September 3rd, 2023
Message Text: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
“Gomer a Saint?”
Auxiliary Text: Luke 18:9-14
Call to Worship: Psalm 130
Service Orientation: Paul calls the Corinthians, “Saints”. How is that possible? God calls us saints not on the basis of our performance, but on the holiness, righteousness and perfection of Jesus in whom we and the Corinthians trust.
The Word for the Day: Saint
Memory Verse: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. — 2 Corinthians 5:21
Background Information:
- In introducing himself, . . . Paul not only calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ; he also states that he was called by God to be an apostle, and that it was God’s will that he be an apostle. In three different ways Paul emphasizes his divine commission. (Carleton A. Toppe, The People’s Bible, 1 Corinthians, 9-10)
- The city received shipping from Italy, Sicily, and Spain, as well as from Asia Minor, Syria, Phoenicia, and Egypt. Instead of going “round the horn,” at Cape Malea at the south end of the Peloponnesus, ships either docked at the Isthmus and transported their cargoes by land vehicles from one sea to another, or if the ships were small, they were dragged the five miles across the isthmus. (Frank Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Commentary, Vol 10, 175)
- The extreme southern tip of Greece was known as Cape Malea (now called Cape Matapan). It was dangerous, and to round Cape Malea had much the same sound as to round Cape Horn had in later times. The Greeks had two sayings which showed what they thought of it–“Let him who sails round Malea forget his home,” and, “Let him who sails round Malea first make his will.” (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: the Letters to the Corinthians, 1)
- The athletic games at Corinth were second only to the Olympics. The outdoor theater accommodated twenty thousand people, the roofed theater three thousand. Temples, shrines, and altars dotted the city. (Robert H. Gundry, A Survey of the New Testament, 276)
- One of the highlights in cosmopolitan first-century Corinth was the Isthmian Games. These games were second in importance only to the Olympic Games and were conducted every two years in the spring. The games included foot races, boxing, wrestling, and chariot racing (compare 9:24-27). During his eighteen months in Corinth, Paul must have been a spectator at the Isthmian Games in the spring of 51. We assume that Paul plied his trade as a tentmaker during these events and, becoming all things to all men, proclaimed the gospel of salvation (see 9:22, 27). (Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: 1 Corinthians, 6)
- Corinth was considered a “prosperous” and “rich” city. Corinth was “always great and wealthy.” At the peak of its power and influence the city probably had a free population of 200,000 in addition to half a million slaves in its navy and in its many colonies. (Frank Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Commentary, Vol 10, 175)
- It was a large city, offering Rome great profits through trade as well as the military protection of its ports. On a hillside above the city sat the Temple of Aphrodite, which employed a thousand women who were there to fulfill “worshipers” sexual pleasures. In the city, the Temple of Apollo employed young men whose job was to fulfill the sexual desires of male and female “worshipers.” (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 19)
- . . . Vice and religion flourished side by side. Old Corinth had gained such a reputation for sexual vice that Aristophanes coined the verb korinthiaz (=to act like a Corinthian, i.e., to commit fornication). (Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the NT: 1 Corinthians, 2)
What can we learn about the Gospel from Corinthians?:
I- Even though the Corinthians are great sinners, Paul still calls them saints, (1 Cor 1:2; 6:1-2; 2 Cor 1:1) the Temple of God, (1 Cor 3:16-17; 6:11-19; 2 Cor 6:16) and the Body of Christ. (1 Cor 10:17; 11:29; 12:12-26) Because they are “In Christ.” (1 Cor 1:2, 4, 30-31; 3:1; 4:10, 15; 15:14-19, 22,57- 58; 16:19, 24; 2 Cor 1:1-2, 20-21, 24; 2:14-15, 17; 3: 3-4, 14; 5:17, 19; 10:15; 13:5-6)
Paul calls his readers “the church of God in Corinth”; he describes them as “sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy.” Who would ever expect, from this description, that there were so many spiritual and moral problems in the Corinthian congregation? Paul addresses his readers as saints, as holy people who are blameless in God’s eyes. This is possible only because the weak and erring members of the congregation still believed in Christ as their Savior from sin. (Carleton A. Toppe, The People’s Bible, 1 Corinthians, 10)
In responding to the reports and answering the questions, it was Paul’s purpose to rectify certain serious doctrinal and moral sins and irregularities of Christian living, including disorderly conduct in worship. These aberrations included false views of the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the body (1 Cor 15), incest, adultery, and other sexual immorality (1 Cor 5). They also included unchristian actions in taking fellow Christians to court (1 Cor 6), misuse of Christian liberty (1 Cor 8 and 10), disorders in observing the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:17-34), and other disorders in the worship service (1 Cor 14). (Frank Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Commentary, Vol 10, 180-1)
