Verse by Verse

⁴ I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

⁵ that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,

⁶ even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,

⁷ so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

⁸ who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

It must have pleased the apostle Paul, in writing to the churches he had established, to be able to express thanks to God for what had been accomplished in and through them.

But what is this we find in his salutation to the Corinthians believers in 1 Corinthians 1:4? Here he states himself very cautiously: I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus.

Mark well: Paul does not say that he thanks God for the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, or for what God has wrought through them. He rather thanks God on their behalf that God has been so gracious to them. — Stam, pages 26-27.

utterance (v.5) = outward expression of truth

knowledge (v.5) = inward apprehension of truth

confirmed (v.6) = warrant, guarantee of title, made sure — by the gifts they manifested and their attitude toward Christ’s return

come short (v.7) = lack

gift (v.7) = “gift of grace”

How were these Corinthian saints “enriched” by God? Evidently by the gifts of prophecy and knowledge (v.5; cf. v.7). And thus the testimony of God was confirmed in them (v.6). But let us consider this more carefully:

1 Corinthians 1:22 states that “the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.” Why, then were the signs of Pentecost wrought among Gentile believers?

In answer it must be remembered that this assembly of believers had begun in a Jewish synagogue, had then moved to the home of a Gentile and had now become a large city church, composed predominantly of Gentiles, though also of some Jews. Moreover the synagogue which they had left was carrying on much as before. What, then, would the Jews there think of this Christian church? Surely the conduct of these believers would not convince the Jews that this was a work of God, but their miraculous demonstrations would, or should, for to the Jews a miracle was a sign that God was at work (See John 3:2).

Thus God was leaving the Jews without excuse for further unbelief and further refusal to believe Paul’s message about Christ. Whatever the carnality, the pride, the permissiveness, the divisions among the Corinthians believers, the Jews were confronted with the signs. God must be speaking to them. Thus these signs wrought among the Gentiles harmonize perfectly with 1 Corinthians 1:22. — Stam, page 29.

unto the end (v.8) — can mean degree or time

the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (v.8) — the rapture

Verse 8 is a statement of the eternal security of the believer.

called (v.9) — The calling of saints is always attributed to the Father.

I think it’s interesting that right here at the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, a letter written primarily to scold them for their carnality, he makes a clear statement that God’s confirmation of their salvation was evident and that they were confirmed to the end. It’s obvious that they were saved, even though they didn’t look saved and weren’t producing good works. This disproves the statement, so often heard, that failure to produce good works proves that a person was never saved. Yes, we should produce good works in response to God’s grace on our behalf, but failure to do so does not lose us our salvation or prove that we were never saved. Salvation is by grace, through faith, and our works don’t enter into it at any point — before, during, or after salvation. If they did, then we would be saved by works.

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

² To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul mentions Christ nine times in his introduction in verses 1-9. Paul deals with many problems in the Corinthian church, but he begins his letter by reminding them who they are in Christ — sanctified ones.

called to be an apostle (v.1) — should be “called an apostle” — lit. “an apostle by calling” (not by career choice or appointment). The call, here, as in v.2 regarding saints, made him an apostle in fact.

Sosthenes (v.1) — He had been the chief ruler of the synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:17). He was apparently now in Ephesus, with Paul.

church of God (v.2) — generally used of a local assembly

sanctified (v.2) = set apart

Christ Jesus (v.2) — emphasis on His deity — who emptied Himself

Jesus Christ (v.2) — emphasis on His humiliation — who was glorified

called to be saints (v.2) — should be “called saints” — saints by calling

saints (v.2) = separated ones — separated from sin, guilt and hell and separated unto the Lord — It doesn’t mean “those who strive for holiness” because many in this church weren’t striving.

with all (v.2) = together with — The letter was not just to the Corinthians, but to all who believe.

both theirs and ours (v.2) — May well be meant to emphasize particularly the unity in Christ between the Judaean believes and those from among the Gentiles. Certainly the former were included among “all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” — Stam, page. 24.

grace to you and peace (v.3) — the ancient greeting of Israel is now fulfilled in the person of Christ.

Corinth was situated at the southern end of an isthmus where the waters of the Mediterranean Sea nearly cut Greece in two. It was a city with two harbors, one situated on the Gulf of Corinth to the west, and the other on the Gulf of Saron, to the east; both only a few miles from the city.

