1 Corinthians: Introduction - Week 1
Opening Prayer:
Lord God,
You are worthy of all praise and honour.
We thank You for Your love and Your grace towards us, and for the way You not only call us to be Your people, but also empower us, through Your Spirit, to fulfil that call—if only we will wholly surrender to You.
Help us surrender, Lord.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Key Scripture:
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
Acts 18:1-18
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere 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 his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
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Becoming the Whānau of God: 1 Corinthians 1
The Disconnect Between Identity and Behaviour
Parents often speak identity over their children—such as calling a child "kind" or describing them as a "good driver"—even when their current behaviour lacks the evidence to support it. This introduces the central tension in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Paul addresses the believers in Corinth as a people "sanctified in Christ Jesus," called to be "holy," and lacking no "spiritual gift".
However, as the letter progresses, a severe disconnect emerges. We will eventually see that the Corinthian church is defined by division, pride, status obsession, sexual immorality, legal disputes, abuse of communion, and theological doubts regarding the resurrection. Rather than instructing them to simply "get their act together," Paul begins by grounding them in who they are meant to be in Christ.
The Danger of Syncretism
To understand this tension, the sermon examines the historical and cultural context of ancient Corinth. Rebuilt as a prominent Roman colony in Greece, it was a multicultural hub marked by extreme wealth disparities, the Roman ethos, and diverse religious practices. The primary threat to the Corinthian church was syncretism—allowing the values, status, and power structures of the surrounding culture to dictate their lifestyle rather than following the way of Jesus and being shaped by his Spirit. Instead of being transformed, they treated the church like a social club and relegated Christianity to a mere segment of their busy lives.
We face identical traps when we are tempted to blend, or water down, our faith with cultural ideologies:
Christianity + Consumerism: Finding ultimate security and identity in possessions.
Christianity + Political Ideology: Viewing scripture through a political lens rather than letting Christ critique all political positions.
Christianity + Self-Help: Treating Jesus as a personal life coach for individual happiness rather than as Lord.
Giftedness vs. Maturity
Paul acknowledges that the Corinthians are highly gifted, yet they use these gifts for self-promotion and public honour rather than community edification. Drawing a parallel to modern personality and spiritual gift assessments, we see that identifying our strengths and gifts is useless unless they are actively used to serve the kingdom. The challenge for the modern church is not just discovering spiritual gifts but using them with maturity for the benefit of others and for the expansion of God’s family.
Defined by Grace
Paul uses the perfect passive tense for the word "sanctified". This means that holiness is an already completed action performed by God on behalf of the believer. It is not up to us, done by us or defined by us. We are not defined by our worst actions or our own striving, but by the finished work of Jesus. We are reminded that true transformation is not achieved through our own human strength, but by living into the identity given by a faithful God who sanctifies, strengthens, and calls his people into fellowship.
Discussion Guide:
Series Overview
Welcome to this series on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Over this series, we unpack what it means to move from being a mere spiritual "club" of separate individuals, to becoming the true whānau of God. In this first session, we explore the stark tension between the Corinthians’ messy, dysfunctional reality and their secure divine identity. Paul addresses a community plagued by severe divisions, pride, and cultural compromise, yet he intentionally starts by declaring them "holy" and "gifted."
Part 1: The Paradox of Identity vs. Evidence
Ancient Corinth was a thriving, multicultural Roman colony in Greece, characterised by great commercial wealth, extreme poverty, and a competitive "honour-shame" culture where social status, public recognition, and rhetorical power were paramount. As we read through the letter, we will discover that the Corinthian church was deeply fractured: they were divided, arrogant, obsessed with social standing, sexually immoral, taking each other to court, abusing communion, and fighting over who had the superior spiritual gift. Yet, Paul does not address them as "failures who need to get their act together." Instead, he addresses them as sanctified and called to be holy. Like a parent speaking descriptive identity markers over a child ("you are kind, you are confident") even when their immediate behavior contradicts it, Paul speaks their true status in Christ to call them upward into that reality.
Discussion Questions:
Do you tend to showcase your strengths or downplay them? Share a brief story of a time someone affirmed a capability or identity in you before you actually felt competent in it.
