Every Good Gift
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Tony’s Overview Video
How to Use
Preparing to teach
- Read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge in this month’s issue of the Nurturing Faith Journal
- Watch Tony’s Video for this session
- Select either the Adult or Youth teaching guide and follow the directions
Click to read the Bible Lesson by Tony Cartledge
Key Verse: 1 Cor. 1:9 –
“God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“Are we there yet?”
The classic question known to all parents who have driven children on a long trip could also apply in other circumstances.
As would-be followers of Jesus called to grow in Christlikeness as we go through life, are we there yet? Have we become mature believers, firmly grounded in faith and fully committed to lives that reflect Jesus’ call to love and justice?
If we are truthful, most of us would confess that we have not yet become all God wants us to be: whatever our age, we still have some growing left to do.
The season of Advent marks a time of anticipation and hope as we recall the excitement around Jesus’ birth into our world, and as we consider the prospect of one day entering Jesus’ world on a new level.
We may hold to hope that our lives will become more like Jesus before that day comes. If we find ourselves hopeful but still on the road, we have something in common with members of the church in first century Corinth.
Our text for the day consists of Paul’s greeting to a church he saw as blessed by God and filled with potential – but not there yet.
A little background
What do we know about Corinth and its people? The city Paul knew was only 100 years old, a Roman metropolis built on the ruins of an ancient Greek city. [DD] The population included present and former slaves, wealthy merchants, shrewd traders, government administrators, Roman soldiers and veteran sailors, along with teachers, philosophers, and devotees of various religions. For a variety of reasons, Corinth was an important city. [DD]
The Apostle Paul had a long and uneven relationship with the people of Corinth. Along with Timothy and Silas, he first came to the city around 49 or 50 CE, during his second evangelistic expedition. Paul met and was aided by Prisca and Aquila, a Jewish Christian couple who had emigrated from Rome after the emperor Claudius expelled Christians from Italy (Acts 18:2). [DD]
Paul may have lodged with Prisca and Aquila, joining them in the leatherwork trade as he remained in Corinth for about 18 months. [DD]
After a brief return to Jerusalem, Paul traveled to Antioch before departing on his third missionary effort, during which he stayed in Ephesus for two years. While there, Paul had several contacts with the Corinthian church.
What we call 1 Corinthians was not Paul’s first letter to the church, for in it he speaks of a “previous letter” he had written (1 Cor. 5:9, some scholars think parts of that letter may be retained in 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).
Individual members of the church contacted Paul (1:11), telling him of problems at Corinth. He also received at least one letter from the church requesting his advice (7:1).
In response, Paul wrote what we now call 1 Corinthians. [DD] It appears that the letter was not well received, leading Paul to make a visit to the church that he called painful (2 Cor. 2:1). After returning to Ephesus, he wrote another letter that he described as tearful and difficult (2 Cor. 2:3-9; 7:12), sending it by Titus. Some scholars think this “severe letter” may be partially preserved in 2 Cor. 10-13, which is sterner in tone than the surrounding chapters.
Later, Titus told Paul the Corinthians had accepted his letter and were reconciled to him (2 Cor. 2:12; 7:5-16). Paul then wrote 2 Corinthians to express his joy and encourage the Corinthians to raise a worthy offering for the poor in Jerusalem.
Later, Paul seems to have made a third visit, probably around 55-56 CE, writing his letter to the Romans while there (Rom. 15:26).
On the road … (vv. 1-3)
Paul wrote with the knowledge the church was riddled by factions. Different members preferred the personalities or theological perspectives of different teachers, like Paul, Peter, or Apollos. Each group wanted to control the direction of the church.
Many of us know what that is like. We may have belonged to a church in which fans of a particular pastor or a certain theological bent struggled to determine who to call as the next pastor, what priorities should be in the budget, or what kind of people were fully welcome in worship.
The congregation at Corinth would have included people across the social spectrum from slaves to elites, and some members considered themselves superior to others on both spiritual and social grounds.
