to blame for their sin, but that Christ, making intercession for us (Rom 8:34), will impute unto us His righteousness (Rom 4:22-24), thereby making us blameless when standing before God.(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Perfection" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v9] God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
I have found that some Christians are confused by God being "faithful," as many have taken the word 'faith' in this passage to mean belief (as it is found in Scripture in most instances, where 'faith' and 'belief' are used interchangeably, like in Jms 2:18-20 for example), but this cannot be the case in this instance because God, being omniscient (i.e. all-knowing), has no reason to be tested on belief. Rather, faithfulness in this context is a consistency in the duties of a promise, meaning that God is faithful to His promises, being unable to lie (Tts 1:2), always fulfilling them according to His wonderful goodness and mercy. (There is a hymn that reads, "Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me... all I have needed, Thy hands have provided," which is a testimony of praise unto God for keeping his promises in Mat 6:25-34.) Thus, being the children of God, and that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1Jo 1:9), He calls us and brings us into fellowship of the Son, not because we have earned or deserve it, but out of the lovingkindness of a Father to His children.[v10] Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
This is not to say that we all must say the exact same things at the exact some time, like call-and-response techniques that are used in modern-day church buildings (e.g. a commonly used phrase in American church buildings is, Pastor: "God is good..." Congregation: "all the time"), which only gives an illusion of peace and unity, but rather, we should all have the same philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) after Christ (Col 2:8), which comes from a united study in His preserved word (i.e. the King James Bible), that should cause us to all speak in the same manner (without having "repeat-after-me" sessions), having one mind according to His doctrine. (Phil 2:2, 1Pe 3:8) Christ said He came to bring division (Luke 12:51), which was for the purpose of sanctifying His church, but if the church be sanctified, and we all have the philosophy of Christ in us, there should be no divisions among us, that we all believe the same, being joined together in judging matters the same way in likemindedness, which is especially important today, as the end draws closer, as it was vital at the beginning, with the divisions among the Corinthians.(Read "Why I Use The King James Bible" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v11] For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
The house of Chloe would have been one of the homes in which they were meeting for fellowship and study, but there were heated debates taking place that did not reflect the likeminded nature that Christians ought to have. Such strife, which is a struggle for superiority, should not be named among us, and we have no such custom in the church. (1Co 11:16)[v12] Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Paul was addressing the contention between those who had divided due to opposing doctrines and philosophies, meaning that one would say they were baptized by Paul, and would despise Apollos, or one would say they were baptized by Apollos, and would despise Paul. Or, in a manner of strife (i.e. struggling for superiority), one might say they followed the doctrine of Cephas (who is Peter, as indicated in John 1:42 - the difference being the pronunciation of the name in Aramaic or Greek), which was the doctrine of Christ, being delivered by the Holy Spirit to the church, but then, in opposition to Paul, Apollos, and Peter, others would claim they were of Christ, which is not to say that many in the church were opposed to Christ, but rather, this was said with a heart of strife out of heated debate, which did not reflect the humility and understanding that a Christian ought to have, being child-like only in our in malice (1Co 14:20), which is to say that we should not hold contempt and grudges in our hearts.This type of baptismal division has only grown worse over the years, as many corrupt religious organizations require baptism into their organization to be considered "holy," while others require unbiblical baptismal oaths to be taken in the name of that organization. For example, Seventh-day Adventists practice the unbiblical baptismal oath, requiring their members to swear allegiance to the SDA church, but not only does that force their new converts to swear spiritual oaths unto God (i.e. a violation against the teachings of Christ, Mat 5:34-37), but that also brings about the pride and strife of the baptism, in which one would say "I am of Paul" or "I am of Apollos" or "I am of Seventh-day Adventism" in the same manner.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Seventh-day Adventism here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v13] Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
This is not to say that those who would say "I am of Christ" was a bad thing, nor is it to say that those who said they were of Christ were on the side of righteousness in opposition to the others who said they were of Paul, Apollos, or Peter. The main problem was that, in the debates, they spoke those things with a heart of strife and contention (Pro 10:12, Pro 13:10) instead of a heart of understanding, and therefore, it was not edifying to the church. So for example, if a man was rebuked of a false teaching responed to the rebuke by saying, "Well, at least I am of Jesus Christ," then his response was not given as a declaration of truth to the edifying of the church, but rather, he said it out of spite, that he might exert superiority over others.All those in the church should be of Christ, no matter who is doing the baptizing, no matter who is doing the preaching at the time, and if division should take place, it should be over the refusal to repent of wrongdoing (Mat 18:15-17), not over arguments about superiority in the faith. (Phl 2:3) Therefore, those of us who are born again in Christ, sharing the same faith, the same body (i.e. the church), the same repentance, the same baptism, and the same God (Eph 4:4-6), should seek the same things in peace, longsuffering, gentleness, love, meekness, and temperance with one another (Gal 5:22-23), as Christ has shown to us, and that we would set such an example to be seen among all mankind, proving that we are the children of God the Father. (Mat 5:43-45)
[v14] I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
Crispus was a former chief of the Jewish synagogue (Acts 18:8), and Giaus was a close friend of Paul's. (Rom 16:23) Paul thanked God that he did not personally baptize any of them, lest his name be used as a weapon of contention against others in the church.[v15] Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.
This indicates that the contention was so great, that some, who despised Paul, would have falsely accused him of baptizing in the name of Paul, rather than in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (Mat 28:18-20)[v16] And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
Paul is referring to the same brethren that were in Stephanas's house, who dedicated themselves daily to fulfilling the needs of the saints. (1Co 16:15)[v17] For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
This is not to say that Paul did not baptize, as indicated in the last verse, but rather, his purpose was not to baptize, meaning that his gifts and calling were to teach the wisdom, precepts, and philosophy of Christ. Paul made special effort not to preach in the manner by which men normally preach, with the wisdom of their own words, thinking themselves wise in their conceit (Pro 26:5), by which they give long prayers for shew (Mat 23:14), with overblown speeches with words of pretense, vain phrases, and amusing stories (2Ti 4:2-4), all for the purpose of gaining respect and popularity (Jms 2:9), lifting themselves up on a pedistal of pride. (Psa 138:6) Rather, Paul preached in a plain, straight-forward, and modest manner, by which other false teachers hated him because he exposed the darkness hidden in their hearts (John 3:19-21), and revealed that their doctrine made the preaching of Christ ineffective to their audience. (Mark 7:13)[v18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Those who are not born again in Christ will not hear the preaching of Christ in a plain and humble manner, because they do not seek the truth of God's Word. These people may profess to seek the truth of Jesus Christ, but in their hearts, they want something else that will confirm them without having to be humbled before God, and therefore, they praise Christ with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. (Mat 15:8) However, those of us who are born again in Christ know that such plain and humble preaching in truth is the power (i.e. authority) of God, and therefore, we turn our ears to that which is lowly and humble in spirit, and turn away our ears from those who stand on pretense as menpleasers. (Eph 6:5-6)[v19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
This is referring to Isaiah 29:14, which describes the works God will do in His church, taking the worthless, useless, despised, weak, and foolish people who come to Him with a heart of godly sorrow, and through their faith in Christ, He raises them up to put to shame the false preachers, who claim to have the wisdom (or prudence) of God, but teach false doctrines because their hearts are far from Him, as Paul will go on to talk about in a few verses.This is not to say that those who are "wise" have wisdom, but their wisdom is a worldly wisdom, or rather, wisdom that appears to be so in the eyes of the world. This is referring to men who think themselves wise and well-learned, and yet, they are foolish because they will not hear the truth of Jesus Christ.
