First and Second Corinthians: Straight from the Heart

THE ORTHODOX BIBLE STUDY COMPANION SERIES

First and Second CORINTHIANS STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

by Fr. Lawrence R. Farley

Ancient Faith Publishing Chesterton, Indiana

FIRST AND SECOND CORINTHIANS: STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

© Copyright 2005 by Lawrence Farley

one volume of The Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series All Rights Reserved Published by

Ancient Faith Publishing A division of Ancient Faith Ministries P.O. Box 748 Chesterton, IN 46304

Printed in the United States of America ISBN 978-1-888212-53-2

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Dedicated to Rhiannon and Magdalen, who have always made proud the heart of their father

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Table of Contents and Outline Introduction...............................................................................9 Key to the Format of This Work...............................................15 The First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians....................17 I.

Opening (1:1–9)........................................................21 1. Opening greetings  21 2. Thanksgiving—for God’s rich graciousness to them  23

II.

Unity in the Church (1:10—4:21).............................27 1. The scandal of division  27 2. The true wisdom not of this age  31

III.

Fornication and Immorality to Be Removed (5:1—6:20)................................................................59

IV.

Questions Concerning Marriage, Virginity, and Divorce (7:1–40) .......................................................73

V.

Questions Concerning Food Offered to Idols (8:1—11:1)................................................................87 1. The knowledge that idols are nothing, and Christian freedom  87 2. The danger of idolatry  100 3. The obligation to avoid food offered to idols for conscience’ sake  107

VI.

Women and the Veil (11:2–16)................................111

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VII. Conduct during the Eucharistic Supper (11:17–34)...............................................................121 VIII. Questions Concerning Spiritual Gifts (12:1—14:40)..........................................................131 1. Diversity of gifts and the unity of the Body  131 2. The motivation of love  143 3. Guidelines for speaking in tongues and prophecy  147 IX.

Concerning the Final Resurrection of the Dead (15:1–58).................................................................165

X.

Conclusion (16:1–24)..............................................187 1. Concerning the Jerusalem collection and St. Paul’s arrival  187 2. Final admonitions  191 3. Concluding words and blessing  193

The Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians..............195 I.

Opening (1:1–11)....................................................199 1. Opening greetings  199 2. Opening thanksgiving—for encouragement in tribulation  200

II.

St. Paul’s Apostolate to the Corinthians (1:12—7:16)............................................................203 1. St. Paul explains his desire for them since leaving Corinth  203 2. Parenthesis: Defense of his apostolate  212 3. Resumption of explanation of desire for them since leaving Corinth  246

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III.

The Collection for Jerusalem (8:1—9:15)................259

IV.

St. Paul’s Future Visit to Corinth and His Self-Vindication (10:1—13:10)...............................275

V.

Conclusion (13:11–14)............................................311 1. Final admonitions  311 2. Concluding blessing  312

About the Author...............................................................315 Excurses (short expositions on various topics):  On the Use of the Veil Today............................................118  On the Eucharist...............................................................129  On Worship Today...........................................................160  On a Harmony of the Accounts of the Resurrection Appearances of the Lord..............................................169  On Paul’s Attitude to the Jewish Law................................220  On Heresy as a Modern Category.....................................288

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 Introduction  A Word About Scholarship, Translation, and Format This commentary was written for your grandmother. And for your plumber, your banker, your next-door neighbor, and the girl who serves you French fries at the nearby McDonald’s. That is, it was written for the average layman, for the nonprofessional who feels a bit intimidated by the presence of copious footnotes, long bibliographies, and all those other things that so enrich the lives of academics. It was written for the pious Orthodox layman who is mystified by such things as Source Criticism, but who nonetheless wants to know what the Scriptures mean.

Therefore, it is unlike many other commentaries, which are written as contributions to the ongoing endeavor of scholarship and as parts of a continuous dialogue among scholars. That endeavor and dialogue is indeed worthwhile, but the present commentary forms no part of it. For this work assumes, without argument, a certain point of view, and asserts it without defense, believing it to be consistent with the presuppositions of the Fathers and therefore consistent with Orthodox Tradition. It has but one aim: to be the sort of book a busy parish priest might put in the hands of an interested parishioner who says to him over coffee hour after Liturgy, “Father, I’m not sure I really get what St. Paul is saying in the Epistles. What does it all mean?” This commentary tries to tell the perplexed parishioner what the writers of the New Testament mean.

Regarding the translation used herein, an Italian proverb says, “All translators are traitors.” (The proverb proves its own point, for it sounds better in Italian!) The point of the proverb, of course, is that no translation, however careful, can bring out all the nuances and meanings of the original, since no language can be the mathematical equivalent of another. The English translator is faced, it would seem, with a choice: either he can make the translation Sample pages only. Purchase the full book at 9 http://store.ancientfaith.com/first_and_second_corinthians/

Scholarship, Translation, & Format

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

something of a rough paraphrase of the original and render it into flowing sonorous English; or he can attempt to make a fairly literal, word-for-word translation from the original with the resultant English being stilted, wooden, and clumsy.

These two basic and different approaches to translation correspond to two basic and different activities in the Church. The Church needs a translation of the Scriptures for use in worship. This should be in good, grammatical, and flowing English, as elegant as possible and suited to its function in the majestic worship of the Liturgy. The Church also needs a translation of the Scriptures for private study and for group Bible study. Here the elegance of its English is of lesser concern. What is of greater concern here is the bringing out of all the nuances found in the original. Thus this approach will tend to sacrifice elegance for literality and, wherever possible, seek a word-for-word correspondence with the Greek. Also, because the student will want to see how the biblical authors use a particular word (especially St. Paul, who has many works included in the canon), a consistency of translation will be sought and the same Greek word will be translated, wherever possible, by the same English word or by its cognate.

