1 Corinthians 1;13-31, Good Bad Division; Baptism For Salvation?; Saved By?; matriarch Chloe; Preach The Word; sophia logou, wisdom; IHOP, NAR; foolishness; “logos”

1 Corinthians 1:13-31
Carnal Church Correction
There Is Good And Bad Division; Is Baptism
Necessary For Salvation?; Saved By What?; The
Christian’s Job?; Chloe a Biblical matriarch; Not To
Baptize; Preach The Word; logos; sophia logou,
wisdom of words; IHOP, NAR; foolishness
Yosemite 2016, DLK

Lets read 1 Corinthians 1
Yosemite 2016, DLK

BIBLE IN FIVE
Pastor Dave Kooyers
Valley Bible Fellowship
Box 433
Boonville CA 95415
http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers
www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org
(707) 895-2325
God bless you as you examine His Word,
Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5
These Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are provided "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ"
(Ephesians 4:12-15). To help Christians to "to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." So that "we are no longer...tossed here and
there...by every wind of doctrine." They may be downloaded and modified free of charge.
Matthew 10:8 …Freely you received, freely give.

1 Corinthians
• 55-56 AD
• Paul
• Written From Ephesus
• 1 Cor. 1:2 To the church of God which is at
Corinth…
• To “Bring Practice In Line With Position”
5

Boats ferry through a canal to
bypass the Peloponnesus in
Corinth, Greece, December
1956.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID
BOYER, NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC

1 Corinthians 1
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:2 …to those who have
been sanctified [37 ἁγιάζω hagiazo] in Christ Jesus,
saints [40 ἅγιος hagios] by calling…
• <37> ἁγιάζω hagiazo
• Meaning: to make holy, consecrate, sanctify
• Origin: from 40
• Usage: hallowed(2), keep himself holy(1),
sanctified(16), sanctifies(2), sanctify(7).
• <40> ἅγιος hagios
• Meaning: sacred, holy…
7

“no divisions among you”
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I exhort you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you all agree and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be made
complete in the same mind and in the same
judgment.
• 1, Proclaim the same truth, and message
• 2, Have no divisions over secondary issues
• 3, One mind and judgment regarding doctrine,
Grace on all other matters 9

1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Divisions
• MacArthur Study Bible, Page 1729, says, “Paul is
emphasizing the unity of doctrine in the local
assembly of believers, not the spiritual unity His
universal church. Doctrinal unity, clearly and
completely based on scripture, must be the
foundation of all church life (cf. John 17:11,21-23;
Acts 2:46,47). Both weak commitment to doctrine
and commitment to disunity of doctrine will
severely weaken a church and destroy the true
unity. In its place, there can only be shallow
sentimentalism or superficial harmony.…” 10

There Is Good And Bad Division
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:10 … the same mind and
in the same judgment.
• NAU Jude 1:19 These are the ones who cause
divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
• NAU John 9:16, 10:19 A division occurred…
• NAU 1 Corinthians 5:5 …deliver such a one to
Satan…
• NAU Matthew 10:34 …I did not come to bring
peace, but a sword.
11

• In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things
Charity
• In Essentials Unity, doctrine divides, it must, make sure yours
is biblical
• Non-Essentials Liberty, if it is not concerning a biblical
doctrine, cut them some slack. God saves people from every
nation, tongue, and tribe. NAU Romans 14:4 Who are you to
judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or
falls…
• All Things Charity, NAU Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all transgressions.
• NAU Romans 8:28 …God causes all things to work together for
good to those who love God…
12

• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:12 Now I mean this, that
each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I
of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of
Christ.”
• Whenever we catch ourselves or someone else
saying, “John MacArthur says, or R. C. Sproul,
or Billy Graham, or Chuck Smith says, or even
my pastor says” we need to immediately do a
“fact check” in our head, to see what Scripture
says. 13

1 Corinthians 1:11
Chloe's Household
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:11 For I have been
informed concerning you, my brethren, by
Chloe's people [household], that there are
quarrels among you.
• The charges against the Bible of being patristic
our false! Chloe is the matriarch of her
household and Paul/Scripture acknowledges
that without rebuke.
14

1 Corinthians 1:17, Not To Baptize
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not
send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…
• Baptism is not the gospel! Paul is juxtaposing
baptism to the gospel.
• Salvation comes by believing alone.
• John 20:31, John 5:24, John 1:12, 3:16

1 Corinthians 1:17, Not To Baptize
• 1 Cor. …did not send me to baptize, but to
preach the gospel…
• “but” is Strong’s #, 235 ἀλλά alla
• Meaning: 1) but 1a) nevertheless,
notwithstanding 1b) an objection 1c) an
exception 1d) a restriction 1e) nay, rather, yea,
moreover…

1 Corinthians 1:17, Preach The Word
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send
me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…
• Acts 20:26-27 "Therefore, I testify to you this day
that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 "For
I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole
purpose of God.
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to
preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech [sophia logou],
so that the cross of Christ would not be made
void.

1 Corinthians 1:17, sophia logou
• NAS NAU …cleverness of speech…
• GNV NKJ KJV …wisdom of words…
• ESV …eloquent wisdom…
• NET …clever speech…
• YLT …wisdom of discourse…
• NIVO …words of human wisdom…
• BYZ BGT …οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγου…
• NJB …wisdom of language, wise words…
• MIT …slick oratory…

1 Cor 1:17, sophia
logou
• “Personification of
wisdom (in Greek,
Σοφία or Sophia) at
the Celsus Library in
Ephesus, Turkey…”
• Logos= Word
• “…Philosophy (from
Greek φιλοσοφία,
philosophia, literally
"love of wisdom”…”

1 Cor 1:17, Preach The Gospel
• 1 Corinthians 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, I
have nothing to boast of, for I am under
compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach
the gospel.
• Author Unknown “Every life without Christ is a
mission field;
every life with Christ is a missionary.”

1 Cor 1:17, Preach The Gospel
• Colossians 1:25 Of this church I was made a
minister according to the stewardship from God
bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might
fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,
• "I do now most heartily desire to live but to exalt
Jesus; to live preaching and to die preaching; to
preach to perishing sinners till I drop down
dead.” H. Grattan Guiness (1835-1910)
• Acts 10:42 "And He ordered us to preach to the
people, and solemnly to testify that this is the
One who has been appointed by God as Judge of
the living and the dead.

