© 1998 "Yes Lord" Ministries
1 Corinthians
Lesson 3
Hi Again and Welcome Back !
As you will recall, Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth for 2 main reasons:
First, he is writing because he has heard that they have some serious problems (divisions, quarrels, & misunderstandings) and he wants to address these and give them advice, correction, and instructions concerning these problems. Secondly, he is writing because they have written to him about several specific questions which Paul will be answering in this letter.
In this lesson, lesson 3, we will be looking at one of the problems that Paul has heard about and his advice and admonitions concerning it. In the rest of the lessons in this course, we will look at some of the other problems and Paul's responses and we will also look at Paul's answers to their specific questions.
So with that in mind, let's look now at the FIRST topic (problem) that Paul discusses with the Believers (Christians) in the Church at Corinth. And, yes, you guessed it, that means it is time for an assignment.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 and, as you read, look for the problem they were having. Specifically, about WHAT were they quarreling? When you find it, write it in the space below. (Also note the verse where you found your answer).
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Finished? Great! And I assume you found the answer in verse 12. It seems that they were divided over who was their favorite Apostle and Teacher. Hmmmmm. Kinda sounds like the problems we see in so many churches today, doesn't it.
Anyway, who were their "favorites"?
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Correct! And some of these names are familiar, others might not be. Paul you know and Christ you know. But, who is Apollos? And who is Cephas? Well, you might know who Cephas is, especially if you looked at your footnote in your Bible. If you did, you discovered that Cephas is none other than _______________________ . Yes, Simon Peter!
So, why is Simon Peter called Cephas?, you ask. Well, to understand why Simon Peter is sometimes referred to as Cephas, let's let the Bible explain. Read John 1:40-42. I have printed it here for you. As you read this passage, when you find the answer, underline it in RED (or a color of your choice.)
John 1:40-42
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus, The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which when translated, is Peter.)
Hmmmmm. Very interesting. Jesus Himself had given Simon Peter this name. So, now you wonder, WHY? Was there something significant about the name Cephas? What does Cephas mean? Well, Cephas is the Aramaic word for ROCK. And, Peter was a GREEK name and in Greek it means "ROCK". Wow! Imagine that! Both names mean the same thing. So, you will often see Peter called Cephas and visa versa. There is, of course, more that we could say about this. But, we really don't have time now in this short course. But, as you know, Peter did, indeed, become a rock, a pillar in the Church. But, that is another story for another time. For now, just know that Cephas and Peter both mean "rock" and both names are often used interchangeably in the New Testament.
So, now, Paul you know and Cephas you know and, of course, Christ you know. But, WHO is Apollos? Well, the Bible has the answer to that question also. So, let's now read the answer in Acts 18:24-28 and 19:1a. Actually, if you have time, it would be great if you would read all of Acts chapter 18. You will find it very interesting because it tells some of the details of Paul's visit to Corinth. So, if you have time, read it. But for the sake of space, I will not include the entire 18th chapter here but will only include the part that tells us who Apollos is. As you read this passage, underline words or phrases that describe, identify, or tell you about Apollos.
Acts 18:24-19:1a
Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, (which was the Roman province of which Corinth was the capital), the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.
Hmmmm. This sure helps us to better understand the "problem" there in Corinth. Apparently this young Church had several "famous" teachers in their midst from time to time. And, what usually happens when that happens? ________________________________________ .
Yes, people will "like" some more than others and will tend to (1 Cor. 1:12) _____________ and prefer one over another. Hmmmmm. Sounds like today, doesn't it! So, this letter from Paul to the Church in Corinth is not just about events and problems in the cobweb covered past, but, it is very contemporary with our lives today. We, therefore, SHOULD pay attention to what we are reading and learning.
Anyway, Apollos was a _________ from the city of _________________ , Egypt. Was Apollos a Christian? ________. Was he a godly man? ________ . Did Paul have anything "bad" or negative to say about Apollos? ___________ .
What kind of "Ministry" did Paul and Apollos each primarily have? (From the 2 choices below, write "Paul" by the phrase that best describes his ministry and "Apollos" by the phrase that describes his ministry.)
____________ Church planting & Evangelism (Preaching the Gospel of How to be Saved and teaching the foundational elementary "milk" truths of Salvation and Christianity.)