[v20] Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
Paul begins to explain the concept of God using the lowly, weak, and foolish, converting them and raising them up in Christ to teach His wisdom to the world. Paul is not asking where the wise, scribes, and disputers of the world are, but rather, he is asking these questions for us to consider where they have ended up. Those who claim to have the wisdom of God do so for money, fame, and power among men, and there are many among them who obtain those things in varying degrees, but they cannot understand (1Co 2:14), they grow old, they die, and all they have left to show for it are the many who followed their pernicious ways (2Pe 2:1-2), most of which will end up in hell because they were not humbled to receive the grace of God (Jms 4:6), and so the lake of fire will eventually swallow up all of them, right alongside the false preacher who made them into twice the child of hell than himself. (Mat 23:15)(Read "Hell is Real And Many People Are Going There" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v21] For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
The wise, the scribe, and the disputer of this world are not those who are saved, and that by a man's intellect and works, he cannot save himself, so despite all the power and resources available to the mighty, wise, and noble, they do not know God. This will come up again in 2nd Corinthians because Paul is addressing the folly of false preachers who take advantage of those who judge according to the appearance, accusing Paul as being a feeble old man, but Paul is pointing out that it is the feeble, weak, and lowly who God lifts up. (2Co 10:10)It pleased God that a lowly man would be saved by faith with a repentant heart, and the acknowledgment of the truth only comes when a man is brought low, not lifted up in the pride of his status. When Paul says "by the foolishness of peaching to save them that believe," he is not saying that the preaching of the cross is foolishness of itself, but rather, as he indicated in verse 18, it is foolishness to those who believe not, which is why so few churchgoers (i.e. those who claim they are Christians) are even willing to read these notes by which I preach the doctrines of Christ; most of them could not care less about such things, and would rather focus on the things of the world, showing that they have no love of the truth in their hearts (2Th 2:10), which demonstrates a fake faith within them. (Mat 7:13-14)
[v22] For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
As Jesus said, a wicked and adulterous people seek after signs and miracles, rather than that which is edifying by faith. (Mat 16:4) The Greeks sought after wisdom of the world, not the wisdom of God (1Co 3:19), and it is Greek philosophy that still corrupts men to this very day, using the carnal reasoning of a corrupt heart as a foundation for their thoughts, all in effort to justify their sins. (Rom 1:20-32)[v23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
Faith in the blood of Jesus (Heb 13:12) for the remission (i.e. forgiveness) of sins (Luke 24:47) is a stumblingblock to the Jews, that by which they will trip and fall over due to willful blindness in their pride (Rom 11:9-10), and the Greeks will see it as foolishness because they believe they have no sin. (1Jo 1:8-10)[v24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Yet not all Jews, and not all Greeks (or Gentiles), but rather, only those who will not believe, that is, those who have a fake faith, will be turned away from the kingdom of God on the Day of Judgment. Until that day, many men will boast of themselves that they are righteous (Luke 18:9-14), and will boast of themselves that they have wisdom (Rom 1:22), understanding, and knowledge, but they do not fear God (Psa 111:10) because they do not have the Holy Spirit in them, but those who have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost for wisdom and understanding, they have a love of the truth, that they might seek the understanding of Christ in its fullness.[v25] Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
This is not to say that God is foolish or weak in any way because that would be heresy against God, knowing that God is perfect in all His ways. (2Sa 22:31) Paul is explaining that those things which the world considers to be foolish is wiser than the wisdom of men, and that which the world considers weakness is stronger than the strength of men, and therefore, the just should not live by the vain judgments of men on what is so-called "wisdom" or what is so-called "strength," but rather, the just should live by faith in God (Rom 1:17), that He will raise them up according to His wisdom and strength.[v26] For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
Though there seem to be many mighty, many wise, and many noble in my country (i.e. the United States) today, who claim to be of Christ, that is only because, in our present day, Chrisianity is used as a status symbol, whereas in the days of Paul, Christians were being hunted and executed. This is not because God has changed His ways over the past 2000 years, but rather, many mighty, wise, and noble according to this world claimed to be "called by God" unto His ministry because it is profitable to do so (Mat 19:24), but in truth, they do not understand the basic principles of Christ. (Heb 6:1) These men claim to have a "calling," when in fact, God did not call them; this is not to say that a man who is mighty, wise, or noble after the flesh cannot be saved, coverted, and called by God, but in reality, they are extremely few in number because Jesus told us that few would find the way to eternal life (Mat 7:13-14), which means only a small number among them would be those who are considered to be mighty, wise, and noble by the world, and so we should always judge righteous judgement (i.e. look carefully at what a man says and does to draw accurate conclusions) instead of judging according to the appearance. (John 7:24)(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!' here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v27] But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
God teaches those who the world considers foolish, poor, lowly, and despised, and through His wisdom, He uses those foolish and lowly people to put the wise to open shame. God strengthens those who the world considers weak, and through His guidance, He uses those weak people to bring the strong to their knees.If God required that a man have status, title, wealth, and worldy education before they could be saved or preach the Word of God, then most people could never participate in ministry, nor would they be qualified to understand God's Word without a high and lofty person to give it to them first. This would create a reliance on the wealthy, and those with fancy degrees, to have understanding of God's Word, which would in turn create a reliance on men in the same way the Catholic Church creates an ignorant "laity" who must come to the supposedly "sacred" priest to gain so-called "holiness" from the vain permissions of men.
(Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v28] And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
God puts high value on those who the world considers worthless (i.e. base), and those who are hated (i.e. despised), and through His glory, He brings to nothing the lofty and proud of this world. This is because Christ's strength and help to mankind is clearly seen through His assistance and protection of the weak. (2Co 12:9)[v29] That no flesh should glory in his presence.
