1 Corinthians Chapter One Breakdown

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 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: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul says he, as well as Sosthenes were called to be apostles of Christ. He is writing to the church of God in Corinth. This shows us that this is one continuous letter, helping to establish part of the context in which it should be read and understood. He is writing to the converts who are believers of Christ, who are considered to be saints.  

4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has enhanced every part of these people, including what they say and the knowledge in which they say those things. They fall short of none of the gifts. They are all awaiting revelation of Christ. In Christ they will be approved at the end, and blameless in the day of the Lord.

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

God faithfully called them into the fellowship of Yeshua.

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Paul begs these men in Corinth to be sure they are all teaching the same thing. He begs them to have no division between each other. They are to all have the same mindset in terms of what is to be taught and how to judge accordingly.

11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

Someone has told Paul there are disagreements between certain groups.

12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

They are claiming each of the apostles, as well as Christ, are giving different teachings. This is obviously not the case.

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Paul taught the same thing Christ taught. There is no reason for division because they teach the same thing in unity.

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.

Paul realizes that if he had baptized any of these people, they may be saying Paul did so in his own name. This is not what Paul wants.

16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

Paul remembers he also baptized another household, but cannot remember any further than that.

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

Paul was not sent to simply baptize people, but instead to teach the good news. But, he does not teach it in a confusing manner, such as with clever words.

18 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.

Some people will regard the message of Christ as foolishness, but these people will perish. Teaching the good news the best way Paul knew how was straight out of the Torah, and doing so will cause some to consider it foolishness. Those who consider it worthwhile will be saved. This good news shows the power of God.

19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Here Paul quotes from the Old Testament in reference to his previous statement. Paul does not teach the Good News according to what the wise men of that day considered smart. For example, the Pharisees believed the scattered Northern Kingdom were gentiles dogs and would have had to convert to their version of Judaism in order to be saved. So they considered Paul’s message foolish. In today’s time, I believe we face many of the same type of problems, but different ideas. For example, we have science as the major belief system. Many try to link science and religion, but it does not always work out in sync and this is where men say science trumps God.

20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

No Paul seemingly mocks the wise of this world. God has made the wise look foolish with Christ. He took their wisdom, which again stated that those outside of Judaism could never obtain salvation. I submit this will be the same in the last days but with science. The scientifically impossible, will happen.

21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

It is the wisdom of the world that causes men not to know God. God is pleased when men believe in Him by things that men’s wisdom calls foolish.

22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Here we have Paul saying the Jews request a sign to believe. The Greeks seek out the wisdom of men to believe. But, Paul said they preach belief of faith. This causes problems for both of them. But, it does help to weed out those who are not called.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Both the foolishness of God as well as the weakness of God is wiser and stronger than men.

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

Paul shows how those who are called are not generally considered wise among most men. They are not typically considered strong or high ranking or famous either.

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

It will be the foolish things of this world that will put the wise men to shame. It will be things considered weak that will put the strong to shame. The things men despise are the very things God has chosen. Basically, everything will be opposite of what men believe so that no man shall have any glory in the presence of God.  

30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

Yeshua became wisdom for us from God. Paul then goes on to quote the Prophet Jeremiah.