November 29

1 Corinthians 1-4 (biblegateway.com)

Christ Our Foundation

After ministering in Ephesus and hearing troubling reports from the church in Corinth, Paul writes to address their divisions and spiritual immaturity. His letter calls believers back to unity, humility, and a Christ-centered faith. 1 Corinthians 1–4 opens Paul’s heartfelt and corrective letter to the church at Corinth, a gifted yet divided congregation struggling to live out the gospel in a worldly culture.

Introduction to 1 Corinthians — The Church in a Worldly City

The city of Corinth was one of the most prosperous and influential in the ancient world. Located on a narrow isthmus connecting northern and southern Greece, it became a major center for trade, culture, and travel between east and west. Its wealth and diversity made it famous, and infamous, for luxury, immorality, and idolatry. Ancient writers even coined the term “to Corinthianize” as a synonym for living in moral corruption. The city’s skyline was dominated by the Acrocorinth, crowned with a temple to Aphrodite, where pagan worship mixed with open sexual immorality. To many, Corinth symbolized the worldly success and spiritual decay of the Greco-Roman world.

It was into this environment that the Apostle Paul came on his second missionary journey around A.D. 50–51 (Acts 18:1–18). He stayed there for about 18 months, preaching the gospel, working alongside Aquila and Priscilla, and establishing a church composed of Jews, Greeks, freedmen, and Roman citizens. Many of these converts came out of deeply pagan backgrounds, bringing with them habits and ideas that clashed with the new life of the Spirit. Despite its spiritual gifts and initial growth, the church in Corinth soon began to reflect the divided, self-indulgent culture around it.

While Paul was later ministering in Ephesus during his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1-20:1), he received troubling news about the Corinthian believers. Reports from Chloe’s household (1:11) described factions forming within the church, moral compromise, and confusion about doctrine and worship. At the same time, a delegation from Corinth, including Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (16:17), brought questions to Paul about marriage, food offered to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection. In response, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians around A.D. 55 to confront sin, correct misunderstandings, and call believers to unity, holiness, and love.

The letter exposes the problems of a church living too much like its city: division, pride, sexual sin, lawsuits among believers, misuse of Christian liberty, disorder in worship, and theological confusion. Yet Paul does not abandon them. Instead, he reminds them that they are “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1:2), urging them to live out the holiness that their position in Christ requires. Throughout the letter, he grounds practical correction in deep theology, Christ crucified and risen as the center of the gospel (1:18–31), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (6:19–20; 12:4–11), and the hope of bodily resurrection (ch. 15).

Paul’s message moves between rebuke and encouragement. The first six chapters address reports of division, immorality, and pride; chapters 7–16 answer their written questions about marriage, liberty, worship, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection. His famous chapter on love (ch. 13) stands as the heart of the letter, showing that without love, even the greatest gifts and achievements amount to nothing. The letter ends with a call to steadfast service: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (15:58).

First Corinthians thus provides one of the clearest pictures of life inside a first-century church, imperfect, diverse, struggling, yet deeply loved by God. Paul’s concern is not only for doctrine but for discipleship: that the gospel which saved them would also shape their character and community. The same grace that transformed Corinth’s sinners into saints continues to sanctify believers today, calling the church to live out the cross in a world still marked by pride, confusion, and sin.

1 Corinthians 1 — A Church Called by Grace and United in Christ

Paul begins by identifying himself as one called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and he includes Sosthenes in this greeting (v. 1). He writes to the church of God in Corinth, reminding them that they belong to God and are not defined by the environment around them (v. 2). They are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints, which means God has set them apart for His purposes. Paul greets them with grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 3). His opening words establish that their relationship with God and their identity as believers result from God’s initiative, not human achievement.

Paul gives thanks for the grace they have received, noting that God has enriched them in all speech and knowledge (v. 4–5). These gifts show that the gospel has taken root among them. They do not lack any spiritual gift as they wait for the revealing of Christ (v. 6–7). Spiritual gifts, however, are not a measure of spiritual maturity. Paul reminds them that God will sustain them until the end, because He is faithful and has called them into fellowship with His Son (v. 8–9). Their confidence rests in God’s work, and their calling requires a continual response of faith and obedience.

Having affirmed their standing in Christ, Paul turns to a serious concern. Reports indicate divisions among the believers (v. 10–11). Some identify themselves with Paul, others with Apollos, Cephas, or even Christ (v. 12). Their allegiance to individual leaders reflects misplaced focus. Paul challenges this thinking by asking whether Christ is divided or whether Paul was crucified for them (v. 13). The church is not built on human teachers. It is founded on Christ, who alone was crucified and risen. Paul explains that he baptized only a few, including Crispus, Gaius, and the household of Stephanas, so that no one could claim he sought a personal following (v. 14–16). His ministry centers on proclaiming Christ rather than creating loyalty to himself.