These harbors were by far the most important in the whole great peninsula between the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. — Commentary on the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, by C.R. Stam, page 17.

The religion of Corinth centered around the goddess Aphrodite, the Greek counterpart of the Roman Venus. She was the goddess of beauty and love, and more especially sensual love.

Aphrodite’s great temple dominated the city, and, with her lesser temples scattered about, employed more than a thousand temple prostitutes. In other words, the religion of Corinth centered around sex. And this greatly enriched the coffers of an already-rich city. — Stam, page 19.

The church at Corinth actually had its beginning in a Jewish synagogue — probably a large synagogue, for Corinth was a large city. Here Paul reasoned … every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks (Acts 18:4).

The majority of the Jews, however, were not receptive to the truth, for we read that when Silas and Timothy appeared on the scene, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified [Greed, diamarturomai, to protest solemnly] to the Jews that Jesus was Christ (v.5). Evidently they did not wish to believe.

Paul’s protest only made them more determined, however, for the next verse informs us that they opposed themselves, i.e. set themselves in opposition, and blashphemed. At this, Paul, shaking out his raiment against them said: Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles (v.6).

With this he took the believers to the home of a Greek, a Gentile, called Justus, doubtless one of the attendants who had received Paul’s message and had now invited him to hold services in his own home.

To some extent, at least, this action on Paul’s part had the desired effect, for presently, Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house, with the further result that many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8). And that was not all, for soon after this Sosthenes, the next chief ruler of the synagogue, received a sound beating right in Gallio’s court at the hands of the unbelieving Greeks, who hated the Jews anyway. The beating evidently did him good, spiritually, for in writing later to the Corinthian church, the apostle salutes them with Sosthenes our brother. —  Stam, pages 15-16.

Paul left Corinth because of his determination to keep the feast at Jerusalem (Acts 18:21). On his return from Jerusalem, he spent three years at Ephesus (Acts 20:31); but the latter part of his stay was disquieted by reports of disorders at Corinth. For it had been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions amont you (1 Corinthians 1:11).

There were other matters that were very unchristian in the assemboy, such as disorder in public worship, abuse of certain gifts — and it seems that some of the women had attempted to take over leadership in the church and monopolize time in the services.

The epistle itself answers the questions concerning the place and time of the writing. Chapter 16, verse 8 tells us that Paul was in Ephesus and intended remaining there until Pentecost. — The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, by Oliver B. Greene, pages 11-12.

The subject of disorders in the local assemblyl is primarily dealt with in chapters1:10 through 6, and in chapter 7 we have a series of replies to the subjects inquired about. It would have been very natural to expect that under ordinary conditions and circumstances Paul would in the very beginning after his introductory remarks have acknowledged the letter and answered the questions immediately. However, he did not. The evils, the ungodliness, the sinful practices among the saints in the notoriously wicked city of Corinth called for immediate discussion and treatment. The answers to their quesitons could be postponed to a later place in this important epistle.

However, even though the disorders among them must be dealt with, and dealt with only as God would have them dealt with, after the introduction of the first three verses Paul does not immediately go into the exhortation and commands that must of necessity follow. Everything in which Paul could find pleasure and cause for praise to the believers in Corinth preceded the rebuke. — Greene, pages 15-16.

The commentaries I’m using for this study (hereafter referred to only by the author’s last name) are:

• The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, by Oliver B. Greene (1965)
• 1 Corinthians, by W.E. Vine
• Brief Notes on 1 and 2 Corinthians, by Harry Bultema (1986)
• Commentary on the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, by Cornelius R. Stam (1988)
• Life Matters: A Devotional Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, by Roy L. Laurin (1950)
• Studies in First Corinthians, by M.R. DeHaan (1956)

If you wonder why I generally use the New King James translation in these studies …

1. I grew up memorizing the King James and am most familiar with it. When I need to look up a word or phrase in a concordance, it’s the King James words I’m looking for.
2. Many of the commentaries I use were inherited from my father. Most of them use the King James.
3. Some years ago I saved my money and bought a nice King James study Bible and I feel like I need to get some use out of it.
4. I do my study in the King James, then post my notes in the New King James because it eliminates some of the more dated language and capitalizes pronouns that refer to God.

When I read Scripture, I sometimes read in the King James, sometimes in the NIV and sometimes in other versions.