The reason God uses those of us who are weak, foolish, worthless, and hated of this world, is so that no man would boast of himself in the presence of God, and that all men might be humbled to repentance. (2Pe 3:9)[v30] But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
All things that we have that are good are given to us by God (Rom 3:10, Rom 8:28), and that the source of all wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption come from Him, and are used for His purposes.[v31] That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
This is referring to Jeremiah 9:23-24, which means that if we boast of anything, let us boast that we have redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ.Chapter 2
[v1] And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
excellence (n): valuable; esteemed; dignity; high rank; honor formerly given to kings and emperors
(See 'excellence', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Nov 28, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])
(Read "Respecting Persons is Sin" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v2] For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
This is not to say that Paul could not have conversations with others in the church about a variety of matters of which he had knowledge, but as a teacher, while preaching God's Word, he made it a point to declare knowledge of nothing except the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood on the cross. This is for many purposes, but mainly so that others would come to fear God instead of fearing Paul's position or intellect (as indicated in verse 5), and that others who might preach Christ would not do so with the attitude of a grand orator, believing they must spend hundreds of hours in study and practice to build the skill of being an entertaining lecturer, but would rather come humbly, as Christ came, to preach the simple truth, letting God do the work of conversion.[v3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
By weakness, Paul may have meant his physical weakness, not just his manner, and that brute strength was unnecessary to preach Christ's gospel, thereby demonstrating that by His Word alone, the power of God converts men. Although Paul feared God, the fear that was being spoken of is the fear in danger, which is a natural reaction to sudden outbursts of violence from an audience of listeners, and in their trembling, knowing what awaited them in places they might preach, God had come to Paul at certain times and encouraged him to be bold and unafraid, promising Paul that he would not be harmed. (Acts 18:9-10)[v4] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
As I have seen often in preaching over many decades, it is not uncommon for pastors and evangelists to quote from worldly sources and the so-called "wisdom" of unbelievers, heretics, and false preachers. Rather, Paul relied on the Holy Spirit to do the work in men because a man cannot do the work of the Holy Ghost, and the work of the Holy Ghost is the only way a man's heart can be softened and cleansed.[v5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
If a man is converted by appealing speaking capabilities, then a man's foundation of faith is in a preacher, and not in the authority of God. Such worldly methods are often used in church buildings today in order to create a following, which is why so many follow the traditions of men (Mark 7:8), but the Holy Spirit is not with them, which is why they follow tradition rather than being sanctified on a foundation of the truth of God's Word. (John 17:17) As indicated in the first chapter, Paul's concern was that they were following men or denominations instead of Christ, so Paul spoke to simple people in a plain manner, and because such a manner of speaking gives understanding unto the simple (Psa 119:130), it angers those who speak with much pomp, and therefore, they hated Paul, as those wicked men in every generation have hated all of us who have come speaking plainly in meekness.[v6] Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
Therefore, all Christians should do the same, preaching the true wisdom of God among those who love the wisdom of God (Pro 9:8), and are of adult age in Christ to discern between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world (Heb 5:12-14), and rejecting the so-called "wisdom" of this world, whose words will be destroyed on the Day of Judgment.[v7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
The wisdom of God is beyond the ability for mankind to fully comprehend, which is why it is called a "mystery." This is not in the same sense as 'mysticism', which is of the pagans, in which they claim to have knowledge and wisdom, but they hide it on purpose from the "unworthy." God is not willing for any to perish, but all to come to repentance (2Pe 3:9), but because they reject repentance and Christ, they cannot see. (Mat 13:13) As opposed to pagan doctrine, God graciously gives His wisdom freely to all those who ask with a meek and genuine heart (Jms 1:5-6), but we are limited in how much we can understand, and so the mysteries we speak are of Christ's blood paying for one sin for all (1Co 15:22), and even though these things were ordained by God before the world was established, and though we can now clearly see these things spelled out in the Old Testament, it is only because Christ opened our understanding (Luke 24:44-47), but such things were hidden from the eyes of the Jews for many generations before Christ, and are still now hidden from their eyes today. (Rom 11:25)[v8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Though many have taught that the "princes of this world" is referring to devils, I do not believe that is the case based on the context of these verses. In verse 6, Paul mentions the "princes of this world" in the context that we do not speak wisdom according to their doctrines, but it would make no sense that a man would preach from a recorded account of the doctrines of devils, as devils themselves do not commonly appear in spiritual form and teach in public places. (i.e. They do work through men.) The so-called "wisdom" being spoken of comes from those in positions of religious leadership, which at that time would have been the leaders of the Jewish temples in various locations, and in this instance, being "the princes of this world" who "crucified the Lord of glory," would refer to those Jewish leaders who deceived the masses in order to have Christ crucified because, if they were humbled before God, and had their eyes been opened, as Christ has opened the eyes of His elect, they would never have crucified Christ.[v9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
This is referring to Isaiah 64:4, and sadly, due to the influence I had from false teachers who were educating me as a new Christian, I misinterpreted these verses for many years that these were referring to the Kingdom of Heaven, but that is not the context. The "things which God hatt prepared for them that love him" is not referring to the Kingdom of Heaven, but rather, it is referring to the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the doctrines of Christ, which is in line with the previous verse explaining to us that those who crucified Christ would not have done so if their understanding had been opened.The only reason we can now clearly see the fullness of the doctrines and prophecies of the Old Testament is because Jesus Christ opened the understanding of His disciples (Luke 24:44-47), as He continues to do through the Holy Ghost to this day. (1Co 2:14) Therefore, the eyes have not seen clearly, nor have the ears understood the things that were written in the Old Testament, nor has such knowledge entered into the hearts and minds of those who spoke and read them, until Jesus Christ, who the children of God "waited" on (as it says in Isaiah 64:4), and those who wait on the Lord Jesus Christ (whether in His first coming or second coming) are also those who love Him.
[v10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
No man can know the basics of the mysteries of God (let alone the complexities) without the Holy Spirit to open his understanding, and no man can know the fullness of those mysteries while living in the flesh (because, as Paul will point out later in this epistle, "we see through a glass darkly," 1Co 13:12). We can only understand such mysteries because of the Holy Spirit, which is why we should be our trust in no other to teach us those principles (1Jo 2:26-27), and why we should preach in a plain, reasonable, and humble manner, stepping back and allowing the Spirit of God to work in men for their conversion and understanding.[v11] For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
Can a man truly know himself? Although men will claim this is possible with their false wisdom, the truth is that their hearts deceive them because they cannot know the full depth of their wicked heart. (Jer 17:9)Without understanding the stubbornness and bias of their hardened heart, they cannot see, which makes their understanding limited only to those things which the emotions of their heart will allow them to hear (Pro 28:26), and since they have a heart of sin, it is sin which drives their understanding, rather than God, who the source of all wisdom and truth. Therefore, since they cannot understand themselves through their own devices, it is absurd for them to think they understand the spiritual things of God by their own corrupt reasonings.
[v12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
This is why grand, charismatic speeches do not edify the hearers (sometimes referred to as "showboating," which is common America phrase used to describe someone who is putting on a show for entertainment), and that is why we Christians ought to proceed with our work in humility and simplicity, that the Holy Spirit is given free reign to work in men, by which they might come to have the wisdom which is given freely to us by God. (Jms 1:5)It is interesting to note how this verse was phrased, in taht God gives knowledge freely, but it is not known. A man can be a pastor for many decades, having read the Bible cover-to-cover hundreds of times, and still not understand the foundations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, meaning that without the Spirit of God (as Paul is about to explain in the next few verses), a man cannot know the things that are written in the Bible, even though the Bible is freely accessible to them.