Paul states that Christ did not send him to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with human wisdom that might shift attention from the message to the messenger (v. 17). Corinthian culture admired eloquent speech and persuasive rhetoric, but Paul refuses to rely on such methods. The message of the cross appears foolish to those who reject it, yet to those who are being saved, it reveals the power of God (v. 18). God works in ways that overturn human expectations, ensuring that salvation is attributed to His work rather than to human ability.

Paul presses this point further by exposing the limits of human wisdom. God intentionally ensures that the world cannot know Him through its own reasoning or intellectual achievement (v. 19–21). Human insight can observe creation but cannot discover the Creator. Salvation is not reached through deduction. It is God revealing Himself in Christ. Jews look for visible demonstrations of power, and Greeks seek arguments shaped by philosophical expectations, yet Paul proclaims Christ crucified (v. 22–23). This message does not satisfy either demand. A crucified Messiah appears unacceptable to those who approach God on their own terms, but to those who believe, Christ proves to be the power and wisdom of God (v. 24). What seems weak and foolish to the world is, in reality, God’s chosen means of salvation (v. 25). The cross redirects confidence away from human accomplishment and replaces human boasting with worship.

Paul reinforces this truth by pointing to the Corinthians themselves. Not many were considered wise, powerful, or noble according to social measures when they believed (v. 26). They were ordinary people, yet God chose them. God chose what appears weak, foolish, and insignificant so that no one could ever claim salvation as a personal achievement (v. 27–29). The gospel removes every basis for human boasting. No one climbs into the kingdom. Every believer enters by grace.

This does not diminish believers; it magnifies Christ. They are in Christ Jesus because of God (v. 30). Christ becomes their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Everything believers possess spiritually is derived from Him, sustained by Him, and completed in Him. For this reason, the only legitimate boast a Christian can make is in the Lord (v. 31). Grace leaves no ground for self-reliance and directs all confidence toward Christ.

1 Corinthians 1 leads the church to ground its identity, unity, and spiritual confidence in Christ rather than in human leaders, abilities, or cultural values. God calls, equips, and sustains His people through the message of the cross. The chapter teaches that salvation and spiritual life originate in God’s work and are received through faith. When believers boast in the Lord alone, they protect the church from division and keep its focus on Christ, who is the source of wisdom and strength for all who belong to Him.

1 Corinthians 2 — The Spirit’s Power, Not Human Wisdom

After correcting the Corinthians for attaching themselves to human leaders rather than to Christ, Paul now reminds them how he first ministered among them. By recalling his approach, he shows that true power and wisdom in the Christian life come from God through the Spirit, not from human eloquence or personal skill.

Paul recalls the manner in which he came to Corinth. He did not arrive with lofty words or impressive wisdom when he proclaimed the testimony of God (v. 1). In a city that valued polished rhetoric and intellectual sophistication, Paul purposefully avoided methods that would draw attention to himself. Instead, he resolved to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (v. 2). His message centered on the saving work of Christ, not on theoretical arguments or clever presentations. Paul ministered in weakness, fear, and much trembling (v. 3), not because he lacked conviction, but because he approached his calling with a deep awareness of his dependence on God. His preaching did not rely on persuasive techniques, but on a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that their faith would rest not in human wisdom but in God’s power (v. 4–5). Faith grounded in human ability can be shaken, but faith grounded in God’s power endures.

Paul then explains that although he refuses to rely on worldly methods, he does speak wisdom. It is, however, a different kind of wisdom than what Corinthian society celebrates. It is not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers who belong to it, for their systems are temporary and passing away (v. 6). The wisdom Paul proclaims is God’s hidden wisdom, established before time began for the glory of those who believe (v. 7). This wisdom is not discovered by human analysis or philosophical effort. If the rulers of this age had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (v. 8). Their rejection of Christ shows that human reasoning cannot grasp God’s redemptive purposes.

To make this point clear, Paul notes that what God has prepared for those who love Him has never been discovered by human sight, hearing, or imagination (v. 9). These truths do not arise from observation or intellect. They require revelation. God has revealed them through His Spirit, who searches everything, even the deep things of God (v. 10). Just as no one truly knows another person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, so no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (v. 11). Believers receive the Spirit so they may understand what God has freely given them (v. 12). Spiritual understanding is not a human achievement. It is a gift that becomes clear as the Spirit opens the mind to grasp what God has provided in Christ.

Paul explains that he communicates these truths using words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual realities in spiritual terms (v. 13). The natural person, who does not have the Spirit, cannot accept the things of God. To him they seem foolish, because they can be understood only through the Spirit’s enabling (v. 14). Without the Spirit, even religious concepts remain incomprehensible. By contrast, the spiritual person evaluates all things through the lens the Spirit provides, though such a person is not understood correctly by those who lack this perspective (v. 15). The Spirit changes not only what believers know, but how they think and interpret life.