____________ Teaching (Expanding upon and Explaining details about the Scriptures & Jesus to Believers. Ie. Going beyond the foundational "milk" to the "solid food (meat)" and more difficult to understand principles.)
Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-15. Then based on what you read, answer the following questions:
In the Corinthian Church, who had been the "planter"? (3:6) ___________
What was the "seed" that was planted? ______________________
And how was it planted? ____________________________________________
Who was one of the main "water-ers"? (3:6) ___________________
And, how did Apollos "water" the seed of the Gospel that Paul had planted by proclaiming the message of the Gospel plan of Salvation? _________________________________
But, Who made the Church grow? (3:7) ________________
So, then, what are Paul and Apollos? (3:5) _____________________
Based on what you now know concerning how the Church of Corinth was established and the timing of when Paul and Apollos were in Corinth, why did Paul say he had "planted" and Apollos had "watered"? What did he mean? (Write your answer in the space below.)
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Are the "planter" and the "water-er" of the seed of the Gospel doing the same task?
(circle your answer) .....................................................yes..................no
What is the difference in their task?
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Is one job (planting vs.watering) more important or less important than the other? .....yes......no...
Who gave Paul and Apollos their "assignment" to plant or to water? _________
Who, then, is to get the PRAISE for whatever happens? (circle your answer)
.....................the planter................the water-er..............God, the One who makes it grow.........
So what is Paul telling the Corinthians concerning their division over "who is the most important of the various Apostles and Teachers who had come to their Church to teach them?" And, What did Paul say was the CAUSE of this division and their quarrels? (Hint: before you answer this, reread 1 Cor. 3:1-4.)
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Hmmmmm. Very interesting. So, Paul is telling them that they are having these quarrels because they are still spiritually immature in their understanding of the Scriptures and of how to live a godly life. They were still following their old ways of trying to deal with things as the Greeks did, using reason and the ways of the world in solving problems and difficulties instead of following the ways of Christ.
So they were dealing with their problems as (3:3) __________________ and therefore were still (3:1) _____________ and _______________ and, as worldly men or infants they could only eat (drink) (3:2) __________ instead of being able to eat the (3:2) ______________ of the teachings of Christ. And those teachings included the fact that neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is important. It is GOD Who is important and Who is to get ALL of the praise for everything. Therefore, when they are quarreling and jealous, this is showing that they are spiritually immature in their understanding of the Scriptures, that they are still babies in their spiritual growth.
There is another passage in the Bible, Hebrews 5:11-6:3, which also explains this principle of Spiritual Immaturity and the problems it causes. The writer of Hebrews had been trying to teach the Believers about Melchizedek and Christ's Priesthood. But, apparently those believers were also spiritually immature and unable to fully understand the "solid food (meat)" of this teaching. Here, let me give you that passage so you can see for yourself.
Hebrews 5:11-6:3
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ...
Hmmmmm. So, if a person is still at the "milk stage" of their Spiritual growth, they are only able to understand the ________________ truths of God's Word and therefore are not able to have _______ food. Solid food is for the ______________ . But if a person is still a baby and on "milk", then they will also act like babies. (or as worldly men). And some of the things that babies "do" is have divisions, prefer one person over another, become jealous, and have quarrels.
Was the Church of Corinth acting like babies? ................yes................no.......
Had the Church of Corinth had some opportunities to receive "SOLID FOOD (MEAT)"? (Hint, what kind of teaching had Apollos brought them?)...............yes..............no........
In Hebrews, we learned that "milk" teachings are the foundational basic teachings of the elementary truths of God's Word and includes such things as: (6:1-2)
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Do babies need milk? ............yes..........no
Is milk important & necessary for the development of a baby into a mature peron?.....yes.....no.
Are elementary teachings important? .................yes.............no............
Are elementary teachings necessary for the spritual growth of an individual?........yes.........no
Does every Christian believer need to know and be firmly grounded in the "milk" teachings of the fundamental and basic truths and principles of Christianity?...............yes.................no.........
Should a, does a, baby, even when he is older continue to only drink milk?.........yes.........no.
In normal growth and development of a baby into an adult, how does their food intake change?
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Similarly, in a Believer, how should their Spiritual teachings change as they develop from being a newborn Christian into a mature Christian? ________________________________
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What, then, is Paul saying to the Church at Corinth concerning their actions?
