1 Corinthians 1-7

Notes compiled from my BSF group


1 Corinthians 1:1-9


Paul encouraged the Corinthians for the following:


- Being enriched in every way—in speaking and knowledge (1 Corinthians 1:5-6)


- Not lacking any spiritual gift as they eagerly waited for the revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:7)




1 Corinthians 1:10-17


Paul addressed the problems the Corinthians faced:


Paul learned that the Corinthian church had become divided. Some people chose to follow Paul’s teaching, or Apollos’ teaching, or Cephas’s teaching, or Christ’s teaching (1 Corinthians 1:10-12)




1 Corinthians 1:17–18; 2:6–16
Acts 2:22–24, 36–38
Galatians 6:22–26


In response to this divide, Paul reminded the Corinthians that Christ is not divided.


We are all followers of Christ, even the disciples Paul, Apollos, and Cephas! These disciples are sent to preach the Gospel, to preach the wisdom of God, not of human! And so, any wisdom that comes from the mouth of the disciples, they all ultimately lead back to Christ. Following this logic, if we are all followers of Christ, how could we possibly be divided?


The Church therefore has no reason to be divided if we are all united in Christ. The church should be one follower of Christ and Christ only (1 Corinthians 1:13-17).




1 Corinthians 1:18–2:9
Human and worldly wisdom ultimately come from God. And because humans are flawed, their understanding of God’s wisdom, when used on their own instead of with the guidance of God, is flawed and becomes foolish.




1 Corinthians 2:10–16
God gives us His wisdom through the Holy Spirit.


The Holy Spirit searches all things, including thoughts of man, and guides man to understanding the wisdom of God.




Here, I'd like to dwell a bit on human wisdom (if there is such a thing) and inspired wisdom from God.


First, the main idea here is, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we need not to be afraid because we will be guided by God. However, when we stop listening to the Holy Spirit, we start rejecting the guidance of the Holy Spirit, leading us astray. This is what was happening to the Corinthians. This is what caused division among them. Instead of being united in Christ, they started deciding what they want to believe and what they don't. They started making decisions based on their own understanding of things instead of based on God-inspired directions.


From the Corinthians, we see that when people are proud of their knowledge, they start to base what is right and wrong on their own understanding. Their minds are no longer open to new things, and they certainly won’t be open to the miraculous possibilities by the acts of God. Their minds would thus be closed to God’s instructions, thereby preventing them from maturing in the Word of God. Worse, they are also no longer guided by God’s Word and think they have the answer to everything.


When people are guided by themselves, they become divided, because they’re no longer united in the Word of God. We saw this happening also in the story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).


People during that time thought they could become like gods and started building up toward the Heaven. They believed that if they make it to Heaven, they then can sit at the throne of God. To punish them for their pride, God confused their languages so that they could no longer understand each other. And when they were no longer united, chaos resulted.


These Biblical stories tell us that when we no longer follow God’s Word, we no longer communicate as one.


And on this note, when we run into debates with fellow Christians, we should stand back and think about why that is. Usually, the root of the problem is often a serious misunderstanding of the Word of God. And I would encourage that instead of arguing, we should work together to resolve that misunderstanding and stand stronger as united Christians. It's never about who's right and who's wrong. It's about lovingly welcome brothers and sisters to continue to mature in the Word of God.




1 Corinthians 3:1-4


Paul could not speak of the deep wisdom of God to the Corinthians because they were worldly people.


Paul spoke of "milk" and "solid food".


“Milk” is what babies drink when they are not mature enough to eat “solid food”. Similarly, as Christians, we proceed from being newborn Christians to becoming more and more mature as we learn more and more about the Word of God.


When we are new Christians, we read the Bible and understand the literal meaning of it – the easiest part, the "milk", of the Bible to understand. However, God’s message isn’t just that simple. There are prophecies and mysteries within the Bible that take years of study to understand them well. This kind of understanding only comes from maturing in the Word of God. This kind of understanding is "solid food".




