1 Corinthians: The Church United in Christ

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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll see that the church should be unified under the leadership of Jesus Christ, discovering how He provides the wisdom, unity, purity, and serious devotion we need.

Key Verse

1 Corinthians 3:11: For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Introduction

Paul visited Corinth on his second missionary journey and spent eighteen months there teaching the Word of God. This was a crucial time in establishing the church in a city known for its trade, wealth, and immorality. Corinth was a crossroads of the ancient world, where people from many cultures came together for business and pleasure. Unfortunately, the values of this godless society had begun to influence the believers.

Acts 18:9-11: One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

Paul wrote this letter to address serious problems that had developed in the Corinthian church. He had received disturbing reports about divisions, immorality, and confusion about spiritual matters. Yet Paul began his letter by reminding them of God’s faithfulness and the spiritual gifts they had received.

1 Corinthians 1:4-5: I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge.

But Paul also had to rebuke them for their fighting and lack of unity. The church that should have been a testimony to God’s love had become known for its quarrels and divisions.

1 Corinthians 1:10-12: I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

Corinth was a corrupt and immoral city, and the sin of the city had affected the church. There is much that this book can teach us about the problems and challenges of a church within a godless society. Paul’s responses show us how to address these same issues when they arise in our churches today.

In this lesson, we’ll focus on the first eleven chapters and see that there were four things the Corinthian church needed:

• The need for wisdom
• The need for unity
• The need for purity
• The need for seriousness

As we explore these together, you will see how Paul points everything back to Jesus Christ, the true foundation of the church.

The Need for Wisdom

Corinth was an important city in Greece, and the Greeks prided themselves on their schools and learning. They were known throughout the world as great philosophers. We see how important philosophy was to the Greeks when Paul preached in Athens, where the people “spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas” (Acts 17:21).

Paul knew that the Gospel sounded like foolishness to those who trusted in worldly wisdom. The message of a crucified Savior seemed weak and illogical to people who valued intellectual achievement above everything else.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

The Gospel doesn’t make sense to the worldly person. The message of Christ sounds weak and foolish to those blinded by sin. This includes both Jews, who demanded miraculous signs, and Greeks, who looked for philosophical wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:22-23: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

But God always works in ways that are different from human wisdom. He uses the things that are weak so that He may receive the glory. This prevents anyone from boasting about their own achievements or intelligence.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

Paul didn’t try to impress the Corinthians with philosophy or eloquent speaking. He simply preached the Gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5: My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

The church doesn’t need the world’s wisdom or the world’s methods. It needs more of Christ. The wisdom of God is found in Christ and is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. (Notebook Moment: Consider how the Gospel seems foolish to the world. How has worldly wisdom tempted you away from simple faith in Christ? What does it mean for your life that God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom?)

1 Corinthians 2:10: These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

The Corinthian church needed to come back to the wisdom of Christ. Christ is the answer for our problems and our divisions. Just as the cross seemed foolish but brought salvation, Jesus offers true wisdom for living.

The Need for Unity

There were divisions in the Corinthian church because they were not spiritually mature. They were acting like worldly people rather than Christians who are led by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3: Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?

Christians in Corinth had divided themselves into different groups. They followed different leaders instead of following Christ together. Some said they followed Paul, others followed Apollos, still others followed Peter, and some even claimed to follow Christ in a way that excluded other believers.

Paul taught that this kind of division is foolishness. No human leader should become more important than Christ Himself.

1 Corinthians 3:5-7: What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

Paul explained that all Christian workers are simply building on the same foundation—Jesus Christ. Some lay the foundation, others build on it, but Christ is the only foundation that can support the church.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11: By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

All of our works will be tested someday. If we have been building for ourselves or following human leaders, then our works will not last. Only work done for Christ with proper motives will survive God’s examination.