1 Cor
1:17,
“Preach
The
Word”
In spite of
all
criticism

Baptism Necessary For Salvation?
• 1 Corinthians 1:17 … to baptize…
• Luke 23:42…remember me when You come in
Your kingdom!"
• NAU John 20:31 but these have been written so
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God; and that believing you may have life
in His name.
• NAU John 5:24 …he who hears My word, and
believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life…
• NAU John 3:16 …whoever believes in Him shall
not perish, but have eternal life.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, on Baptism
• CCC 1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary
for salvation.60 He also commands his disciples to proclaim the
Gospel to all nations and to baptize them.61 Baptism is
necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been
proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this
sacrament.62 The Church does not know of any means other
than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is
why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received
from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are “reborn
of water and the Spirit.”God has bound salvation to the
sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his
sacraments. (1129, 161, 846)
• CCC 1263 By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all
personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin.66 In those who
have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their
entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam’s sin, nor
personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which
is separation from God. (977, 1425)

1 Corinthians 1:18, Saved
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of
God.
• NAU Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now
been justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from the wrath of God through Him.
• NAU Acts 16:31 They said, "Believe in the Lord
Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your
household.” 26

1 Corinthians 1:18,
Saved By The Word Or The Cross?
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word [logos] of
the cross…
• YLT ESV NAS NAU …word…
• GNV KJV …preaching…
• MIT NJB NIVO NET NKJ …message…
• BYZ BGT … Ὁ λόγος γὰρ ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ…
27

1 Corinthians 1:18, the word [logos]
Saved By The Word Or The Cross?
• NAU John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God…. 12 But as many as received Him, to
them He gave the right to become children of
God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, … of God. 14 And the Word
became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we
saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten
from the Father, full of grace and truth.
28

The Word “logos”
3056 λόγος logos {log'-os} , Meaning: 1) of speech 1a) a word, uttered by a
living voice, embodies a conception or idea 1b) what someone has said 1b1) a
word 1b2) the sayings of God 1b3) decree, mandate or order 1b4) of the
moral precepts given by God 1b5) Old Testament prophecy given by the
prophets 1b6) what is declared, a thought, declaration, aphorism, a weighty
saying, a dictum, a maxim 1c) discourse 1c1) the act of speaking, speech
1c2) the faculty of speech, skill and practice in speaking 1c3) a kind or style of
speaking 1c4) a continuous speaking discourse - instruction 1d) doctrine,
teaching 1e) anything reported in speech; a narration, narrative 1f) matter
under discussion, thing spoken of, affair, a matter in dispute, case, suit at law
1g) the thing spoken of or talked about; event, deed 2) its use as respect to
the MIND alone 2a) reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating,
reasoning, calculating 2b) account, i.e. regard, consideration 2c) account, i.e.
reckoning, score 2d) account, i.e. answer or explanation in reference to
judgment 2e) relation, i.e. with whom as judge we stand in relation 2e1)
reason would 2f) reason, cause, ground 3) In John, denotes the essential
Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with
God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all
the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's
salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the
second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His 29

1 Corinthians 1:19
The Wisdom Of The Wise
• 1 Corinthians 1:19 For it is written, "I WILL DESTROY
THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS
OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.“
• Sherman Lee Burford says, “Mensa is an
organization whose members have an IQ of 140 or
higher. A few years ago, there was a Mensa
convention in San Francisco, and several members
lunched at a local café. While dining, they
discovered that their saltshaker contained pepper
and their peppershaker was full of salt. How could
they swap the contents of the bottles without
spilling, and using only the implements

1 Corinthians 1:19
The Wisdom Of The Wise
• at hand? Clearly this was a job for Mensa! The
group debated and presented ideas, and
finally came up with a brilliant solution
involving a napkin, a straw, and an empty
saucer. They called the waitress over to dazzle
her with their solution.
• "Ma'am," they said, "we couldn't help but
notice that the peppershaker contains salt and
the saltshaker …“ “
• "Oh," the waitress interrupted. "Sorry about
that." She unscrewed the caps of both bottles
and switched them.

1 Corinthians 1:22
The Christians Job?
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:22 For indeed Jews ask
for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but
we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling
block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to
those who are the called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the
wisdom of God.
• According to these three verses, what do you
think Christians should be doing?
33

1 Corinthians 1:22, IHOP New Apostolic
Reformation (NAR), The Berean Call
• The Berean Call, BICKLE’S BIBLE BOTCHING [Excerpts]
• Mike Bickle - the leader of the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri - is revered by many people
in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement as a sound Bible teacher, as someone who majors on teaching
people the written Word of God. But I have noticed something disturbing about his teachings. The Bible verses he uses
to support them frequently have nothing to do with those teachings - and sometimes they actually teach something very
different....This example should raise a flag of caution in people's minds when they encounter his other NAR teachings.
IHOP has a ministry called the "Israel Mandate," that seeks to mobilize people to pray for Israel and the salvation of the
Jewish people. Well, this might all sound good - even to many traditional evangelicals who have, historically, shown
strong support for Israel and Jewish people. So, then, what's the problem with the "Israel Mandate?” It's this. According
to IHOP's description of the mandate, part of the "primary calling" of the Gentile church in regard to Jewish people is for
the church to be "moving in the supernatural." In other words, Gentile Christians have a responsibility to perform
miraculous signs and wonders so that Jewish people will believe the gospel. And what is the Scripture verse cited in
support of this teaching? It is 1 Corinthians 1:22: "For Jews require a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom.” But this verse
does not support the Bickle/IHOP teaching that Christians have a duty to perform miraculous signs for Jewish people.
Quite the contrary. The apostle Paul, the author of 1 Corinthians, is actually criticizing the Jews for demanding
miraculous signs and the Greeks for seeking worldly wisdom. Paul goes on to say that he did not give in to the demands
of the Jews or the Greeks, but instead he preached the simple but powerful message of "Christ crucified." Yet this
message was not well received by the Jews, who craved displays of God's supernatural power. Rather, the idea of a
suffering Messiah was a "stumbling block" to those Jews putting their faith in Christ. See for yourself by reading the
verse in its larger context. "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? 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. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek
after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto
them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness
of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:20-25).
•
34
Don't squint! The complete article
follows after the THE END slide.

