bigOstudents

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is an incredible resource for understanding how the Gospel affects every aspect of the church. The Corinthian church in Paul's day was made up of young Christians; they were attempting to do "church" in a highly pluralistic society; and they needed some serious direction.

The Corinthian church was struggling with all kinds of sin and ministry obstacles. Through this letter, Paul addressed divisions within the church, sexual sin, the sanctity of marriage, petty lawsuits among believers, Christian liberty, idolatry, the significance of Communion and spiritual gifts. All of these issues were separate from one another, and each required sound teaching, and in some cases discipline. However, one root issue was causing all of these problems: A low view of God and a low view of the Gospel.

The believers in Corinth had begun to adopt a standard for church that was lower than what God demanded and less than what the Gospel required. The petty selfishness of the surrounding culture had penetrated the church, and it was causing problems on every front. Paul was forceful, and he made no apologies for speaking truth; but - his approach to these issues was all Gospel-centered.

His remedy for the Corinthian church was not man-centered. In other words, in his effort to solve these issues, Paul did not tell the Corinthians to clean up their behavior and to start acting like Christians. On the contrary, he affirmed the reality that they were incapable of cleaning themselves up. In order to solve these issues, Paul taught the Gospel. "He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption." (1:30 ESV)

Paul addressed these issues by re-preaching the Gospel. Paul never assumed the Gospel. He knew that it was the heart of the faith, the engine that drove the church, and when that engine is malfunctioning, the whole body begins to fall apart. The Corinthians had forgotten the all-encompassing, life-changing reality of the Gospel. Therefore, they began to hold a low view of God and a high view of themselves.

Beginning Wednesday August 18th, we will begin a series in the Cave entitled "Break It Down." The title comes from the Christian hip-hop artist, Lecrae, who is an unbelievable gift from God. By utilizing Scripture and Lecrae's song, we will "break down" the letter of first Corinthians. By stirring our hearts for Jesus Christ and the Gospel, we will discover how to effectively address several issues that every group of believers face.