RSV ~ 1 Corinthians 1 Notes
1 Cor 1:1 | ISB Notes
called by the will of God: Paul’s evangelical mission was established on God’s initiative, not his own (Acts 9:1-16; Gal 1:12). He asserts his apostolic authority from the outset of the letter because some of the Corinthians either doubted or denied it (9:1-2; 2 Cor 10-12).
Sosthenes: Possibly the ruler of the Corinthian synagogue named in Acts 18:17. If so, he must have embraced the gospel during Paul’s initial stay in the city.
1 Cor 1:2 | ISB Notes
To the Church of God: Refers to the local congregation in Corinth that is part of the universal Church (CCC 752). Paul’s earliest preaching in the city took place in the local synagogue, where both Jews and Greeks accepted his message (Acts 18:4).
those sanctified: i.e., those made “holy” and “set apart” to serve God. Christians are sanctified by the merits of Christ’s sacrifice (Heb 10:10), which first come to us in Baptism (6:11; Eph 5:26).
call on the name: An act of prayer and worship (Gen 4:26; Ps 116:17). Calling on Christ’s name is closely linked with the sacramental liturgy of the Church, as in Baptism (6:11; Mt 28:19; Acts 2:38; CCC 2156). See note on 1 Cor 16:22.
• Invoking Jesus as Lord in every place recalls the universal worship of God’s name envisioned in Mal 1:11. The early Christians saw this oracle fulfilled in “the pure offering” of the Eucharist (CCC 2643).
1 Cor 1:3 | ISB Notes
Grace to you and peace: Paul’s customary greeting to local Churches (Rom 1:7; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3).
1 Cor 1:5 | ISB Notes
all speech and all knowledge: Gifts of the Holy Spirit (12:8). Before addressing problems Paul celebrates God’s gifts to the Corinthians and expresses confidence that the Lord will continue to bless them until the end (1:8).
1 Cor 1:6 | ISB Notes
the testimony to Christ: Paul bore witness to the gospel by preaching to the Corinthians (2:1-5), writing letters to them (5:9), and modeling virtues for their imitation (11:1).
1 Cor 1:7 | ISB Notes
spiritual gift: Anticipates the lengthy discussion in chaps. 12-14 about the appropriate use of charismatic gifts. Such manifestations of the Spirit come from God and are meant to build up the Church in love (12:7-11; 14:3-5).
1 Cor 1:8 | ISB Notes
the day of our Lord: Paul reminds readers of the Day of Judgment, when every thought, word, and deed will be weighed in the balance by Christ (Rom 2:5-10; 2 Cor 5:10; CCC 682).
• The “day of the Lord” is a recurrent expression in the OT. It is a day of fiery judgment when God takes vengeance on his enemies and vindicates the saints (Joel 2:30-32; Amos 5:18; Obad 15). Sometimes it refers to a day within history, as with the day of Jerusalem’s devastation in A.D. 70 (Zech 14:1-5; Mt 24); other times it refers to the last day of history, when Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (3:13; 5:5; Acts 10:42). Paul rewords the traditional formula (“day of the Lord”) to identify Christ with the divine Judge (“day of our Lord Jesus Christ”).
1 Cor 1:10-14 | ISB Notes
Paul confronts immature believers whose allegiance to various missionaries was dividing the local Church. Factions had already formed around the missionary mentors named in 1:12 (Paul, Apollos, Cephas). Paul rebukes this partisan behavior of rallying behind one minister of the gospel over against others with the reminder that all of these men are servants of the same Jesus Christ, who alone grants salvation (1:13; 3:3-9, 21-23). This background explains why the first four chapters stress the crucial importance of unity among believers and the supreme allegiance we owe to Christ over every minister of the gospel.
1 Cor 1:11 | ISB Notes
Chloe’s people: Nothing is known about this woman or her delegates beyond this verse.
1 Cor 1:12 | ISB Notes
Apollos: A Christian leader from Alexandria (northern Egypt) who ministered in Corinth after Paul’s initial stay in the city (3:5, 22; Acts 18:24-19:1).
Cephas: The Aramaic name for Peter that is used throughout this letter (3:22; 9:5; 15:5). This is the only mention of the Apostle Peter’s association with the Corinthians in the NT.
See word study: Peter at Mt 16.
I belong to Christ: This slogan suggests that one of the factions distinguished itself from others by its allegiance to Christ rather than to a particular missionary.