They are _____________ and they need to
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Yes, they are still babies, acting like babies and eating (drinking) milk like babies. And Paul is telling them that they need to become mature, stop being divided and acting like mere men. They need to stop being jealous and quarreling and choosing men to follow'. They need to quit dwelling on only the foundational teachings and go on to maturity.
These foundational (MILK) teachings include the elementary teachings of Christ (who He is and what He did and does), understanding that salvation is based on repentance, understanding that if a person does not repent of their (sinful) acts, they will die, knowing what faith in God means, understanding about baptisms, understanding about the laying on of hands, understanding what it means to be resurrected from the dead, and understanding about eternal judgment.
Imagine that! All of those things you listed are considered to be ELEMENTARY (Milk) teachings for babies! And yet, most of the Church in Corinth (and in the Church today) still did not understand them and apparently continued to go over these same topics day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. They should have already known all of those things and should have already been going on to teachings that build upon those truths.
Indeed, Apollos had surely tried to teach them some "SOLID FOOD (MEAT)" type teachings (since he was "watering"). And the "Meat" teachings were to build upon the foundational MILK teachings of Paul. Paul had told them the foundational things about salvation being based on repentance and that unrepented acts of sin will produce their death. And, he had taught them the other foundational teachings about faith in God, baptisms, the laying on of hands, what it means to be resurrected from the dead, and eternal judgment. And, indeed, they did know these things.
BUT, they had stopped there. They were still stuck at the elementary level. They were still babies on milk. They were not mature so they couldn't understand the "Meatier" things of scripture. They did not understand the solid food teachings of such things as the teaching that It is not the one who plants or the one who waters who is important, but it is GOD, the one who makes things grow, who is important and who should get the praise.
So they were jealous and had arguments and division about "who was the best" and "followed" different ones, Paul, Cephus, Apollos. They did not understand that they are not to esteem people, but they are to esteem and honor God. They did not understand that they are not to seek the praise or attention of men or serve men, but they are to Praise God and Serve God.
IF they had understood these, and the many other "solid food (meat)" teachings, they would NOT have been choosing favorite teachers or having arguments or being jealous and etc. Rather, they would have been focusing on God, and trying to serve and please Him. They would have graciously and eagerly listened to and appreciated EVERY true Teacher and Apostle who visited them and would have learned from them rather than tyring to decide which one was the "best." They would have been wanting to serve others instead of trying to have their own way and be served by others They would have been .... well, you get the idea.
So, what is the bottom line' of all of this? What was Paul telling the Corinthians?
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Yes, that they were immature still acting like babies as was evident by their actions of jealousy, divisions, and following men.
But, more importantly, what is Paul telling you and me? As we bring this lesson to a close, let's think about that! Is your life, my life, that of a baby Christian? Ask yourself, Am I immature spiritually? Am I still hung up on the elementary teachings of the Bible? Am I still arguing and debating the foundational things such as baptisms, the laying on of hands, what happens at the resurrection of the dead, and wondering if there really is an eternal judgment? Is there jealousy in my life? Do I have divisions with others over things? Am I trying to be a people pleaser instead of trying to serve and obey God? Am I ..........
Well, you get the idea. So, your assignment now is to spend the last few minutes of this lesson thinking about your life. If you are a brand new Christian, great, it is ok to still be going over these fundamental and foundational truths. But, if you have been a Christian for several years and these are the kinds of things that you are still studying and thinking about and if jealousy and divisions are your lifestyle, then you need to realize that you are still a baby Christian. And, friend, there is soooooo much more to the Christian life than these foundational things. Yes, they are necessary and very important, BUT, it is time to go ON in your spiritual growth. There is more, so much more! Agree with God that you want to build on the foundational things which you already know and want to now go on to the solid food (meat). Ask Him to teach you and lead you on to maturity. Stop following men and start following and obeying God! Friend, there is so much more to know about God and what He has planned for you and the way He desires for you to live and act than you will ever understand, enjoy, or experience if you stay at the elementary (milk) level.
Think on these things. Think on your life. And talk to God about this. Take as much time as you need. God has all the time in the world and He wants to fellowship with you. ...
And we will continue our study in Lesson 4.
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Scriptures unless otherwise indicated are taken from
the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.Copyright C 1973,1978,1984 International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.
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