1 Corinthians 1:22, IHOP New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), The Berean Call
• “… IHOP has a ministry called the "Israel Mandate," …to pray for
Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people. …what’s the
problem …?” It's this. According to IHOP's description ..the
"primary calling" of the Gentile church in regard to Jewish people
is for the church to be "moving in the supernatural." …perform
miraculous signs and wonders so that Jewish people will believe
the gospel…. “For Jews require a sign, and Greeks seek after
wisdom.” But this verse does not support the Bickle/IHOP
teaching that Christians have a duty to perform miraculous signs
for Jewish people. …Paul… is actually criticizing the Jews for
demanding miraculous signs and the Greeks for seeking worldly
wisdom. Paul …preached the simple but powerful message of
"Christ crucified." Yet this message was not well received by the
Jews, who craved displays of God's supernatural power. … For the
Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we
preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock…
35

1 Corinthians 1:23
Christ Crucified”
NAU 1 Corinthians 1:23 but we
preach Christ crucified, to Jews a
stumbling block and to Gentiles
foolishness,
Paul defines his gospel by it
The NAU uses “crucifixion” 1 X’s,
“crucified” 34 X’s, “crucify” 17 X’s
36

Which Jesus?
• Jesus said in John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in
your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your
sins."

1 Corinthians 1:25
“the foolishness of God"
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:25 Because the foolishness of
God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is
stronger than men.
• Only use of this phrase in the Bible. More uses of
“foolishness” in 1 Corinthians than any NAU book
• Proverbs 14:8 …the foolishness of fools is deceit.
• Proverbs 19:3 The foolishness of man…
• Ecclesiastes 7:25 …the foolishness of madness.
• 1 Cor. 1:21 … the foolishness of the message…
• 1 Cor. 3:19 …the wisdom of this world is foolishness…

1 Corinthians 1:25
• 1 Cor 1:25 …the foolishness of God…
• Let's consider; the flood of Noah
• Blood on the doorpost in the Passover
• The brazen serpent on the pole
• Marching around Jericho
• Sacrificial goat and scapegoat
• A virgin shall bear A child (Gen 3:15, Isa 7:14)
• Fishermen not Pharisees
• 1 Cor. 1:18 …the cross is foolishness…

1 Corinthians 1:25
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:25 Because the foolishness of
God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is
stronger than men.
• The ultimate “foolishness of God” could be that He
divides all humanity into only two groups;
• “those who are perishing”
• “us who are being saved”
• There is no grey area for nice people (John 3:1-15, Acts 10).
No provision for “religious/spiritual people.” It does
not say “those who are saving themselves” or “self
righteous” or “good”

1 Corinthians 1:27
Be Content, Wise, Strong In Christ
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:27 but God has chosen the
foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and
God has chosen the weak things of the world to
shame the things which are strong,
• The Talmud says, “Who is a wise man? -He who
studies all the time.
Who is strong? -He who can limit himself.
Who is rich? -He who is happy with what he has.”
• Proverbs 24:5 A wise man is strong, And a man of
knowledge increases power.

1Corinthians 1:30, By God's Grace Alone
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you
are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom
from God, and righteousness and
sanctification, and redemption,
• www.compass.org says, “When Christians
gather in heaven's equivalent of the "water
cooler break," if ever asked how we got to
heaven, we'll all have the same answer: "By
God's grace. I did nothing to get here. God did
it all." You were saved not because you did
anything right, but because God had mercy on
your soul…”

1Corinthians 1:30
Wisdom, Prudence, Knowledge Personified
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:30 …Christ Jesus, who
became to us wisdom from God…
• NAU Proverbs 8:1 Does not wisdom call, And
understanding lift up her voice?
• NAU Proverbs 8:5 "O naive ones, understand
prudence; And, O fools, understand wisdom.
• NAU Proverbs 8:11 "For wisdom is better than
jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare
with her.
• NAU Proverbs 8:12 "I, wisdom, dwell with
prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion.

Wisdom
• Spiros Zodhiates has stated, “Wisdom, the
wisdom of God, is not something that is
acquired by man, but something that is
bestowed by God upon his elect. It is a divine
endowment and not a human acquisition.”

1Corinthians 1:31, By God's Grace Alone
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:31 so that, just as it is written, "LET
HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."
• NAU Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds
which we have done in righteousness, but according to
His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing
by the Holy Spirit,
• No boasting in heaven, so while we're on earth, we can
practice "not" boasting:”
• NAU Jeremiah 9:24 but let him who boasts boast of
this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the
LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and
righteousness on earth…
• NAU 2 Corinthians 10:17 But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO
BOAST IN THE LORD.

THE END
• NAU Isaiah 11:6 And
the wolf will dwell with
the lamb, And the
leopard will lie down
with the young goat,
And the calf and the
young lion and the
fatling together; And a
little boy will lead
them.
• Ain’t there yet! 48

1 Corinthians 1:22, IHOP New Apostolic
Reformation (NAR), The Berean Call
• The Berean Call, BICKLE’S BIBLE BOTCHING [Excerpts]
• Mike Bickle - the leader of the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri - is revered by many people
in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement as a sound Bible teacher, as someone who majors on teaching
people the written Word of God. But I have noticed something disturbing about his teachings. The Bible verses he uses
to support them frequently have nothing to do with those teachings - and sometimes they actually teach something very
different....This example should raise a flag of caution in people's minds when they encounter his other NAR teachings.
IHOP has a ministry called the "Israel Mandate," that seeks to mobilize people to pray for Israel and the salvation of the
Jewish people. Well, this might all sound good - even to many traditional evangelicals who have, historically, shown
strong support for Israel and Jewish people. So, then, what's the problem with the "Israel Mandate?” It's this. According
to IHOP's description of the mandate, part of the "primary calling" of the Gentile church in regard to Jewish people is for
the church to be "moving in the supernatural." In other words, Gentile Christians have a responsibility to perform
miraculous signs and wonders so that Jewish people will believe the gospel. And what is the Scripture verse cited in
support of this teaching? It is 1 Corinthians 1:22: "For Jews require a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom.” But this verse
does not support the Bickle/IHOP teaching that Christians have a duty to perform miraculous signs for Jewish people.
Quite the contrary. The apostle Paul, the author of 1 Corinthians, is actually criticizing the Jews for demanding
miraculous signs and the Greeks for seeking worldly wisdom. Paul goes on to say that he did not give in to the demands
of the Jews or the Greeks, but instead he preached the simple but powerful message of "Christ crucified." Yet this
message was not well received by the Jews, who craved displays of God's supernatural power. Rather, the idea of a
suffering Messiah was a "stumbling block" to those Jews putting their faith in Christ. See for yourself by reading the
verse in its larger context. "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? 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. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek
after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto
them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness
of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:20-25).
•
49