The present work does not pretend to be anything other than a translation for private Bible study. It seeks to achieve, as much as possible, a literal, word-for-word correspondence with the Greek.

The aim has been to present a translation from which one could jump back into the Greek original with the aid of an interlinear New Testament. Where a single Greek word has been used in the original, I have tried to find (or invent!) a single English word.

The result, of course, is a translation so literally rendered from the Greek that it represents an English spoken nowhere on the planet!

That is, it represents a kind of “study Bible English” and not an actual vernacular. It was never intended for use outside the present commentaries, much less in the worship of the Church. The task of producing a flowing, elegant translation that nonetheless preserves the integrity and nuances of the original I cheerfully leave to hands more competent than mine.

A final word about the actual format of this work. In all these Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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INTRODUCTION

The City of Corinth

pages, the translated text is first presented in boldface type. Italics in this biblical text represent a word required by English syntax that is not actually present in the Greek.

The biblical text is followed by a commentary. In this commentary section, citations from the portion of text being commented on are given in boldface type. Citations from other locations in Scripture are given in quotation marks with a reference; any reference not including a book name refers to the book being discussed. In the commentary, italics are used in the ordinary way—for emphasis, foreign words, and so forth.

The City of Corinth Corinth was big and bad—and wonderful. It was one of the great cities of the ancient world, being built on a commanding site: the isthmus of Greece, only four miles wide, connecting the Adriatic Sea on the west with the Aegean Sea on the east. Ancient mariners had two options: either they could brave the dangerous voyage around the south end of Greece, navigating the dreaded Cape Malea (of which it was said, “Let him who sails around Malea first make his will!”) or they could drag their boats the short distance across the Greek isthmus and relaunch on the other side. Many chose this second alternative, with the result that Corinth was situated on one of the major trade routes of the ancient world.

As a major commercial city, all kinds of trade and wealth passed through it, so that Corinth has been called the Vanity Fair of the ancient world. You could buy anything in Corinth. As well, it boasted the far-famed temple of Aphrodite, served by one thousand priestesses, who were also temple prostitutes. These would descend from the temple in the evening to ply their trade in the city. Corinth developed an international reputation for debauchery. Corinthian characters, when appearing in Greek plays, always appeared as drunk. Indeed, the city gave the ancient world a new word: “to Corinthianize,” which meant to live in a state of drunken debauch.

Corinth was also the political capital of the Roman province of Achaia and a Roman colony. As such, it had a large population of Roman citizens, along with its native Greeks and a large Sample pages only. Purchase the full book at 11 http://store.ancientfaith.com/first_and_second_corinthians/

St. Paul in Corinth

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

smattering of farther eastern races, such as the Phrygians. It also had a large population of Jews, who had built their own synagogue. Thus, the great city was a perfect target for the Gospel, for the church in Corinth had access to all the world. St. Paul devoted much time to work in Corinth, staying there more than eighteen months.

St. Paul in Corinth When the apostle came to Corinth, he was somewhat discouraged.

He had been more or less driven out of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea in turn (Acts 16:35—17:15). He had gone in haste to Athens alone, waiting for his companions Silas and Timothy to catch up with him. In addition, his preaching in Athens had not borne much fruit (Acts 17:32–34). We may imagine, therefore, that he arrived in Corinth in rather low spirits—or, as he himself says, “in weakness, and in fear and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). While there, he found a fellow Jew and tentmaker, Aquila, who was there along with his wife Priscilla because the Emperor Claudius had expelled all Jews from Rome, where they had lived. St. Paul began to work with Aquila, making tents to support himself, as was his custom (Acts 18:1–3).

Soon Silas and Timothy caught up with him from Macedonia, and Paul was able to devote himself more fervently to preaching the Gospel. Here too he wrote his first epistles. Silas and Timothy brought him news of the church he had been forced to leave in Thessalonica, and all was not well there. It was in response to this situation that he wrote his first epistle to the Thessalonians, followed soon after by a second epistle in about ad 52. Even while striving to reach the Corinthians, he did not forget or neglect his other spiritual children.

He continued to preach in the synagogue, expounding his message at the invitation of the synagogue officials, like any other celebrity and teacher. But the old pattern soon reasserted itself: the local Jews became jealous of his success and began to contradict him and blaspheme Christ. A parting of the ways had come. He shook out his garments (as if to remove their dust from him) and said, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean; from now on I Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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INTRODUCTION

St. Paul in Corinth

shall go to the Gentiles!” And with that, he took his converts and left the Jews, to devote himself exclusively to preaching to the Gentiles.

His many converts included Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, and Justus, a “God-fearer” (that is, a Gentile who worshipped the God of Israel with the Jews but had not taken the step of becoming circumcised). Paul took up residence at the house of Justus—right next to the synagogue (Acts 18:5–8)!

These were days of stress and anxiety. Doubtless the conversion of one so notable as the ruler of the synagogue inflamed the Jewish opposition all the more. In his second epistle to the Thessalonians (written about this time), Paul especially asks for the Thessalonians’ prayers that what happened in Thessalonica and Berea might not happen there in Corinth. He requests their prayers that he and his companions may “be rescued from improper and evil men; for not all have the faith” (2 Thess. 3:2). As these “improper and evil men” raged against him more and more, St. Paul’s courage seems to have flagged. To encourage him, the Lord Jesus appeared to him in a vision, telling him not to be afraid any more but to “go on speaking.” The Lord assured Paul that He would be with him to protect him, for the Lord “had many people” in Corinth. The apostle hearkened to his Lord, staying there for a year and six months (Acts 18:9–11).