Being surrounded by ubiquitous immorality did not make the Corinthians an exception. Instead, he {Paul} called them to a pure life, set apart for God. He even compared their bodies to God’s temple (6:18-20). (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 5)
II- Even though the Corinthians think they are spiritual and are anything but . . . Paul still calls them saints. (1 Cor 3:1; 14:12)
Most likely the key issue between them is a basic theological problem, what it means to be pneumatikos {spiritual} . . . More likely the problem is that they think of themselves as pneumatikoi, but are not so sure about the apostle Paul (cf. 14:37) . . . . Although one cannot be sure, their understanding of being pneumatikos is most likely related to their experience of Spirit inspiration, especially their overemphasis on the gift of tongues. (Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the NT: 1 Corinthians, 10)
Glossolalia was for them the evidence that they had already assumed the spiritual existence of the angels. (Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the NT: 1 Corinthians, 11)
Despite their continuing existence in the body, the Corinthians consider themselves to be the “spiritual ones,” already as the angels. Hence, since from their perspective the body is eschatologically insignificant (cf. 6:13; 15:12), neither does it have present significance. This attitude toward corporeal existence is at least in part responsible for such things as the denial of a future bodily resurrection (15:12) and both the affirmation of sexual immorality and the denial of sexual relations within marriage (6:12-20 and 7:1-6). (Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the NT: 1 Corinthians, 12)
Then there was a case of incest, but the church had not censured the offender. “They found it hard to hate the sensuality which in their earlier days they had regarded as divine.” (Leon Morris, Tyndale NT Commentaries: 1 Corinthians, 26)
III- Even though the Corinthians resist correction, Paul still calls them saints. (1 Cor 6:2-3, 9, 15-16, 19; 9:24)
Although they were the Christian church in Corinth, an inordinate amount of Corinth was yet in them, emerging in a number of attitudes and behaviors that required radical surgery without killing the patient. This is what 1 Corinthians attempts to do. (Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the NT: 1 Corinthians, 4)
The letter is not written to one group, or directed against the ringleaders of the opposition. Rather, Paul is on the attack, contending with them, arguing with them, trying to convince them that he is right and they are wrong. Over and again he resorts to rhetoric (“Do you not know that . . .?” [ten times]; or “If anyone thinks that he/she is . . .” [three times]), to sarcasm, to irony. (Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the NT: 1 Corinthians, 10)
None of the apostle’s churches seems to have given him such grave cause for concern as this, for these Christians were setting a poor example to their pagan neighbors. They also did not take kindly to the apostle’s authority, either because of a false estimate of their own importance or because of the claims of false apostles among them. (Donal Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 433)
1 Corinthians reflects the problem at a middle stage. The situation is not good; the relationship between Paul and the church is visibly deteriorating, but apparently it has not yet resulted in open hostility. They are still communicating by letter. Nonetheless, a decidedly anti-Pauline sentiment has developed in the church. Initiated by a few, this sentiment is infecting nearly the whole. Therefore, although there are certainly divisions within the community itself (probably along sociological lines), the most serious form of “division” is that between the majority of the community and Paul himself. They stand over against him on almost every issue. The key issue here is their calling his authority into question. What right does he have to speak to them as he did in the Previous Letter, since there is considerable doubt, based on their own criteria, whether he is truly pneumatikos (spiritual) or a prophet (cf. 14:37)? (Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the NT: 1 Corinthians, 8)
Worship Point: Worship the God of the Universe whose grace, forgiveness, holiness, mercy, love and compassion are scandalously wonderful. (1 Cor 1:3-4, 7; 2:9; 7:7-8; 12:4-7; 16:23-24; 2 Cor 1:2; 4:15; 5:14, 17, 21; 8:8-9; 9:8-9, 14-15; 13:11, 14)
Focusing on sin, either by committing it or by being consumed with fighting it, keeps us from practicing God’s presence. God forbid that we should ever define ourselves or our days solely by what we didn’t do. Let us instead be people who define ourselves by practicing God’s presence. Let us use temptation to remind us to think of Him, our soul’s true delight. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 70)
Gospel Application: The Gospel is not about your ethical or moral ability but about Who you trust to save you. The Gospel is not about your spiritual I.Q. but about faith “In Christ”. The Gospel is not about how quick you are to repent, but about knowing where your righteousness comes from. (Rom 1:16-17; 3:20-28; 4:3-13, 22-24; 5:17; 10:3-4; 2 Cor 5:21;Gal 2:15-16; 3:8-11; Phil 3:8-9) The Gospel is not about choosing the RIGHT PASTOR, but about choosing the right SAVIOR.
