New Testament Commentary - 1 Corinthians 1

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 1 True saints are perfectly united in the same mind and in the same judgment—Preach the gospel and save souls—The gospl is preached by the weak and the simple.
1 PAUL, *called to be* an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God^a, and Sosthenes our brother^b*, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are ^asanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be* ^bsaints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace be unto you, and ^apeace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.	*1^a called to be* an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God There is the ever present question as to when Paul was made and ordained to be an apostle. One acceptable notion is that at the end of Paul's second mission when called to return to Jerusalem, he was so called to be made an apostle then. Paul's own writings seem to confirm this as those before don't introduce Paul as an apostle while those who come after Paul's visit to Jerusalem on that ocassion do refer to Paul as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Now whether at that time in Jerusalem or whether the Jerusalem visit was but a General Conference so called to Unite the faith, it is for sure that Paul was a fully called and authorized apostle, one of the twelve, as that conference in Jerusalem did confirm either by the initial ordinance of apostleship or the vote of sustaining as such that Paul and the others would have received by the saints at the time of that Jerusalem conference. 1^b Sosthenes our brother** Sosthenes, which means safe in strength, was a prominent Jew and chief ruler of the synagogue in Corith (Acts 18:12-17). He became conveted and was seized and beaten by the mob crowd in the presence of Gallio, the Roman govenor, when Gallio refused to proceed against and try Paul for heresy at the instigation of the Jews. Though the motives of this assault by the non-believing Jews against Sosthenes are not recorded but surmised to be in protest against him as being a convert to Paul's Christianity and having at the time been the chief ruler of the synagogue. It would seem that he left the post of 'chief ruler of the synagogue' likely by the demand of the Jews and become a part of Paul's company as when Paul later writes his first letter to the Corinthians he greats them with and from Sosthenes, who was so prominant among the Corinthians that their interest would be in Sosthenes also as well as in Paul (1 Cor. 1;1), Some question is the Sosthenes of Acts is the same as 1 Corintians, but the coincidence and implications of the matter are too compelling to not consider it so, that he is one and the same person. Of interest is the side note of how the traditions of the Jews and Paul of meeting with the Jews first of the cities in their synagogues was a type of what Christ had spoken of attempting to place new wine in old bottles. More than once the indignation of the Jews burst out upon those of the new religion and if not this, then those who were converted did also linger in their old Jewish traditions to the eventual ends that many did corrupt the new faith with the old traditions, placing in many of those instances the keeping of the Old Law of Moses ahead of their faith in Christ.	1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 6 Even as the ^atestimony of Christ was ^bconfirmed in you:		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
7 So that ye ^acome behind in no gift; waiting for the ^bcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 8 Who shall also ^aconfirm you unto the end, that ye may be ^bblameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the ^afellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no ^adivisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same ^bmind and in the same judgment^a. 11 For it hath been declared unto me ^aof you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are ^bcontentions among you.		1^a D&C 128:20; 2^a Mark 9:2 (2-13); Luke 9:29 (28-36); John 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19); TG Jesus Christ, Glory of;
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of ^aChrist. 13 Is Christ ^adivided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, ^abut ^bCrispus and Gaius; 15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. 16 And I baptized also the household of ^aStephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel^a: not with ^awisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the ^apreaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the ^bpower of God^a.	17^a Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel Not that baptism was not important and a required ordinance, but that even as Christ did not baptize but did preach in his ministry, leaving the baptising to those he had commissioned, so it was later with the Apostles after his death, They were dedicated to the preaching of the gospel and those who were ordained to the priesthood offices under them did the work of teh baptisms for the most part thus freeing the Apostles to primarily preach the word of God. 18^a unto us which are saved it is [by] the power of God Baptism of water in and of itself without the followthrough of the sanctifications of the Holy Ghost, which is the power of God unto salvation, is but a dead work. Joseph Smith taught as much, that baptism alone was of little or no worth without the 'baptism by fire', that is the workings of the Holy Ghost with that man. Off course, like baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is both an ordinance and a principle to be lived. Baptism is unto a 'newness of life' in Christ and it is the workings of the Holy Ghost within a person which is the power of God unto salvation. And that principle of the Holy Ghost is to live according to the Spirit of God, to follow that guide in the path which leads from the gateway of baptism to the Celestial mansion of the Kingdom of God. If one but enters the gate and does not follow the spirit in the straight and narrow path, then what good was the baptism? Paul will address this further in his letter and at one point even state that our earthly bodies are to be Tabernacles of inhabitance unto the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 6:19).
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the ^aunderstanding of the ^bprudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the ^ascribe? where is the ^bdisputer of this ^cworld? hath not God made foolish the ^dwisdom of this ^eworld? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world ^aby wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of ^bpreaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a ^asign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we ^apreach Christ ^bcrucified, unto the Jews a ^cstumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them ^awhich are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the ^bpower of God, and the ^cwisdom of God.
25 Because the ^afoolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the ^aflesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are ^bcalled:
27 But God hath chosen the ^afoolish things of the world to ^bconfound the wise; and God hath chosen the ^cweak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty^a; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.	27^a God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise: and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty Herein lies a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Gospel (See D&C 1:17-24 particularly verses 18, 19, 23 and 24). As the Lord stated in his preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, it is his intent to bring forth the 'weak things' to preach his gospel to the world. Certainly the plowboy Joseph Smith was one such weak thing made strong in the Lord unto the understanding of the things of God. And God so selects such, for they are humble and easily taught and not predisposed to their of design, imaginations and inovation of personal contrivance, having been caught up in their own human wisdom, intellect and self-proclaimed understanding of the things of God, while denying the power thereof in Prophets, the ministering of angels and the Spirit of Continuous Revelation.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and ^asanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him ^aglory in the Lord.