1Cor 1 | MHM | STEP | The Apostle's Salutation This section is the introduction to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Paul follows the usual way of writing letters at that time by clearly saying who is writing and to whom. He also starts with kind greetings and prayers, and he thanks God for the believers in Corinth. Paul wants to encourage the church, remind them of God’s blessings, and point them to Christ. Even though some people in Corinth doubt Paul’s authority, he gently affirms his role as an apostle and expresses his love for the church. v. 1 : Paul introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, chosen by the will of God. He did not choose this job for himself. God called him. Paul includes Sosthenes, a fellow believer and minister, in his greeting. Sosthenes was likely well known to the Corinthians and was once a leader in the synagogue who became a Christian (1 Corinthians 9:1-2; 2 Corinthians 10:10 ).

‏ 1 Corinthians 1

The Apostle's Salutation

This section is the introduction to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Paul follows the usual way of writing letters at that time by clearly saying who is writing and to whom. He also starts with kind greetings and prayers, and he thanks God for the believers in Corinth. Paul wants to encourage the church, remind them of God’s blessings, and point them to Christ. Even though some people in Corinth doubt Paul’s authority, he gently affirms his role as an apostle and expresses his love for the church.

v. 1: Paul introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, chosen by the will of God. He did not choose this job for himself. God called him. Paul includes Sosthenes, a fellow believer and minister, in his greeting. Sosthenes was likely well known to the Corinthians and was once a leader in the synagogue who became a Christian (1 Corinthians 9:1-2; 2 Corinthians 10:10 ^a).

v. 2: The letter is addressed to the church of God in Corinth and to all who call on the name of Jesus Christ everywhere. Paul says the believers are “sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints.” This means they belong to Christ and are supposed to live holy lives. Christians are united by faith and by their prayers to Jesus, their Lord, who is the head of every believer in every place.

v. 3: Paul gives a blessing: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. He wishes them God’s favor and peace, which come only through Jesus Christ. Just as the Old Testament blessing was, The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace (Numbers 6:26 ^b), now believers have peace with God through Jesus, but first they must receive God’s grace.

v. 4: Paul begins by thanking God for the Corinthians. He is thankful that God has shown them grace through Jesus Christ. Those who trust in Christ receive God’s kindness, love, and many spiritual blessings (1 Corinthians 1:4 ^c).

v. 5: Paul says they have been enriched in every way, especially in speech and knowledge. These gifts make them able to serve and help others. Some people have good words but little wisdom, while others have wisdom but cannot express it. The Corinthians have both, which is a great blessing (1 Corinthians 1:5 ^d).

v. 6: Paul says that their spiritual gifts show that the message about Christ is true. God gave these signs and gifts to confirm that Paul’s teaching was from Him (Hebrews 2:4 ^e).

v. 7: Because of these gifts, the Corinthians do not lack any spiritual gift as they wait for Jesus to return. Christians look forward to Christ’s second coming and prepare for it in their daily lives (1 Corinthians 1:7 ^f).

v. 8: Paul is confident that Jesus will keep them strong until the end, so they will be blameless when Jesus returns. This is not because of their own goodness, but because of God’s grace (1 Corinthians 1:8 ^g).

v. 9: Paul finishes this introduction by reminding them that God is faithful. He called them into fellowship with Jesus Christ, and He will not fail them. If believers stay true to God, He will always be true to them (1 Thessalonians 5:24; Psalm 89:33 ^h).

Party-Spirit Reproved

Here, Paul begins to address the main problem in the Corinthian church. He is concerned that the believers are divided into groups and fighting with each other. Paul wants them to understand how important it is to be united in Christ. He urges them to put aside their differences and love one another as brothers and sisters in the faith.

v. 10: Paul begs the Christians in Corinth to agree with each other. He does this by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says, “Speak all the same thing,” meaning they should avoid divisions and instead be united in their words and actions. Paul knows that even if they do not agree on every detail, they should still be joined together in love and in the big truths of the faith. He wants them to be “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment,” showing unity in their hearts and thoughts.

v. 11: Paul explains that he has heard about their arguments from people who care about them. These people did not report the problem out of malice, but because they wanted Paul’s help to bring peace. The disagreements are causing hurt in the church and need to be addressed.

v. 12: Paul points out how the church is divided into different groups. Some people say, “I follow Paul,” while others say, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas (Peter),” or even “I follow Christ.” They are picking favorites among their leaders instead of focusing on Jesus. This is not a problem with the gospel itself, but a sign of human pride and selfishness (Proverbs 13:10 ⁱ).

v. 13: Paul questions their thinking: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Paul reminds them that there is only one Christ. No human leader should take the place of Jesus. Paul did not die for them, and they were not baptized in his name. Only Jesus is their Savior and Lord. Paul wants them to remember that all Christians are united in Christ, not separated by following different leaders.

