1 Corinthians 1

1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

• Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
• Notice he was "called" and you know the story how he was on the road to Damascus he was struck down and called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.
• He was called by the Holy Spirit directly and given direct instructions on his apostle-ship.

2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

• Called to be saints

3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Grace = Roman 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Now saints here are the "called" or chosen to be elect.
• Therefore, we see he is writing specifically to the elect at the same time he brings this good news to the Gentiles.

4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

• Not by man, but called by Jesus

5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;

• How ye are enriched your life with all knowledge = By Christ

6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

• You knew it, it's was put out in simple way

7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

• Come behind = are not lacking
• Roman 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
• This is why we turn to Christ, to confide and talk to Him.

8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Jesus confirm you
• One day with the Lord = 1,000 years
• 2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

• Notice again = Ye were called

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

• Teach the word of God
• Don't teach man's word

11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

• Don't go out and start your own religion
• Teach God's word

13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

• Was Paul crucified for you? No
• Teach God's words. Don't worship man

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

• Don't have divided, teach the word of God

16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

• Also = the household of Stephanas
• Besides = for the rest
• 1 Corinthians 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
  16 That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.
  17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied.

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

• Preach  the gospel = evangelize

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

• Is = has been
• The wisdom of the wise = the wisdom of the world
• Verse 20 God made foolish the wisdom of this world

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

• World = age
• God made foolish the wisdom of this world = street smart

21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

• After that = since

22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

• Who crucified Jesus? The kenites
• Why? Because Jesus was teaching the word of God, healing the sick, Jesus was going to all people
• Why was Jesus born and crucified?
• Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
• Who's death? The devil
• 1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
• Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
• We are to teach Christ was crucified, for our sins
• 1 Corinthians 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
  4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
  5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
  6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
  7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:
• Stumbling block = Instead of the signs of the kingdom promised by the prophets, the One who claimed to be their Messiah was crucified.
• Gentiles = ethnos
• Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

• Them which are called

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

• Weakness = weak thing
• At your weakness = God will be there for you

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

• Calling = Here it means the way ye were called. The kind of persons whom God sent to call you.
• Hence instead of "are called". The ellipsis should be supplied thus; "not many are wise".
• Roman 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
• God never goes back on His word, and He has said, I will keep a remnant reserved to myself.
• Roman 11:4 This remnant is the 7,000 who will not bow a knee to Baal.
• Apollo's was an eloquent man, but as to Paul, his speech was regarded, as contemptible.
• 2 Corinthians 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
• Acts 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
• After = according to
• Noble = Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

• Hath chosen = chose
• Acts 1:2 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
• To = in order to
• Confound = put to shame
• Roman 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.
• We are never disappointed in our hope, because God's love floods in our hearts.
• A gift from the Holy Spirit or the Comforter.
• Even when we have this hope and faith, many of us fail to realize what this gift means.
• It means we can lean on the Comforter, share our burdens and our disappointments with Him; whereby He will lift them from us, as was promised.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

• Base = without family, or descent = verse 26
• Satan is supernatural
• With God, God's elect have power over Satan
• Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
• Satan's comes saying he is Christ
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
• I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions
• Have you read Revelation 9?
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Bible study hour: Power over the serpents (Deut 32 = Song of Moses)

29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

• Glory = boast
• Roman 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
• Or, call yourself a Judean and even boast of resting in the law.

30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

• Of = from
• The Greek reads "became ... wisdom from God.
• Is made = became
• And = both
• Sanctification = holiness
• Roman 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
• Paul says I use this as an example because of the weakness of your nature.
• And = even
• Redemption - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
• Roman 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
• Paul says if we had seen it, we would no longer hope for it,  but it is ahead of us and we still hope.
• Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
  8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
  9 Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
  10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
  11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
  12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
  13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
  14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
• Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
• Behave yourself, because you are sealed for that day of redemption when He shall redeem you.

31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

• Glorieth = boast = boast in the Lord
• Jeremiah 9:23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
  24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
  25 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
  26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

• Exactly 2520 years from the exile of Benjamin, Iceland became an independent nation.

 

•  The first tribe to be conquered by the Assyrians was Manasseh, in 745 B.C. Exactly 2520 years later America became a nation on July 4, 1776.

(Leviticus. 26: 28-46) God warned Israel that if they persisted in continually breaking His Laws, not only would curses come upon them.

He would punish them for seven times, (a time being 360 years, seven times would be 2520 years) and would banish them from the land of Palestine and scatter them among the heathens (like lost sheep)

• Study the book: Abrahamic Covenant, (A study outline of the identity of God's people) By E. Raymond Capt - page 25