Paul concludes by stating that no one can fully know the mind of the Lord or instruct Him, yet believers have the mind of Christ (v. 16). This does not mean they possess perfect understanding, but that the Spirit grants them insight into God’s revealed wisdom. With the mind of Christ, they are able to see reality differently and respond to God’s truth with faith and obedience.

1 Corinthians 2 teaches that the gospel does not rest on human eloquence, intelligence, or performance. Its power comes from God through Christ and is made known by the Spirit. Human wisdom cannot uncover God’s purposes, but the Spirit enables believers to understand and receive the truth of the gospel.

The chapter calls the church to rely on the Spirit for clarity, confidence, and conviction, and to measure wisdom not by outward impressiveness but by alignment with the mind of Christ. When believers embrace God’s revelation, their faith stands firm, because it rests on God’s work rather than on human ability.

1 Corinthians 3 — Immaturity and Division Contradict the Mind of Christ

After explaining that true wisdom comes through the Spirit and that believers possess the mind of Christ, Paul now addresses why the Corinthians are failing to live according to that wisdom. Though they have the Spirit, their behavior reveals spiritual immaturity. Their divisions expose that they are thinking like the world rather than like those who belong to Christ.

Paul begins by explaining that he cannot speak to the Corinthians as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ (v. 1). Their faith is genuine, but their growth is stunted. He fed them with milk, not solid food, because at that stage they were not ready for deeper instruction, and even now they remain unprepared (v. 2). Their continued jealousy and strife prove that their minds are shaped by human standards, not by the Spirit’s wisdom (v. 3). Their quarrels show that they are behaving like those who do not yet understand the implications of the gospel.

Paul illustrates this immaturity by pointing to their allegiance to human leaders. When some claim “I follow Paul” and others say “I follow Apollos,” their loyalties reveal a worldly mindset (v. 4). Paul asks them to consider who Paul and Apollos really are. They are merely servants through whom the Corinthians believed, each fulfilling the role God assigned (v. 5). Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God alone gave the growth (v. 6). Human workers participate in God’s mission, but only God produces results. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters deserves ultimate credit. God is the source of life and increase (v. 7).

Paul then clarifies that those who labor in ministry are not competitors but fellow workers serving the same Lord, and the Corinthians themselves are not spectators, they are God’s field and God’s building (v. 8–9). The imagery is intentional. In the agricultural picture, God provides growth; leaders merely plant and water. Now Paul shifts to architectural language to stress something even more foundational: the church is not a human project but God’s construction site.

According to the grace God entrusted to him, Paul has laid a foundation like a skilled master builder (v. 10). He did not choose his role; God assigned it. Others, teachers, pastors, leaders, are building upon what he began. But Paul insists on an unbreakable truth: no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (v. 11). The church is not built on personalities, preferences, or programs. Christ alone is the bedrock. Any ministry erected on cleverness, charisma, or human strength may appear impressive for a time, but it will not endure. Only what rests on Christ, including His gospel, His authority, His sufficiency, will stand.

Paul continues by warning that the quality of one’s ministry will be tested. Having established that Christ is the only true foundation, he now turns to the materials used in building upon it: “gold, silver, precious stones” or “wood, hay, straw” (v. 12). The contrast is deliberate. Some ministry is shaped by truth, humility, and obedience, work that reflects Christ and will endure. Other ministry is fueled by pride, human applause, and shallow teaching, work that may appear successful but lacks spiritual substance.

He explains that “each one’s work will become manifest” because “the Day will disclose it” (v. 13). God Himself will evaluate every ministry, not by visible results but by eternal worth. The fire of judgment will reveal whether a person’s labor was rooted in Christ or merely built on Christian vocabulary. If the work survives, the builder receives a reward; if it burns, the builder suffers loss, “though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (v. 14–15). Salvation is secure, but wasted ministry brings regret. God is not measuring talent, charisma, or popularity, He is weighing faithfulness.

Paul continues by reminding the Corinthians that they are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells among them (v. 16). Their divisions are not merely relational problems; they threaten the holiness of the temple God is constructing. Anyone who destroys God’s temple invites destruction upon himself, because God’s temple is holy, and the Corinthians are that temple (v. 17). The church is not a human project. It is God’s dwelling place, and its unity reflects His presence.

Paul warns them not to deceive themselves. If anyone thinks he is wise by worldly standards, he must become a fool by those standards in order to become truly wise (v. 18). The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. The Lord catches the wise in their craftiness and knows that human reasoning cannot stand before Him (v. 19–20). True wisdom begins where reliance on worldly calculations ends.

Paul concludes by addressing their misplaced loyalties. They must stop boasting in particular leaders, because all things belong to believers, whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present, or the future (v. 21–22). Everything that matters is already theirs in Christ. They belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God (v. 23). When the church understands this, there is no room left for division. Unity flows from recognizing Christ as the foundation, the source of wisdom, and the center of all things.