Romans 8:7; 14:10–12
2 Corinthians 5:10
Galatians 6:8–9


“Worldly” means belonging to the world. We live IN the world, but we are taught not to be OF the world, not to belong to the world (1 John 4).


Why? Because the world is under the control of Satan, the evil one (1 John 5:19). Satan uses deceit to draw us closer to his world, thereby pulling us further away from God.


Addictions to or obsessions over money, power, social status, etc., are just examples of the lure of Satan.


What’s the problem with being worldly? Why is money, power, social status, etc., such a bad thing? Well, note that neither of those things is bad! It’s the LOVE for those things that is the problem!


“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).


The ultimate idea of Christianity is both easy and difficult to understand.


It is easy to understand because it can be stated in one simple sentence: Love God.


But, it is also difficult to understand because if it weren’t, man would not have had so much trouble following God throughout the course of human history! We're told to love God. HOW? What does that mean anyway? If we can't even love our parents they way they deserve to be loved, do we really know how to love God, THE Father?


When we become worldly people, our heart no longer belongs to God. We crave worldly things more than we crave God. God is no longer the center of our lives, and we allow worldly things to dictate our lives.


When we follow God’s Word with our heart, when we place Him at the center of our lives, we succeed because God leads us to our success (Joshua 1:8). He is a Father who loves us. And through the Holy Spirit, He leads us toward things that are best for us.


When we start following our selfish goals, when we start idolizing money, power, social status, etc., we abandon God’s Word and do whatever we think is necessary to gain more money, power, and social status, etc. In other words, we no longer operate with the will to accomplish God’s work, to glorify God. We operate with the will to accomplish our own work, to glorify ourselves.


That’s not even the worst part.


The worst part is, we may THINK we have outsmarted God, that we can do whatever we want, follow our own wishes, depend on ourselves to glorify ourselves. We can do it all, WITHOUT God's help! But in all reality, that is just a sad, sad DECEPTION.


The Bible clearly states that Satan is the ruler of this world (1 John 5:19). He CONTROLS this world, and he is the master of deception. Who pulled Adam and Eve away from God? Who tried (but failed, ha!) to pull Jesus away from God, tempting Jesus in the desert? Satan, Satan, Satan.


When we are tempted to lust for money, power, social status, sex, drugs, and other things of this world, we have two choices: (1) keep God in our heart and have Him guide us to safety, or (2) give in to those temptations and join Satan in Hell.


People who think they can outsmart God, who think they can do it all without God, these are people like the Corinthians; they are like those who tried to build the Tower of Babel; they are like those who are like Satan. All these beings share the same characteristics: Pride. They think they can become gods, and they think they can do better than the Creator of all things.


Here's the most ironic thing though: These people think they are free, that they are masters of themselves. Well, they are not.


Our lives always are always revolved around something. If they aren’t, then we have no reason to get up in the morning.


Think about that for a second.


Isn’t it true? If we don’t have a central goal in life, then what have we got to live for?


So, here’s the thing: If our lives have to revolve around something, shouldn’t it revolve around something that is TRUE?


You want to rebel? Sure, go ahead. Have your life revolve around drugs. How long is that going to last? How real are those hallucinations? How long can you live a lie?


Fine, you say, then you’ll just have your life revolve around nothing. Then there is no incentive for you to do anything, is there? Essentially, that means, your life revolves around being lazy. 


Get my point here? Whether we like it or not, OUR LIVES REVOLVE AROUND SOMETHING.


Okay. Say, you are more ambitious and have up-standing goals. So… you choose to have your life revolve around success. What does that word mean anyway? How much money you make? How much power you have? How high up the corporate ladder you are? And how secure are any of these things? When the government goes bankrupt, when the economy fails, how much money is worth a loaf of bread? Where is all that power going to get you?


Furthermore, if Satan controls this world, who/what do you think your life ultimately revolves around?