1 Corinthians 3:12-13: If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.

Paul pointed to himself as an example of how we should approach ministry. He understood that he was a steward—someone entrusted with God’s truth—and that God expects faithfulness from His servants.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2: This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Unity comes when we all build on Christ, the one foundation. Divisions happen when we follow human leaders instead of the Lord. (Notebook Moment: Think about your own church or Christian community. Are there any ways that you’ve been following human personalities rather than focusing on Christ? How can you help build unity around Jesus?)

The Need for Purity

Paul also addressed the serious problem of sexual immorality in the church. There was a man in the fellowship who was living in sin with his stepmother—a relationship that even the pagan world found shocking.

1 Corinthians 5:1-2: It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?

What made this situation even worse was that the church was proud instead of grieved about this sin. They should have been heartbroken and taken action to restore purity to the fellowship. Paul gave clear instructions for how to discipline the man so that he might repent and be restored.

Paul taught that if sin is tolerated, it will corrupt the whole body. He used the picture of yeast, which spreads through the entire batch of dough.

1 Corinthians 5:6-7: Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are.

The Corinthian believers had been saved out of a life of paganism. Paul reminded them that they were no longer the same people they used to be. God had washed them, sanctified them, and justified them through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11: Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers… will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. They must be kept holy and set apart for the Lord. This is not just a suggestion—it’s a commandment based on who we are as Christians.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Paul taught extensively about marriage and singleness in chapter 7 because he was concerned for the purity of the church. He gave guidance for singles, married couples, and widows to live holy lives in a corrupt society.

Purity in the church reflects Christ’s holiness. He is the Passover Lamb who cleanses us from sin and calls us to live differently from the world around us.

The Need for Seriousness

The Corinthian church did not handle the things of God in a serious way. They didn’t understand their responsibility to one another, and they offended each other instead of building each other up.

This became clear in Paul’s discussion about food offered to idols. Some believers felt free to eat this food because they knew idols were not real gods. But other believers, who had recently come out of idol worship, were troubled by this practice. The “mature” believers were using their freedom in a way that hurt their weaker brothers and sisters.

1 Corinthians 8:9: Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

Paul taught that our liberty should never be a reason to offend another believer. When we wound the conscience of a weaker brother, we sin against Christ Himself.

1 Corinthians 8:12: When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

The Corinthian believers were also not serious when they came to communion. They had turned the Lord’s Table into a feast where some people got drunk while others went hungry. This completely missed the purpose of remembering Christ’s sacrifice.

1 Corinthians 11:20-22: So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in?

Paul warned them that approaching communion with the wrong attitude brought serious consequences. We must examine ourselves and remember what Christ did for us.

1 Corinthians 11:27-29: So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

(Notebook Moment: Think about how you approach communion or the Lord’s Supper. Do you take time to examine your heart and remember Christ’s sacrifice? How can you treat the things of God with greater seriousness and reverence?)

Paul calls us to approach God’s ordinances with reverence, considering others and remembering Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Conclusion

The Corinthian church faced many problems, but Paul directed them back to Christ as the solution. He is our wisdom when the world’s thinking leads us astray. He is our unity when divisions threaten to tear us apart. He is our purity when sin seeks to corrupt us. And He is the one who deserves our serious devotion in everything we do.

In a godless society like Corinth, the church must stand apart by relying on God’s power, not worldly methods. Divisions, immorality, and carelessness weaken us, but building on Christ strengthens the entire body of believers.

All of this points to Jesus, the foundation no one can replace. He unifies us as one body, cleanses us from sin, and calls us to live seriously for His glory. As Paul encouraged the Corinthians, God is faithful to complete the work He has begun in each of us.

1 Corinthians 1:8-9: He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let this lesson challenge you to seek unity and purity in your church. Follow Christ wholeheartedly, and watch Him build something eternal through your life and ministry. When we make Christ our foundation, our wisdom, our standard of purity, and the focus of our serious devotion, He transforms both individuals and entire church communities.

The problems Paul addressed in Corinth are not unique to that ancient city. Churches today still struggle with divisions, worldly thinking, moral compromise, and casual attitudes toward sacred things. But the solution remains the same: Jesus Christ must be the center of everything we do. When He is truly our foundation, everything else falls into proper place.

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