I. Paul’s Greeting
A. Background
1. Paul started the church and stayed with them for 1½ years.
2. In Acts 19, Paul had written a letter to the Corinthians before he wrote 1 Corinthians.
3. In 1 Corinthians 5⁚9, Paul referred to this letter, but it was lost.
4. Apparently, the Corinthians had either written to Paul, or visited him in person.
5. They had questions for him and reported to him problems in the church.
6. 1 Corinthians is a response to those questions and reports.
B. Paul And Sosthenes V. 1
1. V. 1-Apostle-one who is an ambassador for someone else; an authorized representative.
a. Of Jesus Christ-The highest authority figure in all of creation.
b. Apostles were eyewitnesses of Jesus and were chosen by him to represent him in the first century. They laid down doctrine and were personally chosen by Jesus and were often authenticated by the miraculous signs that God worked through them.
c. Paul had that kind of encounter with the resurrected Jesus. He was chosen by Jesus.
d. In that sense, there are no modern-day equivalents of the 1st century apostles.
e. Paul introduced himself this way because he had the authority to teach and correct.
2. Sothenes- Acts 18-He was the ruler of the Jewish synagogue. He was now a believer.
C. The Corinthians V. 2
1. Corinth- materially and intellectually prosperous, but morally and sexually depraved.
2. To the church of God which is at Corinth-church-a called out assembly.
a. Unfortunately, the city was influencing the church in many sinful ways.
3. Sanctified- to separate from profane things and dedicate to God.
a. To be made separate from profane and common things and to be set apart for God.
4. Saints- those who have been sanctified, those set apart by God.
a. The words to be are italicized; added by the translators.
b. Though there were many problems among them, they were saints because of Jesus.
c. Saints are those who genuinely call upon the name of the Lord. Set apart for God.
d. Question- How does one become a saint? Answer-Call upon the name of the Lord.
D. Grace And Peace To Them V. 3
1. Grace- undeserved favor, divine assistance, divine friendship, divine gifting.
2. Peace- tranquility, absence of war or conflict; tranquil state of the saved and assured soul.
3. from God our Father; the Lord Jesus Christ-Notice the Givers; the Father and the Son.
II. What God’s Grace Does Vs. 4-9
A. Paul’s Thankfulness For The Grace Given To Them V. 4
1. 1 Corinthians is a letter with many rebukes and corrections, but Paul started graciously.
2. V. 4- Paul was regularly thankful for the grace that God bestowed upon people.
a. Paul understood the great benefits and blessings that came upon people’s lives when they received the grace of God.
b. Paul had been a recipient of God’s grace, and he understood personally how God could change a person.
3. Grace- grace had been given to them and had accomplished many amazing things.
B. What God’s Grace Did For Them Vs. 5-9
1. V. 5- God’s grace enriched these Christians.
a. Enriched- to make spiritually rich, to make spiritually wealthy.
b. Utterance- concepts, thoughts, words spoken, mental faculties, doctrine, teaching.
c. Knowledge- understanding of the faith and of God, moral wisdom for right living.
d. The church understood theological things. This letter corrects behavior, not doctrine.
2. V. 6- God’s grace confirmed their testimony.
a. God’s grace- Through the working of God in their lives they had become born again, and that fact was obvious as they
declared their allegiance to Jesus.
3. V. 7a- God’s grace gave them every needed gift for a life of faith.
4. V. 7b- God’s grace gave them hope and patience to wait for the appearing of Jesus.
5. V. 8- God’s grace would confirm them and maintain their blameless position before God.
a. Confirm- make firm, establish, make sure.
b. Blameless- unaccused, unreproveable, unable to legitimately blame someone.
c. Guzik- The Corinthian Christians had their strong points, and they had their weak points. Paul praises God for their positives and expresses confidence that God will take care of their weak points, and confirm them to the end, so that they would be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. V. 9- God’s grace would not fail towards them, because God is faithful.
a. God had called them into fellowship that originates and is focused upon Jesus.
b. He is our Lord, and He is faithful.
7. Unfortunately, the problems with the Corinthians were not lack of gifting and blessing, but worldliness and carnality. They
were gifted but acting like selfish children.
8. Peter Marshall- “(Some)Christians are like deep-sea divers encased in suits designed for many fathoms deep, marching bravely forth
to pull plugs out of bathtubs!”
C. If You Have Said Yes To Jesus
1. You need to understand the lavish and equipping grace of God. Freely, lovingly given.
2. You need to choose to receive it and walk in it.
3. 2 Timothy 2⁚1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
4. You are a saint. You have been set apart by God, for God. He chose you.
5. He gives you grace-undeserved favor, divine assistance, divine friendship, divine gifting.
6. He gives you peace- Psalm 23⁚5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
7. He enriches you- to make spiritually rich, to make spiritually wealthy.
8. He gives you utterance-concepts, thoughts, words spoken, mental faculties, doctrine, teaching.
9. He gives you knowledge-understanding of the faith and of God, moral wisdom for right living.
10. He confirms your testimony-there is visible evidence that you have been born again.
11. He gives you every needed gift for a life of faith. You don’t lack needed spiritual gifts.
12. He gives you hope and expectation regarding the appearing of Jesus.
13. He establishes your blameless position before the Father.
14. He is faithful. He will not fail.