Wake up, people.


If you think you can live without God, if you think what you have is success without God, YOU ARE SEVERELY DECEIVED.


You have fallen prey to Satan’s deception, and he’s got you worshiping money, power, status, etc. He’s got you worshiping anything BUT God. He’s got you worshipping some form of Satan. And that is a win for Satan, but a sad, sad loss for you.


Like I have been saying all this time, at the end of the day, our lives revolve around ONLY ONE of two things: God or Satan.


This is why we have been warned to NOT be worldly. When we start worshiping the world, when our heart no longer has God at its center, we start worshipping Satan, the ruler of the world, and his deceptions.


For those too proud to follow God, I urge you to swallow your pride. Revelation 16 talks about the Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath.


“Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done” (Revelation 16:10-11)


Pay attention to this verse.


These people refused God and turned their backs on God. That part is obvious. What should be shocking should be that all these people know they are not just suffering from natural disasters. THEY KNOW THEY ARE SUFFERING THE WRATH OF GOD. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be cursing God! Yet, even as they cursed God, they still refused to repent of their sins and submit to the Creator of all things!


This is so heartbreaking -- So heartbreaking because we see here how people’s heart can be so hardened, they would refuse the ONLY power that can save them from eternal suffering. They are so hardened, because they are so proud. Even when they face extreme agony, they would refuse help because they are too prideful to put down their pride and ask!


If you have not yet bow down to God, I really urge you to think about your decision. Why haven’t you accepted God as THE ultimate Creator, the Father?


It has been said, every knee will bow before Jesus (Isaiah 45:23). EVERY knee. That includes yours. Do you know what that means? It means, whether you want to or not, your knee will bow before Jesus. The difference is, when you CHOOSE to bow before Jesus, you will receive His love. But when you bow before Jesus on Judgment Day, you will be condemned in Hell, living your eternity in suffering and torment. And when you bow on that day, it won’t be because you chose to. It will be because you have finally discovered the righteousness of God and how your pride falls short of His righteousness, how your pride could not save you. You will fall to your knees because that realization will make you weak. It will make you weak, because you will discover that there is no one to blame but yourself. You put yourself in that situation.


So, I’m urging you again. Think about this hard. Your life revolves around ONLY one of two things: God or Satan. You cannot choose to follow Satan and still say you belong to God. This is why you cannot pursue money, power, social status, etc., and still say you belong to God. Because when your heart revolves around God, you will be interested only in doing His will, NOT your own will.


If you think you can succeed without God, you live worshiping yourself, just as Satan does. This ultimately leads to the same judgment as Satan’s judgment: eternal suffering in Hell.


Similarly, when you worship money, you ultimately worship Satan, for the lust of money is just one of Satan’s many deceptions. And so, when you worship power, you worship Satan. When you worship anything NOT God, YOU WORSHIP SATAN!


Success. What does that mean? I honestly don’t know. For the true Christian, it doesn’t really matter. All that matters to the true Christian is doing the Will of God. To us, that’s true success. We understand what matters most in this life isn’t all the money, power, social status, etc. We can see through Satan’s deception, because we have the Word of God in our heart (Hebrews 4:12). We know money, power, social status, etc. are just his glitter, clouding our eyes from seeing the Truth, from seeing God.


Success in this life isn’t about any of those materialistic, non-eternal meaningless and worldly objects. Success in this life is saving more souls, preaching the Gospel to more people, accomplishing God’s Will.


Money, power, social status, etc.? What’s so amazing about any of that when we compare it to God’s awesomeness? God created this world with one breath (Genesis 1). Look how hard we have to work to accumulate just enough wealth and power… and we can't even come close to achieving anything close to the miracles God has done!


Wake up, people.


Our best is NOTHING compared to God’s worst.


Let us put our pride aside and CHOOSE to bow our knees to God before we fall to our knees on Judgment Day.