1 Corinthians 1:2, Sanctification, progressive
or finished?
• QUESTION FOR THE DAY Acts 26:18 Romans 15:16 1 Corinthians 1 Galatians 3:3
• Dear Compass,
• I am confused about "sanctification." (A well-known Bible teacher) is teaching that we might need sanctifying again in heaven if we don’t have enough good works here on earth and that we
could be refused entrance into the Marriage Supper of the Lamb because we were naked/didn't have wedding clothes (gained from our good works on earth) and instead be cast into "outer
darkness" for 1000 years as sort of punishment and to sanctify us for not having enough righteous acts on earth. What do you think?
•
ANSWER:
• That's ridiculous. The Bible teaches unequivocally that Believers are sanctified for eternity when they are “born again” (John 3:1-8). A “born again” Believer is complete because of what Jesus
did on the cross, not because of anything we do while we are on this earth. We cannot add anything to what Jesus has already done 2000 years ago.
• and in Him you have been made complete . . . —Colossians 2:10A person has to be perfectly and permanently cleansed before the Holy Spirit can permanently indwell them. This happens when
we are “born again” by the Spirit, made possible because Jesus paid for our sins. That's why no one in the Old Testament could be born again - have the Holy Spirit permanently live in them -
because Jesus had yet to die for their sins. It’s also why the Old Testament Believers couldn't go to heaven until AFTER the cross - Jesus' shed blood on the cross paid for their sins and therefore
sanctified them and they were able to go to heaven only after the resurrection (Luke 16:19-31; Ephesians 4:9; Matthew 27:51-53).
• All of our sins - past, present and FUTURE - were nailed to that cross.
• And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the
certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. —Colossians 2:13-14The Bible promises that the
Holy Spirit will never leave us. His permanent indwelling is not based on what we do or don't do, but rather what Jesus did on the cross, confirming that sanctification is permanent/forever.
• I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, —Hebrews 13:5And we, as created beings, can never leave Him.
• For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, NOR ANY OTHER CREATED THING, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 8:38-39 (CAPS added for emphasis) Sanctification is discussed at length in the Bible. It's interesting that a
Believer can be both a full-blown sinner and totally sanctified at the same time.
• . . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me. —Acts 26:18 (“sanctified” is past tense.). . . that my offering of the
Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.—Romans 15:16 (“sanctified” is past tense.)
• . . . those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus . . . —1 Corinthians 1:2 (“sanctified” is past tense.)
• By this will [God's] we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. —Hebrews 10:10 (“sanctified” is past tense.)
• For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. —Hebrews 10:14 (“sanctified” is present tense.)
• Therefore, Believers, cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, are already as sanctified as they’ll ever be on this earth. For God to permanently live in us, we have to be 100% sanctified
forever. Yet at the same time Believers are dirty rotten sinners, living with the sin nature, until death or The Rapture.
• That means we also don't believe in "progressive sanctification," whereby someone is getting more sanctified due to their "works" on the earth. We believe we are incapable of doing anything
worthwhile on our own, but can do all things through Him (Philippians 4:13).
• Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?—Galatians 3:3Believers can mature in their knowledge of Him and what He desires in them. And
Believers can sin and grieve the Holy Spirit.
• Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.—Ephesians 4:30But Believers cannot do good works and have them count for squat because it is the
Holy Spirit Who does the good, not the Believer.In summary, there is nothing you can do, or not do, to make yourself more or less sanctified, more or less acceptable to God, or more or less
close to God - in this life or the next.

Sermons By Dr. Lloyd-Jones
• 1 Corinthians — #5521 — 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
• An introduction to this Epistle; salvation entirely the work
of God; called and quickened by God; the final
perseverance of the saints.
• DOWNLOAD ADD TO DOWNLOAD CART Share on
Facebook Share on Twitter
• The Testimony of Christ
• 00:00/00:00
• 1 Corinthians — #5522 — 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
• The importance of foundational principles; what is a
Christian? the testimony of Christ; God and man : two
natures in one person; made sin for us.
51

1 Corinthians 1:17-18, The Cross
• A.W. Tower said, “The work of Christ on the cross did not
influence God to love us, did not increase that love by one
degree, did not open any fount of grace or mercy in His heart. He
had loved us from old eternity and needed nothing to stimulate
that love.
• The cross is not responsible for God's love; rather it was His love
which conceived the cross as the one method by which we could
be saved. God felt no different toward us after Christ had died for
us, for in the mind of God Christ had already died before the
foundation of the world. God never saw us except through
atonement.
• The human race could not have existed one day in its fallen state
had not Christ spread His mantle of atonement over it. And this
He did in eternal purpose long ages before they led Him out to die
on the hill above Jerusalem. All God's dealings with man have
been conditioned upon the cross."
• -- A.W. Tozer, The Radical Cross: Living the Passion of Christ
52

1 Corinthians 1:23
crucifixion, crucified, crucify
The NAU uses “crucifixion” 1 X’s,
“crucified” 34 X’s, “crucify” 17 X’s
53

• NAU Galatians 5:11 But I, brethren, if I still
preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted?
Then the stumbling block of the cross has been
abolished.
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not
send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,
not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross
of Christ would not be made void.
54

Chuck Missler Learn the Bible in 24
hours Hour 19: The Church Epistles
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJZmgZW
S0k8
56

The Books of the NT in 5-10 minutes!
Andy Woods
• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ5W
Z9aWBhyggeJejxrEHbJUNnqfZQmdy
57

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=TQnm0P6STBc
• Published on Nov 16, 2015
• Overview of the book of 1 Corinthians.
Suitable for young and old. Recorded by Dr.
Andy Woods October 16, 2015. Andy is a
professor of Bible and Theology at the College
of Biblical Studies in Houston, Texas, USA. He
also the Senior pastor of Sugar Land Bible
Church. For more videos visit
58