1 Cor 1:14 | ISB Notes
Crispus: The ruler of the Corinthian synagogue who converted to Christianity when Paul first arrived in the city (Acts 18:8).
Gaius: Possibly the individual named in Acts 19:29 and / or Rom 16:23, but this is uncertain since “Gaius” was a popular name in the Hellenistic world.
1 Cor 1:16 | ISB Notes
baptize … the household: The Baptism of entire families, including domestic servants and children, was a familiar practice in the early Church (Acts 16:15, 33; CCC 1252). See note on Lk 18:16.
1 Cor 1:17 | ISB Notes
to preach the gospel: Paul is not minimizing the importance of Baptism so much as stressing his primary obligation to evangelize (9:16; Rom 1:14-15). His words are aimed at certain Corinthians who exaggerated the role of the minister of Baptism (1 Cor 1:13-15) and lost sight of the Sacrament’s purpose, which is to unite us with Christ (12:13; Gal 3:27).
not with eloquent wisdom: The power of the gospel to move an audience derives from the message itself, not from the messenger who delivers it (1:18; Rom 1:16). Paul’s mission, therefore, is, not to please the ear with the eloquent speaking ability so admired by the Corinthians, but to move the heart by speaking of Christ crucified in clear and simple terms.
1 Cor 1:18 | ISB Notes
the word of the cross: The gospel divides the destiny of men, leading those who embrace it to salvation and dragging those who reject it to perdition (Lk 2:34). Paul’s Greek depicts this as an unfolding process and implies that the final verdict of God’s judgment is still open, i.e., there is still hope for those who are perishing and still dangers ahead for those being saved.
1 Cor 1:19 | ISB Notes
I will destroy: A reference to Is 29:14.
• Isaiah predicts the destruction of every form of human wisdom that asserts itself against the wisdom of God. Originally this was a warning for the leaders of Israel, whose overconfidence in human understanding was manifest when they paid more attention to politicians than to prophets. The same warning is now posted for the Corinthians, who prize the rational wisdom of men over the revealed wisdom of the gospel.
1 Cor 1:20 | ISB Notes
Where is … ?: Paul taunts the intellectual elite of the ancient world. He is convinced that the Greek philosophers (wise man), the Jewish experts in the Torah (scribe), and the acclaimed public speakers of the day (debater) are nothing compared to the power and persuasiveness of the gospel.
1 Cor 1:21 | ISB Notes
did not know God: Not ignorance of God’s existence per se, but ignorance of his ways, especially of his divine plan to save the world through a crucified Messiah (2:8; Acts 17:30; Rom 10:3). Faith perceives what reason alone cannot, namely, the higher wisdom of God (Is 55:9).
1 Cor 1:22 | ISB Notes
Jews: Israel expected outstanding miracles (signs) from the Messiah to authenticate his mission (Mt 16:1; Jn 6:30).
Greeks: Hellenistic thinkers were always on the lookout for new and compelling explanations of the universe (wisdom).
1 Cor 1:23 | ISB Notes
we preach Christ crucified: Roman crucifixion was normally a sign of disgrace and defeat for its victims. The crucifixion of Christ, however, was a deathblow to the devil and the means of our salvation (CCC 272).
stumbling block to Jews: For some Jews, such as those who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, crucifixion was connected with the curse of God in Deut 21:22-23. Paul deals with this apparent difficulty in Gal 3:13, where he insists that Christ endured the curse of death so that Israel and the Gentiles could be blessed with new life.
1 Cor 1:30 | ISB Notes
the source of your life: Every spiritual blessing comes to us from the Father (Eph 1:3; Jas 1:17; CCC 2813). We must acknowledge this to avoid senseless boasting (1 Cor 1:29) and the delusion of self-sufficiency (4:7).
1 Cor 1:31 | ISB Notes
Let him who boasts: A paraphrase of the Greek version of Jer 9:24.
• Jeremiah challenged the wise, mighty, and rich of Israel to stop boasting about their worldly advantages and to start giving the glory to Yahweh (Jer 9:23). Paul has this passage in mind when he makes the same appeal to the Corinthians. Although few of them were “wise”, “powerful”, and “noble” in the world’s eyes (1 Cor 1:26), they were boasting of their spiritual gifts without giving due credit to the Lord (4:7).