We may imagine that he did not necessarily confine himself to the city. Rather, he made Corinth his base of operations, probably making forays into the surrounding area as well. He had great success, building a strong and robust church in the famous city.

His success did not go unchallenged. When the city received a new proconsul, Gallio, for the province of Achaia (of which Corinth was the capital), the Jews saw this as an opportunity. Gallio had a reputation for mildness and fairness. Perhaps the Jews thought they might take advantage of this to slander Paul and arrange for his arrest. They began their accusation by asserting that Paul was not really a Jew and that his religion, therefore, was not a legal and tolerated religion (a religio licita) as was Judaism. Gallio, however, would have none of this. He instantly saw that this was a dispute internal to Judaism and refused to hear their case against Paul. He Sample pages only. Purchase the full book at 13 http://store.ancientfaith.com/first_and_second_corinthians/

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pointedly drove them away from his official judgment seat (providing the opportunity for the local crowd to indulge in some brutal antiSemitism, taking and beating Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue).

Gallio observed this, but did nothing to interfere (Acts 18:12–17).

The Jewish strategy against Paul was a singular failure—just as the Lord had said it would be in the vision!

It was, however, apparent that the time to leave was approaching. St. Paul stayed in Corinth “many days” after that, only later heading for Syria and home (Acts 18:18–22). His time in Corinth had been long and fruitful, and the church he left there was strong and bustling.

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INTRODUCTION

Key to Format

Key to the Format of This Work • The translated text is first presented in boldface type.

Italics within these biblical text sections represent words required by English syntax that are not actually present in the Greek. Each translated text section is set within a shaded grey box.



26 For see your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many well-born; • In the commentary sections, citations from the portion of text being commented upon are given in boldface type.

Not many are powerful and influential in society; not many are well-born or members of the upper classes.

• In the commentary sections, citations from other locations in Scripture are given in quotation marks with a reference; any reference not including a book name refers to the book under discussion.

The Cross thus began a true revolution, overturning the established order, “putting down the mighty from their thrones and exalting the humble” (Luke 1:52).

• In the commentary sections, italics are used in the ordinary way—for emphasis, foreign words, etc.

Their pride was once and for all nullified and wiped out (Gr. katargeo; see its use in 2 Thess. 2:8 for the destruction of the Antichrist).

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 The First Epistle of St. Paul  to the Corinthians ST. PAUL AFTER CORINTH: THE BACKGROUND TO FIRST CORINTHIANS

A

fter this, St. Paul made for home in Antioch. He sailed east across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus (where he left Aquila and Priscilla; Acts 18:18–19) and then southeast to Caesarea (Acts 18:22).

After a short stay in Antioch, he decided to revisit the Galatian and Phrygian regions, strengthening the converts he had previously made there. He set off again, probably taking Timothy with him, and possibly Erastus too. After that, he continued westward, making for Ephesus, where he had left his former companions, Aquila and Priscilla.

Meanwhile, Apollos arrived in Ephesus. He had been a disciple of St. John the Baptizer and also a Christian, even though he had never received Christian baptism. This anomaly was remedied in Ephesus by Aquila and Priscilla, who filled in the gaps for him and gave him full Christian baptism (Acts 18:24–26). After this, Apollos left Ephesus for Corinth (Acts 18:27–28), ministering there with great power and effectiveness and making himself very popular with St. Paul’s old Corinthian converts.

After Apollos had left Ephesus, St. Paul arrived there (Acts 19:1).

He stayed in the great Asian capital a long time also, making Ephesus his base of operations as he had previously done with Corinth.

There he received news of how things were in Corinth. There was much communication between the great cities. Apollos himself had probably returned from Corinth to Ephesus with more news of the situation there. And the news was not good.

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St. Paul after Corinth

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ethical and ascetic element of their new Faith. The Corinthian Christians continued to “Corinthianize,” fornicating and excusing those who did. It was, after all (they doubtless reasoned), the norm for their city. Hadn’t Paul himself said, “All things are lawful for me”? (see 1 Cor. 6:12). Paul’s entire work there was in danger of foundering on the rocks of moral anarchy. So it was that St. Paul made a hasty and painful visit to the city, to try to correct the situation.

The visit lasted perhaps only a matter of some days (it is not mentioned by St. Luke in his Acts of the Apostles) and it was a difficult time for the apostle. He mourned over those who had sinned, as if himself humiliated (see 2 Cor. 12:20–21). All the same, he strove to act gently and pastorally, not raging against the offenders, but attempting to teach them how their behavior was inconsistent with their baptism, and to restore them in a spirit of meekness (see Gal. 6:1). They were, after all, but babes in Christ.

His visit was not a success. After he had returned to Ephesus to continue the work there, he heard more reports about the state of the church in Corinth. His gentleness and reluctance to chastise the offenders were taken as evidence of his weakness and fear of them.

They perhaps reasoned that their behavior could not have been that unacceptable after all. The tendency to compromise with the world’s standards continued and grew unabated, despite Paul’s efforts.