[v13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Those things which are called "spiritual" in this world (e.g. the words of popular speakers, philosophers, or religious figureheads), are most often not spiritual of God, otherwise, people could just quote God's words instead of man's words. Therefore, we who are of Christ should teach that which is spiritual of the Holy Ghost, comparing what a man teaches with that which is found in the Holy Scriptures, which was written by hand of men by the guidance of the Holy Ghost, comparing doctrine which world claims is "spiritual" with the spiritual things of God in the Bible to see if what a man teaches is true, just as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11), in which they compared the new doctrines being taught with the Old Testament and the preaching of Christ from the apostles to verify whether or not the preachers were teaching the truth.[v14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
A man can claim he is a "Christian," and could become a pastor who has studied the Bible for many decades, but without the Spirit of God, he cannot come to knowledge and understanding of what he is reading; in other words, a man can study very hard for many years of his life, but never understand the fullness of what he is reading. (2Ti 3:5-7) When we preach to them the things of God, the truth of His doctrine, such men will reject it, claiming that we are foolish because the spiritual things of God are foolishness in his blinded eyes, having no discernment without the Holy Spirit. (Heb 5:14)[v15] But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
Verses 14 and 15 together show us that discernment and judgment are directly connected to each other, and cannot be separated, meaning that one cannot discern anything without judgment.
judge (v): to compare facts or ideas, and perceive their agreement or disagreement, and thus to distinguish truth from falsehood
discern (v): to separate by the eye, or by the understanding; to distinguish; to see the difference between two or more things
(See 'judge' & 'discern', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 18, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])
(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v16] For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
If a man has the Spirit of God in him, working through him, preaching the spiritual things of God, he has the mind of Christ by the gifts of understanding given to him by the Holy Spirit, and therefore, a man who speaks presumptuously against the preaching of the Holy Spirit presumes to speak against the mind of Christ, judging God in his hypocrisy, as a pig wallowing in the mud might believe he is cleaner than the sheep in the pasture because he has not had his eyes opened by the Spirit of God to see that he is swine. (Mat 7:6)Chapter 3
[v1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
This is not to say that these were false converts, as Paul called them brethren in the church, but he could not speak to them in the same spiritual manner he could with other brethren because they still had so much carnal sin of the flesh among them, and such sin is the source of contention and strife. Therefore, Paul had to revert to preach to them the things normally preached unto new Christians.[v2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
They were still not ready to hear the strong meat of the word, to hear the things of exercised and trained discernment on spiritual matters (Heb 5:12-14), and there are many I have seen who call themselves brethren and act in a manner that Paul described in the last chapter. There are subjects of doctrine which must be established in the heart of a Christian before he can move on to perfection (i.e. what he is intended to be) in discernment. (Heb 6:1-3) Sadly, there are many who act out in a childish manner with malice, rather than take the time in patience and wisdom to understand things (1Co 14:20), and though, as a new Christian, I used to act that same way, and though I can understand it, it still did not justify my words and actions at that time, nor does it justify anyone else in the church to act in such a way, and as I grew in Christ, He taught me the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-26), whereby I could move on from the milk and into the meat.[v3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Typically, when Scripture speaks of carnal man, it is speaking of a man who has not been regenerated by the Holy Ghost, or in other words, it refers to the unsaved, but in this instance, that is not what Paul is referring to. Though not all were of Christ, as there were false converts and false teachers among them, Paul is referring to people in the church who he believed had been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, but they still gave into the lusts of the flesh, by which they brought in contention, railing, strife, backbiting, emulations, and many other like things. (Gal 5:19-21)If men live according to the flesh, they will think, act, and speak according to the flesh, meaning that if a man has contention and strife in the church, it is due to his inward sin. Thus, Paul is simply telling us that the evidence speaks for itself, or rather, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Mat 12:34, Jude 1:16), which is to say, the evidence which proceeds out of a man's mouth proves what is in his heart (Mat 15:18), and that shows how much cleaning of the flesh in the heart that needs to be done.
[v4] For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
This thought is continued from the last chapter, meaning that when they debate among themselves in strife, trying to gain superiority over one another, they are living according to the flesh because they are producing the fruits of the flesh. We ought to show the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23) that are worthy of a repentant heart (Luke 3:8), which is a heart of godly sorrow of our own wrongdoing (2Co 7:9-10), which acknowledges the price Christ paid for us. (1Co 7:23)[v5] Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
Paul is asking those in the church to consider who Paul is, or who Apollos is, meaning that this is a reminder that Jesus Christ is in charge, and Paul and Apollos are servants (i.e. ministers), who presented to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they believe on Him, not on the ministers. Therefore, being of one mind in Jesus Christ, those in the church should not be splitting into factions, or what is today commonly called "denominations" (Rom 15:6, 2Co 13:11) because to do so means that you are following and worshiping ministers, rather than Jesus Christ.(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v6] I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
Paul was planting the seeds, as Jesus described in the parable of the sower (Mat 13:3-9), spreading seeds randomly out in a random field that has not been prepared for farming, which represents those who go out into the world to preach to the lost sinners. Apollos was watering those seeds which fell on good ground (Mat 13:23), meaning that he was teaching them, raising them up unto proper faith in Christ. Though both Paul and Apollos worked different jobs with varying types of work, both worked for the same goal (1Co 12:5), and in the end, neither Paul nor Apollos can convert and give understanding unto the people; only the Holy Spirit can do that for a man, and therefore, it is God alone who should receive the praise, honor, and worship for the good He has done in us. (Gal 6:14)[v7] So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Therefore, we should not entertain the thought that we have done any works that are worthy of glory because without the working of the Holy Ghost on the hearers of God's Word, there would be no seed and no fruit. (This is why, for many years, I have felt very uncomfortable when I am complimented on my teachings; knowing that such glory should go to God and not to myself.) It is God alone who should be praised for His work in us, and thus, someone claiming to a "Paulite" or an "Apollosian" in a similar way people use denominations today (e.g. Calvinist, Lutheran, Wesleyan, etc) is a division that is against the doctrine we have received from Christ. (Rom 16:17-18)[v8] Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
Paul and Apollos did the same work, just as those in the church who go out into prisons to preach to the lost, or preach on the street, and also those like myself, who teach the church, we are all one because we do the same work, but as indicated in the previous verse, it is God who gives the increase. Therefore, the work that we do will be judged by God according to His infinite understanding of the thoughts and intents of our hearts (Heb 4:12), and will reward us in heaven based on the length and intensity of the work we do.[v9] For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
We have been given grace and understanding to be workers together with God, which is a great honor, being co-workers as a family, rather than separate from Him, and therefore, the labor we do ought to be that which is according to His Word. (John 17:17-19) As God's church (i.e. all of us together), are the building of God, which is the body of Christ (Rom 12:5), and we are God's husbandry, meaning that we are under his management and care.(Read "The Church is Not a Building" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v10] According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
Paul did not call himself a "wise masterbuilder" of his own merit, which would be a violation of doctrine to the church in Rome (Rom 1:22), but rather, it was due to the grace of God in him to make him into a wise masterbuilder, knowing that the work he was doing was wise by God's Word declaring it to be so. (Pro 1:5-7, Pro 6:6-11, Pro 11:30) Paul defined his work by the definitions God had established in His Word, not according to his own opinion. Paul laid the foundation of new Christians in the church, and another man, like Apollos, would build upon that foundation, but just because work is being done to build upon that foundation, it does not mean that all work is automatically good work according to God's judgments; there are good works, evil works, and works of no profit.[v11] For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
The only foundation that can be laid for the body of Christ, and the only foundation that can be laid in a man's heart, is in Jesus Christ, who lays a foundation of repentance (Heb 6:1) in us and authors our faith. (Heb 12:2) All works must be built on that foundation, otherwise, works will never have eternal reward.[v12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
The work that is established as the foundation of the church is what others will build on, and what they build on will be judged by God. The work that is the spiritual good works of God will last for eternity, which is represented in the analogy of "gold, silver, precious stones," but the works that are worldly, which are only serving of the flesh in vanity, are represented by "wood, hay, stubble."[v13] Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
