TEACHING NOTES Introduction Last week week we learned that Paul’s “first” letter to the Corinthian church deals with five major problems. The church in Corinth was mostly made up of former pagans who were struggling to change their way of life. In the first four chapters we see that Paul wants to address divisions in the church. As we will see, Paul believes that a divided church is a big problem. The church in Corinth was divided in more than one way. In this session we’re going to cover one type of division that we will refer to a “church groupies.” ‌ More Context for Corinthians: In the last session we discussed the city of Corinth and how Paul wrote his letters by using an amanuensis (scribe). We didn’t have time to discuss how many letters Paul actually wrote to the church in Corinth. While we have two letters in our New Testament, Paul wrote as many as four letters to Corinth. ‌ 1st Corinthians is actually not the first letter Paul wrote to Corinth. We know this because Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:9 “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—” Apparently, Paul had written a previous letter to Corinth, but it was not preserved for us. Therefore, what we call “First Corinthians” is actually Paul’s second letter to Corinth. ‌ Between what we call 1&2 Corinthians, Paul also wrote what he calls a “severe letter” or “letter of tears” (see 2 Corinthians 2:3–4; 7:8). Judging by how Paul describes that letter, he is likely not referring to 1 Corinthians. Some scholars believe that 2 Cor. 10-13 is actually the severe letter that has been attached to 2 Cor. 1-9. ‌ 2nd Corinthians is actually at least two letters combined into one document. There is a clear change of subject and tone in 2 Cor. 10, going from positive encouragement to intense critique without any transition. Normally, Paul will give a clear transitional statement when changing subjects, but 2 Corinthians has a very abrupt change. ‌ Paul also mentions that the Corinthians had written to him: 1 Cor. 7:1 “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote…” 1 Cor. 6:12; 10:23 Paul quotes from their letter to argue against their views. ‌ It’s important to know that Paul is responding to questions and topics that Corinth had written to him. Without this context it’s easy to misread some parts as being Paul’s teaching. For example, we read “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman” (1 Cor. 7:1). However, it is clear that Paul is quoting from their letter (1 Corinthians 7:1 “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ‘It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman’”). Then Paul goes on to correct this idea by saying “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband” (1 Cor. 7:2). ‌ Note: There is an ancient document that claims to be 3rd Corinthians, but this document was not written by Paul. The earliest copy we have is from the 200s AD. ‌ 1 Corinthians 1:10–11 ESV 10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. ‌ Appeal = Grk. parakaleo - to urge, implore, exhort. ‌ By the name of Jesus Christ = In the ancient world, invoking the name of one’s God carried a certain weight or seriousness. Paul urges or commands the Corinthians “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” to show them that what he is about to say is extremely important. Also, the New Testament teaches that the name of Jesus carries power—not only to heal, but also to rebuke. If the name of Jesus could be used to rebuke demons, the same name carries power to rebuke humans. Paul often uses this technique to show that he is speaking for Jesus. ‌ All of you agree = Grk. pantes to auto legete - all of you agree together. ‌ Divisions = Grk. schismata - to tear, split, divide. ‌ Be united = Grk. katertismenoi (katartizo) - be complete, matured, perfected. Something that is divided is incomplete. Paul is urging this church to be complete by being unified. ‌ Same mind = Grk. autos nous - same mindset, understanding. ‌ Same judgment = Grk. autos gnome - same intention, purpose, or conviction. ‌ Chloe’s people = In Corinth the church would have met in smaller groups in various homes, rather than one large group. “Chloe’s people” likely refers to the church that met in her house. ‌ Quarreling = Grk. erides - strife, contention, rivalry. This issue is not merely groups of people who like a certain teacher more than others. This had turned into sharp division and fighting. The “groupie” mentality had become a competition. ‌ 1 Corinthians 1:12–13 ESV 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ‌ I follow Paul = The Greek text does not say “follow” but simply “I am with.” These believers are identifying themselves with certain apostles or teachers that they like. This may not seem like a big deal to us, but it is a big problem to Paul. ‌ Apollos = We first read about Apollos in Acts 18:24-28. Apollos was Jewish but had believed Jesus is the Messiah and