It was in response to this that he wrote an epistle to them, which has not survived (see 1 Cor. 5:9). In it, he chastised them quite specifically for their sins, ordering them pointedly not to associate with fornicators. In this letter, he perhaps also gave notice of his intention to visit them again on his way to Macedonia (a plan which he would later change somewhat; see 1 Cor. 16:5; 2 Cor. 1:15–16), and deal (again!) with their situation. This letter was quite brief and was perhaps intended as a kind of epistolary stopgap until he was able to come himself. (Shortly after Paul sent the letter, Timothy left Ephesus for Macedonia, and eventually Corinth too, accompanied

by Erastus, who was bound for his home in Corinth.)

More news came from Corinth after this along with a response to his letter, brought by some of the household of Chloë and by Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (1 Cor. 1:11; 16:17). The Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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INTRODUCTION

St. Paul after Corinth

church there had not understood (or at least claimed not to understand) his letter. How could they have nothing to do with fornicators? They were, after all, living in Corinth! That would mean that they would not be able to see anybody! It made, they reasoned, no sense. And they had questions of their own—questions about sex, virginity, mixed marriage, and divorce, about food offered to idols, about spiritual gifts.

There were other problems too. The church was increasingly divided by factions and cliques. Apollos had made quite an impression on them, his worldly Alexandrian sophistication and education (see Acts 18:24) contrasting brilliantly with the plainer, less rhetorically adorned style of St. Paul. Many sided with Apollos over Paul, denigrating their founding apostolic father. Others made a personality cult of the original Twelve, focusing on Cephas as their head.

Each competing group claimed to be wiser and more spiritual than the others. Their local teachers too set themselves up as champions of the various parties. Passions were inflamed, and some were taking their Christian brothers to secular court over trifles (1 Cor. 6:1).

That was not all. The antinomian moral excesses were getting out of hand. In fact, one man was even living incestuously with his stepmother (1 Cor. 5:1)! Also, some were feasting so mightily at the Sunday agape meal (which climaxed with the Eucharist) that they got drunk, while their humbler and poorer brethren went hungry at the same meal (1 Cor. 11:21). Many in the community considered that Christian freedom meant that they were free to eat food that had been offered to idols (1 Cor. 8—10). The women, concluding that Christian freedom from the Law liberated them from the authority of their husbands, were casting off their long veils, the socially accepted symbol of their proper submission to order (1 Cor. 11:2f ). Moreover, liturgical anarchy often prevailed among them. They were especially fond of the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, and many spoke aloud in tongues at the same time during their gatherings, resulting in utter chaos. Furthermore, there were questions and even doubts about the final resurrection of the flesh at the Last Day. It was a mess.

So it was that St. Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians to Sample pages only. Purchase the full book at 19 http://store.ancientfaith.com/first_and_second_corinthians/

St. Paul after Corinth

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deal with it all, sending it by the hand of Titus and another brother (see 2 Cor. 12:18). Later on, he would visit them himself, after he had visited Macedonia. But he was not able to leave Ephesus until Pentecost, for “a door” for effective service had “opened” to him there and he was determined to make the most of the opportunity while it lasted (1 Cor. 16:5–9). But he would visit them. In the meanwhile, this epistle was meant to correct what was wrong, answer their questions, and prepare them for his impending visitation. It was written from Ephesus about ad 57.

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 I  OPENING (1:1–9) §I.1

Opening greetings

1 1



Paul, a called apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother, 2 to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who in every place call upon the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours; 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Paul here refers to the time when Christ Jesus took him from his old life as a zealous persecutor of the Church and called him to serve as His apostle. This was by the will of God, working out His plan for Paul that He had purposed from the time of his childhood (see Gal. 1:15).

Included in his initial greeting is Sosthenes the brother. This is probably the Sosthenes referred to in Acts 18:17, who was formerly the leader of the Corinthian synagogue and of the party who opposed St. Paul, attempting to take him to court. Sosthenes took over from Crispus, who had converted to the Christian Faith and made himself odious to his fellow-Jews there. This being so, Sosthenes would have paralleled St. Paul himself to some degree, for he too began as a persecutor of the Church and then converted to the Faith he Sample pages only. Purchase the full book at 21 http://store.ancientfaith.com/first_and_second_corinthians/

1 Corinthians 1:1–3

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

had once tried to destroy. Though he seems to have had no part in writing the epistle that follows (St. Paul proceeds to write in the first person singular, vv. 4f, 10f ) he was with the apostle at the time he wrote from Ephesus and so is included in the initial greetings. For it was the apostle’s custom generously to include the brethren with him in his work and epistles (see Phil. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1).

St. Paul writes to the church of God which is in Corinth. Note that the church is not described as “the church of the Corinthians,” but rather as the church of God which is in Corinth. That is, its primary characteristic is its belonging to God—its earthly, geographical location is of only secondary significance. Far less is any other characteristic—such as its notable teachers (see v. 12)—of any significance. It is not to “the church of Paul” or “the church of Apollos” or “of Cephas” that he writes, but rather to the church of God. There is here a subtle rebuke of sectarian pride.

The Corinthians are also described as having been sanctified [Gr. agiazo] in Christ Jesus and as called saints (Gr. agiois). Given the multitude of problems and sins in the Corinthian church, this is at first sight surprising! But by sanctified or saint, St. Paul does not mean simply “well-behaved” (though of course the saints should behave themselves in a saintly manner!). The primary meaning of agios is that of separation. A saint is one who has been separated from the world and now belongs only to God. It is primarily a question of ownership and only secondarily of behavior. This separation from the world to become God’s property was accomplished for the Corinthians in their baptism (which is why baptism is called Holy Baptism). Their problem was a failure to live out their Holy Baptism and fulfill their calling as saints. For just as Paul was called to be an apostle (and thus was one), so were the Corinthians called through their baptism to be saints. This calling (or “vocation”) is fundamental in the Christian life. It is not simply the clergy who are the “called.”

