It's Not About Me (1 Corinthians)

We have been learning a lot about unity for the last month. Part of the reason for that is that we are in our study of the book of Ephesians. Another reason for that is we are recovering from a time when we were separated and unable to connect. The last thing we need is more isolation.

This morning we talked about how unity takes a lot of work. In one sense, God has unified us in the body of Christ. In another sense, we are all different with different gifts, and we have to learn to love one another as we should.

Tonight, we are going to look at a church that is completely broken and divided. Paul's letter to the Corinthians is intended to help them see the central problem in their congregation. If you have studied this letter before, you might be thinking, "There are a ton of problems that exist in that church." That is true, and Paul will go over several issues. But there is one major problem in the church that is leading to all of the other problems. That problem is selfish ambition. The Corinthian church is arrogant, selfish, and some members believe it's all about them. Their opinions and their ways of doing things are all that matter. They will do what they want to do regardless of the impact it has on other people. This is totally the wrong attitude to have.

Stop Being Selfish - 1 Corinthians 1-4

We are going to slowly work our way through this and see what is happening in Corinth.

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.

At the start of the letter, Paul tells them that he wants them to be together. He doesn't want there to be any divisions among them. They need the same mind and the same judgment. Isn't that an odd thing to expect out of a church? It's almost as though Paul expects everyone to love each other and honor each other. He wants people to assume the best and be friendly as they discuss their disagreements.

Instead, he has received news from Chloe's house that there is quarreling going on. That's not good. That's the opposite of what he wants. Why is there quarreling going on? What has happened to bring quarreling about?

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?

1 Corinthians 1:17--19 (ESV) --- 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. 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Paul says that some are taking sides with men instead of seeking unity under the cross. In Chapter 2, Paul tells them that they think they are wise, but they never got that from Paul's example. He simply preached Christ crucified. Their pride in their own knowledge and wisdom is coming from the world. They are acting like a natural man instead of the spiritual man Christ died for them to become.

1 Corinthians 3:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Where do jealousy and strife come from? They come from the world and those who are still in the world. Paul hears about the jealousy and strife in Corinth, and he knows that they are not spiritual people. Brethren, I want to submit to you that if there is jealousy and strife in this congregation, it's not because we are so spiritual. We are doing the opposite.

1 Corinthians 3:4--9 (ESV) --- 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Paul says they are acting like "mere humans." God has a bigger plan for us than that. He wants us to be more than what we can be on our own. He wants to work through us and with us to accomplish more. Chapter 4 continues this line of thinking by calling them God's temple as the church and individuals. We should be seeking God's glory through a spiritual transformation in our hearts.

Secularism - 1 Corinthians 5-6

The following section begins with a bang! After discussing the widespread problem of divisions, Paul brings up the first major specific issue in the church. At Corinth, there is a brother who is sleeping with his father's wife. This is something that the Gentile world would be appalled at, but the Christians there are letting it happen without seeking any punishment or correcting the man. They are arrogant about their ability to ability to tolerate sin.

1 Corinthians 5:1--2 (ESV) --- 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

Look what Paul says about sin in the church.

1 Corinthians 5:11 (ESV) --- 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler---not even to eat with such a one.

He wants them to get rid of those who are persisting in sin. If they are greedy, idolaters, drunkards, or reviler (Harsh, accusatory, and critical), their sin need to be addressed. After this, he brings up another related issue in the church. They are unwilling to judge anyone, so members have to take their complaints to the law. Paul says that this is entirely contradictory to their prior claims.

1 Corinthians 6:5--8 (ESV) --- 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud---even your own brothers!

He says they are admitting that no one there is wise enough to decide and settle disputes. This is their shame. Besides that, they shouldn't be going to the law. That only brings more shame. The spiritual person would just suffer the wrong.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV) --- 12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

Notice that he brings up this phrase, "All things are lawful for me." This sounds like a phrase that they would use to justify wrong. It's like if someone brings up something that they know someone else will be uncomfortable with, and they say, "There is nothing wrong with it." Maybe there is not anything wrong with it, but that doesn't mean that it is helpful. Furthermore, Paul wants us to be aware that lawful things can become evil when they dominate our desires. At the root of this statement is selfishness. There is a mindset that says, let me do what I want to do. That's not spiritual. That's natural.

We can do many things that would be fine, but we need to ask ourselves, "Is this helpful?" We also need to ask ourselves, "Why do I want to do this so badly?" Maybe if it is helpful and it's not something that dominates us, we should pursue it. We don't need to be afraid of doing new things. But if it appears harmful, we should reconsider. This is what Paul wants them to see. The secular world is pulling the Corinthians to be like them, and he wants them to think about everything they do very carefully. There is a valuable lesson for us in that.

Then, he drives home the need to rid themselves of sexual immorality by saying, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?" He wants them to think carefully about what we let in and be careful to keep away corruption that would lead us to sexual immorality.

Marriage - 1 Corinthians 7

This leads us into the next section, which discusses their need to be selfless in their marriages. The goal is not to get what I want. The goal is to serve my spouse. Furthermore, he says that our devotion must be first to the Lord. Throughout Chapter 7, Paul repeatedly points out that we want to do what is right and pleasing to the Lord regarding our relationships with our spouse or with those we might want to marry. We must not pursue marriage and the physical needs a spouse might meet over the Lord. He must come first.