How does one begin a letter to a troubled church? Paul began with the standard pattern of identifying himself and his audience, followed by a brief greeting. [DD]
Paul identified himself as “called to be an apostle of Jesus by the will of God.” Some members of the Corinthian church had apparently questioned Paul’s authority as an apostle (an issue that later become more explicit, 2 Cor 10:12-18; 11:5), so he wanted to emphasize from the beginning that his authority lay not in himself, but in his divine calling.
But God’s calling wasn’t limited to Paul, for he described his readers as a church that was “sanctified in Christ Jesus” and “called to be saints” (v. 2a). [DD] Although the Corinthians were unlikely saints, they were also called by God to a new kind of life.
Saintly or not, Paul called them “sanctified,” using a verb that means “to make holy” in the sense of “to set apart as sacred to God.” Believers are to be set apart for holy living, but the Corinthians showed that church members can be perfectly forgiven but not perfect in behavior, saints and sinners concurrently.
Paul tactfully reminded the Corinthians that they were part of a broader community, called along with “all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (v. 2b).
This remains a helpful word. It’s easy for us to think only of ourselves and our church, but we are part of the much larger body. Denominational and ecumenical activities help us to appreciate the larger Christian family.
Secular letters of the period typically began with the word “greeting” (chairein), but Paul altered that to the word for “grace” (charis) and added “peace” as well. It was an important reminder that grace and peace, like our calling to a transformed life, derive “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 3).
But not there yet (vv. 4-9)
In his letters, Paul usually followed the greeting with a prayer of thanksgiving for his readers, often subtly raising issues that would reappear in the letter.
In some cases, Paul affirmed his hearers with words of praise, as to the Thessalonians, whom he praised for “your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes. 1:3). Paul also praised the Colossians for their faith, love, and hope in Christ that was bearing fruit among them (Col. 1:3-6).
In writing to the Corinthians, the best Paul could offer sounds like backhanded compliments. He thanked God for the grace that had been given to the Corinthians, enriching them in every way and blessing them with spiritual gifts – but he extended no congratulations for what they had done with the gifts they had received.
In other words, Paul could praise what God had done for the Corinthians, but not what they had done for God. Divine grace had enriched them “in speech and knowledge of every kind” (vv. 4-5), but some of them had used speech against each another. Some believed they had special knowledge that made them superior to others – issues that Paul would address later.
The witness of Christ had been confirmed among the Corinthians, Paul said (v. 6), bestowing an abundance of spiritual gifts (v. 7). That was positive, but sadly, the use and distribution of spiritual gifts had become a matter of controversy that Paul would address in chapters 11-14.
Spiritual gifts can be misused. A person can be a spiritually gifted shyster as well as a saint – as demonstrated by charismatic evangelists who draw many followers but use their offerings to enrich themselves.
Fortunately, God remains faithful, even among unfaithful people. Paul said God’s faithfulness would grant the Corinthians “strength to the end” so they might be found “blameless” when Christ returned (v. 8). They had been called on the basis of God’s faithfulness, not theirs: they were not only saved by God’s persistent grace, but sustained by it.
Paul’s prayer tactfully avoided undue praise for the Corinthians, but he did not condemn them, either. Although they were sinners, he still called them saints. In spite of their shortcomings, he acknowledged their giftedness. He held out hope that they would grow in grace and learn to wage peace.
Paul’s letter could have been written to us, for we also are called into fellowship by God’s faithfulness. We also are gifted by God’s Spirit. We also may fail and fall short of God’s best hopes for us, but our faith is grounded in God’s faithfulness, which will remain “to the end.”
If Paul were to write a letter to us, to our Bible study class, or to our church, what might he say? Would he have to settle for backhanded compliments, or could he offer unabashed and grateful praise?
What would we like for him to say?
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Youth Teaching Resources
Social Media Challenge
Throughout the season of Advent, the social media challenge will be centered around the weekly themes of Advent.
On Sunday, post a picture of one, purple candle that is lit. On Monday, post the word “HOPE”. On Tuesday through Saturday, post images or phrases that provide you with hope.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“I Hope to See You Again” from About Time
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