1 Corinthians 1

Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Having completed the Chapter Memory Study in Romans, we move on into 1 Corinthians. For this study (and the following one in 2 Corinthians) I will most likely use the abbreviation 'Cor' for Corinthians. The spell check will be warned, but I want to warn you also.

The theme for 1 Corinthians is 'The Correction of the Church'. Paul spends considerable time addressing specific doctrinal and practical issues in the Corinthian church.

The memory verses for this chapter are
1 Corinthians 1:10, 23-24, 30-31 (ESV) 10I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ³⁰ He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

The outline theme is the Correct Centrality of Christ.
The first 9 verses of this letter contain the name of Christ nine times. Paul is clearly setting the stage for the centrality of Christ in all of his admonishions. But before he begins his teaching, he starts with encouragement; 'God is faithful' and has called you 'into the fellowship of his Son'. (v9).

Paul's appeal in verse 10 seems to be the key to this chapter; for them to 'agree' and have 'no divisions' but to be 'united in the same mind and the same judgment'. This is not just any mind or judgment, but the mind and judgment of Christ. His call is for the peace of Christ to rule in their hearts, since as members of one body they are called to peace (Col 3:15). The following verses shed light on some of the disruption. People were becoming too focused on individual people and not on Christ. His straight-forward (and slightly sarcastic) response reads 'Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?'(v13). Sometimes things get lost in the translation; the seriousness of this response did not.

Paul was not sent to baptize as his primary ministry (while he still baptized some) but to preach the gospel. Clearly he was trying to avoid the misguided attention the Corinthians were giving him and others. Paul would never want someone saying 'I was baptized by THE Paul' to be their primary focus above following and obeying Christ.

Verses 17-18 are powerful words concerning the message of the cross of Christ. The focus should never be on eloquence or cleverness lest 'the cross be emptied of its power'. This Word of the cross is foolishness 'for those who are perishing' but 'the power of God' to those who are saved.

Then more of the mystery of Christ in vv 19-21. The wisdom of the world is foolish, and God has used what is foolish in the eyes of the world to save those who believe.

"But we preach Christ crucified" defines the message. It is 'a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called' it is 'the power of God and the wisdom of God'. (23-24)

And just to make sure that we don't get the idea that our salvation has anything to do with us, Paul writes vv25-31. God chose the foolish, the weak, and the low to shame the wise, the strong and the prominent so that 'no human being might boast in the presence of God'.

God is the source of our life in Christ Jesus, and God has made Him our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. So if you boast, boast in the Lord. (30-31).

How does this affect my worship?
Verse 31 quotes Jeremiah 9:24 which has always challenged my worship;
Jeremiah 9:24 (ESV)
but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord."
Anytime you read about the Lord delighting in something, pay attention. Our offering of worship must be acceptable and pleasing to God. Things He says that delight Him fall into that category. In this case, that we understand Him and know Him. In the case of 1 Cor 1, that we know and understand that He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. That's enough to fill our praises all the days of our lives.

How does this affect my discipleship?
I was challenged by vv11-16. Even in the body of Christ we fall into the trap of 'name-dropping'; "I studied with A.B. Smartypants" or "I was discipled by K.M. Spiritualgiant". Finding prominence or importance in anything or anyone besides Christ is sin. While God has gifted individuals to teach and train us, the glory belongs to God. Same for when we turn around to teach and train others; all the glory to God. Again, He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption; the source, means, strength and theme of our discipleship.

May you boast in the Lord and Him alone,

Ethan

Romans Reflections

Grace and peace to you,

As I have come to the end of this experiment, I find that there are many things to reflect upon. The study itself has grown me and challenged me from start to finish. The format seems to resonate with my learning style and need for deadlines. The commitment to memory passages directly tied to the study has been invaluable and essential. It takes time, effort, brain-power, and persistence...but He has blessed my heart with His Word at every turn and in so many ways. The trick will be sustaining these passages as I move on in the study. With previous memory verses, the longer I keep them fresh in my mind, the more readily they seem to come back.

A lot has changed since my first entry. The main purpose has remained; to study God's Word chapter by chapter and memorize key passages from each chapter in order to begin a framework for hiding God's Word in my heart. The memory passages range from 3-7 verses (in spite of my desire to keep it to 2-3) and I have had to go back and insert more in order to make the picture of each chapter more complete.

The outline is as follows:

Romans

“The Righteousness of God”

1. Righteousness in the Gospel

2. Righteous Judgment of God

3. Righteous Justification by Grace

4. Righteous Faith of Abraham

5. Righteousness Free Gift of Grace

6. Righteousness Sets us Free

7. Righteous Obedience in the Spirit

8. Righteous Walk in the Spirit

9. Righteous Sovereignty of God

10. Righteous Word of Faith

11. Righteous Restoration of Israel

12. Righteous Sacrifice of Life and Love

13. Righteous Submission

14. Righteous Liberty in Christ

15. Righteous Ministry of Hope

16. Righteous Obedience of Faith

The righteousness of God is the main theme of Romans; what it is, what it isn't, why we must attain it, the only way we can attain it, and how we must walk in it.
The passage that best summarizes the main theme of Romans, and the Gospel for that matter, is Romans 3:20-24 (the memory passage for chapter 3)

Romans 3:20-24 (ESV)
²⁰ For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. ²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

The Righteousness of God can not be obtained through the law, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. No human has it, every human needs it to have eternal life in heaven, and only through the gracious free gift of Christ can we get it.

So if the main theme of Romans is the Righteousness of God, the 'obedience of faith' would be a sub-theme. This phrase appears in Romans 1:5 and 16:26; the beginning and the end. Paul's calling as an apostle is linked to 'bringing about the obedience of faith' (1:5). But in 16:26, 'to bring about the obedience of faith' is the 'command of the eternal God'.

Clearly, the willful obedience of the believer to the eternal God who justifies us by His grace through faith is our response to His righteousness.

May you walk in the obedience of faith to our righteous, Eternal God,

Ethan