Party-Spirit Reproved

In these verses, Paul explains more about his ministry in Corinth. He wants the believers to understand that he did not come to make followers for himself or to create divisions. Paul’s main focus was preaching the gospel, not gathering personal supporters. He is grateful that his actions cannot be misunderstood as trying to form a group devoted to him instead of to Christ.

v. 14: Paul thanks God that he baptized only a few people in Corinth: Crispus, who was once a synagogue ruler (Acts 18:8 ^j), Gaius, and the household of Stephanas. He cannot remember baptizing anyone else. This is not because Paul did not care about baptism, but because he did not want anyone to say that he baptized converts in his own name or was trying to make his own group of followers.

v. 15: Paul did not want people to say, “I was baptized in Paul’s name.” He left the job of baptizing to others, while he focused on his main mission—preaching the gospel. This helped avoid confusion and division in the church.

v. 16: Paul remembers he also baptized the household of Stephanas, but he is not sure if he baptized anyone else. This shows that he was not keeping a list for his own glory. His focus was on spreading the good news about Jesus.

The Efficacy of the Gospel; The Character of the Gospel

In this section, Paul explains how he preached the gospel in Corinth and what makes the gospel so powerful. Paul did not try to impress people with clever words or fancy speech. Instead, he simply told the truth about Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. Paul wants the believers to understand that God’s way is different from the world’s way. The message of the cross may seem weak or foolish to some, but it is truly the power and wisdom of God.

v. 17: Paul says he did not preach the gospel “with the wisdom of words” (1 Corinthians 1:17 ^k). He avoided using impressive speech or complicated language, because he did not want people to think the power was in his words. Instead, he wanted everyone to see the power of the cross. Paul preached about Jesus’ death and resurrection in plain language, trusting that God’s truth was stronger than any human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:4 ^l).

Paul says, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17 ^m). This does not mean baptism is unimportant, but Paul’s special calling was to preach. He did not use fancy words or human wisdom, because he wanted people to trust in the message of the cross, not in clever speech. Paul preached Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 1:23 ⁿ). This is the heart of the gospel and the foundation of Christian faith. By Jesus’ death, we receive life, and that is what Paul wanted everyone to know and believe.

v. 18: Paul says the message of the cross sounds foolish to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18 ^o). Some people think it makes no sense, but believers know it changes lives. For Jews, the cross was a stumbling block, and for Greeks, it sounded foolish. But to those who are called by God, this message is the wisdom and power of God (1 Corinthians 1:23-24 ^p).

v. 19: Paul quotes the Old Testament: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent (Isaiah 29:14; 1 Corinthians 1:19-20 ^q). God’s plan was to save people in a way that human wisdom could not understand. He chose a way that would humble people’s pride and show that real wisdom comes from God, not from the world.

v. 20: Paul asks, “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?” All the learning and arguments of the world could not bring people to God. God made the wisdom of the world look foolish, because it could not save anyone (1 Corinthians 1:20-21 ^r).

v. 21: People could not find God through their own wisdom. So, God decided to save those who believe through what seemed foolish—the preaching of Christ crucified. The world thinks this message is weak, but it is actually the way God saves people.

v. 22: Paul explains that Jews look for signs and miracles, while Greeks seek wisdom and clever ideas (1 Corinthians 1:22; Matthew 12:38 ^s). They both miss the true way to God because they expect something different.

v. 23: Paul says, “But we preach Christ crucified.” This message is a stumbling block to Jews and sounds foolish to Greeks. Yet, it is exactly what God planned. It shows that God’s ways are higher than ours (1 Corinthians 1:23 ^t).

v. 24: To those whom God calls, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. When people believe, they see how great God’s plan really is (1 Corinthians 1:24 ^u).

v. 25: Paul says, The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:25 ^v). Even what seems weak or foolish to people is much greater than the greatest wisdom or strength of humans.

v. 26: Paul reminds the Corinthians that not many of them were wise, powerful, or important by the world’s standards when God called them (1 Corinthians 1:26 ^w). God often chooses ordinary people to show that His power does not depend on human greatness.

v. 27: God chose what the world calls foolish and weak to shame those who think they are wise and strong. God does things His own way, to show His glory and humble human pride.

v. 28: God also chose what is low and even despised by the world, so that no one can boast before Him. The gospel brings down pride and lifts up God’s greatness.

v. 29: The reason God does this is so that no one can boast in His presence. All glory belongs to God alone .

v. 30: Paul tells the Corinthians that everything they have comes from God through Christ. Jesus is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30 ^x). He saves us, makes us holy, and gives us a right standing with God.

v. 31: Paul finishes this section by saying, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31 ^y). Our only reason to boast is what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.