Daily Scripture Reading 1Corinthians 1:1-25

It is fashionable in modern Christianity to modify the Christian message so as to make it palatable to those outside the church. Many Pastors try to proclaim messages that the world will respect so that the world will treat them as being balanced and intellectual. In the process of attempting to gain the approval of our culture, the culture’s definition of wise is followed instead of the Bible’s definition of wisdom.

Today, we will start reading through the book of 1Corinthians. Toward the end of the first chapter, Paul made it clear that the world’s definition of wisdom is very different than God’s definition of wisdom.

1Cor. 1:1 ¶ Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

The name Sosthenes only appears twice in the New Testament, here and in Acts 18:17. In Acts 18, Sosthenes is the name of the leader of the synagogue in Corinth who was beaten while the Jews were opposing Paul’s preaching. The Sosthenes mentioned in Acts may or may not be the same man mentioned in 1Corinthians.

1Cor. 1:2 ¶ To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth. Paul first visited Corinth during his 2nd missionary journey, and that visit is recorded in Acts 18. Paul was in Corinth at least a year and a half.

1Cor. 1:3 ¶ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Cor. 1:4 ¶ I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

1Cor. 1:5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all word and all knowledge,

1Cor. 1:6 even as the witness about Christ was confirmed in you,

1Cor. 1:7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, eagerly awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1Cor. 1:8 who will also confirm you to the end, beyond reproach in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Cor. 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1Cor. 1:10 ¶ Now I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Ideally, Christians would be united and without any divisions. While the Bible makes it clear we should pursue unity, the Bible does not say unity is the most important goal. Unfortunately, the conventional wisdom throughout Christianity is that unity trumps every other command, but that is not a biblical mentality.

1Cor. 1:11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.

1Cor. 1:12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

The equivalent of this today would be people bragging about which mega-church they attend, which mega-church pastor they listen to, or which nationally known, mega-church pastor baptized them. Just as having been led to the Lord by Paul was not any better than having been led by Apollos or Cephas, and vice versa, so too in our culture one mega-church is not any better than any other.

Apollos was first mentioned in Acts 18 when he arrived in Ephesus and preached the gospel. Acts 19:1 tells us that at some point after that Apollos was in Corinth.

1Cor. 1:13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1Cor. 1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

1Cor. 1:15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name.

Crispus is also mentioned in Acts 18:8. Crispus was the leader of the synagogue in Corinth when Paul first arrived in Corinth. The entire household of Crispus believed in the Lord.

The name Gaius appears 5 times in the New Testament. It is not clear if these were the same man or if there were several men named Gaius.

1Cor. 1:16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

Stephanas is mentioned three times in the book of 1Corinthians, but is not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament.

1Cor. 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel, not in wisdom of word, so that the cross of Christ will not be made empty.

1Cor. 1:18 ¶ For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

This is an important concept to grasp and accept. The gospel message is foolishness to those who are not saved.

Many Christians today try to proclaim a salvation message in a manner which will not be mocked by the world. In order to do that, they have to dilute or change the message. This verse makes it clear we need to accept the reality that our message appears to be foolishness to those outside the church.

1Cor. 1:19 For it is written,

“I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,

AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”

This is a quote from Isaiah 29:14.

1Cor. 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Instead of being defensive about our message, we Christians should view the wisdom of the world as being foolish.

1Cor. 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased, through the foolishness of the message preached, to save those who believe.

Instead of trying to avoid looking like fools, we need to embrace the idea that the only people who will be saved are those who are willing to accept ideas that the world considers to be foolish.

1Cor. 1:22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom,

1Cor. 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

1Cor. 1:24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The crucifixion of Jesus was a stumbling block to the Jews, but Paul did not shy away from proclaiming Christ crucified. We must speak the truth regardless of the pushback, and be at peace with the fact that not everyone will accept our message.

1Cor. 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The modern day Pastors who cater their message to the world are actually giving more credence to the so-called wisdom of the world than they are to the wisdom of God. We should not do that because the opposite is true. The so-called wisdom of the world is actually foolish.

What are some specific examples of modern Pastors modifying their message in an effort to gain the approval of the world?

What are some topics where the conventional wisdom of the world is in direct conflict with the teachings of the Bible?

What are some ways your Pastor and your church are compromising with the so-called wisdom of the world?

How should you change your outlook on wisdom and foolishness so as to be more faithful to the truth of the Bible?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”