The 'fire' being spoken of in this verse is a continuation of the analogy of the works being spoken of in the previous verse, and the fire is God's judgment on the Day of Judgment. Sadly, this verse is often misunderstood by the false preaching of Roman Catholic ecumnical heresy, in which they ignore the analogy, claiming that the 'fire' is literal in this passage, and thereby declaring that there is an imaginary "purgatory" that will eventually save all men, but in reality, purgatory is nothing more than a money-making scheme for the Catholic Church. The 'fire' is the judgments of God, in which He will shine a light on the works of all men, judging their words (Mat 12:36-37), and their actions (Eph 5:12-13, John 3:19-21), in which all the secrets of men will be revealed (Rom 2:16), whether they be the good works of God that were done in charity with a pure heart, or whether they be corrupt works of darkness that were done with selfishness and lust.[v14] If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
This verse further proves that the 'fire' mentioned in the previous verse is not referring to a literal fire, like the fires of hell for example (which is literal burning fire, Mark 9:45, Luke 16:24), because those who are born again in Jesus Christ are the children of God, and they will not suffer the fires of hell in any manner. The 'fire' is an analogy of God's judgments, bringing to light the secrets of all men, and discerning those who claim to do the charitable things of God, revealing if they brought not just bread to the poor and needy (Mat 4:4), but also the bread of life (John 6:35), which is the doctrine of Christ, and those who have done so with a humble heart shall receive reward for his good works in the Lord.[v15] If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
As Paul pointed out in verse 11, the only foundation a man can lay is on Jesus Christ, and if that foundation is laid, meaning that a man comes to repentance and faith in Christ, even on his death bed (Heb 9:27), without any works to show for his life, Christ will still save him. (Eph 2:8-9) The loss that man suffers is through all the works he did in his life, which if they were only to gain approval and applause of mankind, he will receive nothing because all his work yielded no good spiritual, eternal fruit, but by the grace of God, he will still be saved from everlasting punishment in hell. (Mat 20:8-16, Mat 25:41-46)(Read "Hell is Real and Many People Are Going There" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v16] Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
It is common among church buildings today to have a temple-based philosophy, meaning that "going to church" (a phrase that is not found in Scripture) is supposed to mean that a man must attend a church building made of brick and mortar, and therefore, in the eyes of many churchgoers and pastors, if a man does not enter into a church building, they believe he is not assembling together with the church (Heb 10:25), but such temple-based philosophy is not spiritual of God. Sadly, many churchgoers have been deceived into a philosophy that a building is the "house of God," like unto the Temple that stood in Jerusalem. The temple of God is the body, that is, our flesh, and Holy Spirit dwells in us, and therefore, when two or more who have the Holy Spirit of God are gathered together in the name of Christ, He will be there with us (Mat 18:20), and we all, as a whole, are the church, not a building made with hands. (Heb 9:11)[v17] If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
This is not to be thought of in terms of a born again Christian sinning in defilement of the temple, although it should be noted that sin is displeasing to God, and that we ought to turn from it; never believing that we have a free license to sin (Rom 6:1-2, 1Co 6:20), because churchgoers who believe such things are corrupt servants. (Luke 12:45-46) Rather, this is referring to a man who would corrupt others by his false doctrines, preaching false messages for the love of money (1Ti 6:10) and preeminence (i.e. respect of his person and popularity - 3Jo 1:9), by which he will create disciples that are doubly worthy of hell (Mat 23:15); such men have not received a humble heart of repentance, and therefore, they will perish in their pride. (Luke 13:3)[v18] Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
That is, that no man should put trust into himself that he is wise (Rom 1:22) or righteous (Luke 18:9), nor should we allow a man to deceive himself if we are given an opportunity to preach the truth to him. (Titus 1:10-13) The wisdom of God should be most highly precious to us, because by His wisdom comes the knowledge of the grace of salvation through Christ, and by His wisdom come many blessings, but if a man would have God's wisdom, he should become as a fool, not in the sense that he seeks after foolish things, but that he is humbled in his heart and mind that he is less than the dust and ashes of the earth (Job 42:5-6), being in godly sorrow of his broken state before the Holy God, and God, being ever merciful and kind, will draw close to that man (Psa 34:18), grant him wisdom and understanding to see clearly. (Psa 111:10)[v19] For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
This is referring to Job 5:13, which is to say that mankind believes they are so smart, and see so clearly, and yet, God will bring them to nothing, just as we read earlier in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28. What the world considers wise and crafty, in the sight of God, is nothing more than the vain ramblings of an idiot hanging by a thread over the cliff of a firey volcano, or rather, that God is holding him over the fire to keep him from falling, while the man claims he can fly. (Mar 9:43)[v20] And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Paul is repeating the same concept, but from a different book in the Bible, namely, Psalm 94:11. For example, a common phrase of so-called "wisdom" in America is "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," but the problem is that having health and wealth does no good to any man if they end up in hell at the end of their lives. This would be like a man tilling his garden in preparation for harvest while he is surrounded by a giant forest fire headed his way. By God's wisdom, we know that the works of men are vain without a foundation of repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ (Ecc 7:2-5), as we learned in verse 11, which means that such supposedly "wise" phrases are little more than the nonsensical ramblings of a baby, and as indicated in verse 15, a man who dedicates himself to such "wise" phrases of this world will only suffer loss.[v21] Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
As Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:12, they should not boast of themselves to be brought forth by men, in that they would say "I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Chephas," for all the service of each of those men belonged to all the saints, whereby God blessed them all with wisdom and understanding. That is the context in which "all things" is used, which is not to mean everything in the world, but the teaching of the apostles brought forth by the Spirit of God to give them wisdom and understand which the prophets before them did not have; all those things were given unto the church.[v22] Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
Paul was a servant called by God to preach these things unto the saints for their edification and understanding, as was Apollos and Peter, and therefore, denominations have no place in the church of God. There is no reason for those born again in Christ to have such contentious separations among us, knowing that the world was created for Christ and His church, and that we are given eternal life through the death of Christ. We also ought to know that all those things which are present are ours, which means that the world as we know it now is maintained for our benefit, as well as all good things and unseen glories to come; all are given to us by God through His ever-abundant mercy.(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v23] And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
God is the head of Christ (1Co 11:3), and Christ is the head of the church (Eph 5:23), and the church is the head of all things. For now, we are commanded unto obedience and service, as the servants of Christ, where we do good unto the world, as Christ has shown us by His example (Mat 11:29), but once all things are brought under the footstool of Christ (Psa 110:1), then all things will be given to us as well, for if God did not withhold from us His own Son, who is the most precious and most valuable thing there ever will be, then why would He not give us all other things? (Rom 8:32) Therefore, we should serve as He instructed us for the time being, keeping the great commandment He gave us. (Mat 22:37-40)Chapter 4
[v1] Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
The stewards of the mysteries of God is meant those who are ministers of Christ because a 'steward' in this context is one who preaches the doctrines and ordinances of Scripture, preparing men to hear the message of repentance and faith unto salvation, and also to dispense the knowledge and wisdom of God to the church. Paul is saying that we who do this work are to be held accountable (1Co 5:12), which means that others in the church should judge and consider whether we ministers do that which is right in Christ (Col 2:8), and though we who work in ministry are to be held in high esteem by the church for the sake of our work (1Th 5:12-13), and though we have office to oversee matters among the church (Acts 20:28), we are not lords over Christ's church (John 10:16), but rather, servants (Mat 20:27), by which we must prove our own ministries as a testimony (2Ti 4:5), open to the public eye, by which others may judge (by comparison with God's Word, comparing spiritual things with spiritual (as Paul pointed out earlier in 1Co 2:13) whether a steward's faith is true, or if he is exposed as a fake.[v2] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
A minister of Christ is held under much more critical examination than others in the church, and it is required that they be faithful stewards, which is why so many requirements and standards are placed on those which oversee the church. (1Ti 3:1-13) It is the doctrine of that steward which should be judged first and foremost (Mat 16:6-12), that the doctrine which he teaches contains no corruption, being untainted from the religious inventions of men (Ecc 7:29) and wisdom of the world. (1Co 1:17)[v3] But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