• 1 Cor. 1:2, To be prayerless is to
be without God
• To be prayerless is to be without God, without Christ, without grace, without hope, and without heaven. It
is to be on the road to hell. Now can you wonder that I ask the question, Do you pray?
• I ask again whether you pray, because a habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian.
• All the children of God on earth are alike in this respect. From the moment there is any life and reality
about their religion, they pray. Just as the first sign of life in an infant when born into the world is the act of
breathing, so the first act of men and women when they are born again is praying.
• This is one of the common marks of all the elect of God, "They cry unto him day and night" (Luke 18:1). The
Holy Spirit, who makes them new creatures, works in them the feeling of adoption, and makes them cry,
"Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). The Lord Jesus, when he quickens them, gives them a voice and a tongue, and
says to them, "Be dumb [speechless] no more." God has no dumb children. It is as much a part of their new
nature to pray, as it is of a child to cry. They see their need of mercy and grace. They feel their emptiness
and weakness. They can not do otherwise than they do. They must pray.
• I have looked carefully over the lives of God's saints in the Bible. I cannot find one of whose history much is
told us, from Genesis to Revelation, who was not a man of prayer. I find it mentioned as a characteristic of
the godly, that "they call on the Father" (1 Peter 1:17), or "the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:2).
Recorded as a characteristic of the wicked is the fact that "they call not upon the Lord" (Ps. 14:4).
• --J. C. Ryle (1816 - 1900), The Berean Call | PO Box 7019 | Bend | OR | 97702, January 6, 2014
5

• NAU Hebrews 2:9 But we do see Him who was
made for a little while lower than the angels,
namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of
death crowned with glory and honor, so that
by the grace of God He might taste death for
everyone.
• NAU 1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that
we will judge angels? How much more matters
of this life?
1 Corinthians 1:27, What is man that God cares
for him?, Psalm 8, by Philippe R. Sterling
61

Luke 12:7 Psalm 33:13-14 145:3, 147:5,
Romans 5:14 Job 11:7, 21:27, 23:8, 31:4, God’s
Omniscience
• NAU Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned
from Adam until Moses, even over those who
had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of
Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
• Have you ever heard the palindrome "Madam,
I'm Adam"? With a palindrome, the letters are
exactly the same whether you read the
sentence from left to right or from right to left.
62

Romans 11:33, Our Multi-
Directional Genetic Code
• “Have you ever heard the palindrome "Madam, I'm Adam"? With a palindrome, the letters are
exactly the same whether you read the sentence from left to right or from right to left.
• Chemical structure of DNABut did you know your genetic code is a different kind of palindrome
that conveys one series of messages when it is read from front to back and a different series of
messages when it is read from back to front? Other meaningful information can even be found in
overlapping portions of the genome! Think about your genetic code as if it were a novel. It would
tell one story when read from front to back, an additional story from back to front, and many
other stories as you read overlapping messages of the code!
• Evolutionists find this very troubling. After all, their whole theory depends on random mutations
resulting in improvements. But as scientists at the FMS Foundation point out, this multi-
directional coding makes it impossible for a random "typo” to benefit one code without disrupting
the others. This fundamental problem, they said, has been overlooked until now. "The bottom
line," they conclude, "is that overlapping codes cannot arise by any natural process – they must be
very carefully designed."
• Yes, evolutionists must come to grips with the fact that the genetic code was designed. Chance
mutations would only destroy the code. While evolution can't even begin to account for the
genetic code found within every cell of your body, it was an easy task for our Creator!
• Notes: "Scientists Discover Astounding DNA Complexity," Chris Rupe, Dr. John Sanford and Chloe Pappano, FMS Foundation, 2014.
http://media.wix.com/ugd/a704d4_43295b5fe0e548f69dca984314e4f925.pdf Illustration: Chemical structure of DNA. Courtesy of Madprime. (CC0 1.0 Universal Public
Domain Dedication)
63

http://archive.org/details/Dr.MalCouch1stC
orinthians--Introduction
• http://archive.org/details/Dr.MalCouch1stCori
nthians--Introduction
• David Hocking 1 Corinthians MP3

1 Corinthians 1:2, Saints?
• 1st use in NASU, Psalm 16:2-3 2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You." 3 As for the saints who are in the earth, They are
the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
• Daniel 7:18 'But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.'
• 1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling,…
• Question: "What are Christian saints according to the Bible?"
Answer: The word “saint” comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." It is almost always used in the
plural, “saints.” "…Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13). "Now as Peter was
traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda" (Acts 9:32). "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only
did I lock up many of the saints in prisons …“ (Acts 26:10). There is only one instance of the singular use, and that is "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus…"
(Philippians 4:21). In Scripture there are 67 uses of the plural “saints” compared to only one use of the singular word “saint.” Even in that one instance,
a plurality of saints is in view: “…every saint…” (Philippians 4:21).
The idea of the word “saints” is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom. There are three references referring to godly character of
saints: "that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints …" (Romans 16:2). "For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to
the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper
among saints" (Ephesians 5:3).
Therefore, scripturally speaking, the “saints” are the body of Christ, Christians, the church. All Christians are considered saints. All Christian are saints—
and at the same time are called to be saints. First Corinthians 1:2 states it clearly: “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus
and called to be holy…” The words “sanctified” and “holy” come from the same Greek root as the word that is commonly translated “saints.” Christians
are saints by virtue of their connection with Jesus Christ. Christians are called to be saints, to increasingly allow their daily life to more closely match
their position in Christ. This is the biblical description and calling of the saints.
How does the Roman Catholic understanding of “saints” compare with the biblical teaching? Not very well. In Roman Catholic theology, the saints are
in heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth. In Roman Catholic teaching, a person does not become a saint unless he/she is “beatified” or
“canonized” by the Pope or prominent bishop. In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. In Roman Catholic practice, the
saints are revered, prayed to, and in some instances, worshipped. In the Bible, saints are called to revere, worship, and pray to God alone.
Recommended Resource: Logos Bible Software