Rights of the Strong and Weak - 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1

In Chapters 8-10, Paul talks about a question they have on food offered to idols.

1 Corinthians 8:1--2 (ESV) --- 1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.

Some know that there is nothing to the food. The idols aren't real unless we make them real in our hearts. Meat is meat. But Paul points to their pride and arrogance again, saying, "You think you know, but you don't know anything if you are puffed up." Knowing the truth about something doesn't give us the go-ahead to do it. Paul will say in Chapter 9 that he has given up his right to accept money from the church at Corinth before, even though that would have been perfectly okay for him to do. Why would anyone do that? Especially Paul, who is trying to make a living in a tough place. His goal was to win people for Christ without putting any stumbling block in front of them.

1 Corinthians 8:4 (ESV) --- 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

1 Corinthians 8:7--9 (ESV) --- 7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

The Corinthians seek their own good instead of the good of others. So Paul again brings up the popular phrase they love to say.

1 Corinthians 10:23--24 (ESV) --- 23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

We must be seeking the good of those around us. We want to promote spiritual growth and encourage the strong, but not at the expense of the weak. This is the way spiritual leaders must act at all times.

Commendable Tradition Keeping - 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

In Chapter 11, he starts to commend them for keeping traditions as he delivered them. Most people see this text as all about head coverings. In most of our Bibles, the header says "Head Coverings," but that's not really what this is about. Paul is commending them for remembering a tradition he has delivered to them. So what he says here is intended to add to their understanding of some prior teaching. What is the teaching about?

1 Corinthians 11:2--4 (ESV) --- 2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,

Paul is talking about headship and the roles of men and women. In keeping those roles, men are supposed to use their spiritual gifts of prayer or prophesy with their heads uncovered. Women who pray or prophesy should keep their heads covered. Most people think that this is a symbol of submission to the headship of man. But Paul says this is a symbol of authority that the woman must wear when using her spiritual gift of prayer or prophesy. Women in the first century were given spiritual gifts to speak in tongues and prophesy, but to signify that God has given them that ability, they must wear a covering. That's my best guess at what this text is about. But, as I said, this is further clarification on a tradition that Paul has already taught the Corinthians.

Selfishness During Lord's Supper - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

The second half of Chapter 11 shifts to something that is not commendable.

1 Corinthians 11:17--19 (ESV) --- 17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.

The Corinthians do not remember Christ's death with the right attitude.

1 Corinthians 11:20--21 (ESV) --- 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.

The goal of the Lord's Supper should be to help us live more like Christ. It's not supposed to be a selfish thing. We should consider how we can sacrifice for one another and serve each other as Christ has served us.

Spiritual Gifts In Public Worship - 1 Corinthians 12-14

The following section extends from Chapters 12-14, and once again, there is a clear indication of selfishness and arrogance. These Christians are using their gifts to distinguish themselves from others. But listen to what Paul says in Chapter 12.

1 Corinthians 12:14--26 (ESV) --- 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

He says that every member is essential, and the lower members should be given greater honor. Those who serve others are greatest in the body of Christ. Is this not the same thing that Jesus said?

Chapter 13, which is primarily considered for marriage relationships, is also touching on this same idea. We must serve one another with love and respect for each other. If we don't have love, our work accomplishes nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Chapter 14 says that the gifts of tongues and prophecy are miraculous, but the Corinthians should only use them to build up the body. They are not given to create pride and selfish ambition.

1 Corinthians 14:26 (ESV) --- 26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

He finishes this section by saying that women cannot use their spiritual gifts of prophesy or tongues in the assemblies. Women are not permitted to use the authority God has given them in the assembly. This is distinct from the command in Chapter 11.

Pursue The Imperishable - 1 Corinthians 15

The last significant section of instruction in the book is about the resurrection. Paul wants the Corinthians to remember that their salvation is based on Christ's resurrection. They must hold fast to the hope that Christ will resurrect them and save them. They can't look at their own bodies as being able to accomplish anything. Their own wisdom may lead them away from the truth of the resurrection. But faith in that one truth is what everything hangs on.

1 Corinthians 15:1--4 (ESV) --- 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you---unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:50 (ESV) --- 50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Closing Thoughts - 1 Corinthians 16

The last chapter briefly summarizes the collection Paul was taking up for needy saints in Jerusalem. He wants them to practice setting aside money for others weekly so that they won't have to collect it when he comes. The rest of the book is about his plans to travel and encouragement to stand firm.

What's The Message?

This church seems like it is full of issues, but the truth is that they are just acting the way the world around them acts. They act in merely human ways, but they have been called to be the temple of God. They are called to be spiritual people who love and serve one another and shine as a light for the world to see God's glory.

What we see in this letter is our tendency to act like mere humans. When we become selfish and live only for ourselves, we will begin to have strife, jealousy, and all kinds of immorality. Our goal must be to remain humble, full of love and compassion toward one another, and ready to say I'm sorry instead of defending our position. We need to seek what builds up the body of Christ instead of seeking to tear it down.