This is not to say that the judgments of the church in observation and consideration of a man's ministry is worthless, or that they should not judge the doctrine and works of a minister, for a spiritual man judges all things (as Paul himself pointed out earlier in 1Co 2:15), but rather, the weight of that judgment is trivial to a born again Christian who serves God in humility because, knowing the terror of the Lord (2Co 5:11), he knows that God's judgment upon him is greater and more fearsome than any. This is also not to say that Paul did not judge himself, as he has done many times even in his own writing, and also instructed us (as he will point out later in 1Co 11:31), but rather, the judgments by which he judges are not his own, but by the wisdom which God imparts to him; thereby, the Holy Spirit convicts him, and those judgments are coming from the Lord God, which establishes him firmly in the faith of Christ, so that when a man who crept into the church unawares judges him falsely (Jude 1:4), he will not stumble based on the errornous judgments of a man without understanding.[v4] For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
Which is to say that we Christians cannot know anything by ourselves because all knowledge and wisdom must come from the Lord God, and without His mercy, we would remain in the same foolish and broken state we were in when He saved us. However, knowing that God imparts wisdom to us (Jms 1:5), this itself does not automatically justify everything we say and do, which is the folly of many preachers who pride themselves to be righteous. We are still susceptable to error, and we cannot know the full extent of all our errors because our understanding is limited (1Co 13:12), but God judges us, and through the foundation of a repentant heart that He gave us (Heb 6:1), we correct our errors when we are given understanding of them. (Pro 15:10)[v5] Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
This is not to say that judgments should not be made at all, for that would contradict Christ's commandment that we should judge righteous judgment (John 7:24), nor is this to say that no judgments should be made until Christ returns, as the commonality between the meanings of the words 'time' and 'until' indicates that there is a shift in thought, meaning that "the time" is not referring to the time of Christ's return as some might misinterpret when reading this passage, but rather, "the time" is referring to a time in which a clear and concise judgment can be made, which is a consistent interpretation of judging a stewart's faithfulness in the context of this chapter. This verse is speaking of the fallacy of religious and government leaders who would make rash judgments, answering matters before they had heard them out first (Pro 18:13), which was often done against Paul in the book of Acts, and sadly, many churchgoers and pastors still do such things to this day.(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
When Christ returns, all darkness will be revealed by the light, and all the secrets of men will be made known. Until that happens, we need to have patience in judgment, which means we do not finalize a judgment until all the information has come in after much investigation and thought, but after Christ reveals all things, judgments will be simple and easy to make, showing a clear black and white line of distinction, which also means that judgments can be swift in that day, having no need to wait long periods of time for justice to be done.
When a man judges us in unrighteousness, it does not phase our faith in Christ, but it does cause us grieve in our hearts, and here we are reminded that God will reveal the fullness of every thought and intent of the heart, both of us who are born again and of the wicked of this world, and all things shall be judged openly in the light. By "every man," Paul is not saying that all men would have praise, as the wicked will be judged and sentenced to eternal punishment (Mat 25:46), but rather, all men who are of Christ (who do His will in obedience) will have praise of God (Mat 25:21), especially those who, by charity, waited patiently for evidence before drawing conclusions. (1Co 13:1)
[v6] And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
This is to say that Paul had, in a figure of speech, used an analogy of planting and watering seeds (1Co 3:5-8), even though he did not refer to Apollos as a "waterer," nor to himself as a "planter," but he noted that this was only for their sakes, that they would not go forward giving themselves fancy titles like, "Waterer Bob" or "Planter Joe," by which they would puff themselves up, as preachers often do today, calling themselves things like "Reverend Smith," in which they seek preeminence by giving themselves descriptions meant for God alone. (Psa 111:9) There is no place in which Paul gave himself a fancy title, like "Pastor Paul" or "Apostle Paul," as is often done in church buildings today, but rather, he humbly declared his calling (1Co 1:1), and taught plainly, and he gave us this example which we should follow, so we would not consider those in the office of an elder and/or teacher to be "above that which is written," meaning that we ought not to think such a station higher than what we are commanded to in Scripture, for it is a common and dangerous habit of men to worship men and/or devils instead of God. (Mat 4:10)(Read "Titles Are Unbiblical in the Church" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v7] For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
Why are we all not alike? Why do we all not have the same station in life? Why are we all given different things? It is from the Lord God that we receive our lot in life, and therefore, we have no reason to boast of ourselves in any manner, nor to lift up ourselves above others in the church by adopting titles and denominations, striving against one another for superiority, but rather, we ought to consider one another better than ourselves. (Phl 2:3)[v8] Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
Paul is not saying that most of those in the church in Corinth were full and rich with understanding and good works, but rather, he is saying they have claimed themselves to be full and rich in the sense that Jesus had said to the Laodecians (Rev 3:17), in which they claimed to have many things, to have arrived in knowledge, and had stored up many goods for themselves (Luke 12:16-20), and thus, had ruled over the church and lived as kings, for a king suffers no persecution or tribulation in this world. Paul then wished that they would reign as kings, not in this world, but in the world to come, to reign with Christ for a thousand years, that all the saints would reign over the world, as is foretold in Scripture (Rev 20:6), and that we would all be kings together in Christ's kingdom, but as Christ taught, the first shall be the last, and the last shall be first, and many called, but few chosen. (Mat 20:16)[v9] For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
God had appointed for the apostles to come in meekness and humility (Mat 11:29), being given the gifts of miracles while having nothing (Mat 10:8-10), and even appointed to death, being killed for Christ's sake, as have many of the saints been persecuted unto death. The world looks on us in amusement, laughter, mocking, and scorning in the pride of their hearts, believing they have all things, knowing not that sudden destruction will come upon them in due time (1Th 5:3). It should be noted that by 'angels', it is not meant the messengers of God, but rather devils, who laugh and jeer with the rest of the lost sinners of this world.[v10] We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
This is spoken in irony, which is not to say that most of the church in Corinth had the wisdom of Christ, but rather, they did not, while boasting that they had wisdom, whereas the apostles, who did have the wisdom of Christ, claimed to be nothing but fools. Whereas the church in Corinth boasted themselves to be strong, they were weak, and while they gloried in the honor of the fancy titles they gave to one another, those servants of God who were more deserving of them were instead despised for Christ's sake. (Mat 5:11)[v11] Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
While those in Corinth had all the food, drink, clothing, and shelter they needed, as Paul stated earlier that they lived as kings, the apostles commonly went without these things because they were despised of the world, and not just going without those basic needs, but also being "buffeted," which is to be beaten.[v12] And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
Although Paul had a right to reap the rewards of his preaching to provide for his basic needs (which he will point out a later in 1Co 9:11), he set an example of a diligent work ethic, so that while he was in Corinth, he worked with his hands as well as preaching the doctrine of Christ, working with tentmakers, which was his trade. (Acts 18:3) By this, he also demonstrated to the church that, though we are reviled, we make others prosper by the work of our hands, and though we are persecuted, we do not retaliate, and by reminding them of these things, it shows them how lofty they have made themselves in the pride of their hearts.[v13] Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
Though we are slandered and dishonored by the world, we entreat God on their behalf, in that we make requests in prayer for their good. (Luke 6:28) Though we humbly bring the wisdom of God and good works by which others are blessed, we are treated as vile and disgusting, and we are "offscoured," which would be like someone sweeping away filth from their porch.[v14] I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
The intent of Paul's writing was not to shame them, although they had much to be ashamed of, especially in the way they lifted themselves up in their vanity, but rather, Paul's intent was to patiently instruct them as a father would instruct a son. It is not wrong for the children of God to have wealth in this world, otherwise, we would have to condemn Job, Solomon, David, etc, but rather, we should consider that the more material wealth a Christian has, the more responsibility he has to do good with it for the poor and needy brethren.[v15] For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
Paul did not mean this in the spiritual sense that Jesus had said, "call no man your father" (Mat 23:9), in which men of corrupt minds require a spiritual title of preeminence to lift themselves above others, but rather, he is pointing out the difference of mannerism between the teaching of a schoolmaster versus the teaching of a father; how a schoolmaster is mostly impersonal, while a father is heavily invested. In this sense, Paul is pointing out that they would see and hear tens of thousands of instructors in Christ, which is not to say that they were all true servants of Christ, for many of them would be false teachers (Mat 7:13-15), but a father is more rare, and is one who is so closely invested in his child's understanding and prosperity.This is not to say that Paul had saved any man, for his words were chosen with care in that he credited Jesus Christ, and His gospel, with their salvation. However, Paul is also pointing out that it was by Jesus Christ, using Paul as an instrument to preach God's Word, which had resulted in their faith springing up from good ground.