All believers are called by virtue of their baptism. Specific gifts (such as the “call” to priesthood) are to be seen as subordinate to this primary call, which is common to all Christians.

Further, the Corinthians are called to be saints as part of a larger and universal multitude. They share their call with those who Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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I. OPENING

1 Corinthians 1:4–9

in every place call upon the Name of our Lord. He is the Lord of those distant brothers as well as of the Corinthians. The temptation (not unique to Corinth!) is to focus on one’s own little situation and one’s own problems, and so lose sight of the big picture. A cure for their small-minded sectarianism and parochialism is to reflect on the larger totality of the Church of God. They are not the measure of all things (see 14:36), nor the center of the Christian universe.

We note in passing the reference to worship as calling upon (Gr. epikaleo) the Name of the Lord. This phrase is drawn from Joel 2:32 (LXX), where believers in the messianic day of salvation “call upon the Name of Yahweh” and are rescued. In Romans 10:13, this verse from Joel is applied to believers calling upon the Name of Jesus in Holy Baptism. Here St. Paul uses the phrase to denote Christian liturgical worship generally. In the Eucharist, the Church invokes the power of God, who dwells in her midst. All her worship is a kind of epiklesis or invocation of the Divine Presence. We do not assemble primarily to be instructed or to light candles, but to know the transforming power of our glorious God. §I.2

Thanksgiving—for God’s rich graciousness to them



4 I give thanks to my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all word and all knowledge, 6 even as the witness of Christ was confirmed among you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual-gift while awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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1 Corinthians 1:4–9

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into sharing with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the opening thanksgiving that was customary in ancient epistles, St. Paul takes care to let the Corinthians know that they are, for all the current difficulties they present, nonetheless a source of joy to him. In all his unceasing and persevering daily prayers, he always gives thanks to God for them, for the abundant grace which God has given them. His worry over them is not allowed to crowd out an overriding sense of gratitude to God for the work He has done in them so far. So for us too, thanksgiving should set the tone for our intercessions and prayers.

By grace (Gr. charis), St. Paul here means the spiritual-gifts of the Spirit (Gr. charismata) with which they have been enriched.

The apostolic witness and preaching about the Christ was confirmed among them. They heard the apostolic Gospel message and eagerly accepted it, with great openness of heart. Accordingly and in response, the charismatic gifts and grace of Christ were poured out on them in abundance.

The verbs given and enriched are in the aorist tense, denoting a once-for-all action, perhaps referring back to the Corinthians’ baptism as the moment when these charismata were bestowed. Yet whether received at the time of their baptism or later flowing from that initial infusion of grace, the spiritual-gifts of the Spirit are there in abundance. In everything and in every way needed, they have received all the gifts of word (Gr. logos) and knowledge (Gr. gnosis).

That is, they have been enabled to know and discern the will of God, understanding His hidden mysteries, and also to instruct others in this knowledge, exhorting them and encouraging them. Later on, the apostle will speak of such word gifts as prophecy, tongues, and interpretation, and also of such knowledge gifts as messages of wisdom and knowledge (12:8, 10). Here, he seems to use the terms knowledge and word in a more general sense to mean that the Corinthians have been enriched in God’s grace, both inside and out, both to know and to communicate that knowledge. God, in Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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I. OPENING

1 Corinthians 1:4–9

His generosity, holds nothing back from them. They are not lacking in any spiritual-gift as they await the Second Coming.

In speaking of their abundant supply of God’s gifts, the apostle means to focus, not so much on the spiritual wealth of the Corithians (that could be a problem for them and lead to pride—see 4:8), but rather on the generosity and love of God. His emphasis is on the care that God has for them. He supplies them so richly that there is not a single charisma or gift which He has not bestowed on them, so that they will have all they need to see them safely through this age to the final revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s love is reliable and sure—He is faithful, as is evidenced by His graciously calling them to have sharing and fellowship (Gr. koinonia) with Jesus through their baptism. He showed His steadfast love and grace by freely accepting them then, and can be depended on to continue that steadfast love. He will confirm them until the end so that they will stand forgiven before His Judgment Seat, blameless and full of joy (see Col. 1:22). On that dread Day of our Lord, no accusation will be able to separate them from Him (see Rom. 8:33–35); He will acknowledge them as His own. This is the reward of God for their faith. They confirmed (Gr. bebaioo) the Gospel witness of Christ (v. 6), and God in turn will confirm (Gr. bebaioo) them (v. 8). Just as they accepted the Gospel, so God will accept them.

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Notes

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

Notes for Section I: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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 II  UNITY IN THE CHURCH (1:10—4:21) §II.1 The scandal of division Having given thanks, the apostle then turns to the problem of disunity in the church in Corinth, seeing in this evidence of their spiritual immaturity. As those who were still babes, they had an overly high opinion of secular wisdom and the worldly popularity it brings. They had broken up into cliques and factions. There was an Apollos party, which was impressed by the rhetorical skill and sophistication of the new Alexandrian teacher. This party was at loggerheads with the loyalist Paul party, whose hero the Apollos faction was denigrating. Then there were those who championed the original Palestinian apostles, led by Cephas. The whole Corinthian church had been rent by these factions, and no doubt tempers were flaring. It all stemmed from their carnal mindset, which could not discern the true, divine wisdom from the false and fading wisdom of the world.