1 Corinthians 3:10-12
We should build on the solid foundation of God’s Word. God’s Word is PERFECT. There is no way we can fail if we build upon God’s perfection.




1 Corinthians 3:13-15


"A person’s work will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).


What does this mean?


It means can your work stand up to the test? The test of what? The test of ANYTHING. Political hardship. Economic hardship. Natural disasters. ANYTHING.


If we live for this world, then when any of these worldly disasters happen, we will falter. We will look at the destruction, and we will have no hope, because we have spent our whole life building these materialistic luxuries that are now laying in ruins at our feet. We will now have to start all over if we ever want to enjoy our former glory.


Even if we believe we are very wise and can safeguard ourselves against all unknown disasters, know that there will be a day when ALL worldly wealth will be brought to a ruin (Revelation 18:17). Again, God or Satan. There is no escaping making this choice.


Clearly, none of the things of this world last forever. Nothing is secure. You may have a billion US dollars today, but when the entire world’s economy collapses (and any smart economist would tell you that this is only a matter of time), those dollar bills won’t worth more than toilet paper. At least the toilet paper is easier on our butts.


So, what will stand the test of time? God. God has ALWAYS delivered His people from times of trial. There are just way too many examples. The ENTIRE BIBLE is proof to how God provides, provides, provides! There is not one situation that can stomp God. NOT ONE. No matter the situation, God ALWAYS has a solution. God’s Way is the ONLY way that stands up to the test.


This is the point Paul is trying to illustrate. If we build upon weak foundations (our own will), any success we have will not withstand trials because we are flawed. And if we are flawed, then our foundations are flawed. However, if we build upon strong foundations (God’s will), not only will we stand firm and strong during trials (because we're following God's Way), we can rest assured that the success we’ve built will never be lost. God’s will is superior to any disastrous force. His will is not limited by political stress, economic instability, natural disasters, etc. (Moses parting the Red Sea is a popular example.) Anything we do in His will therefore will stand the test of any trial.




1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Paul describes the person who has some knowledge of God and the Bible as “those entrusted with the secret things of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). We do not judge because we are not the judge. Only God is (1 Corinthians 4:2-5).




1 Corinthians 4:6–13


I found the following verses very inspirational:


Verse 1:
"Do not go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Corinthians 4:6-7)


We learn the following things from Paul:


1. We follow the Bible, and we do not extrapolate beyond what is not written in the Bible. If the Bible doesn’t say, then IT DOES NOT SAY. Don’t guess. Just leave it as “I do not know”. Because in reality, we don't! ONLY GOD KNOWS - and we can ask Him about it when we're in Heaven. So, for the time being, don't guess, don't assume.


2. Why should we feel we are better than other people? Why do we compare what we have with what other people have, as if what we have would determine whether we’re better than others? All things come from God. ALL. God can take it away just as easily as He has given it all to us. So, what have we got to be proud of ourselves? What have we got to boast?


Verse 2:
"Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!" (1 Corinthians 4:8)


We learn the following things:


The Corinthians were rich in materialistic things. They live the lives very much like ours. Big mansions, nice cars, gourmet food… things that kings would enjoy.


Yet, Paul said, “How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!” How SHARP a statement!


Here, Paul is telling the Corinthians that they were kings only in materialistic things but not in spirit. And Paul is saying that is so sad, because being kings of materialism is not real kings at all. Why? Because materialistic things are not eternal! However, when we receive eternal life by receiving Jesus, we are then promised to reign with Jesus ETERNALLY as kings and priests (Revelation 20:6).


This is why when we are kings in spirit, that is true kingship! This is why Paul said, “How I wish!” because Paul felt such great pity for them! The Corinthians believed they were kings when in fact they were not. Yet, they remained so blinded, Paul could only shake their heads hoping they’d soon see their folly.


Remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)?


The rich man thought he had all the riches in the world and found out he didn't until it was too late. I say "too late" because by the time he realized his folly, he was already in Hell.


I really hope the significance of this story sinks in.


