Inductive Bible Study: 1 Corinthians chapters 1-2
PRAY: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us to hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
READ: 1 Corinthians 1:1–9
MEDITATE:
To those sanctified in Christ Jesus… (v.2)
What a church! Paul paints quite a picture of the church in Corinth in the opening verses of this letter. Just read a few of the descriptions: a sanctified church (v. 2), a gifted church (v. 7), a wise church (v. 5), a church blessed with God’s faithful care (v. 8).
Corinth comes across as the perfect church…until we read verse 10. From that point until the very end of the book, Paul lists and corrects the doctrinal and behavioral errors of the Corinthian church, addressing every kind of fault from factions (1:10) to immoral behavior (5:1). The Corinthians were even denying the resurrection (ch. 15)!
What’s going on? Why does the apostle describe the church in such glowing terms in the opening verses and then correct such glaring shortcomings throughout the rest of the book? Is the church at Corinth a church of saints or a church of sinners? The answer to this last question is an unambiguous both!
The church in Corinth, like the church throughout history and like the church today, was a mixed bag, full of potential and full of problems. Full of problems: a sober reminder that the church is made up of sinful men and women like you and me. Full of potential: a joyful, confidence-building reminder that the church is God’s church, the bride of Christ, to which God has pledged his faithful care (v. 8).
As we enter this forty-day period of discernment, we find ourselves in well-known territory. We are in a church full of problems, problems that are as varied and as serious as those Paul met in Corinth. But this is also a church full of potential because God has promised himself to his church.
Questions and Application:
- What does this passage say?
- What does this passage mean?
- What should our posture and our attitude be as we enter these forty days?
PRAY: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.