Paul begins his letter to the Corinthians by identifying himself as an apostle of Jesus, called “through the will of God” (1 Corinthians 1:1; compare with 2 Corinthians 1:1). His conviction regarding who he is in relation to Jesus is so firm that, with a few exceptions, this is the way he opens all his letters.

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Paul speaks of his calling and apostleship as fulfilling God’s will. He is convinced that his calling is not from men but from God (Galatians 1:1). Paul was called by God from his mother’s womb like Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) as an act of God’s grace (Galatians 1:15), and it happened so that he would proclaim the gospel of Christ among the Gentiles.

In 1 Corinthians 15:8, Paul includes himself among those to whom Christ appeared after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5-7). A few verses later, he implies that his calling to be an apostle resulted from that encounter with Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:9-11).

The title “apostle of Jesus” encompasses a series of concepts. Primarily, it conveys the idea of one whom Jesus sends. Nevertheless, Paul also uses this phrase to identify himself as a servant of Christ (Romans 1:1, Titus 1:1, Galatians 1:10), as well as a preacher and a teacher (1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:11). Whether Paul preaches or teaches, Christ is always in evidence. In short, Paul is an apostle of Jesus.

Jesus is not only the center of Paul’s apostleship; He is the center of Paul’s life. Paul’s thoughts and feelings were filled with the presence of Jesus. Evidence of this fact is that he refers to Jesus repeatedly in the opening and in the thanksgiving section of 1 Corinthians (nine times in nine verses). Paul loved Jesus so much that he couldn’t stop thinking and talking about Him. He wanted to share Jesus with those under his care so that their lives would be Christ-centered, too. While he was called to be an apostle, they were called to be faithful followers of Jesus in whatever capacity to which the Lord called them.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-01-paul-a-god-called-apostle-of-jesus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-01-paul-a-god-called-apostle-of-jesus

Why do people write letters? A possible answer is that they have something to say. So it was with the apostle Paul. Although he had so much to say, Paul did not always have the chance to be face-to-face with those whom he wanted to talk with.

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So, he wrote letters instead–such as to the Corinthians, which contain some of Scripture’s profoundest truths. Among them are: “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2, ESV), and “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9, ESV). And what about the stunning hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13?

On the other hand, whoever reads Paul’s letters to the Corinthians will inevitably get perplexed, not only because of some substantial problems within the church–such as sexual immorality–but also because of the nitpicking that results from cheap factionalism among the members. If you think your church has challenging issues, get ready to see the avalanche of problems Paul had to deal with in Corinth. Perhaps your local church’s problems are not as significant as you imagine. Very likely, you will see that things in Corinth had been much worse.

As disturbing as the problems in Corinth had been, the letters to the Corinthians capture our attention, not because of the problems but because of the remarkable way Paul faces them. By exhorting the church members to evaluate themselves, their behavior, and the surrounding culture in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he exalts the message of the Cross. To use the words of Paul himself elsewhere, any standard lower than the gospel message is to be seen as “anathema” (Gal. 1:8-9, ASV).

In Paul’s time, Corinth was famous for its wealth and strong commerce, all thanks to its port, architecture, shipbuilding, and ceramics. The city was an important financial center. Nevertheless, it was also known for its sexual immorality, religious cacophony, and shrines dedicated to various gods. Indeed, daily life in Corinth was marked by flagrant idolatry. This historical-cultural background helps us understand Paul’s main concerns regarding the Christians in that city and, consequently, his exhortations to them.

This quarter, we will survey Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. In these two remarkable New Testament books, the apostle presents the gospel message as the essence of Christian life and witness, the lens through which everything else is to be judged. No matter the challenges each of us individually or the church in general faces in our journey to heaven–the answer to the most puzzling issues in our work for Christ is the same as for the Corinthians: “Jesus Christ and Him crucified”! (1 Cor. 2:2, NKJV).

Jesus is coming soon. This is a time for more unity in Christ, for an openness to the Holy Spirit as never before, for diligent use of the spiritual gifts, and for a more profound experience with our resurrected Lord. It is time for a genuine Christian ministry, engagement in stewardship and mission, spiritual warfare against false teachings, and growth in grace, love, and fellowship. This is a time to hold fast and be faithful to the message of the Cross, and Paul’s letters to the Corinthians teach us to do just that.

Adenilton Tavares de Aguiar, PhD, is a professor of Biblical Interpretation at the Theological Seminary at the Adventist University Center of São Paulo (UNASP) in Brazil.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/the-essence-of-christian-life-and-witness/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-essence-of-christian-life-and-witness

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Read for This Week’s Study

1 Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:1, Acts 17:16-34, 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, Acts 18:4-10, 2 Corinthians 2:4.

Memory Text:

“One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people’ ” (Acts 18:9-10, NRSV).

The great English missionary William Carey used to say that he cobbled shoes to pay his expenses, but his real business was winning souls.

Likewise, Paul worked as a tentmaker for a living (Acts 18:1-3), but his real business was, of course, winning people to Christ.

This week, we will get a glimpse of Paul’s ministry to the church in the city of Corinth. The church, as we will see, was full of problems, many that were not unlike what our churches face today, almost two thousand years later. Indeed, anyone who has been in Christianity for any length of time, or who has been involved in church work, could ask the question: Have you ever found a Christian group that doesn’t have any problems? The answer is, of course, obvious.

Paul faces challenges in Corinth but does so with the message of the Cross (1 Corinthians 2:2). Faithfulness to this message is also the way to face the challenges that we have today. As we will see this week and throughout this quarter, the message of 1 and 2 Corinthians applies to our lives, as well.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 4.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-01-pauls-ministry-in-corinth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-01-pauls-ministry-in-corinth