Bullet Point Bible - 1 Corinthians 1

Greeting and Thanksgiving

¹ From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother,² to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!⁴ I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus.⁵ For you were made rich in every way in him, in all your speech and in every kind of knowledge -⁶ just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed among you-⁷ so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁸ He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul immediately establishes his apostolic authority, grounding it in God's will, not human appointment (1 Cor 1:1).
Sosthenes, possibly the former synagogue ruler mentioned in Acts 18:17, is co-sender, indicating his standing in the church.
The letter is addressed to the "church of God in Corinth," reminding them of their divine identity despite their internal problems (1 Cor 1:2).
Believers are described as "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (positional holiness) and "called to be holy" (practical living) (1 Cor 1:2).
The greeting extends to "all those everywhere," highlighting the universality of the church and Christ's lordship (1 Cor 1:2).
The standard Pauline greeting "Grace and peace" combines Greek and Hebrew salutations, rooted in God and Christ (1 Cor 1:3).
Paul's thanksgiving focuses on God's grace already given to the Corinthians, particularly their giftedness in speech and knowledge (1 Cor 1:4-5) – areas later shown to be sources of pride and division.
These gifts served as confirmation ("testimony... confirmed") of the gospel message they received (1 Cor 1:6).
Paul affirms they lack no spiritual gift while awaiting Christ's return, setting a high standard against which their behavior will be measured (1 Cor 1:7).
Assurance is given that God, through Christ, will sustain them blameless until the final judgment ("the day of our Lord Jesus Christ") (1 Cor 1:8).
The foundation for this assurance is God's faithfulness, who initiated their relationship ("called into fellowship" - Greek *koinonia*) with Christ (1 Cor 1:9).

Appeal for Unity Amidst Divisions

¹⁰ I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose.¹¹ For members of Chloe's household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters, that there are quarrels among you.¹² Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," or "I am with Cephas," or "I am with Christ."¹³ Is Christ divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul?¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,¹⁵ so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name!¹⁶ (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.)¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.

Paul shifts from thanksgiving to exhortation, appealing urgently ("I urge you") for unity (1 Cor 1:10).
The basis for the appeal is the authority ("name") of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one they all claim to follow.
The goal is unity in "mind" (Greek *nous*) and "purpose" or "judgment" (Greek *gnome*), indicating deep agreement in understanding and values (1 Cor 1:10).
Paul identifies the source of his information: reliable reports from "Chloe's household," indicating specific knowledge of the church's problems (1 Cor 1:11).
The divisions manifested as factions aligning with different leaders: Paul (founder), Apollos (eloquent teacher, see Acts 18:24-28), Cephas (Peter, the apostle to the Jews), and even a "Christ" party, perhaps claiming superior spirituality (1 Cor 1:12).
Paul uses sharp rhetorical questions to expose the absurdity of these divisions, emphasizing Christ's unique, indivisible role and the centrality of His crucifixion (1 Cor 1:13).
Baptism is into Christ, not into the name of the human baptizer; Paul distances himself from being the focus of any faction (1 Cor 1:13-15).
Paul downplays his role in baptizing (mentioning only Crispus, Gaius, and Stephanas' household) to underscore that his primary mission was gospel proclamation (1 Cor 1:14-17).
He explicitly contrasts preaching the gospel with "clever speech" (Greek *sophia logou*, wisdom of words), fearing human rhetoric could obscure the power inherent in the message of the cross itself (1 Cor 1:17). This introduces the theme of wisdom vs. foolishness.

The Paradox of the Cross: God's Wisdom and Power

¹⁸ For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.¹⁹ For it is written, " I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent ."²⁰ Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish?²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.²² For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom,²³ but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.²⁴ But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

The central theme: the "message of the cross" (Greek *logos tou staurou*) evokes opposite reactions – perceived as "foolishness" (*moria*) by unbelievers heading for destruction, but experienced as God's "power" (*dunamis*) by believers being saved (1 Cor 1:18).
Paul supports this with a quotation from Isaiah 29:14, showing God's intention to overturn human standards of wisdom (1 Cor 1:19).
Rhetorical questions challenge the efficacy of worldly wisdom, legal expertise, and philosophical debate in knowing God (1 Cor 1:20). God actively demonstrated the inadequacy of human wisdom.
God's wisdom is shown in His plan: allowing the world to fail in knowing Him through its own wisdom, then choosing to save through the seemingly foolish message ("foolishness of preaching") centered on the cross (1 Cor 1:21).
Paul contrasts the expectations of his contemporaries: Jews sought "miraculous signs" (validating power) and Greeks sought "wisdom" (philosophical coherence) (1 Cor 1:22).
The core Christian message, "Christ crucified," directly confronts these expectations: it's a "stumbling block" (*skandalon*) to Jews (a crucified Messiah seemed contradictory and cursed, Deut 21:23) and "foolishness" (*moria*) to Gentiles (a suffering deity was illogical) (1 Cor 1:23).
However, for those "called" by God (the elect), regardless of background, Christ Himself embodies both the "power of God" (addressing the Jewish demand) and the "wisdom of God" (addressing the Greek quest) (1 Cor 1:24).
The paradox culminates: What appears foolish and weak from God's perspective infinitely surpasses the best of human wisdom and strength (1 Cor 1:25). This reframes the entire value system.

God's Choice Defies Worldly Standards

²⁶ Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.²⁷ But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong.²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something,²⁹ so that no one can boast in his presence.³⁰ He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,³¹ so that, as it is written, " Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord ."

Paul directs the Corinthians to consider their own social standing at the time of their conversion ("your call") as evidence of God's methods (1 Cor 1:26).
Most Corinthian believers were not considered wise, powerful, or aristocratic by the world's criteria, reflecting the typical makeup of early urban churches (1 Cor 1:26).
God's deliberate inversion: He intentionally chose the "foolish," "weak," "low," "despised," and even "things that are not" (those considered non-entities) (1 Cor 1:27-28).
The purpose of God's counter-intuitive choice is twofold: to "shame" worldly standards of wisdom and strength, and to "abolish" or nullify the status and pretensions of "things that are" (those esteemed by the world) (1 Cor 1:27-28).
The ultimate theological goal: to eliminate any basis for human pride or boasting (*kauchaomai*) in God's presence (1 Cor 1:29). This directly addresses the pride underlying the Corinthian factions.
Believers' true standing ("life in Christ Jesus") is entirely God's doing ("He is the reason") (1 Cor 1:30).
Christ Himself is the embodiment of God's provision: He *is* God's wisdom for us, as well as the source of our righteousness (right standing), sanctification (holiness), and redemption (liberation) (1 Cor 1:30).
Paul concludes with a paraphrase of Jeremiah 9:23-24, redirecting all boasting away from human achievements or affiliations toward the Lord alone (1 Cor 1:31). This serves as a final rebuke to the divisions mentioned earlier.

The Bullet Point Bible

1 Corinthians 1