It is not your sin that will keep you out of heaven . . . It is your thinking that you are righteous . .. That you don’t need Jesus. —Jack Miller
I cannot pray, except I sin; I cannot preach, but I sin; I cannot administer, nor receive the holy sacraments, but I sin. My very repentance needs to be repented of; and the tears I shed need washing in the blood of Christ. (William Beveridge as quoted by Kent Hughes; Preaching the Word Series, John: That You May Believe, 151)
Paul recognized this group of believers as sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. To be “sanctified” means to be cleansed of sin, separated from the world and belonging to God. This can only happen through salvation “in Christ Jesus,” for only his death on the cross could accomplish this for sinners. Paul used “sanctified” as a metaphor for conversion. That only God can sanctify a person stresses that this is not the work of the Corinthians, but the work of God alone. Paul used the word “saints” to refer to the believers in Corinth. These people were not “saints” because of any merit of their own; they were “called to be saints” because they were set apart by God to devote themselves to the highest moral living (see “called into the fellowship of his Son,” 1:9). (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 20)
Spiritual Challenge: Can we believe that we TOO are incredibly sinful? We can’t even fulfill God’s two greatest commands. And even our works of righteousness are like dirty tampons. (Isa 64:6; Rom 3:9-23) Just like the Corinthians, we are in desperate need of Jesus and HIS righteousness. (2 Cor 5:21)
As Blaise Pascal reminds us in Pensées, “There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.” (George H. Guthrie, The NIV Application Commentary: Hebrews, 317)
If we can’t accept our own failure and sin, then we can never escape it. Paradoxically, we can find the good life only when we understand we aren’t good. Denial of evil always produces tragedy, in our own lives and in the community at large. We have to understand the evil in ourselves before we can truly embrace the good in life. (Charles Colson, The Good Life, 33)
Our sense of sin is in proportion to our nearness to God. —Bernard of Clairvaux
The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. —Winston Churchill
If you cannot bear to really look at all the stupidity of your life, if you cannot bear to see what is wrong with you, if you cannot bear to really see your flaws, if you can’t just take criticism, you just go to pieces, because you know it is true; it is because you really do not have the strength from knowing the grace of God. It is the grace of God that helps me not feel Oh I must be OK but gives me the freedom to admit what is wrong with me without being devastated. And therefore, Jesus Christ is saying, “Do you know that unless you know the depth of your sin and the height of God’s grace: When things go well you are going to be smug instead of happy and grateful or when things go poorly your are going to be devastated instead of hopeful and enduring. Unless you see both of those you are going to move back and forth from being a proud Pharisee or being a cynical sceptic and you’re going to not be able to handle the suffering and troubles of life. (Tim Keller in a message from Luke 13:1-9 entitled The Falling Tower)
“The right direction leads not only to peace but to knowledge. When a man is getting better, he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. (The Quotable C. S. Lewis, #622)
Luther rightly insisted that the unwillingness of the sinner to be regarded as a sinner was the final form of sin. The final proof that man no longer knows God is that he does not know his own sin. The sinner who justifies himself does not know God as judge and does not need God as Savior. One might add that the sin of self-righteousness is not only the final sin in the subjective sense but also in the objective sense. It involves us in the greatest guilt. It is responsible for our most serious cruelties, injustices and defamations against our fellowmen. (Reinhold Niebuhr, The Nature and Destiny of Man, 200)
Do you love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? This is the greatest commandment. Do you love your neighbor as you love yourself? Therefore, to fail to keep these two commands must mean we have committed the greatest sin. Forget concerning the sins of others who murder, commit adultery, lie, steal, take advantage of others and have disgusting addictions. If you are not loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and loving your neighbor with all the energy, resources and ability by which you love yourself; then you are breaking God’s two greatest commandments. How ya doin? —Pastor Keith
Cheer up: You’re a lot worse than you think you are. But, cheer up! God is more gracious, forgiving and loving than you ever dreamed or imagined.
So What?: Allow God to empower and free you by helping you to recognize what a sinner you are! And how gracious God has been TO YOU!!! Then you will be free from games, pretense, acting, and pride. You will enjoy freedom and grace and be empowered to REALLY LOVE.
If when we judged others, our real motive was to destroy evil, we should look for evil where it is certain to be found, that it is in our own hearts. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer; The Cost of Discipleship, 185)
Christian living, therefore, must be founded upon self-abhorrence and self-distrust because of indwelling sin’s presence and power. Self-confidence and self-satisfaction argue self-ignorance. The only healthy Christian is the humble, broken-hearted Christian. (J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, 196)
“Gomer a Saint?”
September 3rd, 2023
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
Hillsdale Free Methodist Church
Pastor Keith Porter