Throughout the Bible, we read stories like this. The most shocking discovery for me isn't what happens to people who are too proud to receive God. The most shocking discovery for me is that THESE PEOPLE ALL ULTIMATELY RECOGNIZE GOD AS GOD. They may refuse Him all they want throughout their lives, but at the end, THEY ALL KNOW HIM. And every single one of them make that realization as they suffer the wrath of God, knowing their repentance came too late.


So, I ask this question again to those who are quick to deny God's existence: How long can you live a lie? It should be obvious now that the question is rhetorical. We all have one lifetime to make one choice. You can choose to live a lie for one lifetime. Yes, that is your choice to make. Just know that you're swapping in eternal life for, what, 60 years, 100 some years at most, of the lie that you're better than God.


Man, oh, man, how my heart yearns for those too proud. Please, please, please make the right choice.




1 Corinthians 4:14-21
Paul’s purpose in writing to the Corinthians was therefore to tell the Corinthians to become kings of the spirit and stop worshiping meaningless and worldly objects.




1 Corinthians 5–6


Paul also taught on the following subjects:


- It is wrong to take one’s father’s wife as his own wife (1 Corinthians 5)


- It is better to have a wise judge to judge the disputes between Christians. Having a lawsuit among brothers show that they are defeated already, meaning they have allowed the enemy to put them against each other (1 Corinthians 6:4-11)


- Christians will judge angels and the world (1 Corinthians 6:1-3)


- Our bodies are members of Christ himself (1 Corinthians 6:15); our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Therefore, we should honor God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20) and truly understand that just because we can do anything we want, that doesn’t mean everything we do is beneficial for our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:12)!


- Since our bodies are members of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15), how could we bear uniting our bodies with prostitutes? When we commit sexual immorality, we are sinning against our own body. We should therefore flee from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18).


Each one of the above teachings can be a study of its own. I will not go into details here but will sum it up by saying our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. When we sin, we dirty ourselves, and we sin against God. Jesus died for us. Our freedom is bought with the price of His suffering death. To continue to dirty ourselves and to commit sin is the greatest disrespect for the Grace of God.




1 Corinthians 7:1-16
Matthew 5:32; 19:8–9
Mark 10:11–12
Luke 16:18


Paul also discussed the concept of marriage and divorce:


1. It is best to not to marry, but if we cannot control their sexual desires and give in to sexual immorality as the result, then we should marry and devoted to one husband or wife.


2. If we do consider marriage, polygamy is not accepted. “Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:3).


3. To those who are married, divorce should not be easily considered (1 Corinthians 7:10).


4. To those who are married to unbelievers, they should remain with their spouses (1 Corinthians 7:12-14), for there is always a chance that the believers can save the non-believers (1 Corinthians 7:19).


5. However, if the non-believers wish to leave the marriage, then let them leave, for we are taught to live in peace (1 Corinthians 7:15).


Again, these points are studies of its own, and I would research each out before making broad-stroke conclusions.


Here are my notes on related subjects:
http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/search/label/Ezra
http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/search/label/Hosea




Matthew 19:10–12
Paul's teaching is in line with Jesus's teaching. Those who do not have the will to remain single should be devoted to one person so that they may avoid the temptation of lust. However, those who have been called to remain single, and they are joyful in remaining devoted to God as a single, then let these people remain single.


We should note here that marriage is the holy joining of God’s people. The man should be devoted to the woman, and the woman should be devoted to the man.


Ultimately, it's still about having our heart revolve around God. If we can do it as a single, then do it. There is no need to seek a partner, because our focus is already completely on God. However, if our mind wanders and cannot bear the burden of being a single, then we should enter a Godly marriage (not the corrupted type of marriage we think of today when we hear the word "marriage").


What is a Godly marriage?


That is a hard topic. Thankfully, my church is currently going through a series of sermons dedicated to "Real Marriage", so I'll be posting notes on the topic as we go through them.