St. Paul makes the repair of unity his first priority—even before exhorting them to avoid fornication! This itself is a revelation of the importance of unity in the Church. Disharmony and lack of love between the brethren is not a minor evil, to be tolerated as inevitable.

It is rather the overthrow of all spirituality and an impediment to true maturity in Christ. It must be repented of and avoided as an ontological contradiction in terms—as Christ is not divided, so neither must we, His Body, allow ourselves to be divided.

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1 Corinthians 1:10–12

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

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10 Now I exhort you, brothers, through the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but you be restored in the same mind and in the same opinion.

11 For it has been made plain to me about you, my brothers, by those of the household of Chloë, that there are strifes among you.

12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I myself am of Paul” and “I myself of Apollos,” and “I myself of Cephas” and “I myself of Christ.”

Though the apostle addresses them affectionately as brothers, yet he still invokes the fullness of his apostolic authority, exhorting them through the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 Thess. 4:2). This is a serious matter and St. Paul brings all his authority to bear on it.

There are, he has been informed, divisions among them. The word in Greek (schisma) literally means “tears,” as in a torn garment (so in Mark 2:21), or “splits” (as in a rock), and thus “divisions, schisms.” The image is of the seamless robe of Christ being rent by the quarreling of His disciples. They have fought and divided themselves into various factions, each with its competing slogans. Lest they wonder who had “snitched” on them and thus fall into further suspicion and accusation, St. Paul clearly states where he obtained this information: it was from the household of Chloë. Chloë was evidently a wealthy woman of Corinth whose slaves had errands and business in Ephesus. These slaves, while in Ephesus, told Paul about the state of things in Corinth (probably in answer to his inquiries).

They had made plain to him that there were strifes there, quarrels, backbiting, insults and counterinsults.

The church in that city had divided itself into competing groups, each one trumpeting its superiority over the others in a kind of deadly one-upmanship. The loyalist group still revered their founding Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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II. UNITY IN THE CHURCH

1 Corinthians 1:10–12

apostle Paul, loudly proclaiming the slogan I myself [Gr. ego, denoting emphasis] am of Paul. They looked down, perhaps, on their brothers as fickle turncoats and inconstant backstabbers. They were opposed by the party that looked to Apollos, the urbane and sophisticated Alexandrian. To that group, Paul was too rustic, too inelegant, lacking rhetorical presence and panache. “For myself,” this one said, “I am Apollos’s man!”

The one-upmanship continued. Not to be outdone, another faction looked to the original Twelve and Cephas, their leader, as their champion. For this group, both Paul and Apollos were latecomers and inferior. They pushed dependency on the Jerusalem church as the purest and safest way to go.

They were outshone only by the party that proclaimed, I myself am of Christ! It would appear that this group took the quest for origins and antiquity to its extreme conclusion. If the Petrine party went back beyond Paul and Apollos to Cephas, this party went back beyond Cephas to Christ. They perhaps claimed to owe allegiance to no man, being more spiritual (they thought) than all the others. The picture St. Paul paints is one of each man shouting out his slogans (I am of Paul! I, of Apollos! I, of Cephas! I, of Christ!) in competing crescendo, each one trying to drown out the others. It is a portrait of chaos.

He exhorts them as his dear brothers to cease all this. Let them rather all speak the same thing. Let them be restored (Gr. katartizo, used for the mending of torn nets; Mark 1:19) so as to have the same mind and the same opinion. St. Paul does not here mean to ban a normal healthy diversity of views, nor to inculcate a total agreement on every detail of faith and life such as is found only in mind-control cults. The mind (Gr. nous) and opinion that they must share are a common attitude and a common commitment to mutual love—not to common conclusions. Diversity of opinion is inevitable and healthy—only let it not lead to quarreling and disunity. The same thing which they must all speak and confess is their ultimate allegiance to Jesus only and their subordinated reverence for all their apostolic teachers equally. Factions based on personality cult must stop.

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1 Corinthians 1:13–17

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

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13 Has Christ been divided-up? Or was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I give thanks to God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I baptized in my name!

16 (Now I baptized also the house of Stephanas— as to the rest, I do not know if I baptized any other.)

17 For God did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not in wisdom of word, lest the Cross of Christ be emptied.

The apostle’s exhortation to unity of the Church is based on the prior ontological unity of Christ Himself. The unity of the Church is the very unity of Christ with the Father (John 17:11, 21–23). As such, the Church’s essential inner unity is unbreakable. Individuals may break away from the Church, but the Church itself can never be divided, because Christ can never be divided-up and portioned out. The word translated divided-up (Gr. merizo) is used for dividing up spoils, or apportioning out a tithe (see Heb. 7:2). Given the factionalism of the Corinthian Christians, St. Paul says, anyone would think that Christ had been divided up among them, portioned out and distributed like pieces of a pie—an impossibility! He has not been divided-up! Nor has Paul been crucified for you that you should think to owe your ultimate allegiance to him. Nor were any baptized in the name of Paul so as to become his disciples, rather than the Lord’s.

St. Paul here breathes a sigh of relief that he left the actual task of performing their baptism to others (perhaps to Silas or Timothy, or perhaps to others who had been baptized), lest any should say he baptized in his own name, making them disciples of Paul, rather Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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II. UNITY IN THE CHURCH

1 Corinthians 1:18–25

than disciples of Jesus. He baptized Crispus (leader of the synagogue; Acts 18:8) and Gaius (see Rom. 16:23), but that was all!

