(Read 1 Corinthians 1:3-9)
The greeting (verse 3) is a familiar one. Pastors often use Paul’s words to greet their congregations as they begin their sermons. Like Paul, they desire for their congregations the two blessings that God can give: the grace of God that saves them through Jesus Christ, who redeemed them, and the peace of God they enjoy because now all is well with them.
Before he turns to problems in the congregation, Paul thanks God for the rich blessings the Corinthians have received in abundance. Foremost among those blessings is God’s grace in Christ Jesus. There is no greater blessing than grace, the pardoning love of God in his Son, who died for us. This is the heart and soul of the gospel, the sure foundation of our Christian faith.
The blessings with which Jesus had endowed them included being enriched in all their speaking and in all their knowledge. The Corinthians appear to have valued eloquence and wisdom above anything else. Many of them paid good money to traveling teachers who trained them to become eloquent and persuasive speakers. They pursued this wisdom as the highest good in life; they were proud of this knowledge.
Now the Corinthian Christians, through grace in Christ Jesus, had gained a wisdom greater than anything they had ever known. They had a message to proclaim that was more important than the most eloquent among them had ever delivered. They were truly enriched in all their speaking and in all their knowledge.
What made them wise? What made them effective speakers? Paul puts it this way: “Our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.” It was what Paul had preached to them about Christ as God’s Son and the Savior of all mankind that “confirmed” them in faith. A Christian has a certainty that no unbeliever can ever know. This certainty affects all he knows and everything he says.
As a result of such confirmation, the Corinthian believers possessed many gifts. They had all the gifts God gives his believers: wisdom, faith, love, virtue, devotion, patience, and endurance. Even such extraordinary gifts as the working of miracles and speaking in tongues were found in their congregation.
Since they possessed the gifts with which God enriches his people, they were convinced that their Lord would return in glory to take them to himself in heaven, and they eagerly awaited his return. The Christian who lives his life with the prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus,” in his heart is rich in grace and knowledge and faith and spiritual gifts.
Their Savior’s promise that he will keep them in the faith until the end comes as a special assurance to those who await his return. Paul assures the Corinthians that they can count on God to keep the saving faith alive in their hearts, so that they will be with their Lord in eternity. God keeps his promises to his believers, who share in the life of his Son.
These Corinthians, who were often so careless about distinguishing between right and wrong, who were so self-centered, who were so sure of themselves, needed to reread what Paul writes in the introduction to his letter. Does he praise the exercise of their faith? Does he commend them for their deeds of love and for their Christian service? Does he praise them for their Christian knowledge? Paul praised other congregations—the Romans, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians, for example—for these virtues, but not the Corinthians. Instead, he gives all credit to God. Everything they are and have as Christians he attributes to Jesus Christ.
Has it struck you how often the apostle mentions Jesus Christ in the first nine verses of this chapter? Nowhere else in Scripture is Jesus Christ named nine times in nine successive verses. Do the Corinthians realize why Paul is constantly pointing to Jesus Christ, why he is always expressing thanks for Jesus Christ and not for their Christian example?
This blog post is an excerpt from The People’s Bible: Corinthians. You can check out the whole book here. The People’s Bible series is a Bible commentary for everyone. The authors of the series have served as pastors, college teachers, or seminary professors. Each author began with the original Hebrew or Greek text and then worked to bring the message of God’s Word to Christians who are looking to dive deeper into their study of the Bible. Two important truths guide all the commentaries: First, the Bible is God’s inspired Word and is therefore true and reliable. Second, the central message of the entire Bible is Jesus Christ.