Unity in Weakness as the Body of Christ
The Message of the first Letter to the Corinthians
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Unity in Weakness as the Body of Christ: The Message of the First Letter to the Corinthians. – Introduction A note from the author: As I begin my devotional commentary on 1 Corinthians, I want to point out that I am using a different translation than the NIV. I am using the Common English Bible (for reasons that will probably become evident as we go along). We do not have as much information about Corinth as we do about Jerusalem and Ephesus. Other than what information we can glean from these two letters, the only other place that really gives us much in the Bible is in Luke’s account in the book of Acts. “After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus. He had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul visited with them. Because they practiced the same trade, he stayed and worked with them. They all worked with leather. Every Sabbath he interacted with people in the synagogue, trying to convince both Jews and Greeks. Once Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. When they opposed and slandered him, he shook the dust from his clothes in protest and said to them, “You are responsible for your own fates! I’m innocent! From now on I’ll go to the Gentiles!” He left the synagogue and went next door to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile God-worshipper. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household came to believe in the Lord. Many Corinthians believed and were baptized after listening to Paul. One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Don’t be afraid. Continue speaking. Don’t be silent. I’m with you and no one who attacks you will harm you, for I have many people in this city.” So he stayed there for eighteen months, teaching God’s word among them. Now when Gallio was the governor of the province of Achaia, the Jews united in their opposition against Paul and brought him before the court. “This man is persuading others to worship God unlawfully,” they declared. Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If there had been some sort of injury or criminal behavior, I would have reason to accept your complaint. However, since these are squabbles about a message, names, and your own Law, deal with them yourselves. I have no desire to sit in judgment over such things.” He expelled them from the court, but everyone seized Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and gave him a beating in the presence of the governor. None of this mattered to Gallio.” Acts 18:1-17 As the Acts account shows, the Jews (the ones who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah) were the main opposition to Paul’s ministry in Corinth. Yet it is interesting that Paul succeeded in crossing over this barrier. Here are some key players in the situation at the church in Corinth. A guy named Sosthenes became the synagogue leader in Corinth after Crispus became a believer. It is of note that in his opening greeting of the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul lists one Sosthenes as a brother in the Lord. We have Jewish leaders, Crispus (Acts 18:8, 1 Corinthians 1:14) and Sosthenes (Acts 18:17, 1 Corinthians 1:1), as well as Gentile God-fearers, like Titius Justus (Acts 18:7) becoming believers in Jesus the Messiah. But, as you probably know already, the Corinthian church was really messed up. There was a lot of discord within the fellowship. Some of it may have become a problem with the influx of Jews from Rome into the city due to the edict of Claudius, the Caesar at the time. Certainly, some of the discord came about because of factions in the church regarding leadership issues, spiritual gifts, and other sundry items. We will get into all of that as we proceed. What I want you to notice as we begin is this idea: The word “weak” or “weakness” is used 24 times in these two letters. As I work through these epistles, I think understanding weakness as a bond of unity is one of the keys to understanding Paul’s writings here. As always, I approach this study with humility and in the fear of God. I am looking forward to sharing again. Until next time, TO THE GLORY OF GOD! Unity in Weakness as the Body of Christ: The Message of the First Letter to the Corinthians: Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:1-3. ‘From Paul, called by God’s will to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Sosthenes our brother. To God’s church that is in Corinth: To those who have been made holy to God in Christ Jesus, who are called to be God’s people. Together with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place—he’s their Lord and ours! Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’ From the very beginning, Paul identifies who he is, who he is writing to, but, more importantly, who they all belong to. Notice that the church in Corinth was identified as “God’s church” and “God’s people.” This may be a no-brainer, but I'm tired of hearing people talk about my church. My church does this. My church does that. As if the thrust of a church's identity is consumed by the almighty “me.” I know I have gone there too. But we must remember that the church belongs to God and God alone, not to any individual or denomination or any other form of ownership. If I/we would only take the time to remember whose church it is, maybe we wouldn’t have so many issues to address (similar to the ones Paul addresses in these letters to the church in Corinth). The other problem with the thinking that says “this is my church” is the expectation that “my church” must do things the way I want them to do it or else. Paul points out that the church in Corinth is united with the local gatherings of believers all over the known world when he says, ‘Together with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place—he’s their Lord and ours!” My purpose here is to delve into the problems and solutions Paul proposes to the church that is in Corinth, and, by extension, to churches around the world in our day. The church is unified, first and foremost, “together with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place—he’s their Lord and ours!” The church has a local focus, those who are of like mind in a town or city, but it also has a worldwide focus, the church is made up of all believers (people who call on the name of the Lord). Do you notice what is missing here? There is no such thing as a “national church.” The church, by biblical definition, is either local or worldwide, never national. That is a construct or man-made invention that comes from people trying to enforce their will on God’s design for His church. The most important thing to remember is that the church belongs to God. This is crucial as we continue because it is God’s church. Lord, forgive me when I lose focus on who is the head of the church, Your body. Help me to remember this whenever disputes, disagreements, and discord happen. This is Your church. Help me to be a unifier, not a divider. Amen. Until next time, TO THE GLORY OF GOD! Unity in Weakness as the Body of Christ: The Message of the First Letter to the Corinthians: “I thank God for all you all.” 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
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About the Book
Unity in Weakness as the Body of Christ is one of several devotional commentaries written by the author. This letter of Paul was written to a messed-up body of believers. They had many divisions over leadership, spiritual gifts, and sundry other things. It is recommended that the book be read section by section and works well as a daily devotional guide.
About the Author
Ray Jewell is the pastor of the Afton Community Church, Afton, Wisconsin. He has a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Theology from Lincoln Christian University. Ray loves to write and read, take long walks, and spend time with his family. Ray and his wife, Annette, have two grown children.