Here we may suppose that Sosthenes (or perhaps Stephanas himself ) interposed as the apostle was dictating his epistle, reminding him of other baptisms which he had indeed performed—namely, those of the house of Stephanas. (St. Paul had perhaps forgotten this one, since Stephanas was his first convert in Achaia [16:15] and perhaps predated the main part of his work in Corinth.) To forestall any further quibbling over details, Paul adds that he does not recall if he baptized any other—which is to say that he might have forgotten one or two. And anyway, that is not the point. The point is that God did not send him as His apostle to baptize. His main task is to preach the Gospel (Gr. evaggelizo), proclaiming Christ as Lord of all.

In saying that Christ did not send him to baptize, St. Paul does not mean to belittle the significance of Holy Baptism. Far from it!

To be baptized is, in fact, to put on Christ (Gal. 3:27) and to be buried and raised with Him (Col. 2:12). The apostle’s point here is that the actual administration of the Church and its day-to-day sacramental life are tasks he leaves to others. His unique task is that of witnessing to the Resurrection of Christ and proclaiming the power of His Cross. And this he does not in wisdom of word, not with clever speech or rhetorical flourish (here he defends himself against his detractors), lest the Cross of Christ be emptied and made void. For the message of the Cross means that the standards of the world and all its pride in philosophy and rhetoric go for nothing. It would be inconsistent, therefore, to try to commend this message by appealing to this same worldly pride. §II.2 The true wisdom not of this age

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18 For the word of the Cross to those who are being destroyed is foolishness, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Sample pages only. Purchase the full book at 31 http://store.ancientfaith.com/first_and_second_corinthians/

1 Corinthians 1:18–25

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

19 For it has been written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the insight of the insightful I will nullify.”

20 Where is the wise man? Where the scribe?

Where the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was wellpleased through the foolishness of the heralding to save those who have faith.

22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we ourselves herald Christ crucified, to Jews indeed a stumbling-block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to the ones who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God, 25 because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Having denounced and lamented the disunity and quarreling of the Corinthians, St. Paul proceeds to deal with its root cause, which is failure to recognize true wisdom. As spiritual babies, the Corinthians viewed their teachers “like mere men” (3:3), playing off one against the other, judging according to the superficial and false wisdom of this age. In preferring Apollos to Paul, for example, they were too much impressed by mere rhetorical skill, by “image” and outer appearance (see 2 Cor. 10:10). The apostle therefore strives to correct this underlying flaw and teach them the difference between the false and fading wisdom of this age and the true and lasting wisdom of God. He begins by showing how the world, in the process of being destroyed, rejects the true wisdom of God, manifested by the word [or “message,” Gr. logos] of the Cross. The message of salvation by 32

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II. UNITY IN THE CHURCH

1 Corinthians 1:18–25

faith—by allegiance to an executed Man who had died ignominiously by torture—is, in the judgment of the world, foolishness, sheer senseless stupidity. Nonetheless, to the Christians, those who are in the process of being saved (sozemenois, in the present tense), this same Word is nothing less than the power of God and a manifestation of all that is good, wise, and eternal. Quite a difference in perception!

The world (which is being destroyed) thinks one thing, while the Christians (who are being saved) think the opposite. Obviously it is the world’s judgment that is faulty and untrustworthy. So how can the Corinthians place so much stock in it? How can they judge men according to the values of the world?

God has, in fact, bypassed the world and its values. Here St. Paul quotes from Isaiah 29:14 (from the LXX version). In its original context, it is a denunciation of the self-satisfied “wise” in Israel, whom Yahweh would confound, bringing His own salvation.

St. Paul applies this text to his own day and shows how it reveals God’s rejection of the self-satisfied “wise men” of the world. The supposed wisdom of the wise of the world, God has destroyed.

The self-proclaimed and futile insight of the insightful, God has nullified. Derisively the apostle asks, Where is the wise man? Where the scribe? Where the debater of this age? (The questions are more pugnacious and powerful in the original Greek, consisting of a few terse words: pou sophos? pou grammateus? “Where wise man? Where scribe?” It is as if he lashes out with a challenge, looking about like a boxer for his adversary.)

By granting salvation to men simply on the basis of their fervent faith, God bypassed all the wisdom of this world. All the debaters of this age—the highly skilled experts, the sophisticated elite— were at a stroke rendered irrelevant. Both the wise man (the Greek philosopher) and the scribe (the Jewish rabbi) were left behind in the dust of the world. For the world, through all its wisdom, its philosophical straining after truth and prideful striving after righteousness, still did not know God. All their efforts to reach reality and holiness proved insufficient. All the world’s best was still not good enough to bridge the gap between God and man.

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1 Corinthians 1:26–31

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

well-pleased to make use of what the world considered foolishness.

This heralding (Gr. kerugma, cognate with kerux, “a herald”) indeed is considered foolishness and absurdity by the whole world.