[v16] Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
Paul did not command them in such a way a father might command a son, but beseeched them, meaning that he pleaded with a humble request, that they might follow the doctrine which he taught them, and the example which he showed them, modeling everything he said and did after Jesus Christ. Or in other words, he pleaded with Corinth to follow him in the way in which he followed Christ. There were many false teachers who were leading the church in Corinth astray, who thought themselves great, lifting themselves up in their pride, but Paul pointed out the meek and lowly example he set for them, that they should not follow after men with lofty words, but follow the example which Paul had set for them by his sufferings, so they would be firmly established in the faith, and be on guard against the deceit of the haughtiness (Isa 2:17) and preeminence (3Jo 1:9) of men.[v17] For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
Paul and Timotheus spent a lot of time together because they shared the same spirit in Christ, in that Timothy was also meek and humble in his ways, just as Paul was. By Timothy's example, it was intended that the church in Corinth would be reminded of what a proper disciple of Christ looks like, in that they fulfill the law and prophets, loving God first and foremost, and loving their neighbor as much as they love themselves (Mat 22:37-40), looking to help provide for the things of others more than themselves. (Phl 2:4)[v18] Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
The false teachers were puffed up, meaning that they were prideful in their hearts, lording over the church in their deceit, and hoping that Paul would not return so that they would be able to keep their lofty positions, respect, and paychecks. Those wicked men knew that if Paul returned, he would expose their wicked deeds, and in their arrogance, thinking he would not return to set matters straight, they continued to lift themselves up in pride. (Pro 16:18)[v19] But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
Paul informed them that he had already made plans to come to Corinth, and that if God was willing (Jms 4:13-15), he would visit soon. By the Holy Spirit within him, being able to discern the good from the evil (Heb 5:14), Paul would be able to tell quickly who had the power of God over them, in that they were the humble workers of truth in Christ, versus those who paraded themselves with eloquent speech and mastery of language to deceive the hearts of the simple. (Rom 16:17-18)[v20] For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
Not just the kingdom of God in the manner of location, but in fullness, which includes the angels and the saints together, being under the authority (i.e. power) of the Godhead (i.e. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) and the works He has done in all things; that we can add nothing to His great works, but make ourselves into tools for use in His work. It should not be misunderstood that the Word of God is not power, for the Word of God can pierce the very soul of a man, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12), but rather, Paul is saying that the kingdom of God is not founded in the sleekness of a man's words, by which he impresses people with his polished grammar, charismatic dialogue, articulate pronunciations, and appealing conversation because such things are physical, not spiritual, in the sense that they are exercised features of the flesh. The true kingdom of God is demonstrated by the power (i.e. authority) of God, which is found most commonly in the wisdom and understanding of His Word, but in this instance, the power would have also consisted of miracles, even the deaths of those who spoke falsely, as the Holy Spirit willed in each case.[v21] What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
That is to say: "What is your desire?" Paul was asking them if they preferred that he should come to them as any ordinary schoolmaster, ready to lay down the rod of punishment for their disobedience, taking their wrongdoing as a personal offense against his authority, which is often the way many pastors operate in church buildings today, with a heavy-handed authority that cares more about position and paychecks rather than faith and righteousness, or if they would prefer for him to come with the affection that a father would have, in which there was a strictness, but also a caring and kindness, leading by example, and desiring to see his child walking a straight path, and receive the good things of God.Chapter 5
[v1] It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
After addressing the sins of pride and strife in the church, Paul goes on to address the fornication taking place. Either by a Christian traveler, or by letter from a concerned Christian in the church in Corinth, Paul had received word that some in the church were involved in fornication to a greater degree than even the Gentiles would typically allow. There are cultures still today in Europe and Asia which allow incestual relations between family members (sibling to sibling), but in that day, it was uncommon for the Gentile nations to allow incestual relations to such a degree as a son to copulate with his own mother, and in some states, there were criminal laws against such activity. The reason Paul points this out is that, this example of a mother/son sexual relationship is extreme to the point that even the Gentiles would look upon it in disgust, and therefore it was a shame that those who claimed to be of Christ would not be the first to be offended by such acts in the church. (Eph 5:3)That being said, it is possible that the culprits behind this fornication were not a mother and son relationship because it specifically says "his father's wife." It is possible that the mother had died, the father married another woman, and the son had a sexual relationship with the new woman, who would have been his step mother. Under the Old Testament law (and still in the New Testament), the one-flesh relationship between a man and his wife means that if the son uncovers the nakedness of his mother, it is the equivalent of uncovering the nakedness of his father, and even though the woman is not his biological mother, it is still an offense against the father (Lev 18:7), and obviously, an offenses against God.