1 Corinthians 1:4, What is grace?, by Matt
Slick
• What is grace?
• by Matt Slick
• Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is where God shows us mercy, kindness, and patience instead of the judgment that we deserve for sinning against him. God's grace cannot be earned
by our actions or sincerity. It cannot be lost by our rebellion or sin. Grace is based on the character of God and not on our sincerity, performance, or ability to keep the law of God. Otherwise,
grace would not be grace.
• Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."
• Gal. 2:21, "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
• 2 Timothy 1:9, "who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all
eternity."
• If it were not for God's grace, we would not ever be saved from his righteous judgment. It was the grace of God that worked in Christ who bore our sins in his body and the cross (1 Peter 2:24),
so that we might be forgiven andjustified by faith (Rom. 3:28; 5:1). Because of God's gracious kindness to us all who put their trust in his work on the cross will receive forgiveness, salvation,
regeneration, and the eternal love of God. Again, God's kindness to us is based on his character not on ours. His grace to us is completely and totally an act of his free will and not based on any
ability, merit, or performance of our own.
• God's grace is manifested to the unbelievers also. Ultimately, all people deserve the judgment of God because all people have sinned (Romans 3:23). But, God does not execute his judgment
upon all people right away. Instead, he is exceedingly patient and kind towards them. Please consider what Jesus said regarding loving our enemies even as God loves the unrighteous.
• Matt. 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you 45 in order
that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those
who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? 47 “And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the
same? 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
•
• False Religious Views of Grace
• Roman Catholicism
• Meriting Grace to attain eternal life: Catechism of the Catholic Church 2010, "Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and
justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase
of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods like health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God's wisdom. These graces and goods are the
object of Christian prayer. Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious actions.”
• Meriting Grace to attain eternal life: CCC 2027, "No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all
the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods.”
• Mormonism
• Saved by grace alone is evil: "One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone
is all that is needed for salvation” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.206. See also The Book of Mormon Student Manual Religion 121 and 122, 1996, p. 36).
• Justification by faith alone is evil: "The Sectarian Dogma of Justification by Faith Alone has exercised an influence for evil. The idea upon which this pernicious doctrine was founded was at
first associated with that of an absolute predestination, by which man was foredoomed to destruction, or to an undeserved salvation,” (James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, 1984, p. 432).
• Christian Science
• Grace is spiritual understanding: "Philosophical links, which would unite dead matter with animate, Spirit with matter and material means, prayer with power and pride of position, hinder
the divine influx and lose Science,— lose the Principle of divine metaphysics and the tender grace of spiritual understanding, that love-linked holiness which heals and saves,” (Miscellany, p.
206).
• Grace is understanding God: "All this is accomplished by the grace of God, — the effect of God understood,” (Christian Science vs. Pantheism, p. 10).

1 Corinthians 1:4, What is grace?, by Matt
Slick
• “Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It is where God shows us mercy, kindness, and patience
instead of the judgment that we deserve for sinning against him. God's grace cannot be earned by
our actions or sincerity. It cannot be lost by our rebellion or sin. Grace is based on the character of
God and not on our sincerity, performance, or ability to keep the law of God. Otherwise, grace
would not be grace.
• Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer
grace."
• Gal. 2:21, "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ
died needlessly."
• 2 Timothy 1:9, "who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."
• If it were not for God's grace, we would not ever be saved from his righteous judgment. It was the
grace of God that worked in Christ who bore our sins in his body and the cross (1 Peter 2:24), so that
we might be forgiven and justified by faith (Rom. 3:28; 5:1). Because of God's gracious kindness to
us all who put their trust in his work on the cross will receive forgiveness, salvation, regeneration,
and the eternal love of God. Again, God's kindness to us is based on his character not on ours. His
grace to us is completely and totally an act of his free will and not based on any ability, merit, or
performance of our own….”

Blameless And
Above Reproach
• 1 Corinthians 1:8

1 Corinthians 1:10, Gather in His
Name, By Laurel J. Davis
• Going to church or not going church every Sunday does not make or break a person's salvation (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). Just
like going, even "religiously," doesn't make you a Christian, not going doesn't make you bound for hell. But if you are a
Christian already (Romans 10:9-13), then you should be in a setting of worship and teaching surrounded by fellow
believers on a regular and consistent basis, at least once a week. Plenty of Scriptures give us this strong admonition.
Probably the most familiar is Hebrews 10:24-25, in which God actually commands us to fellowship together, which is
reason enough for us to do it: And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as
you see the Day approaching. Scripture also relates God's purpose in group fellowship, giving all the more reason why it
should be among our highest priorities. Romans 15:5-7 is one of the best passages: Now the God of patience and
consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus, That you may with one mind and
one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, receive one another, as Christ also received
us to the glory of God. Of course, it's easier to be unified and to accept one another if we fellowship and learn about
God and His Word together rather than apart. As Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three are gathered together in
My name, there I am in the midst of them." Other excellent passages are Amos 3:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10; and Philippians
1:27 and 2:2. It's easier to love, accept, and understand each other if we worship together. That's why Jesus gave us the
church.tweet Finally, in Scripture our wonderful Heavenly Father shares with us the benefits that regular group
fellowship provides particularly to each individual member. As 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, "…comfort yourselves
together, and edify one another…” Putting that in mind with Philippians 2:4 which says, "Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others" and Galatians 6:2 which tells us to "Bear one another's burdens, and
so fulfill the law of Christ," then the point is clear: You can't help anybody else as effectively, and you can't get good
enough help for yourself, if you don't fellowship regularly with others in the spirit of unity in Christ. Read Acts 2:41-47
for one of the best models for us to follow of what being "gathered together in His name" can look like. Those early
believers were unified in the truth, they shared together the experience of God's many signs and miracles done in their
midst, they loved God enough and genuinely cared about each other enough to make sure everyone's basic needs were
met, and they glorified the Lord together. They also had favor with all the different peoples around them, and the church
grew in number daily.
69

John 7:43
Division Because Of Him
• NAU John 7:43 So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him.
• Pope Says the Division Between Evangelicals and Catholics Is A Work of the Devil
• "Division is the work of the 'Father of Lies,' 'the Father of Discord,' who does everything
possible to keep us divided," the Pope said in his message to a group sponsored by the
John 17 Movement. He said the devil "knows that Christians are disciples of Christ, that
they are one, that they are brothers! He doesn't care whether they are Evangelicals,
Orthodox, Lutherans or Catholics. They are Christians." Read more.
[http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/05/25/the-devil-knows-christians-are-one-says-pope-francis/]
• Mike's Comment: The pope has blasphemed the Holy Spirit by attributing the work of
Christ to the work of the devil. It is the Lord Jesus who divides believers from unbelievers
by the truth of His Word (Luke 12:51-53). Born-again Christians and Catholics will always
be divided on the essentials of the Gospel, how one is born again, how one is justified,
how one is purified of sin, who can mediate between God and man, and the efficacy,
sufficiency and necessity of Jesus Christ for salvation. Pope Francis is the one who is
doing the work of the devil by rebuilding the religious tower of Babel as he seeks to unite
all Christians under the papacy. Tragically, some evangelicals are jumping on his
ecumenical bandwagon by denying the exclusivity of God's Gospel. Read more of Mike's
response in an interview with the Christian News Network.
70