1 Corinthians 3 teaches that spiritual immaturity expresses itself not merely in wrong ideas but in behaviors that contradict the gospel. The Corinthians’ divisions reveal that they have not yet aligned their thinking with the mind of Christ. God calls His people to build on the foundation of Christ with lives that reflect His wisdom, not the world’s. The chapter urges believers to labor faithfully, pursue unity, and remember that the church is God’s dwelling place. When Christ remains the foundation and the Spirit shapes their understanding, the church grows in maturity, and its work endures.

1 Corinthians 4 — Faithfulness, Humility, and True Apostolic Ministry

Paul now addresses how ministers of Christ should be regarded. He shifts their attention from worldly standards of evaluation to God’s standard, emphasizing faithfulness and humility rather than reputation or status.

Paul begins by instructing the Corinthians to consider him and other ministers as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries God has revealed (v. 1). Their task is not self-promotion but faithful handling of what God has entrusted to them. The essential requirement of a steward is faithfulness (v. 2). Paul explains that he is not concerned with human evaluations. He does not even judge himself, because human judgment is limited and incomplete (v. 3). Although he is not aware of anything against himself, that awareness does not justify him. The Lord is the One who evaluates every servant (v. 4). God alone sees motives clearly and measures ministry accurately.

Paul urges the Corinthians not to pass judgment before the appointed time when the Lord comes (v. 5). Then God will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the purposes of the heart. Each one will receive praise from God according to His evaluation. This redirects their attention away from boasting in particular leaders to awaiting God’s final approval. Human judgments are often premature and incomplete, but God’s judgment is perfect and final.

Paul applies this teaching to himself and Apollos for the Corinthians’ benefit (v. 6). He presents their ministry as an example to keep the congregation from being puffed up with pride and taking sides against one another. He challenges them with a series of questions: Who makes you different? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were your own (v. 7)? These questions expose how boasting in leaders contradicts the truth of grace. Everything believers possess has been entrusted to them by God.

Paul notes that some Corinthians consider themselves spiritually advanced, as though they already reign like kings (v. 8). He uses irony to show their misunderstanding. While they imagine themselves elevated, the apostles face hardship. He wishes they truly reigned, so that he and others might share in it. Instead, God has displayed the apostles like those at the end of a procession, condemned to die, a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to people (v. 9). Their ministry is marked by sacrifice, not prestige.

Paul continues the contrast. The Corinthians view themselves as wise, strong, and honored, but the apostles are seen as foolish, weak, and despised (v. 10). The apostles endure hunger, thirst, poor clothing, homelessness, and toil, working with their own hands (v. 11–12). When cursed, they bless. When persecuted, they endure. When slandered, they speak kindly. They have become like the refuse and scum of the world (v. 13). Their lives reflect the humility of Christ rather than the social aspirations admired in Corinth.

Paul explains that he does not write these words to shame them but to warn them as beloved children (v. 14). Though many might teach them, Paul is their spiritual father through the gospel (v. 15). He calls them to imitate him (v. 16), not because he seeks followers for himself, but because his life models the humility and faithfulness that aligns with the gospel. To reinforce this, he sends Timothy, who will remind them of Paul’s ways in Christ, which are consistent among all churches (v. 17). Paul’s instruction is not situational or selective. It flows from the unchanging truth of the gospel.

Paul addresses those who have become arrogant, assuming he will not return (v. 18). He promises to come, if the Lord wills, and confront not only their words but their power (v. 19). The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power (v. 20). Paul closes with a question that shows his pastoral heart: will he come with a rod of correction, or with love and a spirit of gentleness (v. 21)? Their response to his teaching will determine the nature of his visit.

1 Corinthians 4 reveals that Christian leadership is measured not by reputation, personality, or worldly success but by faithfulness to Christ. The chapter calls believers to evaluate ministry not through human standards of status or eloquence but by the humility, endurance, and obedience that reflect the cross. God alone sees the heart and will reveal the true quality of every servant’s work. The church is healthiest when it honors Christ above all human leaders, imitates lives shaped by the gospel, and awaits God’s evaluation rather than seeking human approval.

Conclusion

1 Corinthians 1–4 reminds believers that Christ alone is the foundation of the church. Division, pride, and human wisdom destroy unity, but the cross unites all who believe. God calls His people to humility, purity, and dependence on the Holy Spirit rather than worldly recognition.

For believers today, these chapters challenge us to examine our hearts: Do we glory in men or in Christ? Do we measure success by appearance or by faithfulness? The wisdom of this world fades, but the wisdom of God endures. Christ is our message, our foundation, and our strength. Let us build upon Him with faith, humility, and love—so that all glory belongs to God alone.