[v2] And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
And because they were lifted up in their pride, spending so much time warring against each other in struggle for superiority in title and rank (i.e. trying to obtain the attention of the crowd, to have others respect one over another for their charismatic speeches), they were blinded to the fact that they should have mourned in grief of the sin that was allowed to persist among them. They ought to have rebuked the sin, and if there was no repentance of it, they should have removed that offending family from the church, that the body of Christ would be presented spotless before the Lord. (2Pe 3:14-16)[v3] For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
Though Paul was not with them physically, his spirit had concern and care for them in the same way as if he was among them, and though not being with them, he judged the matter in righteousness (John 7:24), as if he were with them. Please note that Paul was not there, and likely did not know some of these people personally, but judged the matter anyway, because God loves righteous judgment, and it should have been embarrassing to Corinth that they did not judge righteously what was in front of their own eyes.(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v4] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Paul was re-emphasizing the fact that all judgment and sanctification should be done in the name of Jesus Christ, not in the name of Paul, or any other apostle, as Paul had already rebuked them in previous chapters of this wrongdoing. When they gather together to handle the matter, Paul prayed that his same spirit, by which he was given the extraordinary gifts, would be present with them without his having to be physically present, and that such extraordinary gifts would be manifest among the church by the power of Jesus Christ. When the apostles were present, there was much fear of God because many of them heard of not just extraordinary miracles of blessing, but also of punishment, just as Ananias and Sapphira had been struck dead by the Holy Spirit for lying to Peter about what they gave to the church (Acts 5:1-11), and some, in their arrogance, believed that Paul would not personally come to them (as he pointed out in 1Co 4:18), therefore, they also foolishly believed that the judgments of the Holy Spirit would not reach them if the apostles were not physically present.[v5] To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
It is the duty of the church to remove those who do not repent of their sins, as Paul will point out at the end of this chapter (1Co 5:11-13), but in combination with verse 4, this was a unique instance in which Paul, who had been given the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit, had been moved to declare, upon removal of this offending man (who was obviously a false convert, since his spirit was not saved), that he would suffer the torments of Satan against his flesh for the purpose bringing punishment upon him for his wicked deeds in the hopes of bringing him low, humbling him to the point that he would receive repentance and faith from God, acknowledging the truth, having his sin forgiven, and being born again. Though none today have this authority from the Holy Spirit (namely, to punish a man's flesh for his sin, as Peter did with Ananias and Sapphira), we still ought to remove the unrepentant sinners from the midst of the church because we should consider the condition and salvation of their souls first and foremost, but this special instance of discipline was a way to warn those false teachers that God's influence is not limited to the presence of His apostles.[v6] Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
They gloried in the fact that the numbers of the church were growing, but the problem was that they were not removing corrupt people from the church, which only gave a false appearance of growth. This is still a common problem with church buildings and other church-ianity events (like revivals) because they almost never remove anyone from their rosters, giving a false appearance that they have had growth, while everyone remains willingly ignorant that they are neck deep in leaven (i.e. corruption).(Read "Revivalism: The Devil's Design" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
They also boasted in the sense of denomination, being in strife against one another, and the pride in that they had much food and wealth, so they were blinded to the fact that they were corrupted by the wickedness among them. (Rev 3:17) It was common in that day for most people to understand that leaven in the dough of bread is what causes the bread to rise, and that if left in the bread long enough, the bread will continue to increase in size; likewise, when false doctrines are left in the church unchecked, it will endanger the church as a whole, being spread by word and example, and will corrupt many. Sadly, despite the fact that I spent two decades attending church buildings as a young man, I NEVER once recall hearing a pastor teach about leaven (Gal 5:9, Luke 12:1), nor was it ever explained to me, and I believe that is why, today, I still encounter so many churchgoers who have no idea what the analogy of leaven means in Scripture, nor about the dangers of it, and how Christ warned us to beware of it. (Mat 16:6-12)
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v7] Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Just like the man who was fornicating while among the church, the old leaven (i.e. the old way in which we used to live as sinners) should not be named among us in Christ. When we are born again, we are made new creatures (2Co 5:17), and being a "new lump," we are made without leaven. Paul then explains why the feast of passover was celebrated with the seven days of unleavened bread (Exd 23:15), as the passover was a prophecy of Christ's coming.(Read "Should Christians Observe Jewish Passover?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v8] Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
This is not to say that we should observe the Jewish passover, but we are keeping the feast in the spiritual sense, as Christ fulfilled the ordinances of the law. The way in which we Christians keep the passover feast is by study of God's Word (2Ti 2:15), applying His doctrine to our lives, and living sincerely, which would be purely, without deception or hidden maliciousness, coming to the light that our deeds may be seen that they are founded in Christ. (John 3:19-21)[v9] I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
This would have been another letter Paul had written to Corinth, which is not in reference to another book of the New Testament; rather, this is simply another letter Paul had written to them, which either did not make it to the church, in that it may have been lost during delivery, or that it was delivered, but it was ignored, as evidenced by the fact that they continued in fornication, or were allowing those who continued in fornication to remain in fellowship with the church, despite Paul's previous instructions.[v10] Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
This is a note to make sure that Paul's doctrine would not be misunderstood, as we go to the lost sinners of this world in charity, preaching the doctrine of Christ. (Luke 4:4) In order to do this, we must keep some company with fornicators of this world, so that they might hear the truth, but we do not fellowship with them in the intimate manner we fellowship with the church, and therefore, there is a difference between those who fornicate, and those who fornicate while claiming to be of Christ, which is an offense against God because they are taking the name of the Lord in vain (Exd 20:7), which is meant in the sense of ambassadorship, that someone would claim to be a representative of Christ (i.e. a Christian) while hypocritically living a life that is contrary to God's Word.[v11] But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
In the letter Paul had previously mentioned, he had written this doctrine, and now he writes it again in this epistle. If there is any man who claims to be a Christian, which is a claim to be a disciple of Christ (John 8:31), but he does not continue in the Word of God, and continues to live a life of sin, having no repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of his wrongdoing (2Co 7:9-11), then we ought not to keep company with that man, nor should we even sit down to have a meal with him, so that the church will be divided from the leaven (Luke 12:51, John 17:15-17), purified, sanctified, and meet for our Master's use. (2Ti 2:21) Such sins include, but are not limited to, sex outside of marriage (1Co 7:2), lust after material things and the love of money (1Ti 6:10), worship of the things and people of this world (Eze 14:3), speaking vile and malicious words to others (1Co 14:20), uncontrollable lust for alcohol (Gal 5:21), and taking advantage of others for money (1Co 6:10); none of these sinful habits reflect a heart of repentance (Heb 6:1), and therefore, without the humility of repentance, there is no saving grace. (Jms 4:6)(Read "Is Repentance Part of Salvation?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
[v12] For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
By 'without' and 'within', it is meant those who are outside the church versus those who are in the church. There is no reason for us to judge those outside the church because they are already condemned. (John 3:18) God has already judged their wickedness, and condemned the evil, by which they will end up in everlasting punishment without Christ. (Mat 25:46) However, because those that are within have been made new creatures, therefore it is a great thing if they do evil (Mat 6:23), and therefore, if the evil of leaven is among the church, we ought to judge the matter, address the guilty members, and call them to repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) of wrongdoing, and if they will not repent, then we treat them the same as the heathen, in which we remove them from the church and preach the basics of Christ's gospel to them. (Mat 18:15-17)[v13] But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
On the Day of Judgment, God will judge all men, in which there will be no evil deed go unpunished, save those who have been made new creatures, unleavened in Christ. Therefore, if a man lives according to his sin, and not according to Christ, then he should depart from the church to live with his brethren in the world, and if he will not depart, he should be removed. This is a duty that does not befall just the elders (i.e. bishops and deacons) only, but the entire church is responsible for removing the unrepentant sinners from the church, even if that means removing one who has been put into a position of leadership. (And those who claim to be a church and do not operate according to these instructions, are not following Christ.) This is not to say that a Christian will never sin, but that we ought to correct ourselves and live according to the Gospel, which is befitting a student of Christ, and because God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), it does not matter what position someone holds; sin is sin, and an unrepentant sinner is to be put away from the church.