The Jews seek for signs and for the evidence of miracles (see John 6:30), delighting in action and in power. The Gentile Greeks seek for the wisdom of philosophy with its multitudes of words and concepts, delighting in insight and genius. For both alike, the idea of salvation through believing in a tortured and executed hero, a Christ crucified, is sheer nonsense. For the Jews, it is a stumblingblock—for how could the victorious Messiah suffer defeat and crucifixion (see John 12:34)? For the Greeks, it is foolishness— absolute absurdity, all this talk about a Man rising again after He was dead (see Acts 17:31–32). Yet to the Christians, to those who are the called—even though they too were once both Jews and Greeks—this message is not nonsense, but rather an example of both the power of God and the wisdom of God. The Christ dying in defeat—not a contradiction in terms (as the Jews think), but a manifestation of God’s true and hidden power! The Savior dying and rising—not a metaphysical absurdity (as the Greeks think), but a manifestation of God’s unseen and profound wisdom! For the foolishness of God—the concept of a resurrected Man being the heart and life of the cosmos—proves itself to be wiser than all the supposed wisdom of men. And the weakness of God in Christ’s ignominious defeat on the Cross proves itself to be stronger than all the vaunted strength of men. It proves itself truly wise and strong by giving life to those who accept the foolishness of the heralding, whereas those who rely on Greek philosophy and Jewish rabbinism remain in the grip of death.

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26 For see your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many well-born; 27 but the foolish things of the world God chose Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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II. UNITY IN THE CHURCH

1 Corinthians 1:26–31

that He might put to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world God chose that He might put to shame the strong things, 28 and the lowborn of the world and the disdained God chose, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, 29 so that no flesh might boast before God. 30 But by Him you yourselves are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God— both righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 that, according as it has been written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”

This contrast between those of the world who think the Gospel mere folly and those of the saved who recognize its wisdom is evident also in the case of the Corinthians themselves. When the Corinthians see and look carefully at their own demographic composition, they will see this is true. Not many of them are wise according to the flesh or well-educated. Not many are powerful and influential in society; not many are well-born or members of the upper classes.

Nonetheless, despite the fact that they are mostly lowborn, workers and slaves, they were chosen by God, through their reception of the Gospel, to be His saved ones. Thus they are themselves illustrations of the ways of God’s judgment and Providence. God chose the foolish things of the world, the simple, the rustic, the unlettered, the bumpkins, that He might put to shame the wise and the proud highbrows. God, through His dispensation and plan in Christ, chose the weak things of the world, the powerless and marginalized, that He might put to shame the strong things, those with influence, the movers and shakers. God chose the lowborn of the world and the disdained—those whom everyone despised and wrote off, the things that are not, the “nothings,” the losers— that He might nullify the things that are. The Cross thus began a true revolution, overturning the established order, “putting down Sample pages only. Purchase the full book at 35 http://store.ancientfaith.com/first_and_second_corinthians/

1 Corinthians 1:26–31

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS

the mighty from their thrones and exalting the humble” (Luke 1:52).

God, by making salvation accessible to such simple ones—and even to simpletons!—pronounced judgment on the proud and lofty wisdom of the wise. Their pride was once and for all nullified and wiped out (Gr. katargeo; see its use in 2 Thess. 2:8 for the destruction of the Antichrist). By making salvation available to all by simple faith in the crucified Messiah, God definitively and finally showed the futility of secular wisdom. The proud and wise of the earth despise such simplicity. Only the lowly and humble accept it, and with these God chooses to dwell.

Indeed, these lowly and humble—even the Corinthians themselves (the you is emphatic in the Greek)—are by Him and His own doing in Christ Jesus. They themselves, though foolish, powerless, and of no account, are by Him numbered among the saved. That is, their salvation is God’s own work; it is His decision, the result of His choice of the lowly over the powerful. He could have chosen the wise and powerful, but He chose you, the uneducated and helpless.

Through God, you now share in Christ Jesus and experience His salvation. By being incarnate, Jesus became your true wisdom—that is, He became all you would ever need—your righteousness and forgiveness, your sanctification and means of holiness and transformation, your redemption and ransom from death.

What all this means is that no flesh, no one anywhere, may boast before God. No one may stand before God and proudly exult that he has earned his salvation. No one may say his own genius and insight have brought him knowledge of God. No one may say his own righteousness and moral splendor have earned him God’s forgiveness. The rich and powerful of the earth—the well-born and upper classes—have always had better access to these things. Education and a healthy moral environment have always come more easily to such privileged persons. But in the providence of God, it is all irrelevant, for salvation comes not through such worldly wisdom, but through simple faith such as even the poor may have. Christ crucified is our wisdom. Thus, as the Scripture said (Jer. 9:23–24), He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord. Jesus has done it all for us, and brought us to God. Let us boast therefore only of Him. Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Farley.

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II. UNITY IN THE CHURCH

1 Corinthians 2:1–5

(We may note in passing that Jeremiah 9:23–24, which St. Paul here quotes, refers originally to Yahweh, saying that knowledge of Him is the only source of safety. The “Lord” there refers to Him. St. Paul, however, refers this Scripture to Christ, for He is True God, and one with Yahweh, His Father.)

In all the above, St. Paul contrasts the world with the Church.

The world, he says, has shown itself to be blind to the Gospel. For the world, the Gospel is sheer folly. It remains blind to the true power and wisdom of God revealed in the Cross of Christ. But the Church is different. The called of God, those who are being saved, can discern the true power and wisdom of God in the Gospel of Christ crucified. What this reveals is the bankruptcy and falseness of the world’s pretended wisdom. Therefore, the Corinthians should once and for all determine to renounce this false wisdom. For it is only by accepting the world’s standards and judging by its false categories of what constitutes wisdom that they have been divided into quarreling factions. Let them reject such standards and return to true wisdom and to unity!

2 1 2 3 4 5

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And I myself, having come to you, brothers, did not come according to prominence of word or wisdom, proclaiming to you the witness of God. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

And I myself was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.

And my word and my heralding were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in the exhibition of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

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