had been baptized. Acts 18:24 tells us that Apollos was “an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.” Apparently, Apollos was such a good teacher that he was influential in Corinth. There was a cultural tendency in ancient Greek cities to identify oneself with a particular sophist (philosopher). Apparently, the Corinthian church had brought this cultural tendency into the church. ‌ Cephas = This is the Aramaic form of the Greek name Peter. Like Paul and Apollos, Peter was also a popular teacher. Peter may have actually been more popular because he was a direct disciple of Jesus. ‌ Christ = It seems that some of the Christians in Corinth got it right and identified themselves with Christ rather than one of the teachers. ‌ 1 Corinthians 1:14–17 ESV 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. ‌ I baptized none but Crispus and Gaius = We see the humanity of Paul here in that he corrects himself within the text of Scripture. He remembers that he also baptized the household of Stephanas in addition to Crispus and Gaius. Crispus was the former ruler of the synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:8). Gaius was a host of the church in Corinth, meaning he provided his home as a meeting space (Rom. 16:23. ‌ That no one may say you were baptized in my name = Apparently, the Corinthians were so obsessed with certain teachers that some were being baptized in the name of a teacher rather than in the name of Christ. We’re told in Acts 19:1-5 that Paul found some disciples in Ephesus who had been baptized “into John’s baptism” which refers to John the Baptist. Once Paul tells them that John was baptizing for repentance and to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, these disciples were then “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” ‌ Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach = This would trouble many modern church members. Paul clearly states that he was not sent (Grk. apostello) to baptize but to preach the gospel. Apparently, a person could be called by God to preach and teach without being required to do all the other things we put on preachers and pastors today. Paul taught the Ephesians that Christ gave the church “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelist, the pastors, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:11-12). In the ancient church, there was not one pastor doing all of the ministry. There was a plurality of leaders who helped each other to do what was needed. This is a much better model than our modern system. ‌ Not with words of eloquent wisdom = The Greek word for “eloquent wisdom” here is sophia, which can also mean “clever speech.” The Greeks were really into philosophers and skilled rhetoric. Paul was skilled in rhetoric as well, but makes clear that he didn’t use this skill when preaching the Gospel. ‌ Lest the cross be emptied of its power = Paul did not want to use flashy methods to preach the Gospel because people would buy in for the wrong reasons. The power of the Gospel is in the truth of the story, not in the skill of the preacher. Modern Christians are often drawn to preachers who are flashy, entertaining, funny, or controversial. Many modern Christians would likely think the preaching of the apostles was boring. ‌ Are there church groupies today? It would be easy to read Corinthians and be judgmental against this church. But as we will see throughout this series, all churches are at risk of committing the same sins and misdirection. Here are a few ways church groupie mentality still exists: ‌ Theological Systems: It’s common for Christians to identify themselves with certain theological systems: like Calvinism, Reformed, Dispensationalism, Messianic/Hebrew Roots, etc. This can be dangerous because we end up reading the Bible through the lens of a theological system. ‌ Popular Teachers/Preachers: It’s also common for Christians to put too much trust in teachers, preachers, and authors who are popular today. There are even people who are not part of a local church, but consider themselves “doing church” by watching a popular TV preacher. “Church” (Grk. ekklesia) literally means “gathering.” Therefore, “doing church” without gathering with the family of God is not possible. ‌ Denominations: The Protestant world is severely fractured into more than 3,000 denominations in America and many more globally. ‌ Church Splits: While sometimes it is necessary, many church splits are the result of issues that have nothing to do with Scripture. Churches often split over personal preferences, church politics, power struggles, and hurt feelings. ‌ Remember… ‌- All teachers are flawed humans. ‌- The personal character of popular teachers is often unknown or ignored. ‌- Some popular teachers are not connected to a local church. ‌ Conclusion ‌We are followers of Christ, not followers of other followers. ‌ Next Week: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 ‌