How does it feel to realize that God speaks over you as "holy, blameless, and enriched" even on your most unfaithful days?
Part 2: The Trap of Syncretism
The Corinthians weren't necessarily tempted to completely abandon Jesus for pagan gods like Zeus or Jupiter; rather, they fell into syncretism—allowing the baseline values, hopes, and metrics of success from their surrounding culture to become more influential than the way of the cross. They squeezed Jesus into their busy lives, turning the church into a "club" that provided moments of spiritual insight but demanded no moral or social change. Today, we face identical pressures when we mix faith with cultural trends:
Christianity + Consumerism: Finding our identity and security in what we own, or treating church success exclusively through numeric, commercial growth.
Christianity + Political Ideology: Reading the Scriptures through a strict political lens (left or right) rather than allowing the way of Jesus to critique every political position.
Christianity + Self-Help: Relegating Jesus to a "life coach" who helps us achieve personal happiness, fulfillment, and our dreams, rather than a Lord who calls us to die to self, pursue holiness, and love our neighbor sacrificially.
Christianity + Busyness: Professing that God is Lord while living as if our daily performance, output, and achievements determine our ultimate value and worth.
Discussion Questions:
Unmasking Modern Syncretism: Review the four modern forms of syncretism outlined above (Consumerism, Political Ideology, Self-Help, and Busyness). Which of these four do you find yourself slipping into most effortlessly? In what ways does that specific cultural lens distort how you read the bible or follow Jesus?
Part 3: Giftedness vs. Maturity
Paul acknowledges that the Corinthians are highly gifted, calling them the pneumatikoi ("Spirit-people") who "do not lack any spiritual gift." However, their cultural wiring led them to treat these gifts (tongues, wisdom, knowledge) as badges of honour to display publicly for self-promotion. They possessed immense spiritual power but lacked basic spiritual maturity. True spiritual gifts are never given for self-exaltation or self-preservation; they are given to join the Holy Spirit in serving the collective family and demonstrating the character of God's Kingdom.
Discussion Questions:
In our current context, how do we accidentally use our careers, talents, intelligence, or even our ministries to make ourselves look "impressive enough"? How can we pivot those same strengths toward hidden, humble service?
Part 4: The Perfect Present Passive Identity
The key to breaking out of this performance trap is theological. In verse 2, the word for "sanctified" (made holy) operates in the perfect present passive tense. In Greek grammar, this marks an action that has already been completely finished in the past by an outside agent, carries permanent, ongoing significance in the present, and is entirely passive—meaning it is something done to us by God, not earned or achieved by us. We are not defined by our worst failures or our most impressive performances; we are defined by the finished work of Christ.
Discussion Questions:
Look closely at verses 4-9. List all the actions that God takes on behalf of the believers (e.g., gives grace, enriches, confirms, keeps firm, calls). How does anchoring our community's future in God's faithfulness (v. 9) rather than our own human strategy relieve structural and personal anxiety? What does this anchoring practically look like?
Practices:
Individual Practices:
The Identity Declaration
Every morning this week before looking at your phone or engaging with your to-do list, spend two minutes sitting in silence and declaring the truths of 1 Corinthians 1 out loud: "In Christ, I am sanctified. I am called to be holy. I am enriched by his grace. I do not lack what is required to follow him today. My worth is determined by Christ's faithfulness, not my production." Pay attention to how this alters your baseline anxiety throughout the week.
The Syncretism Audit
Take a look at your calendar and financial statements from the past month. If an external observer reviewed where your time, mental energy, and money went, would they conclude that Jesus is Lord, or that your security lies in consumerism, self-help, or work status? Choose one specific area to trim back this week (e.g., fasting from recreational shopping, scaling back social media, or setting a strict boundary on overtime work) to reclaim Christ as your centre.
Community Practices:
Gift Activation
As a group, discuss the tangible needs within your immediate neighbourhood or church community. Catalogue the unique gifts and resources present within your small group (e.g., hospitality, practical trade skills, teaching, administrative coordination, encouragement). Pick one practical, combined action this month where your group joins the Spirit to serve a neighbour or address a local need, making the move from private fulfillment to collective blessing.
Additional Resources:
For a printable version of this guide click here.