John 7:43, Division [full article, by Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries]
‘Pope Francis’ Claims Devil Keeping Evangelicals, Roman
Catholics Divided: ‘They Are One’
• ‘Pope Francis’ Claims Devil Keeping Evangelicals, Roman Catholics Divided: ‘They Are One’
• May 28, 2015 | Filed under: Life & Society,Top Stories,World | By: Heather Clark
• 4592 23 3 4657
• Francis IIROME — In a recorded video statement released on Saturday, the Roman Catholic Pontiff known as Francis
asserted that evangelicals and Catholics are one, and that it is the devil who has divided the two groups.
• “Division is the work of the ‘Father of Lies,’ ‘the Father of Discord,’ who does everything possible to keep us divided,” he
said.
• The eight-minute video was for the “Celebration of Christian Unity” event organized by John 17 Ministries out of
Pheonix, Ariz., which seeks to unite Christians and Catholics.
• “I feel like saying something that may sound controversial, or even heretical, perhaps,” Francis stated. “But there is
someone who ‘knows’ that despite our differences we are one.”
• “The devil knows that Christians are disciples of Christ, that they are one, that they are brothers! He doesn’t care if they
are Evangelicals or Orthodox, Lutherans, Catholics or Apostolic … He doesn’t care! They are Christians,” he said.
• The pontiff asserted that the devil is persecuting both evangelicals and Roman Catholics alike because they are all
Christian.
• “It is he who is persecuting us. It is he who is persecuting Christians today, he who is anointing us with (the blood of)
71

1 Cor 1:10-11, Mutiny on the HMS Corinth:
Under-Rowers for Captain Jesus
• Introduction
• In the first century AD, the crew of the HMS Corinth (His Majesty’s Ship Corinth) was mutinying to the will of the captain of the ship, Captain Jesus, by following different oarsmen on the ship and not the captain in charge of the
ship. The Apostle Paul had to address the issue of division within the church at Corinth.
• The Maritime Setting of Paul’s Ministry in Corinth
• At the end of the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, he and his traveling companions, Aquila and Priscilla, embarked on a ship at Cenchrea heading for Ephesus in Asia Minor (Acts 18:18-19). As they sailed east through
the Saronic Gulf, with Attica on their port side (left side), they passed through the Bay of Eleusis and perhaps stopped at Eleusis to discharge or pick up passengers at the famous Eleusian shrine to Demeter. As they continued
down the Straits of Salamis they observed a shrine to Artemis on the island of Salamis off the starboard side (right side) of the ship. Nearby was a trophy dedicated to the Greek navy and its victory over the Persian fleet on
September 25, 480 BC (Pausanius, Descriptions of Greece 1.36.1; LCL 1:193).
• Perhaps Paul had read the account of this naval battle in the works of Herodotus (Persian Wars, Book 8) while at Tarsus University, or maybe, while he was in Athens, he had seen the theatrical production The Persians by
Aeschylus in the Theater of Dionysius. Always looking for an opportunity to engage people in conversation, Paul might have asked one of the Greek sailors to recount the battle. This was like asking a new grandmother about her
newly born grandchild! (“Want to see my pictures?”!). The Greek sailor might have regaled Paul with stories about the heroics of the victorious Greek fleet of trireme vessels and how they routed the Persians and their allies
right under the nose of the Great King, the King of kings, Xerxes.
• The sailor would have had a good laugh when he pointed to the spot on Mount Aegaleos where Xerxes placed his throne to watch the battle. There Xerxes observed a Persian trireme commanded by his ally Queen Artemisia
ram what Xerxes mistakenly thought was a Greek trireme in her attempt to escape the Greek forces. Xerxes reportedly exclaimed, “My men have become women, and my women men!” (Herodotus Persian Wars 8.87-88; LCL
4:85-87). Some have paraphrased this statement as: “My men fight like women and my woman fights like a man!”
• The Apostle Paul might have used his knowledge of trireme vessels he had gained in this conversation to drive home a point about the carnal activities of the believers in the church at Corinth. They were mutinying against
Captain Jesus on the HMS Corinth!
• The Trireme Vessels
• The apostle would have been interested in the trireme vessels that both the Persian and Greek navies used because they provided him with a spiritual illustration that could be used in his epistle to the Corinthians. This
illustration would be very meaningful to the civic-pride of the Corinthians because Thucydides (ca. 460-400 BC) reported that “Corinth was the first place in all Hellas, we are told, where triremes were built” (History of the
Peloponnesian War 1.13.2; LCL 1:25).
• The wooden trireme vessels had three banks of oarsmen below deck. The side of the trireme was covered with wood, animal skin, or canvas of some kind, so the rowers could not see what was going on outside. At the stern
(back) of the ship and above deck was the captain with a young man who beat the cadence on a drum. The captain would say “Stroke.” The drummer would beat the drum, “Boom.” The rowers would stroke their oars in unison.
Again: “Stroke,” “Boom,” and another united stroke of the oars by the rowers. These oarsmen were called uparetas, which is usually translated “under-rowers.”
• Since the Roman navy still employed trireme vessels in their fleet, Paul would have been familiar with them. Thus, he filed away this information about the trireme ships and the “under rowers” for future use.
• The Problem in Corinth
• The Apostle Paul first visited Corinth in AD 50 during his second missionary journey and spent 18 months ministering in the city (Acts 18:11). He, more than anyone else, was responsible for establishing the church at Corinth (1
Cor. 3:10). Yet the Apostle Peter (Cephas) and Apollos from Alexandria had a great influence in the church as well.
• The first issue that Paul addressed when he wrote First Corinthians in AD 56 was the mutiny of the church at Corinth to the sovereign will of the head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ. There was division and contention within
the church (1 Cor. 1:10-11). Factions were being formed by followers of Paul, Apollos, Peter, and the real “pious” ones, Christ (1:12)! Paul labeled these divisions and factions as carnality (3:1-4).
• The Apostle Paul stated that he, Apollos, and Peter were fellow-workers laboring together, metaphorically, in agriculture (3:6-9) and building construction (3:9-11). Yet he pointed out that God ultimately gave the increase for
the harvest (3:6-7) and the Lord Jesus was the foundation of the church at Corinth (3:11).
• Paul then painted another powerful word-picture that invoked civic pride, issued a call to unity, challenged the saints to work as a team, and encouraged them to follow the Sovereign Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Under Rowers for Captain Jesus
• Paul wrote: “Let a man so consider us, as servants (uparetas, “under-rowers”) of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1). The word-picture of an “under-rowers” was well known to the saints in Corinth. When
Paul wrote to “consider us,” he was referring to himself, Apollos, and Peter (1 Cor. 3:22), as oarsmen rowing together on the same ship for Captain Jesus!
• There are at least five aspects of “under-rowers” that Paul might have had in mind when he painted this word-picture. First, the under-rowers were not slaves, but they were all volunteers because they were citizens of the city-
state. All believers in the Lord Jesus have “heavenly citizenship” (cf. Phil. 3:20-21), so should willingly volunteer for the Lord’s service.
• Second, as a member of an organized team of rowers, they were all on the same footing as each other. The Apostle Peter considered himself a “fellow elder” in the assembly where he was in fellowship and not elevated above
the others (1 Pet. 5:1-4; a lesson in humility he learned from the Lord Jesus in the Upper Room, cf. John 13:4-17).
• Third, they rowed together. If all the under-rowers were “rowing to the beat of different drummers” the ship would be stranded in the water and would go nowhere! While there is diversity of spiritual gifts within the assembly,
all believers are to work together to edify spiritually, and build up numerically, the Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 12).
• Fourth, the under-rowers were below deck and could not see the captain, nor could they see outside, so they had to trust him to lead them into battle and finally into port. They were to row by faith, just as believers are to walk
by faith, and not by sight! (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7; see also Peter’s take, 1 Pet. 1:7-9).
• Fifth, the under-rowers received no honor because only the captain was visible and he was the one who guided the ship into battle. This instilled humility in the oarsmen because they had to acknowledge that the victory
belonged to the captain. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Lord Jesus will graciously reward the believer who labors for Him, in His strength, by His grace, and for His glory (cf. 1 Cor. 3:12-17). But the believer will humbly return
those rewards to the feet of the Lord Jesus and acknowledge: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created” (Rev. 4:9-11).
• Bibliography
• LCL = Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press.

1 Corinthians 1:17
• Today is February 6, 2013
•
Verse of the Day -- 1 Corinthians 1:17
•
. . . preach the gospel, (but) not in cleverness of speech.
•
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
• You can't argue someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
•
MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAY
• Often we find ourselves literally arguing a biblical point with non-Christians. But does this really help the cause of Christ?
• . . . refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. —2 Timothy 2:23. . . Where is the debater of
this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?—1 Corinthians 1:20
• . . . natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand
them. —1 Corinthians 2:14
• The only reason Christians understand things of God is because God the Holy Spirit reveals them to us. Rather than argue
biblical points with a nonbeliever, wait for God to bring into your life a convicted heart who desires to know the truth. Only
then will you be able to share the truth you know.
• . . . we have received . . . the Spirit of God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. —1 Corinthians 2:12
•

1 Corinthians 1:18
• Today is October 5, 2012
•
Verse of the Day -- 1 Corinthians 1:18
•
For the Word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
•
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
• Arguing spiritual truths with non-believers is foolishness.
•
MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAY
• It's not long after you become a believer that you discover the world is divided into two distinct groups of people—those who
trust and apply the Bible and those who simply don't get it. The reason for the two groups is simple. A true believer has God's
Spirit living in him, teaching and convicting, serving as an "interpreter" for the Word of God.
• For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. —1 Corinthians
2:10But a non-believer doesn't have the Spirit of God and therefore has no spiritual discernment.
• . . . we have received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. —1 Corinthians
2:12But a natural (non-believer) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot
understand them . . . —1 Corinthians 2:14
• Therefore, you can't expect non-believers to understand those things only revealed to us by God's Spirit. They will only make
sense to them if/when they become believers.

Wisdom/Philosophy
• Wisdom/Philosophy, Proverbs 8, Colossians
2:8, 1 Kings 3:9, 2 Chronicles 1:10, James 1:5,
3:15, Creation Ministries International,
December 2015

1 Corinthians 1:30 My Rock And
Redeemer, redeemed redemption
• NAU Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my
rock and my Redeemer.
• NAU Isaiah 41:14 "Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of
Israel; I will help you," declares the LORD, "and your Redeemer
is the Holy One of Israel.
• NAU Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the
Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, "CURSED IS
EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE “--
• NAU 1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with
perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life
inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as
of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 76

1 Corinthians 1:30 My Rock And
Redeemer, redeemed redemption
• NAU Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches
of His grace
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus,
who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and
sanctification, and redemption,
• NAU Romans 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
• NAU Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.
• NAU Hebrews 9:15, 9:12 and not through the blood of goats
and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy
place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 77

“easy believism” carnal Christians,
Berean Call
• Beware, then, of taking a simplistic approach to the failures of professing
Christians today that explains it all in terms of unscriptural evangelistic
methods (e.g., “easy believism”) and denies that they are saved at all on
the basis of their carnality. True, a false gospel is in many instances being
preached, and there are false methods that produce false converts who
are a plague in the church. Yet we dare not deny that “the flesh lusteth
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (Galatians:5:17). This is
as true today as it was in the first century and will continue to be true of
every Christian until the redemption of our bodies!
• "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth,
Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."
• —Philippians 1:18
• http://ow.ly/Tm8Dr
78

1Corinthians 1:31, Boasting
• NAU 1 Corinthians 1:31 so that, just as it is
written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN
THE LORD."

1 Corinthians 1;13-31, Good Bad Division; Baptism For Salvation?; Saved By?; matriarch Chloe; Preach The Word; sophia logou, wisdom; IHOP, NAR; foolishness; “logos”

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to 1 Corinthians 1;13-31, Good Bad Division; Baptism For Salvation?; Saved By?; matriarch Chloe; Preach The Word; sophia logou, wisdom; IHOP, NAR; foolishness; “logos”

Similar to 1 Corinthians 1;13-31, Good Bad Division; Baptism For Salvation?; Saved By?; matriarch Chloe; Preach The Word; sophia logou, wisdom; IHOP, NAR; foolishness; “logos” (20)

More from Valley Bible Fellowship

More from Valley Bible Fellowship (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

1 Corinthians 1;13-31, Good Bad Division; Baptism For Salvation?; Saved By?; matriarch Chloe; Preach The Word; sophia logou, wisdom; IHOP, NAR; foolishness; “logos”

Editor's Notes